“Bitten” by the “travel bug” during my college study abroad program, it was through the New York Times travel section that I was 1st introduced to the 4th country that I would travel to after living in France for 6 months. Morocco was the exact reboot that I needed after leaving a career in the Mental Health industry
to pursue my PR dreams [CLICK HERE TO READ ALL ABOUT MY 1ST TRIP TO MOROCCO].
Reading the New York Times travel section played an instrumental role in getting me started on my path to becoming a “savvy” traveler. It doesn’t mean I didn’t notice the lack of diversity in between the lines of its lavish descriptions, but this is another example of the importance of using the resources you have as stepping stones rather than letting what you don’t have be the obstacles that stop you when it comes to manifesting your dreams into a reality. Reinforcing and introducing destination suggestions from a wide range of travel enthusiasts; The New York Times was that available resource for me, putting the world at my fingertips. In the early days, I would spend hours over Sunday brunch sifting through page after page of the publication’s beautiful, sought-after destinations while visualizing where off the beaten path I would go to next.
Imagine my excitement when things came around full circle with an invite to attend the opening day of The New York Times Travel Show. Kicking off 2020 at the largest and longest-running trade and consumer travel show in North America enabled me to check one more thing off of my 2020 goals list. The NYC show attracts more than 35k attendees with over 750 exhibitors from more than 175 countries, but the 1st day of the 3-day convention is reserved exclusively for travel industry professionals and members of the media.
With upcoming trips to Indonesia, France and Croatia in the works, the show offered a great opportunity for some additional research and networking. As the travel suggestion landscape gets even more oversaturated in the age of influencers, online reviews and overtourism; one may question whether we really need these type of shows? But as I walked through the convention center, it felt like the destinations had leapt out of travel articles and sites into a cinematic journey IRL with Balinese dancers, ethnic food & drinks, culturally influenced booth decor and larger than life video presentations. Leading experts in various travel industries; including resorts, cruises, spas, airlines and hotels around the world shared the latest travel trends, news, products, services and inspiration for 2020. The increase of requests for authentic, immersive and meaningful trips that also provide sustainable travel choices was one of topics that was trending throughout the conference. This comes on the heels of many tourists adopting a form of experience collecting through photos as a badge of honor; a sad replacement for immersing yourself into the culture of the country that you are visiting.
“Once the travel bug bites, there is no known antidote. And I know I shall be happily infected until
the end of my life.” – Michael Palin
