Category Archives: Travel Events

5 Reasons for Going to the New York Travel Festival

Got bit by the travel bug? Want to see more places but not sure where to go next? Then spend next weekend (April 26 and 27) at the New York Travel Festival, to learn more about seeing around the world from those who are already doing it.

At this two-day event in NYC, the who’s who of experts in both consumer and industry travel will be on hand to give straight-up advice minus the sales pitch. The festival opens on Saturday, April 26, at Bohemian National Hall, at 321 E 73rd Street, and then on Sunday, April 27, switches over to Hostelling International-New York, at 891 Amsterdam Ave.

To firm up your travel plans, here are five good reasons for going to NY Trav Fest:

1) Have One-on-One Time
Seeking personal travel advice? An “Experts’ Corner” gives NY Trav Fest ticket holders the chance to pre-schedule brief meetings with participating experts. This college of travel knowledge will cover just about every destination (including Antarctica) and travel type (family, solo, budget, gay-friendly). Experts include “Nomadic Matt” aka Matt Kepnes; adventure filmmaker/TV host Ryan Van Duzer; Tawanna Browne Smith of “Mom’s Guide to Travel”; and Associated Press travel reporter Scott Mayerowitz.

2) Let’s Be Technical
From apps to maps, technology keeps changing how we travel. Mostly for the better. Open to everyone, “Travel 2.0 @ #NYTF” is a special daylong seminar with sessions highlighting the direction that travel tech is heading. Talks will focus on how mobile and social media are influencing travel such as one led by Google employees Ting Ting Yan and Sarah Robinson. Held in conjunction with Travel 2.0, a networking group for travel startups, innovation and technology, “Travel 2.0 @ #NYTF” will also welcome area travel startups that will showcase their products and services as well.

3) Get Down to Business
From travel agents to tourism board members, Saturday’s portion of NY Trav Fest will have specific content just for you. In industry-only tracks, learn more about hot business topics and trends on improving business and customer relations. Masterclasses and workshops also are part of the weekend format, with sessions also covering the professional side of travel. Learn how to market your brand wise or get better at reaching out to niche markets. Bring along extra business cards, as Saturday ends with an industry/media networking reception.

4) Listen to Travel Innovators
Sunday’s program will welcome two world travelers that have made names for themselves yet still want to help others travel too. At noon, Lee Abbamonte, the youngest American to visit every country in the world, will deliver the Sunday keynote. Then at 4 p.m., Bruce Poon Tip, founder of the tour company, G Adventures, will tell how “Transformative Travel” has made him the entrepreneur he is today.

5) Find Inspiration
Need more? During a session called “Travel Babel,” attendees will be able to hear neat stories from travelers – either in person or through a pre-recorded video – who will describe what was their A-Ha moment on the road. As every traveler’s story has a beginning and the journey goes off in many directions, there will be plenty of tales to tell. And with breaks throughout both days and a closing party on Sunday night, go ahead and swap stories with fellow attendance.

For a complete weekend schedule, visit http://nytravfest.com/2014-full-schedule/. All ticket holders receive discounts on NYC tours offered before, during and after the festival by a selection of New York City–based tour companies in partnership with the NY Trav Fest.

Ticket prices are as follows:
Consumer Weekend Ticket: $45 in advance ($60 at the door)
Industry Weekend Ticket: $100 in advance ($150 at the door)
Sunday only: $15
For tickets, visit http://bitly.com/NYTF2014.

Editor’s note: I am on the Planning Committee for the 2014 New York Travel Festival. Photos courtesy of the New York Travel Festival.

A Recap of The 2014 New York Times Travel Show

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For my recap on The 2014 New York Times Travel Show, here is a mix of information from sessions I attended as well as my time on the show floor.

Destinations

While passing along the 1,000 plus booths, it was good to see some mix-ups. Sections for technology, LGBT, adventure, and health/wellness travel had good placement on the floor, along with traditional interests relating to cruises and countries.

While Europe, the U.S. and the Caribbean continued to have a good amount of space, it was nice to see a strong representation of Asian and South, Central and Latin American countries. Indonesia and Taiwan stood out in my mind.

Costa Rica had a nice informational booth, with tasty samples of iced coffee, a creamy, sweetened rice drink, and a shrimp dish. Cuisine aside, Costa Rica is an affordable getaway, and its natural scenery makes it enticing to both budget and adventure travelers. I attended a press seminar held by Costa Rica’s tourism board, who unveiled a new marketing campaign: Essential Costa Rica, focusing on a strong commitment to conservation (with goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2021) and its growth in technical innovation.

For the United States, Atlantic City, New Jersey of course had a glitzy booth, complete with a DJ and spin wheel giveaways (got a wine cozy from a game of roulette). On Friday and Saturday, I got to watch “Sand Master” Matt Long from Wildwood Crest, NJ, at work. He kept fine-tuning his sandcastle sculpture, and it was to neat to look on as he combined each part. Wildwood Crest must have some great sand.

