Looking for ideas to go on vacation this summer, but you’re not sure where to start, or what to know for your next trip? Consider going to the Travel & Adventure Show! The Travel & Adventure Show is an annual traveling show that brings destination marketing agencies from around the state & abroad, travel agents, travel companies, and travel experts, under one roof for a weekend in nine locations around the United States to help travelers plan their next trip & travel agents pitch the locations to clients, all in your neck of the woods.
As media, I did coverage of the show and talked to exhibitors to do coverage of them. I applied and got to be the media of the Travel & Adventure Show’s Los Angeles stop on February 3 & 4. They have nine stops across the county for 2024, including our stop at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Let’s head to Los Angeles!
Registration for Press & Attendees in 2024
Tickets for attendees start at $13 + $1.14 in fees for a one-day advance purchase or $20 + $1.35 fees for both days through Eventbrite. Discounts can be found on certain websites and speakers such as The Local Tourist, one of speakers of the Los Angeles show. Children under 16 are free with an accompanying adult. The ticket includes day access to the show floor and speaker seminars. There aren’t any premium-level passes for attendees.
Getting to the Travel & Adventure Show at the Los Angeles Convention Center
To not deal with traffic up Interstate 5 & parking, I took the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner to Los Angeles Union Station, which is $16 per way. I wanted to take Amtrak as it has more frequency in comparison to Metrolink on the weekends with only have four trains per day on the weekends with a weekend day pass for $10. I took Amtrak Pacific Surfliner 765 from Anaheim to Los Angeles at 8:10 am, arrived at 9:13 am, and then took the L.A. Metro A line to Pico Station for the Los Angeles Convention Center for $1.75. Then walk a couple blocks to the convention center.
When you enter the Los Angeles Convention Center, you follow the Travel & Adventure Show signage to the South Hall. You can buy a ticket if not pre-purchased at the door, and scan your printed pass or PDF on your phone with the ticket takers. There weren’t any security bag checks for the show, so you can bring anything you need with outside food & beverage. As long as you had your badge or pass, you were free to enter and exit during the show floor time. You can bring a reusable water bottle and refill it at the water bottle stations throughout the convention center concourse.
Due to the Los Angeles Convention Center’s location downtown, there was a good amount of private security presence hired by the convention center, as well as the Los Angeles Police Department walking the grounds.
In the Doors
After getting our badges and tickets checked, we all went up the escalator to Halls G & H of the Los Angeles Convention Center, consisting of 143,000 of 720,000 sq ft of convention center space. It was fairly big with a huge list of exhibitors & program speakers.
How was everyone dressed? Attendees would wear their regular leisure streetwear. Exhibitors would wear what they usually wear for a day on the job, ranging from polo & slacks like I was wearing to look more professional as media, to full suit & tie for men, and women wore blouse & slacks or a work attire dress depending on their attire.
I only went to the Saturday show, which was super busy as there was usually an attendee talking to an exhibitor, curious about their location, product, or services. The main front exhibitors, such as Brazil, Japan, and Fiji, had many people willing to help attendees with ideas for a potential trip there. When the doors opened at 10 am, it was chaotic and I was a bit overwhelmed by which exhibitor I should ask to interview, if it would not be too much for them to do so.
Exhibitor Interviews
Each show, conference, and convention (links for the convention article I covered in the past) that I cover have different levels of expectations from the press. For the Travel & Adventure Show, you can cover is on your own accord, such as interviewing exhibitors, speakers, or just the show. There isn’t a press list to exhibitors to hawk for press coverage. Most companies that asked for an interview did not want an interview anyways. Industry conventions like the Hospitality Show for hospitality professionals & even San Diego Comic-Con for the popular arts industry, release a press list so exhibitors can hawk press for coverage. I completed several articles for the Hospitality Show and it made me not want to go to industry conferences unless it is a few hundred miles at most from Anaheim. Then there was DesignerCon, an artistic convention, along with the Travel & Adventure Show, where there isn’t a press list and you just cover on your own accord.
Forty minutes in at the Travel & Adventure Show, I found my first interview, with Alan Feldstein of Infinite Safari Adventures.
Infinite Safari Adventures
Infinite Safari Adventures is a bespoke custom African Wildlife Safari & Adventure company that creates custom safaris for its clients in 12 different countries in Eastern and Southern Africa. The company was founded in 2009, by former lawyer Alan Feldstein, after he took his first trip to Africa in 2000, On that trip he fell in love with the people, culture, nature, and wildlife of Africa. In 2005 he summited Mt. Kilimanjaro and then in 2008 he took his children to Africa and became one of the first people to kayak the coast of Tanzania. It was then and there, that Alan decided to leave the practice of law to share his passion with people who want to experience Africa.
