Wrap Ups From All Over

What some top travel bloggers had to say about last weekend's record-breaking Los Angeles Travel & Adventure Show:

Buck Inspire:
"If you love to travel, this was the place to be. Tons of visitors felt the same as they came in record numbers."

Sightseeing Sam: 
"Like travel itself, the show is different things to different people, and that’s one of the things that makes travel so intriguing. Personally, I prefer to cruise the show floor, talking to people in kind of a daydreaming state thinking about what it would be like to be in all those places."

Nutty Nomads:
"The L.A. Travel and Adventure show that took place in Long Beach yesterday was like a crystal clear oasis in a desert of impossible travel dreams."

Vagabond3:
"Past shows have ended up leading me from Iceland to St. Paul, Minnesota because, at the end of the day when walking away with bags of brochures, the experiences and atmosphere that catch me off guard and surprise me with possibility beat out classically famous vacation spots. This year was no different, I found local and international destinations that I didn’t expect; I was won over by a country that I had never considered before, and, now voluntourim is at the top of my bucket list."

Not to mention a great segment on CBS (KCAL) with Pauline Frommer.

There's a lot more out there - I was home following vicariously through #latravelshow on Twitter. And while there's was much to do in the office getting ready for Chicago, it would've been fun to be out there among the mass of humanity in the aisles at what is now the best-attended travel show in history.

A Picture Is Worth... Well Some Are Priceless

Wanted to share a few photos and videos taken by attendees at the LA Travel & Adventure Show this past weekend.

A future Rare Earth Adventurer

And another from GAdventures

At the Fiery Foods Challenge from Nutty Nomads

Samantha Brown on eating knuckles in Taiwan from Tom's Foodie Blog






Encino Mom tackles the rock wall and bubble rollers

Andrew Zimmern from Sara Jane Turk

And of course, the gratuitous crowd shot of the exhibit hall. Yes, it was packed. But you knew that!

What's On Peter Greenberg's List for 2012? Surprises!

From Peter Greenberg's latest appearance on the CBS Morning Report - places to go for 2012...



Cuba: Savvy travelers have known about relaxed restrictions, but now just about anyone can go. As it's not all that popular with US tourists yet, the country has still got that 1950's time warp feel to it. Peter suggests making an excuse to go now before Starbucks and KFC get there.

Myanmar (Burma): the government is now issuing 14 day visas instead of just 7 days so you have an opportunity to visit more of the country. The powers that be are no fools - they recognize US tourism dollars represents desperately needed revenue, so they're promoting the country as an inviting destination.

Montenegro: "Croatia without the tourists." Did you know the country boasts 117 beaches?

Morocco: It's still exotic and now it's more affordable and even a bit more modern (without losing its character).

Chile: Fjords, Patagonia, wine country. What more could you ask for?

Portugal: They've had their economic collapse, so it's a relative bargain for US travelers.

Portland, OR: no sales tax, no food & beverage tax.

Portland, ME: edgy and hip but still New England-ey. Affordable (average dinner is $34, and that's for lobster!)

New Year's In Tasmania

Next week is the 'official' start of summer in Tasmania. In just under two weeks, it's Christmas.

And if you've never considered spending the holidays in Tasmania, why not?

Boxing Day is a pretty big deal in all the former colonies (except the U.S.). Tasmania's capital is the finish line for the annual Rolex Sydney-to-Hobart yacht race which starts on December 26. It's a big deal with about 90 yachts competing. Yachting is almost as big as cricket and rugby in ANZ. Although a bit more expensive to take up :-)

The next day, head over to the week-long 22nd Annual Taste Festival to nosh on the best foods grown in Tasmania as prepared by the best chefs on the island.

Then it's a short trip to the annual Falls Festival, a three-day funfest of music and comedy held in two beautiful venues, Lorne on the mainland in Victoria, and Marion Bay in Tasmania.

It's been quite a week already, but we're not done yet.

On New Year's Eve, the tradition in Devonport is to write your New Year's resolutions on a lantern and set it adrift in the Mersey River. And there are fireworks, of course.

Closer to Hobart your choices are New Year's back at the Taste Festival or make it over to Royal Park in Launceton for a grand fireworks display over the Tamar River. And, as there are shows at both 9:30pm and again at midnight, you've got a decent shot at making both!

If you want to spend a quieter New Year's in luxury and away from the crowds, there's always The Lodge at Tarraleah in the Highlands, two-time winner of "Best Lodge" complete with an award-winning wine list.

After all that, you take a day or two to relax (hey, Taste runs through the 3rd and there are wineries to visit!) then head home. When your friends ask you where you spent the holidays, you'll proudly say, "Tasmania.". And once you're done telling them where that is and what you did, you'll be the object of envy for the rest of 2012!

