New York Times Travel Show, 2019

Last week, over 32,000 travel lovers poured into the Jacob Javits Convention Center. It was heaven on earth for me! In one location there were over 600 exhibitors, over 10,000 travel professionals all making up North America’s Largest Travel Show and Trade Conference. When there is this many people together with the shared excitement and passion for travel, the energy truly is like baptismal water, washing away winter doldrums as a new life of adventure rushes in. The press pass I am given each year is coveted as I get to wander through aisle after aisle, continent by continent. First up, meet up with good friends – Mr. Prebuddha Jaysinghe from Sri Lanka Holidays.net . He arranged the most wonderful trip for me and I always look forward to catching up with him here and always expressing my thanks to him.

The Master of Sri Lanka

Then it was time to truly explore and begin to learn about all things travel. The Travel Pirates ,  are a group I had not seen before. They offer great prices combined with quite the variety of experiences. The Antarctic is on my go to list and Oceanwide Expeditions are the pioneers of polar travel! Teppy can be a new travel companion providing a pocket sized Wi-Fi hotspot that keeps you connected to the internet in over 100 countries and in-flight Wi-Fi. I had to tear myself away from The Trans-Siberian Train experts and the guides speaking of the 12 epic road trips in California. One lifetime just isn’t enough!

A License I Want!
Who Wouldn’t Be Smiling!

Down the escalator to a world of learning the inside tracks and the latest and the best. Why not start with the best, Pauline Frommer. Her recommendations for 2019 are the following: (1) Collioure, France, a tiny Mediterranean sea town so far undiscovered by foreign travelers. Visit before the rest of the world discovers its charms. (2) New York State in 2019 is a banner year for the wide-ranging, head spinning diversity. (3) Singapore with its sweeping shots of the world’s largets rooftop infinity pool and 160 foot supertrees planted with vertical gardens inspiring people to visit this futuristic hotspot. (4) Bulgaria has long been at the crossroads of civilizations. Plovdiv is one of the world’s oldest inhabited cities and this year, it is designated as one of two European Capitals of Culture.

Ms Frommer also spoke of changing trends:

-If one visits Japan, if the tourist has a tattoo, they will not be able to go into the famous baths. Japan has become a very popular place to explore.

– Due to the huge spike in Chinese Tourism, January and February have become popular months to travel in due to the Chinese New Year and the Golden Week.

-Food experiences and getting to know the locals are now the type of experiences people are planning. Country Walkers and the Traveling Spoon.com where you can book a private meal or a cooking class with the best home cooks around the world. Foodietrip.com Airbnb.com/experiences
has branched out in order to take guests to local places and have the best local experiences. Untours, a favorite travel company of mine has been setting up travelers with locals for years before Airbnb and will provide a person on the ground to suggest but not overwhelm.

Fall and Flannel in Vermont

Short Term Work to Travel:

The Beautiful Colors of Culture

Timing is Everything:

  • Book on a Sunday (17% savings). Don’t book on a Friday (price up 12%).
  • February is the least expensive for international flights while December is the most expensive month.
  • September is the least expensive for domestic flights; June is the most expensive.
  • 2 Sites for the BEST airfares: Momondo and Skyscanner.net

Home Exchanges:

Best Car Rental:

  • Autoslash.com was the only one listed since there hasn’t been any other found that is better

Best Price for hotels:

The New York Times is definitely the best spot for all things travel. There is so much more information that I will pass along later after I sift through all the colorful brochures. For now, I would encourage anyone with a yearning for travel to watch for the 2020 dates! It will definitely not disappoint!

Also, if anyone is interested in seeing the vibrancy, the rich cultural blend of Arab, Berber, European and African influences and fascinating heritage of Morocco…check out our photographic trip … the more the merrier!

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