The 18th Annual Travel and Adventure Show 2023
Recently I saw an advertisement for the 18th Annual Chicago Travel and Adventure Show in Rosemont, Ill. Since I live in the Chicago area, and I want to start a Travel YouTube channel, this would allow me to get some content.
I drove down the Dan Ryan Expressway to a CTA park n ride where I took a short bus ride to the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center. I had hoped to see TV host Samantha Brown, who presented first that morning, but I arrived a little late and I missed her.
There were numerous booths set up in the huge building that came from travel agencies from across the globe. There were colorful booths from Florida, Alaska, Arizona, Michigan, Europe, Africa, Asia/Pacific, the Caribbean, and Latin America.
There were several stages for presenters and performers. On the Global Beats Stage, the Oneida Native Smoke Dancers were adorned from head to toe with colorful outfits and they performed traditional social dances from generations ago that was common when members of other tribes passed through. It was a way to get to know their neighbors.
They also performed dances that their warriors used to get them in the mindset for battle.
The next act that followed them was the glorious Dancers of Taiwan’s Indigenous People, presented by the Taiwan Tourism Bureau.
On the Travel Theater Stage Emmy award-winning investigative reporter and CBS travel reporter Peter Greenberg spoke about “Travel in a World of Disruption, Higher Prices, New Rules, Airport Chaos, and Bad Service.” He spoke about the recent debacle when the winter storm stranded thousands of passengers in airports on December 29, 2022. Southwest Airlines canceled more than 15,000 flights. Thousands of passengers had to be reimbursed for hotel and meal accommodation as well as ticket refunds. https://petergreenberg.com/
On the Travel Theatre Stage, Brian Kelly spoke about “Everything You Need to Know About Travel and Credit Cards.”
The Points Guy (TPG) has been publishing hands-on advice to help readers maximize their travel experiences since the site debuted in June 2010. What started as a points-and-miles blog by founder and CEO Brian Kelly has evolved into a lifestyle media brand with 10 million unique visitors a month and a social media audience of over 3 million across Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
I always wondered about solo travel. I know how frustrating it can be to want to go on a dream vacation, only to not have anyone to travel with. Is it weird to travel alone? What will people say about me if I am sitting alone at a dinner table in an Italian bistro? I’ve traveled solo before and I don’t think anyone even noticed that I was alone. I think it was all in my head.
On the Savvy Traveler Theater Stage, there was a presentation about Solo Travel from Kendra Kroll, creator of Porta Pocket, https://www.portapocket.com/,
Natasha Nicholes, founder of House Full of Nicholes. https://housefulofnicholes.com/, and Kristen Montgomery, founder of Growing Global Citizens. https://growingglobalcitizens.com/
The seating area was packed with people who were interested in traveling solo. The presenters were asked, how did they become solo travelers, and they had some interesting answers. One said she was divorced, one was single and one had a husband, but sometimes she needed to have some “alone” time.
Some of the important points that were emphasized for solo travel are:
- Don’t travel with someone who is not like you. If you like your room warm, you probably won’t get along with someone who likes the room cool
- Learn to speak the language or use Google Translate
- Carry your passport and ID
Make sure that you have enough cell phone data and an extra battery pack
- Pack light
- Dress for the climate
When I passed the Tanzania Adventure Tours booth, I was ready to fly away to the Serengeti and watch the fleet-footed cheetahs as they hunted the equally nimble gazelles zigzagging to escape their hunters. https://www.tanzaniaadventuretours.com/
There were cruise companies from Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, Europe and the Middle East, and South America.
There were booth giveaways and even camel rides.
Overall, I found the show to be entertaining, and educational, after all, travelers are smart people, right? I left the show inspired to learn more about the world of international travel.
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