June 2008

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Your Next Destination

Experience the “Wolves and Wildlife of Yellowstone” on AAUM’s tour to this natural treasure. Track wolves on safari in the park's remote Lamar Valley and travel by snow coach to Old Faithful, where you can watch geysers erupt against the snow. Then journey by sleigh across the National Elk Refuge to see the vast winter herds up close. This spectacular trip is one of 50 featured in National Geographic’s Tours of a Lifetime.

Trip Lecturer Spotlight

U-M professor Rod Ewing will join AAUM travelers on an exceptional adventure through Mexico’s Copper Canyon next February. Ewing holds appointments in the Department of Geological Sciences and the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. Read more about Ewing and his research on his Web site.

Travel Tips

With soaring fuel costs, you’re probably taking your gasoline budget much more seriously this summer as you plan your road trip. AAA can help you calculate just how much you’ll spend before you depart. The fuel cost calculator uses current gasoline prices from AAA's daily, online Fuel Gauge Report along with the latest highway fuel economy ratings from the US Environmental Protection Agency.

Hot Off the Press

American Airlines announced in May that it will begin charging leisure travelers $15 for their first checked bag for tickets purchased on or after June 15. Other airlines are contemplating similar fees and many already charge for a second checked bag. American’s charges, which are cumulative and double for round-trip travel, apply only to domestic economy class travel (which sometimes includes Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands and Canada) and may be higher on international flights. Note that there are many exceptions to the bag charges, especially for certain classes of frequent flyers and military personnel.

To help you estimate the amount you’ll be charged for baggage on upcoming trips, Expedia.com has posted a chart that lists applicable destinations, effective dates and policies for several airlines.

AAUM Member Benefits

The Alumni Association provides a quick and easy way to receive educational content on-demand and on-the-go. Listen to speeches, lectures, interviews, special events and more. It’s one more way we connect you to the University of Michigan. Current podcasts include:

• Michigan football coach Rich Rodriguez
• “You've Been Poked!: Privacy and Boundaries Online”
• “Sports Fans: The Good, the Bad, and the Downright Ugly”
• UCCF Lecture Series—Mastering the Challenges of Learning and Attention Difficulties
• Adaora Udoji, host of NYC morning radio show
• Gary Wiren, Hall-of-Fame golf educator

To listen or see the selection of podcasts, visit the True Blue Podsquad.

Stay even more connected to U-M through our special e-newsletters:

• e-TrueBlue: Career—This is the perfect e-newsletter for those looking for a new job, those who want to improve their skills and those who want to make important new career connections.
• e-TrueBlue: Sports—U-M sports fans will love this extra coverage of U-M teams, current and former student-athletes and upcoming events.

Each e-newsletter is sent monthly and is an exclusive benefit of AAUM membership. Subscribe online.

Looking for a job? Make inCircle, the online community for U-M alumni, your first stop. You can search for jobs from employers who are specifically targeting U-M grads, find connections at companies you're interested in and network with the entire Michigan alumni family—more than 460,000 strong. inCircle is free to you—get started at www.umalumni.com/incircle.

Now your son, daughter, grandson or granddaughter can wear the Michigan Alumnus or Michigan Alumna T-shirt with pride. The Alumni Store features a variety of Michigan items exclusively designed with alumni in mind, including the brand new Michigan classic tote and silk ties handcrafted from Vineyard Vines® and our line of Campus Chinos for men and women. For a complete selection of merchandise, visit http://alumni.umich.edu/store/index.php.

Travel Trivia

Test your travel knowledge. Condé Nast Traveler features a photo from around the world and wants to know if you can guess the location. If you're stumped, clues are included to help you pinpoint the spot. Visit the Condé Nast Traveler Web site and see if you can recognize this month's destination.

Why Travel With Us?

The success of our travel program depends on our travelers’ satisfaction. Many of our alumni have taken several trips with us, and we continue to get positive reviews!

“Knute Nadelhoffer, our Michigan lecturer, was a fantastic asset to making the trip. The very best we have ever had as a trip host and leader.”

—Richard Anderson, MDRES’85, commenting on the 2008 Expedition to Antarctica

Join Professor Anthony (Tony) England as he lectures on board the MS Le Diamant on our 2009 Expedition to Antarctica.

We hope you enjoy receiving e-TrueBlue: Travel, a benefit of membership in the Alumni Association. If you would prefer not to receive it in the future, please send an email to malumni@umich.edu and note "Unsubscribe e-TrueBlue: Travel" in the subject line. Please do not reply to this email message. If you would prefer to receive the text-only version of this newsletter, send an email to malumni@umich.edu. For other information on the Alumni Association, visit http://www.umalumni.com/.

Alumni Association of the University of Michigan, 200 Fletcher St., Ann Arbor, MI, 734.764.0384, 800.847.4764, malumni@umich.edu