OK, maybe it's cutting it kind of close to pull off Christmas in Tasmania. But it's not too early to start planning for next Christmas! You'll find Tourism Tasmania in booth 922 at the show. Stop by and learn more about what's going on down there the rest of the year.

Global Warming Got You Down This Christmas? Visit Alaska!

The temperature on Christmas Day in SoCal is usually somewhere in the upper 50s-low 60s. And millions of folks are perfectly fine with that.

But not everyone. Some still dream of a traditional white Christmas. You know, blankets of snow, the peaceful quiet those falling flakes bring... maybe even some reindeer.

And we've got the perfect suggestion for those folks. Head to Alaska!

There are a number of Alaskan deals available this winter, running from Christmas right through to the running of the Iterarod in late March.

You don't hear much about Alaska as a winter vacation destination. But for the intrepid lover of all things winter, Alaska is the real deal. Mountains. Fjords. Snow. Local festivals. Which means snowmobiling, skiing, dog mushing, Northern Lights, lots of craft beers by the fire. And best of all, no crowds!

Here is a sampling of some packages available right now:

Alaska Railroad Vacations has a number of suggestions, including cross-country ski packages and tours where you can fly over the Arctic Circle (you're not getting much closer to the North Pole than that!), 

If flying isn't your thing, you can go mushing with a former Iditarod champion in Seward or soak in hot springs in Fairbanks (via Alaska Land & Cruise Adventures).

Did you know that from October through January the population of bald eagles in Haines exceeds the number of residents? Our national bird chooses Haines as their favorite place to chow down on wild spawning salmon. And you can see it firsthand.  

If you can't make it for Christmas, you can celebrate the end of winter at the annual Iditarod race. Wild Alaska Travel (via TravelAlaska) has a package that includes a bunch of neat stuff to fill your camera's memory: 10% Discount on 2012 Iditarod Tour and Northern Lights Viewing.

Accommodations in Anchorage and smaller cities like Juneau and Ketchikan are very affordable this time of year. Find a B&B or Inn for your base, then use the ferry system to get around. Yes, there are winter specials for the ferries, too.

Even if you can't make it to Alaska, Alaska can come to you. Juneau's site features a number of local foodstuffs that make memorable (and tasty) stocking stuffers.

So why not do something different this Christmas (or later this winter). Go North to Alaska!

Experience The Village Experience

Ann and Kelly and The Village Experience team are first-time exhibitors at the LA Travel & Adventure Show. I just learned about them today via Pauline Frommer.

I travel to about a dozen Travel Shows each year, and after a while the booths start to blur together--stacks of brochures, perhaps a guy in native dress, piles of candy to lure passers by. 

But the Village Experience (www.experiencethevillage.com), which I've been noticing for the first time this year,  seems different. It may be because they're not just promoting a tour or destination, but selling actual , and often exquisite, products created in some of the most remote areas on earth. 

Intrigued, I went up to chat with the folks running the booth and came away impressed by their creativity. The Village is taking a two-pronged approach to what's commonly caused "Voluntourism". They not only take would-be do-gooders to places in need around the globe (from Haiti to Kenya to Guatemala), but they create programs allowing folks in these places to create goods, fair trade products that can then be sold elsewhere to bring money back into the community.

How can you not love that?

I'm looking forward to seeing what crafts and goods The Village Experience team will be showcasing at LAT&AS, booth 1053. They currently show excursions to Guatemala, Haiti, Uganda, Kenya, South Africa, Ethiopia, Jordan, India and Thailand. 

What they're offering is an interesting marriage of culture and travel and I think they'll be a big hit. 

P.S. I couldn't help but notice a lot of their trips go to countries where they grow coffee. Wonder if they do side trips?!

Top 10 Backpacking Destinations from Off Track Planet

OTP has some gems on this list. But if you don't want to read the whole thing, here's the cryptic summary:

Chiapas (Most Ruined)
Turin (Sweetest)
Lake Tuz, Turkey (Saltiest)
Bucharest (Most Cosmopolitan)
Interlaken (Most Extreme Adventure)
Dakar (Best of Both Worlds)
Big Corn Island, Nicaragua (Broke Fanciest)
Chicova, Moldova (Most Boozerific)
Ushuaia, Argentina (Most Remote)
Zagreb (Best Overall)

Other than Chiapas, Turin, Bucharest and Zagreb, these destinations are new to us. OTP's take on Dakar make it sound like a pretty swinging place. Who knew? (OK, I'm out the loop, you've known for years!) And Moldavia is the world's 7th largest wine producer?

Anyhoo, it's an interesting list and read.  And if you do find yourself in Zagreb, please look up an old pal of ours, Nik Orosi. He'll pour you the best cup of coffee in the Balkans.