Travel + Adventure Show

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Yesterday we had the opportunity to attend day 2 of the Travel + Adventure Show. The expo has been around for 12 years and gives travelers the opportunity to link up directly with industry exhibitors at the expo. Exhibitors offer deeply discounted travel deals, free giveaways, and raffle prizes. The expo also hosts several industry professionals who give either cooking demonstrations or short lectures on traveling with families, how to get the best deals, and the best technology for travelers. Speakers include Rick Steves of Travel with Rick Steves, Peter Greenberg of The Travel Detective, and Samantha Brown of the Travel Channel.

It was an interesting experience for us both; we’re brand new at this food and travel blogging thing, and this was our first “industry” experience. At first we were like kids in a candy store: we were bouncing around from booth to booth trying new things, signing up for giveaways, and grabbing as much information as possible. We tried Belizean rum (so good!), Israeli inspired food from chef Nir Margalith of Puzzle Israel, and sat in on Peter Greenberg’s talk about the “brave new world of travel” for a little bit.

The expo also had a global beats stage where dancers performed culturally traditional dances from their countries. We were able to catch some of the Irish girl dancers (adorable) and some Taiwanese dancers (exquisite) right before we left. The expo offered A LOT of information and it was a lot for us to take in. This year it was all about the experience for us; next year, we’ll be better prepared to take full advantage of the expo as most exhibitors offer exclusive show deals during the expo. They have two more shows this year, one in the San Francisco/Bay area and one in Philadelphia. If you’re in either of those areas, you should definitely check them out. We were able to get our tickets for free via Goldstar’s Karma Codes. But if that’s not available to you, tickets are pretty inexpensive (about $25 for both days).