THE TRAVEL AND ADVENTURE SHOW

The DC Travel and Adventure Show is an annual event which takes place early in the year. Three of the nine annual Travel and Adventure Shows are held in California. Boston and Philadelphia host the only other ones on the east coast.  Started in 2004, the Travel and Adventure Shows offer a mix of exhibitors from around the world and celebrity speakers with some culture-focused entertainment thrown in for good measure. The 2018 DC show featured speeches followed by a meet and greet with Samantha Brown, Peter Greenberg, Rudy Maxa, and Patricia Schultz. Samantha Brown and Peter Greenberg appeared on both days.

THE TRAVEL THEATER

Places to Love host, Samantha Brown spoke on both Saturday and Sunday about her new travel show. Attendees were treated to a brief intro video of clips from season one before Brown discussed her childhood in New Hampshire and the long journey which brought her to where she is today. Like many of us, Brown grew up believing that travel was only for the privileged.

The rest of her presentation focused on travel tips from her more than 24,000 hours of traveling the world, with brief pauses for short clips from her new series.  She proudly announced that she owns Places to Love, which appears on PBS.

No matter where she goes, Samantha Brown tends to start every day with the same routine, which in her case is a visit to the same cafe. Her parting words were, “Keep on digging,” which (according to the clips she revealed) her new show certainly seems to do. The interview clips featured interviews with locals from places like Houston, Huntsville, and her adopted hometown of Brooklyn.

On Saturday, the former army brat and accidental travel journalist, Rudy Maxa discussed growing up in Germany, how he got into radio, and the 98 television episodes of his travel show. Maxa joked about his “made for radio” face as well as recent trends in travel, including the Japanese phenomenon of forest bathing.

On Saturday and Sunday, Travel Detective, Peter Greenberg offered dozens of travel tips as well as facts that the average traveler would not be aware of. In his hoarse voice (which he apologized for), he half-jokingly referred to people who book flights online as “losers.” His logic being that only 52% of flights are available online. Greenberg proudly displayed his OAG (Offical Airline Guide), which he referred to as his bible. People with bucket lists are also losers, according to Peter. He suggested they (the bucket lists) should be burned. His rhetoric was jokingly harsh during most of his presentation, but he presented a plethora of useful information which consumers can act upon. For example, he suggested avoiding cruise ships during their inaugural season, always having emergency medical evacuation insurance, and checking with the British Foreign Office as an alternative to the Department of State when determining whether or not a destination is safe for travel. His suggested destinations for 2018 include Chile, Iceland, Malta, and Rwanda.

Patricia Schultz was the final speaker in the Travel Theater on Saturday, where she discussed the global edition of her bestselling travel book, 1,000 Places to See Before You Die as well as growing up in New York’s Hudson Valley (Beacon, where Pete Seeger also came from) and studying linguistics and nearby Georgetown University. Some of her observations ranged from common to unusual. For example, she referred to Shanghai as the Manhattan of Asia and called Amsterdam a “great food city.” Schultz reminded travelers that Amsterdam’s red light district and brown cafes are “so yesterday.” Like many speakers at larger American travel shows often do, Schultz reminded everyone about how bad train service is in the Americas compared to Europe and East Asia.

The Destination Theater

The Destination Theater featured presentations about Alaska, The Azores, Israel, Italy, and the little known region of Quebec, called Eeyou Istchee Baie-James. In addition to a heavy focus on Italy, there was a large emphasis on cruises and wellness travel. On Sunday, Patricia Schultz spoke about her experiences aboard the plethora of different river cruises of Europe. There was also a presentation on LGBT travel by Man About World Editor in Chief, Ed Salvato.

THE SAVVY TRAVELER THEATER

Presentations in the Savvy Traveler Theater featured more practical advice. Most focused on their specific travel niche. Angel Castellanos spoke how to travel smart with technology, while Ralph Velasco offered photography tips, which included always look at the background and remembering that, “It’s not about the camera.” Some of the pictures that Velasco had on display were shot with an iPhone. He stressed the importance of the magic hour and encouraged anyone who doesn’t like to wake up early to be a writer. There were also presentations on cruises as well as family and solo travel.

TASTE OF TRAVEL THEATER

At the Taste of Travel Theater, chefs from American, Indonesian, Italian, and Spanish restaurants each presented a signature dish, which most audience members had the chance to sample. Culinary Fight Club’s Anthony Martorina served as the MC and host on both days. While some of the dishes are fairly mainstream (Carmine’s Italian cheesecake, Pitmaster BBQ beef brisket, and Spanish seafood risotto), there were some vegan and vegetarian dishes on offer. Indonesian chefs Sisca Soewitomo and Yono Purnomo prepared tempe, which is a high-protein Indonesian staple and also vegan.

GLOBAL BEATS STAGE

The Global Beats Stage featured traditional dancing from Bolivia, Botswana, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Russia, and the Carpathian Mountain region of Europe. There was also a Muay Thai Boxing demonstration on both days, which was presented by Nakapan from the BETA Academy.

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This post was sponsored by the Travel and Adventure Show. Read my review of the 2017 DC Travel and Adventure Show here.