How would you like to gather a group of your friends, relatives or co-workers and do the thing we all love best….take a cruise? On many sailings, if you travel with as few as ten companions, you can cruise for free! AAA Minnesota/Iowa Group Travel Services will be happy to make the travel arrangements for you. We supply the expertise and you supply the friends.

Not sure you know enough people to make this work? Think about the groups you and your spouse already belong to: a senior group, church group, golf buddies or a card club. Cruises are perfect for your next family reunion. Group discounts apply and everyone saves money!

Please contact our AAA Group Travel Services at 800-373-9609 for more information. Learn what it takes to put together a group. It’s easy! It’s fun! Save $$$!

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HONOLULU AND HAWAII CRUISE FEBRUARY 20-29, 2004
Hosted by Julie Ahlman

Why not take a trip to Paradise for your winter escape! Imagine spending 2- nights in Honolulu at a hotel right on famous Waikiki Beach! Plus a memorable experience awaits you on your tour of the Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor.

You’ll sail away on the beautiful Norwegian Star cruise ship for the next 7-days. Visit the spectacular Big Island of Hawaii, sunny Maui and lush Kauai. A special stop is Fanning Island which is so removed from the rest of the world that it feels as if you were in Hawaii 200 years ago! Plus you’ll enjoy 2-days at sea where you can relax and enjoy life on board ship.

This fully escorted vacation is priced from $2,196.00 per person including air fare from Minneapolis/St Paul, Honolulu package and 7-night Hawaii cruise with meals and entertainment onboard. Other departure cities are available upon request. For more information please contact AAA Group Services at 800-373-9609. Ask for Bonnie Hahn at extension 3348 or email bonnie.hahn@mn-ia.aaa.com.

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YANGTZE SAMPLER TOUR APRIL 20-MAY 2, 2004
Escorted by Merlea Schultz

Here’s your chance to cruise China’s Yangtze River and to experience the uniqueculture of China. Our escorts are Merlea and Terry Schultz, who have many years of travel and escorting experience. Merlea is also manager of our AAA West Des Moines office. This trip to China promises to be an unforgettable experience that combines 4 days of cruising on the Yangtze River with stays in Beijing, Xian and Shanghai.

Why go now? Because the largest hydroelectric and flood control dam in the world will completely submerge China’s spectacular Three Gorges on the Yangtze River by 2009. Go to experience the thrill of walking along the Great Wall of China. To see the famed Terra Cotta Warriors. To visit the elaborate Ming Tombs. Meet the people of China. Count the bicycles. Attend a kindergarten class.

This is an unforgettable travel opportunity and is priced at an affordable $2,729.00 per person from Des Moines. Other departure cities are available upon request. Don’t miss out on this fabulous trip of a lifetime! Contact Bonnie Hahn at 800-373-9609 extension 3348, or email bonnie.hahn@mn-ia.aaa.com.

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TRAIL OF LIBERTY TOUR MAY 15 – 23, 2004
Visit Washington D.C., Williamsburg and Philadelphia with ISEA Retired

You are invited to join the Iowa State Education Association Retired group as they follow the "Trail Of Liberty" to the places where our nation was born. With your Trafalgar Tour Director you will view the famous monuments and memorials in Washington, D.C. Later, visit the house and gardens of George Washington’s beautiful estate at Mount Vernon. In Williamsburg you literally step back in time as costumed guides bring history alive and you stand in the chamber where Patrick Henry exclaimed, "Give me Liberty, or give me Death!" Visit Jamestown, the first permanent settlement in the "New World," and Yorktown, where the British were defeated in a battle that marked the end of the Revolutionary War. Next it's on to Philadelphia to visit Independence Hall. Here the Declaration of Independence was issued, and later, the Constitution was drafted. In nearby Valley Forge we see the restored log huts and stone building which served as Washington's headquarters during the winter of 1777. After a stop in Baltimore we tour Fort McHenry where Francis Scott Key wrote the Star Spangled Banner in 1814, we return to Washington D.C. Before returning home you have a full day at leisure in Washington, D.C. to visit the museums and sites that interest you most.

This tour is priced at just $1,598.00 per person from Des Moines or Cedar Rapids, Iowa. This price includes 8 nights’ accommodations in First Class hotels, full breakfast daily, 3 dinners, a Trafalgar Tour Director, extensive sightseeing balanced with free time, plus a AAA Escort and all customary gratuities. For more details and a brochure with the day-by-day itinerary, please contact Marlene Lau at 800 373-9609, extension 3345, or email marlene.lau@mn-ia.aaa.com.

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ALASKA PHOTOGRAPHY/EXPLORER CRUISE – JUNE 13-20, 2004
Hosted by Gerald Brimacombe, Master Artist

Calling all photographers (beginners or experienced)! Gerald Brimacombe has spent several years combining the nuances of light and color into dynamic photographic images for cruise lines and noted publications, such as National Geographic. He will share his knowledge as you snap spectacular scenes on your way to the “Great Land” of Alaska.

