CURRENT EVENTS IN AUSTRIA

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1 SPECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST S P R I N G CURRENT EVENTS IN AUS- TRIA CURRENT EVENTS IN AUSTRIA GET READY FOR OKTOBERFEST TRAVEL TIPS TO GO BY DO YOU NEED TRAVEL INSUR- ANCE? CONTACT US The "Salzburger Festungskonzerte" is one of the most important events annually in the 300 chamber music concert series of the world. Highly-qualified musicians and internationally recognized soloists play with musical prowess the best works of W. A. Mozart. However, the "Salzburger Festungskonzerte" offers far more than just a concert. You also experience the special atmosphere of the 900 year old Festung Hohensalzburg, the landmark of the Mozart city Salzburg. The view from the concert hall on the city Salzburg is incomparable and unique! Enjoy a wonderful candlelight dinner in this romantic setting before the concert. Dinner and Concert can be booked as a package "Dinner & Salzburger Festungs-Concerts". Alpenland members may reach us by phone locally by calling (630) , or call us toll free at (866) if you live outside Illinois. Local American Resorts International s Holiday Network members may call (630) , or toll free at (866) outside Illinois. SECOND QUARTER 2008

2 Get Ready for Oktoberfest 2008! Imagine if your wedding reception was such a smash that the whole world decided to celebrate your anniversary every year. That was the outcome from the marriage in 1810 of Bavaria s future king, Crown Prince Ludwig, to Saxon princess Theresa von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. Their wedding was celebrated with a public festival where the royal family invited the people of Munich to free beer and a horse race, and 40,000 guests ended up celebrating with the Royals. The festival was so successful that Ludwig decided the horse race would be held the following year in conjunction with the state agricultural show. Subsequently, the festival was repeated annually on the couple's wedding anniversary. Oktoberfest The festival became known as Oktoberfest, and turned into a twoweek celebration held each year in late September and early October. It is one of the most famous events in the city and the world's largest fair, with some six million people attending every year. The popularity of the event has resulted in the world's most imitated festival. If you are interested in attending the Munich celebration, contact Member Services for more information and reservations. Alpenland Members may reach us by phone locally by calling (630) , or call us toll free at (866) if you live outside of Illinois. TRAVEL TIPS TO GO BY... Advance Seat Assignment - When buying airline tickets online, call the airline to get seat assignment immediately if no seat assignment is given. If you arrive at the ticket counter without seat assignment on an overbooked flight, you probably will get bumped off the flight and forced to take a later flight - which can be several hours or even a full day later. Due to overbooking, getting seat assignment in advance can reduce the risk of getting 'bumped'! Air Quality - The air that you breathe inside an airline cabin isn't nearly as good as what you will find most other places. The cabin is pressurized, since the air is so thin at altitude. However, they don't pressurize it to sea level so it is substantially weaker. (This is part of why air travel can be so draining; you can end up with mild altitude sickness!) Continued...

3 TRAVEL TIPS TO GO BY (cont d) Furthermore, the air is very very dry. This can lead to dehydration, which can also make you feel lousy. I strongly advise bringing a liter or two of water with you, and guzzling that non-stop throughout the trip. Another exhaust product is germs. Because airplane tickets are so expensive, and because such effort is involved in making such a trip, people will fly sick. Advice for Traveling Alone - Traveling alone can be an intimidating experience, especially for those who don't do it often. Knowing what to expect and thinking about the challenges solo air travel throws at you ahead of time can make it an easy and efficient experience. Avoid checking a bag. This is true of any air travel really, but I find it's much easier to be a self-contained entity when alone, leaving as little responsibility to the airline as possible. There's nobody to search for the right baggage claim with you or to help you talk to the agent if a bag gets lost. By keeping everything with you, there's less chance of error. Along those same lines, don't be afraid to gate check a bag (usually signified by yellow tags put on the bag as you board). This works differently from normal bag checking, as any gate checked bag is only given to the airline as you board the plane, and is retrieved right as you exit the plane. The bag never actually goes through the whole luggage system - that invariably ends misplacing things. Traveling alone seems to increase the chance of you being searched at security, particularly if one is not obviously on a business trip. Just assume you will be searched and pack accordingly. The biggest advantage of traveling alone is usually the ability to get an exit row seat. If the airline you are flying with allows online check-in (usually available 24 hours before departing time) exit row seats can usually be obtained there. If not, make sure to ask at the gate, as most of the time there will be the odd one exit row seat that nobody has taken. Airplane Temperature - Because of the altitude, airplanes can be quite cold (especially the floor). I always take a jacket with me on the plane and take one of the blankets that the airline provides. Wool socks are not a bad idea either. On the larger planes, there is usually a little fan that blows on you. The airflow can be adjusted by twisting the unit. Be Ready for Delays in the Airline Terminal - With delays becoming more and more common for flights, every traveler should anticipate them and prepare accordingly. Pack something in your briefcase, carry-on, or purse that will keep you occupied if your flight is late. Perhaps a book or two, crossword puzzles, a cell phone with games in memory, or an MP3player/iPod loaded with an audio book or language lessons. Be sure to have a snack or two handy as well.

4 Do You Need to Insure Your Vacation? As we have seen increases in gasoline, food and even our Maintenance Fees we look for things to protect our Members interests and add value to your vacation program. One thing is certain. It is bad enough that the costs associated with certain luxuries have increased for reasons beyond our control, but imagine paying for things that you do even get a chance to use. Well we think we have found one solution for reducing such a loss. That being travel insurance. While Interval International offers a program that can reduce basic financial losses associated with travel. We have discovered a program that is more extensive and less expensive. Imagine paying Maintenance Fees, your airfare and something terrible tragic comes up that does not allow you to travel. Wouldn t it be nice to at least get a check for your Maintenance Fees? Or cover your airfare? Well now you can. How about one small fee to cover all the people traveling with you? Do you have older members of your family that you would love to take on a trip but are afraid of the risks? Fear no more! With today s unforeseen events you almost have to insure your travel expenses. Whether its severe weather, illness, car problems, delayed flights or lost luggage you can reduce the impact it has Ask a Member Service representative for details.

5 CONTACT INFORMATION: Tele-bank: (630) St Johann Alpenland: Toll free: Local: A.R.I. s Holiday Network: Toll free: Local: Mailing Address: A.R.I. Holiday Network, Ltd. Two TransAm Plaza Drive, Suite 300 Oakbrook Terrace, IL memberservices@resortintervals.com Web-bank: Second Quarter 2008