New York Times Travel Show 2017 : An Overview

It is phenomenal today as to how the field of Travel is seen as. The ever emerging industry is strongly progressing towards more authentic experiences and this vast knowledge has today got a platform to share . Not only are travelers more interested , the whole travel fraternity including the providers of information and service such as Travel Bloggers, Travel Media, Travel Agents and Tourism Boards are equally creating great content, providing concepts and adding more depth to our travel that goes beyond the bookish knowledge we used to have once. The New York Times Travel Show 2017 that concluded on Jan 29th after 3 days of exhibition at Javits Center was an example of how intense and diverse have we got when it comes to travel.

About The New York Times Travel Show (www.NYTimes.com/TravelShow)

The Travel Show is the largest and longest-running trade and consumer travel show in North America, featuring the Travel Industry Conference, Consumer Seminars, and an interactive Exhibition including more than 500 exhibitors from Africa, Asia, Australia/South Pacific, Canada, the Caribbean, Europe, Latin America, Mexico and the United States. In addition to discounts and special offers, the showprovides educational seminars and live entertainment for families, individuals, couples and seniors. Join the conversation and follow @NYTTravelShow for the latest Travel Show news.

It seems like the whole world is keen to showcase their inner most self and we are ready and so are they.

‘I was in Georgia and I asked the cab driver on how can I experience something local and authentic here’. The driver said ‘Why is everyone these days asking us the same thing.You are a tourist, be a tourist.' This was shared by one the Speakers at the Solo Travel Seminar at Travel Show 2017 of which the panelists included Christine Mayfield ( National Geographic Channel and Compass Magazine) , Kelly Lewis (Go! Girl Guides) , Michela Mallozzi (travel series airing on PBS) and Craig (editor of Stay Adventurous) Another Speaker from the seminar conducted by Reid told us about how fun can stay get these days when doing Affordable Destinations in Europe . He said he even slept at a farmhouse in the Hay in Switzerland!!!

The seminars were plenty with lots to learn from the emerging 360 degrees Videos (I missed this one :( ) to Travel Writing to even planning Europe on a Budget to Tasting Travel to Taking your travel photography to the next level to Saving money when traveling to Travel for Aging Travelers to Major New Developments in Travel etc etc. For those who love travel, it is a must place to be. The New York Times Travel Show 2017, lasted three days at Javits Center, 1st day being open to Media and Travel professionals and second, third day being open to all. I would suggest come both days and on time! There’s a actually a lot to do. So much that your time would just pass. There are not only booths of different countries, cruises and agents at exhibition area, there are parallel seminars given by professionals / renowned media / bloggers throughout the day. Since it was my first time, I did not know that one day would not be suffice. I wanted to hop on from one seminar to next, but that would mean missing the exhibition or spending less time there which was equally important and fun too! The Seminars were important too as they were aimed at keeping people at pace with emerging destinations, destinations on budget, solo travel, cheap flight aggregators, travel writing, travel technology and apps, travel blogging, travel video, family travel , luxury travel, cruise travel , designation travel to florida, europe , asia etc etc.

It seems like they had carefully jotted down the topics that concern most of us. So guys, attend all days!!!

Talking about the various Stalls at New York Times Travel Show 2017, each outlet were unique in their own ways, people were ready to talk and discuss knowledge about their place in a friendly way to those who were interested to know more about. For example, I went to Virginia Stall and I got to know about this Mountain Concert that they have! I went to New York Stall and I got to know about New York having more than 900+ golf courses. I went to Incredible India Stall which was beautifully decorated with Jaipur Umbrellas and women applying Mehendi that also won the best stall. I went to Indonesian Stall where they were making coffee and there were ladies in traditional Indonesian Dress I can click pictures with. I went to Malaysia stall where I could wear the Tribal Malaysian Dress from East of Malaysia. There were stalls from all over the world and there were in sections for Asia , Europe, Africa etc etc.

The Pavilion Stages also showcased activities such as Salsa Time with Puerto Rico, Free Vacation Game Shows, Prize Giveaways, Performances by Czech Tourism, North Africa Trance Inducing Folk Tradition, Dancing on Ukranian Ensemble, Estonian Music, Demonstration on Florida's Farming Style, National Geographic Photographer's connects with Nature, Polar Tourism, Taiwanese Dance, ride K-wave with Korea, Taste the Dumplings, Moroccan Gnawa Band, Irish Dancers etc etc.

We know Travel worldwide is possible today even with limited means and that is probably the most happening thing going on right now where we want to spread the wings and see the world with eyes wide open because we know its possible! That is why more and more people are traveling to even places unheard of before, because today our curiosity has a voice. Today we no longer limit our destinations to movie locales deeming it as fantasy, we want to go there and we want to do those stuff!

When you are traveling solo , you are the destination. For example , to beginners who are starting up traveling solo, one of the seminars had few important examples to teach us how they did it. ‘When I had started traveling solo, I would reach out to my friends who were traveling or living abroad or studying abroad, hey i’d love to come visit you, you crash on their couch, cook food for them, use own network of people instead of starting over with completely different set of people. ‘ said one of them. Also, when traveling solo its great to take micro tours like walking tours of the city which are provided by Travelwithamate that enables small walking tour and you meet new people. There is something called Local expeditions that has locals to create guides because they are the best people to know. Then Airbnb has started with Airbnb experiences which also provides local experiences. I personally love Freetoursbyfoot in Newyork and they are available in a lot of countries and cities, and they take you to various types of walking tours of a city which is the best way to know a city. In fact, its funny, when I took a tour with them of Greenwich Village New York, I got to know most of the beautiful park in New York are built on Burial Grounds!!! Traveling solo, I have taken walking tours in Athens, Greece and I would highly recommend taking these small micro walking tours because when its done by someone who lives there, you get to know a lot lot more about the city and you get to make friends too! In Cuba, take a guide to know about the city.

Because we know that there is also a world beyond TripAdvisor where top things are listed and reviews are posted ; there are also plethora of blogs to follow that can provide the insight on what is that place actually about up close and we need that. And we need that more.

For example, you could work in a country with workaway or help exchange as do many travelers worldwide. You can teach or Volunteer too. Some of the best destinations to travel solo this year as per panelists are : New Zealand, Australia, Iceland, Cuba, UK, Ireland, Romania, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Guadeloupe, Puerto Rico, Srilanka etc. There are ways to find cheap flight deals that goes away in a flash and they are with The Flight Deal, Travel Pirates, The Points Guy and apps like Hopper, Skyscanner. There are low cost airlines such as Ryan Air in Europe, Norwegian and Wow Air from US etc. Apart from PTBA there are associations such as SATW, which travel bloggers can join etc etc.

Some of the Booths at the Show was also awarded:

Best in Show: South African Tourism Board
Best New Exhibitor: Margaritaville
Most Interactive: Celebrity Cruises
Best Small Book: Rwanda Tourism
The People’s Choice: Visit Florida
Most Imaginative: India Tourism
Best Travel Product or Show Service: It’s Easy Passport & Visa Services

Let’s take you to photoessay from the event and hopefully next time you can join in New York or if you can travel a bit, Boston has it from Feb10-Feb12th 2017!