SAN DIEGO TRAVEL & ADVENTURE SHOW 2020

A great start to the new year is a visit to the San Diego Travel and Adventure Show. This years' event was held on January 18-19 at the Convention Center in downtown San Diego. Although I've attended many times before, I still get excited to discover what's new in the travel industry, mingle with travel enthusiasts, and to plan some new adventures.

Featuring 25 speakers, 140 exhibitors, 12 dance groups, door prizes, and a coconut tree climb, there was something for everyone—including my two granddaughters who were entertained for hours by the dancers and musicians on the Global Beats Stage. Click here for the dates and locations of future shows that might be coming to a location near you.

Everyone leaves the show with their favorite memories and I will share mine:

                    MOST INFORMATIVE SPEAKER:

Ralph Valesco, “Creating Great Memories of your Travels (with any Camera!).” Ralph is one of the top 100 photographers in the world and getting photo advice from him is something you don't want to miss. His eBook: “52 Categories of a Shot List,” available for free on his website, is truly inspirational. Ralph also leads cultural and photo enrichment tours to places throughout the world.

                               BEST FREE SAMPLE:

I didn't expect to learn about coffee at the travel show, but when I stopped at the Indonesia booth they were giving away free samples of Tentera Sumatra Coffee from Indonesia. They also gave us a single-serve pour-over coffee packet to bring home. The take-home sample turned out to be one of the best pour-over coffees I've tasted. I will look for the Tentera coffee kiosk (729 N. Vignes St. East Portal) near the Union Station in Los Angeles next time I'm there.

                              

                               MOST ENTERTAINING:

The music and dance group from the Cook Islands that performed on the Global Beats Stage. This wonderfully talented group of nine dancers had just flown over 4,000 miles from the South Pacific to attend this event.

                            FAVORITE TRAVEL GURU:

Straight talking Emmy Award-Winning Reporter and Producer, Peter Greenberg is one of America's most recognized, honored and respected front-line travel news journalists. I never pass up a chance to listen to him at the travel shows. If you want to learn great travel secrets from a master traveler, he is the one to listen to.

        THE BEST FREE GIVEAWAY (THAT I MISSED):

Gate 1 Travel's offer of a free trip for two on a seven-night Danube River Cruise with an upgraded room.

                 TRAVEL ADVICE FROM A LOCAL:

We were lucky this year because there was a representative from Rijeka, Croatia at the Katarina Line-Incoming Croatia booth—a place we will be traveling to this year. It's always helpful to meet a local like Daniel Hauptfeld, Marketing Director, who gave us some great advice and a much-needed map of Croatia. 

                                FAVORITE QUOTE:

“Buy yourself a world atlas and put it by your bedside.”
                                                                -Peter Greenberg

               A FAVORITE PHOTO TO TAKE HOME:

Just as we were leaving the show, my granddaughter, Mila, who was in control, as usual, tugged us over to the colorful Redding, California booth to get a photo taken. She chose the background and props for the photo. Redding is located near the Cascade Mountain (background) in northwestern California, and it looks like a great destination for hiking, fishing, and kayaking.

.

INTERVIEW WITH JOHN GOLICZ, CEO AND FOUNDER OF THE TRAVEL & ADVENTURE SHOWS

JOHN GOLICZ, CEO AND FOUNDER
 TRAVEL & ADVENTURE SHOWS

I enjoy planning my journeys almost as much as taking them. I guess this is why I never miss a nearby travel show and wasn't about to miss an opportunity to interview John Golicz, CEO and founder of the Travel & Adventure Shows. They are the largest series of travel shows in the United States and are held annually in seven major cities. After producing more than 60 events that have brought together millions of attendees, Golicz is one of the top experts in the field of travel.

My Vintage Journeys is pleased to share this exclusive phone interview with John Golicz on April 8, 2015:

Good Morning, John. I'm glad to have this opportunity to visit with you. I love going to travel shows, and a chance to interview the guru of the trade is an honor.

Let's start with how it all began—what originally lead you to create the popular Travel and Adventure Shows?

I was always an adventure traveler and enjoyed the boating and other sport shows that were available. However, I couldn't find events specifically for the consumer traveler. This was about 14 years ago, and Europe already had a lot of them. I decided that there was probably a market in the US as well and decided to test it.

