AAA PetBook Guide Makes Traveling with Your Pet 14,000 Times Easier
May 31st, 2013 by admin
New edition and photo contest give travelers with pets plenty to smile about
ORLANDO, Fla., (May 31, 2013) – AAA has released the newest version of the popular Traveling with Your Pet: The AAA PetBook®. Now in its 15th edition, the guide features more than 14,000 AAA Approved and Diamond Rated hotels and campgrounds that welcome travelers and their four-legged friends. The annually updated guidebook provides detailed information for finding and selecting the right place to stay, hotel pet policies, pet travel advice and emergency vet clinics.
“Whether for seasoned pet travelers or first timers, this resource helps ensure an enjoyable pet-friendly vacation by providing up-to-date details travelers can trust when making travel decisions,” said Bill Wood, executive editor and vice president, AAA Publishing and Travel Information.
The AAA PetBook, available in print and digital versions, has seen a 40 percent increase in pet-friendly AAA Approved hotels and campgrounds since its first edition in 1999. “The industry has changed with the evolving needs of travelers,” continued Wood. “Pets are truly part of the family for many travelers, and the growing number of travel options, like those listed in the AAA PetBook, makes it easier to plan a trip that includes furry family members.”
The release of the new edition, teeming with scenic, smile-provoking photos of pets enjoying safe travel, also marks the opening of the next annual AAA PetBook Photo Contest sponsored by Best Western. Travelers who snap a candid photo of their winner during this year’s vacation can enter through Nov. 30, 2013. Each year, winners are selected to appear on covers of the next edition and receive additional prizes. See inside The AAA PetBook for details, or access official contest rules, an entry form and the contest photo gallery at AAA.com/PetBook.
Traveling with Your Pet: The AAA PetBook, 15th edition, is available at many AAA and CAA offices as well as select bookstores for a suggested retail price of $18.95. The digital edition, available at online booksellers, carries a suggested retail price of $9.99.
As North America’s largest motoring and leisure travel organization, AAA provides more than 53 million members with travel, insurance, financial and automotive-related services. Since its founding in 1902, the not-for-profit, fully tax-paying AAA has been a leader and advocate for the safety and security of all travelers. AAA clubs can be visited on the Internet at AAA.com.
Golden State Pups Sweep Latest AAA PetBook Photo Contest
February 15th, 2013 by admin
Traveling pooches in the great outdoors pictured on next AAA PetBook edition
ORLANDO, Fla. (Feb. 15, 2013) – Two dogs from California took top honors in the latest annual AAA PetBook® Photo Contest sponsored by Best Western, a AAA Preferred Hotel Partner. The furry champions are featured on the 15th edition Traveling With Your Pet: The AAA PetBook®, coming this May.
Along with cover fame, winners receive additional contest prizes, including cash, pet treats, copies of the book and a Best Western Travel Card® usable at more than 4,000 hotels worldwide, including more than 1,600 pet-friendly properties. The winners, along with 43 finalists, also enjoy a year of star treatment on the AAA.com/PetBook photo gallery.
Jack Ryan, a Pembroke Welsh corgi, this year’s first-place winner, is pictured on the book’s back cover at Shaver Lake, Calif., a favorite camping spot for his family. “We take our dogs on all our camping trips and they thoroughly enjoy every minute of it,” said owner Susan Robinson. “They enjoy all the sights, smells and the sheer joy of the beautiful surroundings that camping has to offer. I could not bear to leave them at home.”
The second-place winner, Mandie, a Labrador retriever, graces the book’s spine romping in the snow at Mammoth Lakes, Calif. “We love to explore outdoor places with Mandie,” said owners Gisenyi and Jeremy Wansor. “She brings us joy with her enthusiasm and spontaneity. She is so much fun to have around!”
Separate from this year’s winners, an exceptional photo from a previous contest will appear on the front cover of the 15th edition AAA PetBook. Cody Bear, a golden retriever from Pennsylvania, is pictured state relaxing at his home state’s Seven Springs Resort, where he and his canine sister Ginger can run to their hearts’ content. “Cody Bear is a part of our family, and we wouldn’t dream of leaving him home,” said owner Kathy Havey.
Many Americans consider their pets as full-fledged family members when planning vacations. They long to hit the road with their canine or feline companions, but hesitate for fear of not finding accommodations that welcome four-legged guests. Traveling with Your Pet: The AAA PetBook provides listings for more than 14,000 pet-friendly accommodations in the U.S. and Canada. These include thousands of AAA Approved and Diamond Rated hotels as well as 750 campgrounds.
The detailed hotel listings include fees, permitted pet sizes and conditions of stay for properties at every Diamond Rating level, from clean and simple motels to family-oriented properties to luxurious resorts. The book also includes information about pet-friendly activities, planning tips, travel etiquette and safety.
Photos of winners and finalists, contest rules, entry forms and valuable pet travel tips can be accessed at AAA.com/PetBook. The next photo contest opens in May when the 15th edition Traveling With Your Pet: The AAA PetBook, cover price $18.95 U.S., hits the shelves at participating AAA and CAA offices and bookstores, and the digital edition, cover price $9.95, is available through online booksellers.
