October 2004

True Blue Featured Trips

Historical images of Greece were well represented in the summer Olympics, but now you have a chance to see the real things on the Alumni Association’s “Alumni College Abroad in Greece” trip. You’ll stay on Poros, an island from where you can make ferry connections to Mykonos, Santorini, Crete, Rhodes and almost every island in the Aegean Sea. You’ll stop at the Temple of Aphea, a structure that was dedicated to a daughter of Zeus and was built on the foundation of an early sixth-century temple. Your trip will conclude with an overnight stay in Athens and dinner at a local restaurant. For details, including dates and prices, on this trip and the rest of our itineraries, visit True Blue Travel online.

Travel Industry News

Don’t be surprised if, on your next trip, you’re subjected to more security scrutiny than you’re used to. Last month, the Transportation Security Administration initiated new airport security rules for all airline passengers traveling in the United States. To fortify the TSA’s screening procedures to detect the presence of explosives carried on a person or in luggage, all passengers must remove their jackets before passing through metal detectors. Screeners will also have more discretion to conduct pat-down searches. Any passengers selected for secondary screening after going through the metal detectors will have their carry-on luggage subjected to checks by explosives trace detectors.

Hints and Tips

Sometimes even “experts” are wrong. Travel safety writer Terry Riley tackles four travel safety myths that are frequently purported on the Web.

• Myth: In-room hotel safes are a good place for your valuables. Fact: Your best bet is to use the hotel’s safe deposit boxes and get a receipt.
• Myth: It’s a good idea to put your name all over your laptop and carrying case to avoid theft. Fact: You might actually be making it easier for a thief to target you by calling you by name or choosing you because of an American-sounding name or other identifying information.
• Myth: Travelers should carry bait money for potential thieves. Fact: Doing so can be dangerous—don’t try to cheat a robber out of a few dollars. If someone confronts you with a weapon, hand over whatever you have.
• Myth: If you live in a safe part of your home country, it’s smart to visit a less safe area before your trip to hone your survival skills and instincts. Fact: You’d be better off spending your time researching and planning your trip to avoid dangerous areas altogether.

True Blue Travel News

True Blue Travel is excited to offer a discount of $100 per person on any of our 2005 travel offerings operated by Alumni Holidays International. In order to qualify for this discount, you must select a trip operated by AHI, include the following code “PROMO OBD100” in the comments section of the online reservation form, or mention this code to the representative when calling AHI at 800.492.8155. Reservations must be made by November 5 to take advantage of this discount. See the selection of trips online.

Products and Gadgets

Instead of paying a neighborhood teenager to house-sit the next time you go on vacation, have a robot do the job. That’s exactly what people in Japan are doing, thanks to Fujitsu’s MARON-1, a domestic robot that serves as a watchdog and more while you are away. Features include rotating “eyes” that serve as cameras that can stream live footage of your home directly to your mobile phone, infrared emitters and sensors that allow you to operate remote-control appliances (TV, VCR, air conditioners) while you’re on the road, and a detection device that emits a loud sound and contacts a preset phone number if there is an intruder. The MARON-1 retails for about $2,750, but it hasn’t hit stateside—yet.

Travel Trivia

As Halloween approaches, consider taking a vacation or weekend getaway this fall to a haunted destination. GhostTraveller.com lists information on spooky or “haunted” hotels and inns, theaters, restaurants, tourist attractions, and taverns around the country by state. HauntedHouse.com helps you located Halloween haunted house attractions, real haunts and other haunted entertainment in your area.

True Blue Traveler Comments

“The Amazon Riverboat trip was fantastic and the University representatives were beyond belief with their assistance, comments and leadership. This was our third Alumni [Association] trip and the best yet. We will certainly look for another trip soon.”
—Larry Brown, JD’55

For details, including dates and prices, about the Amazon Riverboat Adventure, visit our Web site.