If I can borrow a term from politics, I consider the Travel and Adventure Show to be my own personal listening tour.
Each show is a 2-day, in-person travel smorgasbord held in convention centers around the United States. During each show, some of the smartest minds in travel share wisdom about what’s new in one of the biggest industries on the planet, with a focus on how to make our next journeys life-changing experiences.
Some of the experts present their knowledge on a stage—that’s where you’ll find me, twice a weekend. Peter Greenberg, the longtime travel editor of CBS News and one of the most connected, savvy figures in the industry, is one of the keynote speakers. His advice is always based on the newest intel.
Samantha Brown, who also appears, is another deeply intelligent speaker who dishes about some of the most rewarding destinations and smart hacks for better enjoying your time on the road.
Patricia Schultz (author of the smash book 1,000 Places to See Before You Die), Brian Kelly (the actual Points Guy of The Points Guy), Andrew McCarthy (movie star turned superb travel writer), Rick Steves, and Ernest White II (host of the docuseries Fly Brother) are just a few the other travelebrities that always have something thought-provoking to say at these shows.
Offstage, you'll find booths manned by people from every sub-industry within the travel world—cruising, tours, gear, solo travel, RVs, digital nomadism, you name it.
There are also representatives from a wide range of U.S. states and top world destinations. I always take some time to pepper these folks with questions because I know that getting advice from people who actually live where you want to visit can be invaluable. Sometimes reps give out good exclusive discounts, too.
But my favorite listening exercise takes place at the show's independent bookstore stand. I plant myself there and remain for hours on end so I can meet Frommer’s readers, hear your questions, and, sometimes, help plan your upcoming vacations.
Listening to travelers’ concerns, discussing the destinations they’re interested in, and learning about the fears and hopes our readers have is very important to me. It helps me better meet the concerns of the public.
I’m also there to sign and sell my books—my favorite task since we are so proud of these labors of love.
This is all a long way of saying: Please come to the next Travel and Adventure Show near you. Not only will you get a heckuva lot out of it (I promise), but I’d love to meet you.
I’ll be appearing at the following shows:
January 14 & 15: Chicago Travel and Adventure Show, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center
—I’ll be speaking at 3:30pm Saturday, and 2pm Sunday.
January 28 & 29: New York Travel and Adventure Show at the Javits Center
—I’ll be speaking at 2pm Saturday and leading a panel with Seth Kugel of the New York Times and Tonya Fitzpatrick of World Footprints.
February 18 & 19: Los Angeles Travel and Adventure Show at the Los Angeles Convention Center
—I’ll be speaking at 2pm on Saturday and leading a panel with Frommers.com editor-in-chief Jason Cochran and the Los Angeles Times' Christopher Reynolds on Sunday at 1:15pm.
February 25 and 26: Denver Travel and Adventure Show at the Denver Convention Center
—speech schedule to come
March 25 and 26: Atlanta Travel and Adventure Show at the Atlanta Convention Center
—speech schedule to come
(And, shhh: Since you know me, you can get in for free. Just go to the website for the Travel and Adventure Show in advance and put in the code "FROMMERSVIP" for free entry.)