About AAA
As North America’s largest motoring and leisure travel organization, AAA provides more than 53 million members with travel, insurance, financial and automotive-related services. Since its founding in 1902, the not-for-profit, fully tax-paying AAA has been a leader and advocate for the safety and security of all travelers. AAA clubs can be visited on the Internet at AAA.com.
ABOUT BEST WESTERN INTERNATIONAL, INC.
Best Western International, Inc., headquartered in Phoenix, Ariz., is a privately held hotel brand made up of more than 4,000* BEST WESTERN®, BEST WESTERN PLUS, BEST WESTERN PREMIER hotels in more than 100* countries and territories worldwide. Now celebrating 67 years of hospitality, Best Western welcomes hundreds of thousands of guests nightly. Best Western provides its hoteliers with global operational, sales, marketing and promotional support, and online and mobile booking capabilities. More than 15 million travelers are members of the brand’s award-winning loyalty program Best Western Rewards®, one of the few programs in which members earn points that never expire and can be redeemed at any Best Western hotel worldwide. The brand’s partnerships with AAA/CAA, race car driver Michael Waltrip, and Harley-Davidson® provide travelers with exciting ways to interact with the brand. In 2012, Best Western won a record number of awards, including AAA’s Hotel Partner of the Year, CAA’s Partner of the Year, TravelClick’s eMarketer of the Year and Compuware’s Best of the Web Gold awards.
*Numbers are approximate and can fluctuate.
Unleash Your Pet’s Cuteness in AAA PetBook Photo Contest
September 6th, 2012 by admin
ORLANDO, Fla., (Sept. 6, 2012) – With so many digital cameras readily at hand, it’s a snap to capture pets enjoying vacation activities in breathtaking settings. Travelers who enter their best shot in AAA’s annual photo contest have an opportunity to see their pet featured on a cover of The AAA PetBook and the AAA.com/PetBook photo gallery.
For the fifth consecutive year, the AAA PetBook® Photo Contest is sponsored by Best Western, which has more than 1,600 pet-friendly hotels worldwide. The contest is open through Nov. 30, 2012. Entries are judged on artistic qualities and ability to convey the joys of safely traveling with a pet. Candid photographs are preferred. Contest rules, entry forms and photos from the previous contest are available on the AAA.com/PetBook website.
Winners appear on the next edition of Traveling With Your Pet: The AAA PetBook®, released each May. First- and second-place photos appear on the back cover and spine of the softcover book and opening pages of the digital versions. More than 40 irresistible finalists are pictured in a photo insert, and winners and finalists are also showcased on the AAA.com/PetBook photo gallery — a virtual brag book for proud pet parents. Additional prizes include cash, pet treats, copies of the book and, for the first-place winner, a $150 Best Western Travel Card usable worldwide.
Traveling with Your Pet: The AAA PetBook® provides reliable, up-to-date information on more than 14,000 places to stay and play with pets. Listings include pet-friendly AAA Approved and Diamond Rated lodgings across the U.S. and Canada. Details include fees, permitted pet sizes, conditions of stay and pet amenities for properties at every AAA Diamond Rating level including — for pampered pets — AAA Five Diamond hotels.
For outdoor lovers, the book also lists more than 600 pet-friendly campgrounds and RV parks, AAA Approved attractions that offer kennel service or allow pets, and national public lands and dog parks open to visiting pets. Readers will also find useful tips on preparing four-legged travelers for the road or air, pet etiquette, insurance and emergency animal clinic locations.
The softcover edition of Traveling with Your Pet: The AAA PetBook is available at many AAA and CAA offices and select bookstores with a cover price of $18.95. Digital editions for popular tablets and ereaders are available through online booksellers at a suggested digital price of $9.99.
About AAA
As North America’s largest motoring and leisure travel organization, AAA provides more than 53 million members with travel, insurance, financial and automotive-related services. Since its founding in 1902, the not-for-profit, fully tax-paying AAA has been a leader and advocate for the safety and security of all travelers. AAA clubs can be visited on the Internet at AAA.com.
ABOUT BEST WESTERN INTERNATIONAL, INC.
Best Western International, Inc., headquartered in Phoenix, Ariz., is a privately held hotel brand made up of more than 4,000* BEST WESTERN®, BEST WESTERN PLUS® and BEST WESTERN PREMIER® hotels in more than 100* countries and territories worldwide. Now celebrating 66 years of hospitality, Best Western welcomes hundreds of thousands of guests nightly. Best Western provides its hoteliers with global operational, sales, marketing and promotional support, and online and mobile booking capabilities. More than 15 million travelers are members of the brand’s award-winning loyalty program Best Western Rewards®, one of the few programs in which members earn points that never expire and can be redeemed at any Best Western hotel worldwide. The brand’s partnerships with AAA/CAA, racecar driver Michael Waltrip, and Harley-Davidson® provide travelers with exciting ways to interact with the brand. Best Western in 2011 was named AAA’s and CAA’s Hotel Partner of the Year and bestwestern.com was named the 2011 Compuware Best of the Web Gold award winner.