Since Alan was an avid African tourist himself, he and his team know how to help their clients to be prepared and make sure that they are taken care of on their adventures. From proper footwear, dietary needs, logistics of luggage to the next location, and the proper equipment that is needed for the tour. Many tours are offered depending on the client’s wants, from summiting Mt. Kilimanjaro, to a photo safari on the Savannah, and many more.
A portion of the proceeds from their safaris is used to give back through their charitable 501(c)(3) foundation The Infinite Safari Foundation. Their giving back has included building water wells, wildlife conservation, and funding educational opportunities. Alan sits on the board of the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia and Saving the Survivors in South Africa.
If you are looking for a stress-free adventure in Africa, look no further than Alan & his team at Infinite Safari Adventures.
Kilidove Tours & Safaris
Kilidove Tours & Safaris is an African private guided tour company based in Tanzania that is locally owned and operated and hires local guides who are knowledgeable of the local flora & fauna of the region & have experienced drivers. They have toured all over Africa’s central eastern counties and have a variety of tours for travelers to choose from. Go on private tours with a variety of accommodation partners. Kilidove Tours also gives back to their community and makes sure their operations are as clean & green as possible.
They have tours all over Africa’s central eastern counties of Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Zanzibar, and Rwanda. Tanzania’s wilderness area of the Serengeti National Park. Kenya’s wildebeest migrations of Masai Mara Reserve & views of Mt. Kilimanjaro at Amboseli National Park. Shop at Uganda’s modern capital city of Kampala & see the “big 5” species at Queen Elizabeth National Park. Visit the lush Tanzanian archipelago of Zanzibar with amazing white sand beaches. See the mountain gorillas & golden monkeys of Rwanda.
Kilidove can do all of these tours and more with lodging by their acclamation partners ranging from basic camps to put you close to nature to high-end luxury lodge resorts. All tours are private as well so you don’t have to go on a tour with other travelers for the ultimate escape.
A portion of the proceeds from the Kilidove Tours are used to give back to the community to provide social impact. They give back to the Dove Foundation as their staff financially contributes each month to support families near their offices, later now contributes to projects for women’s empowerment & environmental conservation. Kilidove also supports the Tuleeni Orphanage, which provides support for disadvantaged youth and orphans in Kilimanjaro, and travelers are encouraged to donate money and school supplies to the orphanage.
To be cleaner & greener on their tours, Kilidove Tours are plastic & nearly carbon-free. As part of Kilidove Tour’s implemented practices to reduce & eliminate plastic waste, and inspire other tour companies to reduce or even eliminate their plastic usage as well. They also reduce their carbon footprint by minimizing waste, eco-friendly practices, and using cleaner energy sources.
If you want a tour operator who is local to Africa, with many tour packages & variety of accommodation partners, gives back to their community, and operates their tours as cleanly as possible, look no further than Kilidove Tours.
Visit Yosemite/Madera County
Do you want a weekend getaway with nature and still have cell phone service (make sure to check with your carrier for cell coverage), look no further than Madera County & Yosemite National Park, part of Visit Yosemite/Madera County offices in Oakhurst. Yosemite has geological wonders that made it famous, such as Half Dome, Yosemite Falls, and the rustic yet modern lodging of The Ahwahnee Hotel. However, there are so many things to do in the county outside of Yosemite in Madera County.
Located in the foothills of Madera County is the town of Oakhurst, located 300 miles from Disneyland, 272 miles from downtown Los Angeles, 200 miles from San Francisco, and 184 miles from Sacramento, making Yosemite & Madera County close to it all for a weekend car trip to Yosemite for in-state residents or can be easily added on if vacationers want a stop in between Los Angeles & San Francisco. Oakhurst is along Yosemite’s southern gateway California State Highway 41 with many things to see, do, and stay outside of Yosemite.
From Oakhurst, there are plenty of activities nearby such as The Madera County Fossil Discovery Center featuring fossils of short-faced bears & sabertooth cats. It is one of the oldest wineries regions, featuring a wine trail of several wineries. Bass Lake for a fun year-round lakeside retreat with rentable cabins and activities. There are many more places such as ax throwing, train rides at Sugar Pine Railroad, camping in the Sierra National Forest, hiking, and more.