Seminars

Saturday and Sunday’s portion of the show is more consumer driven. Leading experts in this field often come back year and after year. The father and daughter team of Arthur Frommer and Pauline Frommer of the Frommer’s talked about how major developments in accommodations are changing where we can stay: in vacation homes and short-rental apartments in place of hotel rooms.

These options have been providing more comfortable stays for much less of a price tag. Companies such as Airbnb, HomeAway, Roomorama, VRBO and FlipKey have been leading in connecting homeowners/renters with visitors (in some states such as New York, it’s illegal to rent to a transient person unless the renter has to stay there during the visitor’s time).

Arthur and Pauline tried out Airbnb for their visits to Portland, Oregon and Seattle and for each time stayed in the upstairs level of a two-family house with “modest furnishings” and stocked with grocery staples. They saved a bundle! If you’re weary about staying a stranger’s home, be assured you can check up on previous references left by past guests on these sites.

Apps have become a traveler’s best bud. During her presentation, Conde Nast Traveler’s Wendy Perrin named a number of apps that help with everything from flight tracking to getting directions to even finding out what’s happening in your destination. Perrin’s picks included: FlightStats, MyTSA, GateGuru, HotelNight, City Maps 2 Go, and Peek.

In all, I was able to leave with new insights and a couple of brochures of places I hope to go to soon!

The New York Times Travel Show Opens This Weekend

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One recent tagline I had seen for The New York Times Travel Show was “See the World. Be Home in Time for Dinner.” First out firsthand for yourself when this annual show opens to the general public Saturday, March 1, and Sunday, March 2, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.

This year, more than 500 destinations around the globe will be represented. Walking through this consumer trade show is like hopping to different parts of the world in a day’s length. It can get overwhelming, as the travel show attracts many visitors. Here is a map, so to speak, for getting around.

The setup on the show floor is segmented by continent or country. The United States or Europe can be found in certain areas, while you have to cross another area to learn more about Africa, the Caribbean, Asia, or Latin America. Then, there are subdivisions for specific travel interests such as cruises and adventure-minded excursions.

Vendor booths feature reps from hotel/resort properties, tourism boards, tour companies, public attractions and gadget/apparel companies. From booth to booth, you’ll find brochures and tchotchkes – remember it can end up being a lot to carry home – as well as special show promotions or giveaways where you need to provide your information.

Another way to take in the show is to check out the programming offered throughout the weekend. There are travel seminars where leading experts share their input on topics ranging from top destinations to go to this year to savvy money saving tips. Definitely make it a point to listen to Arthur Frommer, founder of Frommers guidebooks, and his daughter, Pauline Frommer. They are very nice and well respected in their field.

Stage performances consists of educational lectures and demonstrations that showcase customs and traditions through dance and music. Cooking demos and book signings with top names happen too.

In all, here is what you need to know if you plan to go to The New York Times Travel Show:

· Saturday, March 1: from 10 AM to 6 PM

· Sunday, March 2, from 11 AM to 5 PM

Consumer tickets are at $17, plus NY sales tax. Children 18 and under are free.

You can purchase tickets in advance or in person. For tickets and the entire show schedule, see this link. I’ll be around this weekend. Who else is going?

Looking Back at Travel in 2013

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Although my blog is maybe eight months old, 2013 has been a good year for me with travel. I got around quite a bit. From local jaunts to overseas destinations, I learned a lot, tried new foods, made new friends, and got better at branching out of my comfort zone.

Here’s a quick recap:

Festivals

The New York Travel Festival will return to National Bohemian Hall this April.

I try to get to the annual New York Times Travel Show, held about mid to late February at the Jacob K. Javits Center. It’s a good consumer show for those who to get more information about different places. Sectioned off by continent and country, tourism boards, tour companies, hotels and major attractions man booths to talk about why you should visit them and offer pamphlets and tchotchkes. There are giveaways as well as performances, lectures and fun demonstrations.

In April, I helped out with promoting the New York Travel Festival, a new event for urbanites already seeing the world. It will be back again April 26 and 27 at Bohemian National Hall, on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. The festival features a who’s who of travel experts that present solid advice on various travel pursuits and interests.

Another new festival coming up this March is the Women’s Travel Fest. Organized by Go! Girl Guides, this one-day event is for the ladies that will help those who are hesitant to travel (even solo) with sessions on concerns female travelers often have.

Meetups

Head upstairs and hang out in T4X's lounge section.

Delta celebrated the opening of its new T4 Terminal with a Popup shop in SoHo.

Through Meetup and other invites, I’ve gotten to meet a lot of awesome travel bloggers, vloggers and experts through Travel Massive and Young Travel Professionals (YTP). These professional/social groups hold monthly meet ups in their locations (I belong to the New York City branches). They are nice nights out.

Some of the events I’ve gone to this year include a pop-up place for Delta’s new T4 Terminal at JFK; a dinner held by Tourism Toronto; a visit to The Explorers Club; and receptions with tourism boards for Germany and the Czech Republic.

On a beach at an island resort in Fiji’s Beqa Lagoon

Trips

In July, I went on my first press trip. Just for the heck of it, I had put in my name in for a trip to Fiji, organized by Tourism Fiji and Fiji Airways. And got in. For about four days, I traveled around Viti Levu, Fiji’s largest island, exploring the town of Nadi and the capital city, Suva; took a cooking lesson; stayed at an island resort; and visited a cultural center.

