September 2004

True Blue Featured Trips

The wonders of Southeast Asia await you on the Alumni Association's "Temples and Waterways of Vietnam and Cambodia" trip. This 19-day adventure will begin in Hanoi, the bustling capital of Vietnam. There you'll see its ancient culture, French colonial architecture, broad tree-lined boulevards and beautiful lakes. Then you'll cruise aboard a junk on the Halong Bay and visit a floating market on the Mekong Delta. Later in your journey, you'll explore the imperial tombs of emperors Tu Duc and Khai Dinh in the cultural city of Hue, visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi and see the History Museum in Saigon. For details, including dates and prices, on this trip and the rest of our itineraries, visit True Blue Travel online.

Travel Industry News

Fall is a busy time for business travel, and a good wireless Internet connection can turn a layover into a chance to get work done. Yet many airports still don't offer reliable high-speed Internet connections. Travel journalist Christopher Elliott researched and ranked the top five airports that offer wireless Internet access:

1. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International
2. Minneapolis-St. Paul International
3. Mineta San Jose International
4. Miami International
5. Albuquerque International Sunport

Hints and Tips

When you're looking for cheap airfares, there are a few things to keep in mind. A recent article in the New York Times discusses how tracking down cheap flights requires sharpening your shopping skills:

• Look for fares through Orbitz. While Web sites like Expedia and Travelocity are good choices for comparing fares from multiple airlines, Orbitz is one of the online travel agencies that has added new tools to enhance the user's ability to find lower fares. You can view fares for the dates you enter and for one day earlier or later. We offer an Orbitz toolbar directly on the True Blue Travel site.
• Plan to depart midweek. You can usually find lower fares available on Tuesdays or Wednesdays. The middle of the week is when planes are less crowded.
• Let someone else do the work for you. SmarterLiving.com is a good Web site for finding weekly specials and sales. It rounds up all the deals and specials from the week and sends them directly to your inbox.
• Consider an alternate airport. Flying out of a smaller airport will often save you money, but it can be difficult to search for flights in and out of several airports. ITA Software lets you search airports at distances ranging from 25 to 300 miles of your first choice.

Products and Gadgets

Don't lose money or other small items the next time you stay in a hotel room. Magellan's offers a new travel tray for loose valuables such as coins, jewelry, keys or wallets. Just place it on a hotel dresser or nightstand. It lies flat in your bag and has four snaps to become an 8 x 5 x 2" basket. The tray even has a separate compartment for sunglasses.

Association News

Many U-M alumni go to Michigania, the Alumni Association's camp in northern Michigan, to relax and enjoy nature in the summer. But Michigania is also a retreat and conference center that is available for all your business needs all year long. We offer a single-user policy, which means your company can have exclusive access to our facilities for your next meeting, conference or workshop. Michigania offers a 10,000-square foot Education Center and high-speed Internet access, printing capabilities and a full range of audio-visual equipment. For more information on reserving Michigania for your company's next event, visit our Web site.

Travel Trivia

In 1996, Brigham Young University agribusiness graduate Brett Herbst created his first corn maze in American Fork, Utah. It was the largest of its kind in the western United States. Since then, Herbst launched his own company, The MAiZE, which is now the world's largest cornfield maze company. It has created more than 625 corn mazes around the country and the world. The MAiZE Web site even offers information on how to find one of its corn mazes near you.

True Blue Traveler Comments

"The Trans-Panama Canal trip was a wonderful cruise on a spectacular ship."
--Joseph McLellan, '48, JD'50

For details, including dates and prices, about the Trans-Panama Canal trip, visit our Web site.