What does your future look like?

Sometimes life takes you where you want to go, and sometimes it doesn't. But there is a vital part of the journey you can control: your family's peace of mind. Some 68 million adults in the United States have no life insurance. Many of those who do are covered for only four times their salary.

September is Life Insurance Awareness Month. Use our life insurance calculator at AAA.com/life to find out what your family needs to ensure a safe landing.

To learn more, stop by any local branch, call (800) 922-8228, or visit AAA.com/viainsure.

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SAVINGS
New threads for less from Gap and Banana Republic

Whether you're searching for a smart new blouse or a pair of comfy khakis, Gap Outlet and Banana Republic Factory Stores have what you want. Save 10 percent on select purchases at more than 300 locations in North America. For Gap Outlet locations, call (800) 427-7895. For Banana Republic Factory Stores, call (888) 277-8953.

For other exclusive member savings, visit AAA.com/discounts.

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MILESTONES
Alaska: Our 49th state turns 50

1867
U.S. Secretary of State William Seward OKs purchase of Alaska territory from Russia for $7.2 million.

1896
Gold is discovered in the Klondike. Thousands of fortune seekers will pass through Alaska on their way to the Yukon River valley.

1959
On January 3, Alaska, bigger than Texas plus California plus Montana, joins up 49th state.

1977
First gallon of oil enters the 800 mile-long Trans-Alaska Pipeline at Prudhoe Bay.

2008
Alaska Governor Sarah Palin runs for U.S. vice president on the Republican ticket.

In October, learn about cruising the Last Frontier at a free presentation, OnStage Alaska! Book a cruise at the show and receive up to $300 in shipboard credits. Contact your AAA branch or visit AAA.com/goalaska.

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POSTCARD
The Galápagos Islands

By Kristina Malsberger

Hermits, castaways, Howard Hughes—spending a lot of time alone can lead to strange behavior. Case in point: the Galápagos Islands, an isolated archipelago over 600 miles west of Ecuador where the resident
animals—salt-sneezing iguanas, bloodsucking vampire finches—are like no others on the planet. "A little world within itself," Charles Darwin called it after arriving in 1835 as the naturalist aboard the HMS Beagle. He left with enough notes and specimens to inspire his theory of evolution and the landmark treatise On the Origin of Species.

Today, visitors to what is now Galápagos National Park may feel as if they've stumbled into a casting call for Animal Planet. Blue-footed boobies perform goofy, elaborate mating rituals; 500-pound giant tortoises mosey across the sands; flightless cormorants stay put. The lack of natural predators also means many creatures are amazingly fearless. Curious sea lions may amble up to investigate: "Hmmm, tennis shoes, shorts, baseball cap—another Turisticus americanus." Let's just hope they can consider our species highly evolved.

The eight-day AAA Sojourns Galápagos Adventure tour departs year-round. For more information, call (888) 586-4222 or visit AAA.com/sojourns.

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TRAVEL PLANNER

September

SAVE Enjoy National Public Lands Day on September 26 with free admission to all national parks and monuments. For a complete list of parks, visit nps.gov.

PLAN AHEAD The 21st Olympic Winter Games take place in Vancouver and Whistler, B.C., February 12 to 28, 2010. AAA packages include lodging, event tickets, and $100 to $200 daily food credit.

DON'T FORGET The annual Decibel Festival of Electronic Music plugs into Seattle, September 24 to 27. For details, visit dbfestival.com.

October

SAVE This month, receive 10 percent off parts and service at participating AAA Approved Auto Repair and Car Care Plus facilities. Check out AAA.com/auto.

PLAN AHEAD Book now for the outdoor Christmas markets taking place throughout Switzerland starting in late November. Our seven-day Swiss Holiday Markets tour departs December 2.

DON'T FORGET Disneyland does Halloween with not-so-scary decor and festivities. AAA members can take advantage of special Disney packages and save 10 percent at select restaurants.

Let AAA help you get where you’re going safely and on budget. Call (888) 5864222 or visit AAA.com/viago.

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YOUR CAR
Are fuel-efficient tires worth buying?

By Adam Ashton

That depends on how you roll. The better a tire retains its shape, the less energy it uses to turn. Fuel-efficient tires offer the lowest such rolling resistance, as it's called, and they usually come fitted on new cars. Replace them with an ordinary set and your mileage might drop, a cost not included on your new tires' price tag.

That's changing. Proposed California regulations would require manufacturers to report rolling resistance for all tires sold in the state, and the California Energy Commission plans to release a consumer shopping guide ranking tires by 2011. The federal government is considering a label of its own, so in coming years these babies should be burning rubber.

That, however, is literally what some models do, so shop carefully. According to the Transportation Research Board, low resistance could come at the price of reduced traction and durability. You can bet your brake pads that labs are at work designing tougher, safer, fuel-sparing radials, and Washington’s labels would rank all three crucial factors. To learn to size up a tire’s specs, search AAA.com for "how to choose tires." Right now, the sole group testing and rating rolling resistance is the subscription-only consumerreports.org.

AAA members get special savings at Big O Tires. For more information, visit AAA.com/discounts.

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SPOTLIGHT
DVD aids new drivers' skills

The interactive DVD Driver-ZED (Zero Errors Driving) puts teens in a virtual driver's seat. Developed by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, the
full-screen, full-motion interactive video provides more than 100 scenarios—such as a child running into the street and a dangerous passing situation—that computer users can access and react to.
Driver-ZED is free to AAA members and $7 for nonmembers. To order your copy (for PC only), go to AAA.com/teensdrive.