AAA TripTik Center
By Grace Palsgrove, Editor
The AAA Touch

Go ahead, ask them. The women who work in the TripTik Center at AAA Central Penn’s Progress Avenue office know the way. The department staff - Manager Sherene Stoneroad, Lynn Breach and Carol Coleman - fulfills about 1,500 TripTiks a month, not counting those done in other offices. They get about 85 percent of their orders from Call Center requests, and also through email and if a request arrives to an office weeks in advance.

And for some, it takes weeks, according to Sherene. One man called earlier this year. He’s going to retire in 2007, sell his house and just start driving. His goal is to see every professional football and baseball stadium, basketball arena and all the national parks. This may take a little time to assemble, but Sherene’s up to the challenge. A popular route among members is the "World’s Longest Yard Sale," from Covington, Ky., to Gadsden, Ala., and there are a few who requested a bicycling route from Fairbanks, Alaska, to Lancaster. "The Upper Penninsula of Michigan was really the hardest part," she said, adding, "They’re more athletic than I am by a long shot!"

This year, the center provided many motorcycle trips to Sturgis, S.D., for Bike Week, along Skyline Drive, the Blue Ridge Parkway, The Dragon Trail in the Smoky Mountain area and along Route 66 - as much as they can follow. "It’s difficult because Route I-40 has taken over a lot of it, but a portion between St. Louis and Oklahoma is quite scenic," Sherene said.

And then there was the woman who wanted to take her antique Ford along Lincoln Highway to the West Coast and then have it shipped to Japan to drive through Asia and into Europe. The TripTik took her to California. After that, the department provided her with planning maps for her overseas excursion.

Sherene explained that three formats of TripTiks are offered. The traditional TripTik is marked by hand and on sheet maps. Construction and points of interest are noted. Gas, food and mileage are calculated.

About eight years ago, a computerized version was created. These are produced in Newark, Del., for most of the East Coast and number about 15 million a year.

The third version is the internet TripTik. These are best for short trips or address-to-address directions, Sherene said. "In 2003, the Wall Street Journal voted our ITT program the best for ease of use, reliability and route modification," Sherene said. "Members have access to this on our website at home and can print it on their printer. Or they can come into the office and get it with other AAA products and we can produce it in book form."

The technology works and is convenient, Sherene said, for instance to get from an airport to hotel, but for some of the trips, it’s tedious. "For trips out West, you’re talking 150 pages and members aren’t going to do that at home," Lynn said.

Summer is the busiest time for the TripTik Center. This summer, many requests were for the West. The women not only produce the TripTiks, but also counsel members on their trip because they have been to many of the locations.

But there are some occupational hazards. Carol said she always has a map draped over her lap when she’s the passenger in a car. And they do get lost - coming home from the beaches, they missed a turn. But in their defense, the signage was bad. And Carol admits she can't find her car in a mall parking lot.