Just two weeks later, I went from warm temperatures to cooler ones. I always wanted to go to Iceland, so I booked a spot on a nine-day tour with Gate1Travel. Our route started in Reykjavík, Iceland’s capital, and went along the south coast and back up north.

I want to thank every person or outlet that gave me the opportunity to go places this year. With 2014, my planned destinations include Spain and Canada, and there are potential ones coming up in the fall. Happy New Year and jaunt somewhere too!

New York Travel Festival Breaks Consumer Show Mold

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Bohemian National Hall was the venue for Saturday’s portion of the New York Travel Festival.

I got involved in helping with the promotions for the New York Travel Festival, and I’m glad I did. The inaugural event, held last weekend (April 20 and 21), ushered in travel experts and explorers from New York City and beyond.

Produced by RW Social, this new festival was to redesign the concept of the consumer travel show with an innovative program. Focusing on tech-savvy travelers already seeing the world, the event catered to them by inviting travel media’s elite to share insights and perspectives on why we travel, and how we should.

Attendees came out for the festival’s first day at the Bohemian National Hall on the Upper East Side. Andrew Evans, National Geographic’s Digital Nomad, began the morning with his keynote, “Why Your Bucket List Sucks & I’m Gonna Tell You Why.”

Evans isn’t fond of the idea of bucket lists because they sound as though “we’re setting specific travel goals” and not leaving ourselves open to other potential opportunities.

“If we only travel on our bucket lists, we will never get out of our comfort zone,” he said.

Andrew Evans, National Geographic’s “Digital Nomad,” talks to a show attendee.

Evans had a similar scenario happen after having to stay in Tennessee when the plane he was on had an emergency landing. The next day, Evans decided to go see Graceland, a place he admitted he never wanted to see at first. After spending a few hours there, and seeing Elvis’ personal items like clothes and learning more about him, Evans said he “gained this deep appreciation for who Elvis was, and I started liking Elvis.”

Evans also changed up his talk to reflect on the recent tragedy in Boston, which fit in understandably, and how travel has been impacted by terror in many ways such as with TSA policies that bewilder us all.

Breakout sessions on niche travel along with local/regional topics highlight specific scenarios for women, families, LGBT, and those seeking other alternatives. Here are some highlights:

– A great talk on women’s travel, led by Go! Girl Guides Founder Kelly Lewis and Christine Maxfield, a former editor at Budget Travel magazine. The ladies offered common-sense safety measures all girls can take. Here’s one: buy a doorstop to securely lock your hotel door in place.

From left, Rainer Jenss, Charu Suri and Carol Cain share their advice and experiences on traveling with children.

– Yes, it’s possible to successfully navigate family travel. A session on this topic offered solid proof from speakers that were parents of children ranging in age from months old to teens. They were: Carol Cain, travel writer and blogger of GirlGoneTravel.com; Charu Suri of Butterfly Diary; and Rainer Jenss, founder of Smart Family Travel, Inc. and a 13-year veteran of National Geographic.

– Lee Abbamonte, the youngest American to have visited every country, was a contestant in a travel trivia “show,” and got stumped a bit by the audience. He was a good sport.

– Jason Cochrane, now the soon-to-be the editor of Frommers.com, warned his audience about current travel scams such someone “spilling” mustard on you and shared important tips on how to dodge them.

AnneLise Sorensen throws travel questions at Lee Abbamonte, and takes some from the audience.

It was also nice to see and listen to bloggers and experts whom I’ve met virtually, through social media, in person. Plus, as travel circles go, I got to catch up with friends and meet fellow writers that I already followed via Twitter or through Facebook Groups.

With a visit to the Mexico tourism area, I enjoyed samplings of authentic dishes provided by the restaurants, El Mitote and Café Frida. Translated as “drowned sandwiches,” tortas ahogadas are a Guadalajara favorite, in which a sandwich is submerged in a sauce made of a dried chili pepper or tomato sauce. Mini tortas and ceviche tostadas were also on the tasting menu.

Beverages were included, with agua fresca (watermelon water) and tastings of several kinds of Mezcal, a liquor made from the heart of the maguey plant, the piña. La comida Mexicana es deliciosa!

Guests savored flavors from Mexico and New York’s Hudson Valley Saturday afternoon.

With New York State, a “Taste of the Hudson Valley” showcased the culinary and cultural offerings in this attractive region. Taking up one of the show floors, the area hosted a restaurant grouping of The Artist’s Plate, Madava Farms, Gigi Hudson Valley, and Zitoune. Dishes of pasta, cheese and duck highlighted regional fare. Wine and spirits samplings from Millbrook Vineyards & Winery and soon-to-open Dutch’s Spirits were also offered. And on the first floor, a range of New York beers from Shmaltz Brewing were available to sip.

Sunday’s schedule focused on food with guided tours around NYC’s five boroughs. In all, the inaugural New York Travel Festival was off to a good start. See you next year!