29

Jan

If you’re looking for ideas on where to go on vacation this year, put the Travel & Adventure Show on your calendar.  Held March 9 & 10 in Washington DC, this travel show will feature exhibitors sharing information on destinations worldwide, hands-on activities such as introductions to scuba diving and ziplining, global cooking demonstrations, cultural performances, giveaways, and speakers including Arthur Frommer, Andrew Zimmern, and Rick Steves.

I will be attending the event on Saturday, March 9, and would love to continue the travel talk even after the show closes for the night!  It is great to put faces and names together, share travel tips, and talk with people who won’t give you a weird look when you tell them about the lengths you go to to collect miles and points.  I will be organizing a group dinner starting immediately after the show ends, so drop in for drinks around 5pm or dinner at 5:30.

If you’re interested in joining the group dinner, send me an email at becky@newgirlintheair.com.  About a week before the event, I’ll send out an email to the group with specific details on the location – but first I need a headcount so I can choose a restaurant that can accommodate us.  I’ve got a few ideas up my sleeve, and I promise all of them are within walking distance of the show.  (And if you can’t make it to the dinner, still consider a stop at the Travel & Adventure Show either Saturday, March 9 from 10am-5pm or Sunday, March 10 from 11am-4pm).

A few helpful hints for the expo:

  • Buy tickets ahead of time.  They are $15 at the door, but only $10.75 online (and better yet, if you know for sure you are going, you can buy 2 tickets for $9 on Travelzoo and bring a friend!).
  • Use public transportation.  Yes, there are parking garages and on-street parking near the convention center, but the Mt Vernon Square/Convention Center metro stop is super convenient and will allow you to partake in a cocktail or two at dinner if you choose.
  • Bring a notebook and pen!  You’ll learn lots of tips and won’t want to forget them by the time you make it home.
  • Check the schedule ahead of time if you aren’t planning on spending all day (and yes, it can be a long day even for a travel junkie).  Official schedules have not been posted yet, but will develop over the next few weeks and can help you decide when you want to show up in order to see your preferred speakers/performances.
  • Show up early if you want to try out the activities.  Do them first thing in the morning before everyone else realizes it looks fun and gets in line!

Hopefully I’ll see you either at the Expo or at dinner afterwards, but if not, maybe we can connect at Frequent Traveler University April 26-28, also in Washington DC.  In the meantime, happy travels!

  • Angelina said,

    If im in the area, I’ll come!

  • Jane S. said,

    I live in the area but am going to Pittsburgh that weekend for daughter’s baby shower. Would love to meet up with you in April at Tysons Corner at FFU.

  • B-Rad said,

    I’ll be there! I don’t suppose Vapiano is one of the ideas up your sleeve? ;)

  • Grant said,

    Rick Steves spoke at the Long Beach Convention Center a few weeks ago and the whole auditorium was packed and people were sitting on the floor, so if you want to get a (good) seat, make sure to go early.
    .
    One other thought I had about the event. Most of the booths are for specific airlines, specific resorts, and specific hotels. They won’t talk about other companies, so the info is kind of biased. I wish there were more companies for each travel destination.

  • New Girl in the Air said,

    @Angelina, you’re always welcome to join!

    @Jane, Looking forward to seeing you at Tysons Corner.

    @B-Rad, you never know… ;)

    @Grant, thank you for the tip! It sounds like when Samantha Brown spoke at the DC show last time – there’s always someone who’s really popular!
    On a side note, the reason I liked the booths was that at many of them it was easy to talk to the representatives to gather more information, not direct competition, but perhaps something along the lines of, “I love the look of this Pacific Costa Rica resort. If I were to go there for 5 days, where in the country would you recommend visiting afterward?”.

  • Joey said,

    Go for the seminars for sure! I went to the NY Times Travel show here in NYC and similar to Grant’s experience in Long Beach, I felt most if not all the country booths were run by travel companies/tour agencies that will basically try to sell you their tours (moreso than giving you travel tips about their destinations.) Thus, I spent most of the time at the seminars where I was able to meet the Points Guy, Johnny Jet, learn more about travel photography, etc.

  • Tracy T. said,

    I live in DC and don’t have any friends here who understand my miles and points obsession, so I would love to do dinner. I’ll send you an email too.

  • New Girl in the Air said,

    @Joey, sounds like you met some great people and still had a great time.

    @Tracy, hope to see you there.

  • Deb S said,

    Count me in! I am getting started in the miles and points scene with my new blog: http://www.Fishing4Deals.com. Focus: Travel cheap. Save Money. Have Fun.

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