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USTOA’S TRAVEL COMFORT QUZ TELLS YOU IF YOU'RE READY TO GO

Should you travel now or should you wait? The decision is a highly personal one these days because of the economy and world events. To help you decide whether you are ready to take that dream vacation, the United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA) commissioned a team of psychologists to create a simple, three part Travel Comfort Quiz. The quiz helps you decide if:

• you are ready for that big trip now;
• you would be more comfortable with a short excursion or a visit to a familiar destination;
• you might want to put off a vacation for now, but consider planning for your future dream trip.

The quiz is easily accessible at USTOA’s web site (www.ustoa.com) under Smart Travel Planning: Are You Ready to Travel? Travelers who score as "ready to go" are also directed to USTOA’s Vacation Personality Quiz to find out what type of traveler they are and which type of vacation package or tour is best suited to their needs.

The self-scoring quiz is available interactively on the USTOA website, or by phoning 1-800-GO-USTOA for a copy of the free "Smart Traveler’s Planning Kit." Once you have your scores for the comfort and/or personality quizzes, USTOA suggests you take the results to your local travel agent to help you plan your vacation.

Vacations Provide Comfort, Say Psychologists

Psychologists Dr. Jonathan Bricker of the University of Washington and Drs. Peter A. Wish and Dr. L.B.Wish, nationally known authorities, developed both the new USTOA Travel Comfort Quiz and USTOA’s Vacation Personality Quiz.

According to the Drs. Wish: "Feelings of insecurity have increased over the past year, and the economic uncertainty has heightened our concerns about our safety in general. The vigilance takes a toll. It makes us tired, stressed and less effective."

Psychologist Bricker says, "Vacations may provide comfort in these difficult times. For example, there is evidence from psychological research that vacations provide relief from job stress and burnout. Even short vacations (e.g., 4-5 days) have been shown to reduce stress, perhaps because they give people a chance to replenish their personal resources and recover from the strain they experience in their work lives."

The Drs. Wish concur, saying that travel and taking time off have always been safeguards against overload. "Regardless of the choice of travel, the current environment of uncertainty has called upon the coping strategies that make us human, and we are still finding that travel can be a perfect remedy," say the Wishes.

The comfort and personality quizzes are only some of the steps USTOA has taken to help travelers make decisions their travel decisions. The association is comprised of nearly 140 tour operators and vacation packagers who have met the travel industry’s highest standards, including participation in the USTOA $1 Million Consumer Protection Plan. For more information and a listing of USTOA Member companies, visit www.ustoa.com.

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Press Contact:

Linda Kundell
Kundell Communications
(212) 877-2798 phone
(212) 877-3387 fax
LRKPR@att.net or LRKPR@aol.com

For all other inquiries about USTOA, please contact USTOA.