Travel Show Tourist
March 2001

 

What was I to do on a Sunday when the appropriate question was not if, but when, it was going to rain? I headed down to the Los Angeles Times Travel Show at the Long Beach Convention Center. The majority of my travel has revolved around business trips where the destination and duration were both known so the idea of a travel show to identify the where or how of a trip was a novel one to me.

 

Arriving with no idea how “big” this kind of event would be, I found a short line to pay the $6.00 admission fee (I got a dollar off with a discount coupon) but no real wait. When I got inside the exhibit hall the first thing that crossed my mind was, “this is just like a big college fair, except its travel.” You see I’ve spent a lot of hours on the exhibitor side of the table at National College Fairs but this was a new experience to be on the attendee side of an event. The lay out was straightforward with exhibitors throughout the hall, and presentations that ranged from the whimsical- Virtual Snow Boarding, to bringing the product right into the hall- A real tour bus to explore. For the most part it was brochures and travel videos with some give-aways and lots of opportunities to sign up for trips and other travel stuff.

 

The most productive part of the show for me was sitting in on one of the panel presentations- Budget Travel Tips. Rudi Maxa, host of The Savvy Traveler, moderated the panel. Panelists were Ed Perkins, author of “Online Travel”; Joel Cummings, author of numerous travel guidebooks for Lonely Plant; and Joel Widzer, author of the “Penny Pincher’s Guide to Luxury Travel.” Each of the panelists talked for a few minutes and then took questions from the audience. None of the comments or suggestions were what I would describe as mind blowing, but there were many very helpful tips, with the themes of using common sense, being friendly and having a healthy dose of skepticism when it comes to those “too good to be true deals.” A brief sampling of their comments:

 

• Be wary of the “asterisk” at the end of those great deals listed in the paper. The small print contains information that may mean a significant additional cost to your “bargain” price.
• When traveling internationally, consider booking all or part of your lodging or tour locally. The same package sold by a US travel agent may be available for over half less when contracted through a local agent in country.
• Keep your cool and be friendly when dealing with gate agents and other “front line” service employees. These folks often take the brunt of a traveler’s ire when things aren’t going well but a kind word or two, a show of understanding or simply some patience on your part often results in better service or upgraded service simply because you were nice and many people are not.
• Don’t believe everything you see on the Internet. The web has made travel planning more convenient but there are good sites and information and some really bad sites as well so be cautious and if you aren’t sure about the validity of the information, double check with another site or with a professional travel agent.

 

I enjoyed the informal style of the presenters who made it seem as though they were speaking to a much smaller group than the hundreds that were crowded into the room. They even stayed after to answer individual questions and to meet and greet. I introduced myself to Rudi Maxa who has been a great supporter of JohnnyJet!

 

All in all, not a bad way to spend a rainy day!