Adventure Magazine Cover — page 205: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

cADVENTURE’S “SRAVEL cASSOCIATION A Service Organization with Stations and Experts all over the World ‘e Hr - 9 ae L HERE were two ways in which we could have started the Adventure Travel Association. One was for us of the staff to organize and build it up according to our own ideas and then present it to you full- fledged and finished. The other way was for us to plan its general features and then say ‘‘Here’s an outline for what we believe can be made a very big thing. Since it’s for your benefit and convenience, and since we like to work with our readers, not apart from them, let’s get together on this outline and change and develop it to fit your needs and wishes exactly and become the most perfect thing of its kind that can be made.” We chose this last way. In the October 23 issue we gave you the general outline, asking your cooperation, and within a few days of this writing letters of suggestion should begin reaching us. Meanwhile, of course, we’ve not been idle. We’ve been interviewing steamship and railway companies, travel agencies and various other travel factors that are likely to be involved. As we work out with them the cooperation that seems practical be- tween them and us we’ll report to you. At all stages of development keep giving us your suggestions and criticisms. We want you not only to benefit from the A. T. A. but to have a hand in building it from the very start. How does the following seem to you as a basis of membership? Since it is going to take some time to per- fect our machinery, make no charge for dues until the A. T. A. is actually delivering benefits that warrant many times over the payment of membership dues. Let us say, no charge through the remainder of 1926 and all through the year 1927. At no time make the dues more than nominal in com- parison with the service rendered. In the meantime extend a guest membership, free of charge, to any reader of our magazine, issuing guest-cards that will entitle him to all the privileges and benefits of a regular membership. When he comes home he’ll know from practical personal experience whether permanent membership in the A. T. A. isn’t worth many times whatever annual dues may be charged. As at present planned, no one can be- come a permanent member until he has taken out, and used, a guest membership and has turned in to us a report on the kind of service he experienced from hotels, trans- portation lines and other travel factors. By this method we prevent any one’s be- coming a member of A. T. A. who has not to our definite knowledge qualified as a traveler and we create a system that will always enable us to give members up to date reports on treatment and service re- ceived, to strike from our recommended list any hotel, pension, transportation line or other travel factor that does not keep up to the high standard of treatment we shall demand for our members, and to take up with the proper authorities, whether com- mercial or governmental, any general travel problem that actual experience has proved needs consideration and adjustment. The only part of the plan as now outlined on which we stand as an absolute essential is fortunately one we’re entirely sure none of you will want omitted—the establishment of our own A. T. A. stations all over the world. The unanimous verdict of all travelers interviewed is that the thing most needed by travelers is reliable and compre- hensive information, local as well as general. There is only one way to furnish that— local stations. 203 DOOK (C@