AAA Travel High School Challenge Strives to Improve Travel and Geographic Literacy

Contest Offers High School Students Trip to Universal Orlando to Compete for More Than $100,000 in Scholarships and Prizes

AURORA, Ill., Dec. 9 -- Illinois and Northern Indiana high school students have an opportunity to earn a $25,000 college scholarships if they are able to answer questions like these: if you are driving due west from Dodge City, which state will you first come to? In what state is the world-famous Waimea Canyon? What is the Loire Valley famous for?

In the fourth annual AAA Travel High School Challenge, teenagers around the country are getting ready to flex their travel and geography muscles to answer such questions, and those with the most correct answers may be well on their way to an expense-paid trip to Orlando to compete for more than $100,000 in college scholarships and prizes.

The contest aims to increase teens' travel knowledge and geographic literacy while creating awareness of career opportunities in the travel and tourism industry.

The national contest is open to all U.S. students in grades 9-12 ( public, private or home-schooled), with winners from all 50 states and the District of Columbia traveling to Universal Orlando in May 2006 to compete for scholarships and prizes totaling more than $100,000.

"The AAA Travel High School Challenge sharpens students' travel literacy by focusing on the culture and history of travel and tourism destinations," said Kris Lathan, AAA Chicago's director of public affairs. "We hope the Travel Challenge will not only encourage teens to study travel geography, but will also spark an interest in careers in travel and tourism."

The contest begins with a 40-question online quiz available from January 9-17 at http://www.aaa.com/TravelChallenge . The top five scorers in each state will take a proctored, written exam in early March. The top scorer in each state wins an expense-paid trip for two to compete in the national finals, which will be held May 13-16 at Universal Orlando.

Interested students can sign up for the contest any time between now and January 17. More than 63,000 students participated in the Travel Challenge in 2005. Corporate sponsors for the contest are Holland America Line, Universal Orlando, Pleasant Holidays, Marriott, Continental Airlines, MBNA America, and Hard Rock Live.

For more information, call AAA Chicago Public Affairs, 630-328-7237.

AAA Chicago will celebrate 100 years of service in 2006. Formed in 1906, AAA Chicago represents roadway interests for motorists and pedestrians and serves their leading advocate for various traffic safety and travel-related issues. For more information on high gas prices and money-saving tips, please visit our Web site at http://www.aaa.com/ or call us toll-free at 1-877-YOUR AAA (968-7222).

AAA Chicago offers automotive, travel, insurance and financial services. It is part of The Auto Club Group (ACG), the largest affiliation of AAA clubs in the Midwest, with 4.1 million members in eight states. ACG clubs belong to the national AAA federation, a not-for-profit organization, with more than 48 million members in the United States and Canada.