AAA Texas: Teens Can Test Their Geography Wits to Win Money for College

HOUSTON, TX -- (MARKET WIRE) -- December 25, 2006 --AAA Texas is urging all high school students in Texas to test their geography wits online and vie for a chance to win $100,000 in scholarships and prizes.

The AAA Travel High School Challenge is simple and involves no lengthy applications, letters of recommendation or gathering of transcripts. It begins online with a one-step enrollment that must be completed before January 8th. Once enrolled, a 15-minute online quiz is taken between January 8 and 16, 2007.

The Texas state semi-finalists will continue to the state finals, held March 6-8 2007, for written proctored tests at AAA Texas offices. The national finals with each state champion are held May 19-22, 2007, at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida, and provide students an opportunity to compete in a high-stakes, single-elimination bee for a grand prize $20,000 scholarship. Second and third place prizes will also be awarded at $10,000 and $5,000, respectively.

In addition, the top five scorers in each state who express interest in travel-related careers will have an opportunity to submit an essay for both a state and national essay competition to win $56,000 in travel-specific scholarships. Students can enroll or learn more at www.aaa.com/travelchallenge.

There are two types of scholarships available -- unrestricted awards for any student with great travel trivia and geography skills, and travel-specific scholarships for those interested in careers in the travel and tourism industry -- and every student who enrolls can be eligible for both.

"It is our hope that the AAA Travel High School Challenge will not only encourage teens to study geography, but will spark an interest in them to consider a career in the $1.3 trillion travel and tourism industry," said Rose Rougeau, spokesperson for AAA Texas.

Sponsors of the AAA Travel High School Challenge include Bank of America, Continental Airlines, Hard Rock Live, Marriott, Pleasant Holidays and Universal Orlando.

The AAA Travel High School Challenge is the official scholarship competition for AAA Travel, the largest full service leisure travel agency in North America. AAA Travel has more than 1,000 accredited travel agency locations generating more than $3.6 billion in revenues. AAA Travel provides domestic and international airline tickets, cruises, escorted tours, independent tour packages, hotels, car rentals and other travel products. AAA Travel's services are available to everyone and are also available on the Internet at aaa.com/travel.

AAA Texas, a member of the American Automobile Association federation of motor clubs, has been serving Texans since 1902. Today, more than a million AAA Texas members benefit by the organization's roadside assistance service, travel agency, financial products, automotive pricing, buying and financing, trip planning services, and traffic safety programs. Information about these products and services is available on AAA Texas' web site at www.aaa.com.

Contact Information: Contact: Rose Rougeau 1.800.888.5521 ext. 6552 Email Contact