Sail from Seattle on Holland America’s flagship, the ms Amsterdam, and enjoy an endless horizon of forested islands and mountain peaks along the Inside Passage. You’ll cruise to the Ice Age wonder of Glacier Bay which has more actively calving glaciers than anywhere else in the world. Ports of call are Sitka, the former Russian fur-trading outpost; Juneau where you may take an optional excursion to the mighty Mendenhall Glacier; Ketchikan, “the Salmon Capital of the World” and Victoria, B.C. where you have an option to see the spectacular “Night Illuminations” at famous Butchart Gardens. An added bonus is a sightseeing tour of picturesque Seattle.

Rates from $1,643.00 per person double occupancy include air from Minneapolis/St Paul; 7-day cruise on board the ms Amsterdam; transfers, port taxes , photography workshops, and all meals and entertainment on board ship. Departures from other cities are available upon request. For more information, please call 800 677-2227 or 952 707-4500.

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2004 BENSON BICYCLE EUROPE TOUR JUNE 19-JULY 4, 2004
Hosted by Don and Jackie Benson

Jackie and Don Benson are no strangers to bicycle tours. As Public Relations Director of the Des Moines Register, Don organized the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI) for its first 19 years. Since 1987, Don has hosted over a dozen bicycle rides in the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Germany and Belgium. The itinerary for the 2004 ride is a repeat of one of the most popular itineraries ever. The level terrain, quaint villages, and picturesque scenery dotted by windmills, all combine to make the Netherlands a perfect place for cyclists. Don and Jackie take care of all the details so you can just enjoy yourself. Your rental cycles are waiting at your first hotel and a luggage van carries your luggage between hotels. Hotels are personally selected by Don and Jackie for location and atmosphere. A special treat on this itinerary is the night in a castle in Anholt, Germany. The routes are carefully planned and each rider has a complete set of maps so you can stay with the pack, venture off on your own, or race ahead to scout out the best watering holes and pastry shops in the next town.

Plans are being finalized right now for this tour. Call early to reserve your spot. Contact Kit Gleason at 800-373-9609 extension 3344, or email kit.gleason@mn-ia.aaa.com.

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BRITAIN & IRELAND HOLDAY plus ICELAND – JUNE 21-JULY 7, 2004
Hosted by Rev. Curt and Tess Johnson

You are invited to join Rev. Curt and Tess Johnson on their 6th escorted trip to Europe. This itinerary focuses on the scenic and cultural highlights of Britain and Ireland with a stopover in Iceland on your return.

You’ll spend three nights in London and see the Changing of the Guards, St Paul’s Cathedral and the exquisite Hampton Court Palace. You’ll marvel at ancient Stonehenge and the Roman Baths. In Ireland your sightseeing will include Blarney Castle, The Ring of Kerry and the Lakes of Killarney. Enjoy two nights in Dublin including a visit to Trinity College where you’ll see the 9th century Book of Kells. Return to England and spend a night in charming Chester and journey through the tranquil Lake District before entering scenic Scotland. You’ll spend two nights in Edinburgh and visits its impressive Castle and Holyrood Palace. On your way back to London you’ll spend a night in York, England’s most complete medieval city and another stay in Stratford, birthplace of William Shakespeare.

An overnight is spent in Iceland where you will tour this interesting country. You’ll see dramatic waterfalls, the famous Blue Lagoon and picturesque villages.
This tour is an excellent value from $3,137.00 per person, double occupancy. This rate includes: round trip air transportation from Minneapolis/St Paul on Iceland Air, fifteen nights’ accommodations at first class hotels, fifteen full English breakfasts, six dinners, and extensive sightseeing. For further information please call 800-677-2227 or 952-707-4500.

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HAWAII CRUISE aboard THE PRIDE OF AMERICA OCT. 22 – NOV. 1, 2004
Join the ISEA Retired group on a relaxing cruise of the Hawaiian Islands.

Sail the Hawaiian Islands on board the Pride of America, the first new ocean-going passenger ship in nearly 50 years to sail under the American flag. She has over 660 balcony staterooms, a wide range of family-friendly inter-connecting cabins, eight restaurants and three pools. Her public rooms take their themes from around the country - from an Alaskan Gold Rush Pub to a New Orleans Mardi Gras Cabaret Lounge to a Hawaiian Aloha Café and Waikiki Bar – and all exhibit the Aloha Spirit.

Because she sails under an American flag, the Pride of America can spend all her time in Hawaiian waters. This lets you see more of the islands you came to see. Our itinerary includes two nights before the cruise at the Outrigger Waikiki Hotel, situated on the beach. Our cruise sails first to Kauai, where a day and-a-half in port gives you ample opportunity to explore the “Garden Isle.” We see both sides of Hawaii, the “Big Isle.” From our dock in Hilo we can take an optional tour to Volcano National Park. The next day we anchor of Kona for a day of relaxation on the beach, or snorkeling in the clear waters. We dock at Maui for a night and a day, again allowing ample time to explore on your own or take an optional excursion.

Rates for this complete vacation begin at $2,245.00 per person from either Des Moines or Cedar Rapids. This includes air transportation, 2 nights in Honolulu, 7 nights on board the Pride of America, customary gratuities to shipboard personnel, and a AAA Escort to take of the details along the way. AAA can also arrange air transportation from the departure city of your choice. To book or have a detailed brochure sent to you, call AAA Group Travel Services and ask for Bonnie Hahn at 800 373 9609, extension 3348. You can email Bonnie at bonnie.hahn@mn-ia.aaa.com.