Our first show launched in January 2003 in New York City with attendance of over 26,000. They have been growing ever since—booming in the last few years.

How much time do you spend traveling throughout the year?

We do seven shows across the country in the first quarter of the year, which means I am traveling 40 plus days during that time. The rest of the year I travel throughout the world interfacing with ministers of tourism, tourism officers, and travel directors.

I just returned from a nine day multi-generational family vacation in the Dominican Republic where we stayed at Casa De Campo. There was something for everyone, including, beaches, golf, tennis, fishing, horseback riding, scooters. It was wonderful.

What changes do you foresee in the travel industry in the upcoming year?

Self-directed travel is growing: a recent poll of our travel show attendees indicated that 80% are not using a travel agent.

Europe is red hot. The euro is at recent historic lows. Airfares are dropping, and Europe is experiencing a recession so accommodations are more readily available and rate-friendly.

JOHN GOLICZ

What are some of your favorite European destinations and tips for families traveling together?

We've traveled multiple times with our kids and we try to make the trips kid-directed, as much as possible. For example, when we went on a family trip to Paris and London about four years ago, we gave each of them an opportunity to chose two things that they wanted to do in each city. In Paris, my son wanted to see the catacombs and do the sewer tour. My daughter wanted to go to a museum related to her interests in medicine. They all found something, and we separated at times if necessary.

We also hired a guide for a private walking tour of Paris. We had a three-hour introductory tour of the city, visiting the major sights and neighborhoods and learning how to get around. Now we're acclimated to where we want to go on our own. Later, we did a tour of the Louvre, which was also very helpful.

We are finding that a lot of families come to the travel and adventure shows together in order to plan their next trip. It gives the kids a chance to meet people from other countries, hear the local music, and even taste some of the local food.

We all love travel gadgets and apps. What are the top ones for 2015?

I like the HeadDEFENDER which is a headrest cover for the airplane, train or bus seat. Your head is resting on a clean fabric that feels good and prevents germs from spreading. It comes in a nice carrying pouch, and I always travel with it.

I used the NapAnywhere on my last trip and I plan to use it again. It is an ergonomically-stable neck support that is covered with a foam padding that molds to you and allows for a good sleep while sitting up. I tried it on my last trip, and it really worked—I plan to use it again. .

Another trend I'm seeing is “on demand travel.” I'm coining that term right now because you're really set free on how you travel these days. With apps like hoteltonight.com, for example, you can just show up in a city and open your app and find a hotel that matches your preferences at discounted prices, in just about any city in the world. Now think about that: I don't have to preplan where I'm going to go. Now there are apps. I can just show up and get a hotel room, and I'm guaranteed it at a good price. I can make restaurant reservations at opentable.com. I can use Uber to get my ride. I'm kind of set free. I can also get train and airline tickets. RickSteves also has free on demand walking guides on his website for many cities in Europe.

Do you have a favorite travel gadget that you never leave home without?

I always travel with an iPad and iPhone.

Do you like to take photos when traveling? If so, what camera do you use?

I use my iPhone for photos rather than a camera. It's more convenient and I can send them anywhere.

Another tip is to copy important docs and credit card information onto your iPhone in case of emergency—just make sure you have a security code on it.

As the founder and editor of 1000TravelTips.com, tell us about the website?

It was launched in February, and I'm really excited about it. We're asking travel experts and others to contribute concise and simple travel tips on a wide range of travel topics. There are a lot of great ideas out there. Our goal is to provide our readers with the most up-to-date travel advice available.

MyVintageJourneys is a website for those of us who like to travel the vintage way, often one month at a time, which leads to my final question: If you could choose one place in the world to spend a month, where would it be?

Italy, I love Italy. We'd like to take a trip for a month where we will spend a week in four different spots. We're thinking about Tuscany, Venice, Sardinia, and Sicily.

Thank you, John—this was very informative. I'm already looking forward to attending the next San Diego Travel & Adventure show January 16-17, 2016. 

RICK STEVES
2015 SAN DIEGO TRAVEL & ADVENTURE SHOW