December 2004

True Blue Featured Trips

Visit Norway's big cities and small villages of the fjords on the Alumni Association's ’s “Norwegian Splendor: Bergen and the Fjords” trip. Your trip’s departure in early summer will allow you to experience the light of the Midnight Sun, where the sun is visible on the horizon at midnight. You’ll definitely want to snap pictures at Hammerfest, Europe’s northernmost city, which was rebuilt entirely after the Germans burned the city in 1944. Two days later you’ll cross the Arctic Circle. Your trip concludes in Oslo, where the Michigan alumni group will enjoy a farewell dinner together before returning home. For details, including dates and prices, on this trip and the rest of our itineraries, visit True Blue Travel online.

Travel Industry News

The Transportation Security Administration is offering some reminders on how to make sure your holiday travel experience is smooth and hassle-free. There are newly enhanced screening procedures at airport checkpoints this winter, so familiarize yourself ahead of time:

• Remove your overcoat, jacket, blazer and/or suit coat when going through a checkpoint and place them in a plastic bin on the X-ray belt.
• Take your laptop and cassette-type cameras out of their carrying cases and place them in a plastic bin.
• Make sure you bring unwrapped gifts to the checkpoint—any wrapped gifts will be unwrapped if additional screening is required.
• Save yourself time by placing your shoes on the X-ray belt before going through the metal detector.
  

The TSA also offers security checkpoint wait times on its Web site so you can plan how much time you need at the airport.

Hints and Tips

You have to shop for your friends and family, but why not give yourself a gift at the same time? Now you can do that by earning airline bonus miles on purchases through airline mileage malls and online retail partners. Here's a roundup:

• Earn half an A+ Rewards credit per $100 spent at www.skymall.com/airtran.
• Earn up to 10 miles per dollar spent at stores such as L.L. Bean and Macy’s through December 31 by shopping through Mileage Plan Shopping.
• Northwest’s WorldPerks Mall retailers have special offers such as bonus miles, free shipping and discounts from retailers like Circuit City, Lands’ End and more.
• Earn extra miles on Delta by purchasing products through SkyMilesShopping. Retailers include Harry and David, FTD and Red Envelope.

Products and Gadgets

Get the travel buff in your family a global positioning system that will ensure you never get lost on your next road trip. If you’re looking for a top-of-the-line device, check out the Alk Technologies Evesham Copilot Live at Alk.com. Not ready to spend the big bucks? The Magellan eXplorist 200 is a good bet, available at BestBuy.com.

Travel Trivia

The U-M football team will play Texas in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day 2005 in Pasadena, California. Did you know that the first Tournament of Roses was staged in 1890 by members of Pasadena’s Valley Hunt Club? The group was comprised of former residents of the East and Midwest eager to showcase their new home’s mild winter weather. “In New York, people are buried in snow,” said Professor Charles F. Holder at a club meeting. “Here our flowers are blooming and our oranges are about to bear. Let’s hold a festival to tell the world about our paradise.” The rest is history.

If you’re able to experience the balmy California weather for the Rose Bowl, make sure you stop by the free and open-to-the-public Wolverine pep rally at 4 p.m. on Friday, December 31, at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel. It will feature the football team, cheerleaders, Michigan Marching Band and more. Tickets to the official University of Michigan Tailgate are also still available.

True Blue Traveler Comments

“Our trip to Provence was way beyond our expectations. Our U-M hosts went above and beyond, and our campus director was the best.” —Gerry Kangas, ’66

The “Alumni College Abroad in Provence” trip offers the chance to walk in the footsteps of Cezanne and indulge in French wines. You’ll travel to the old fishing village of Cassis and explore the “calanques,” a series of sheer limestone fjords and cliffs. You’ll take in the lush green forests, perched villages, castles and churches in Le Luberon and visit historic Les Baux and St. Rémy. The trip includes a memorable “Meet the People” discussion with local residents. For details, including dates and prices, about the 2005 Alumni College Aboard in Provence, visit our Web site.