Want to stay overnight? There are plenty of lodging options from tent camping under the stars in the Sierra National Forest, chalets in Bass Lake, branded hotels in Oakhurst, and high-end Tenaya Lodge resort. Of course, there is the Ahwahnee Hotel & the Yosemite Valley Lodge in Yosemite.
If you want to see more of the outdoors, you should consider checking out the things to do in Madera County.
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Food & Beverage at the Los Angeles Convention Center
Last two years I was at the Los Angeles stop for the Travel & Adventure Show, they had used the cafeteria that’s part of Halls G&H, which was now reduced to a taco cart this year. This was due high school cheerleading competition in halls J&K, which opened the south hall food court. The food court had a cafeteria, snack cart, and coffee shop, which I got a coffee from. Since the competition was only there on Saturday, so the Halls G&H cafeteria probably reopened on Sunday.
I ate at the taco cart since I did not see the sign that the South Hall cafeteria sign was covered by the huge line of hungry attendees, exhibitors, staff, and media. The cart had beef, pork, chicken, and cauliflower as the meal’s protein. The taco & veggie combo had three tacos with any protein, along with a side of rice & beans for $20. You can forgo the taco tortilla for a protein bowl, have it as loaded nachos with protein, or loaded fries, each is $18. Cheese nachos are $10 and a side order of beans or rice is $6. For drinks, was either a canned 12 oz, soda for $5 or a 20 oz can of water for $7. It was a good thing I brought my water bottle so I didn’t have to pay $7 for the can of water. I had one of each taco meat for the combo, which was good. Then I refilled my water bottle at the water station and bought coffee from the coffee shop in the south hall food court.
Since the taco cart might be a one-off due to the cheer competition, the south food court was open. After eating lunch, I grabbed a cold brew coffee from the coffee stand to energize me for the rest of the day. There was a mix of cheerleaders and Travel & Adventure Show attendees at the food court eating from the cafeteria.
Speaker Stages
Most programs were one-person shows, showcasing their knowledge to help arm travelers with knowledge, from Pauline Frommer’s unforgettable trip ideas such as renting a barge to sail through European rivers, Rick Steves’ European travel tips such as taking the train in the city but rent a car for more remote locations.
The Global Beats Stage, featured dance groups from various countries such as Tahitian dancers and Japanese taiko drummers. There were also other exhibitors, such as the California State Department of Food & Agriculture K9 Inspection Team, which has trained dogs to sniff out invasive species to prevent things from coming onto U.S. soil at Los Angeles International Airport.
Closing Time
On Saturday, closing time was at 5 pm, and I headed out to the convention center to take the LA Metro A line to Los Angeles Union Station, where you can see my footage of the light rail ride down below. At 5 pm, the concession stands were closing up for the day. However, hungry attendees can go to LA Live to get dinner at SmashBurger, YardHouse, Fixins Soul Kitchen, and more for dinner.
Heading Home
Heading home by train for me was a bit interesting to get back to Anaheim. Due to the landslides in San Clemente that took out a pediatrician bridge and debris on the tracks, Metrolink Orange County & Inland Empire lines terminated in Laguna Niguel or San Juan Capistrano on weekends. They also have a highly cut-down schedule as well with the Orange County line only having four trains per way on the weekends, which I missed the last outbound train at 4:40 pm. Due to that, I took the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner, there & back due to the scheduling. However, getting back was not the easiest thing in the world. The landslides cut off two trains each way per day, While the rest terminated in San Juan Capistrano with only 3 trains per way having bus bridges in Irvine to Oceanside, and then a train to San Diego.
Since the original Amtrak Pacific Surfliner I was going to take was canceled, I took the 8 pm train to depart back to Anaheim. To burn time, I ate at Grand Central Market and took the fight on the Angels Flight funicular train.
I took the LA Metro Rail A line back to Los Angeles Union Station in time for the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner 790. I was so exhausted from back to back project days, with my coverage of Pixar Place Hotel & Great Maple, the day before.
Closing Thoughts
I always love going to the Travel & Adventure Show to see the state of travel of the time, see which destinations put money down for a booth to bet that people want to come to their destination & inform them about it, and see travel experts dish out travel advice for the traveling public. For the press, there isn’t any press list where companies & agencies hawk press for press coverage like what happened at the Hospitality Show, most don’t want to press coverage as the Travel & Adventure Show is meant for the general public, not the industry professionals. The Travel & Adventure Show is for the general public to learn about places to, travel tips to learn, so they know where to go & be prepared for their next trip down the central coast of California or an African safari!
AntSol Travel 