Mar05

NYT Travel Show 2012

After my return trip from Puerto Rico, I was lucky enough to be able to attend the final day of the NYT Travel Show on Sunday, March 4th at the Jacob Javits Center. This was my first time at the event, and the highlight for the day was attending the seminars.

I sat in on the following:

  1. Patricia Schultz: 1,000 Places To See Before You Die
  2. Adam Richman (only halfway towards the end)
  3. Brian Kelly, The Points Guy
  4. Joseph Rosendo, TravelScope

Each talk were well presented. Of course, with anything, we all have our favorites. The talk that stood out for me was the one presented by Patricia Schultz. She described each journey with passion and humor in an eloquent manner. She was a fantastic speaker; one that I would love to sit in on another presentation. Check out 1000 Places To See Before You Die.

Brian Kelly (a.k.a. The Points Guy) did a great job introducing to newbies the miles and points “game”. The room was literally packed with hundreds of people. Everyone were trying to soak in all the information Brian was telling them. Many were taking notes. I have to say that Brian has a celebrity status. They should have given him a full hour to do his presentation and slotted him as the last presenter. The Q&A portion of the seminar continued outside the room, beyond the allotted time.

The exhibition hall was rather unimpressive (at least for me). It was basically a gathering of tour companies trying to get your business. Yes it was informative about different places in the world, but at the same time their agenda was to book you in their tours. I particularly did not like this part of the show mainly because I’m not a fan of “tours”. I consider myself an independent traveler who for the most part research and book my own trip online. Aside from picking up brochures, entertainment was provided showcasing different cultures.

Although I already have my Global Entry, it was nice to see that the Customs & Border Patrol agents were on hand to discuss Global Entry for those who have not signed up yet. For those of you on the fence about Global Entry, let me tell you, you will love it. I can’t imagine anyone not loving their Global Entry.

Overall, I’m looking forward to next year’s Travel Show. Attending the seminars alone was well worth the money.

Twitt