America’s Favorite Travel Shows Have America’s Most Comprehensive Educational Content That You Can’t Find Anywhere Else.
You’ll be inspired to take your dream vacation. Learn how to be your own travel expert on your next vacation, from top celebrity travel personalities and leading local experts at dozens of travel workshops on 4 theaters located on the show floor.
4 Theaters and Over 30+ Sessions
Travel Theater: Hear from the top travel celebrity personalities such as Rick Steves and Peter Greenberg as they inspire you to take your dream vacation.
Destination Theater: From where to go and when to go, to what to do and how to get there, destination experts will give you the in depth information you need to travel like a local.
Savvy Traveler Theater: Showcasing travel tips, tricks and actionable advice, you’ll learn how to travel like a pro straight from the experts. Topics include packing tips, technology skills, travel safety methods, budget travel hacks, etc.
Taste of Travel Theater: Get a taste of cultures from around the world as chefs prepare their local cuisines right in front of you. Like what you smell? Most cooking demonstrations end with a sampling right at your seat! Click Here to view the Taste of Travel schedule.
Speakers and schedule are subject to change without prior notice, please check back often for updates.
Saturday, March 24
10:15 am – 11:45 am
Travel Theater
European Travel Skills
Rick Steves, Travel Writer, Host of Rick Steves Europe and Travel with Rick Steves
Join travel expert Rick Steves – acclaimed for his bestselling guidebooks and public television series – as he shares the latest in smart European travel. In this entertaining, information-packed slideshow lecture, Rick will explain how to travel smoothly and affordably by stretching your travel dollar, eating and sleeping well, avoiding crowds, and packing smartly. Freshly back from lots of travels, Rick will share exactly how you can enjoy maximum travel thrills for every mile, minute, and euro on your next European adventure.
Autograph Signing Immediately Following
10:30 am – 11:15 am
Savvy Traveler Theater
Traveling with The Kids: Best Places to Play, Where to Stay and How to Save Money
Julia Dimon, Family Travel Expert, TV Personality www.juliadimon.com
In this session, family travel expert Julia Dimon reveal the top destinations when traveling with kids. Julia shares travel hacks and money-saving secrets to help make your family trip more affordable, immersive, and memorable.
11:15 am – 11:45 am
Destination Theater
From Rivers to Oceans – Explore the World in Comfort with Viking
Reiner Marks, Director of Business Development, Viking Cruises
Please join us for an in-depth introduction to River Cruising and discover why this vacation style has become so very popular in recent years.
We travel to explore, to learn, to understand. River Cruising offers extraordinarily well-designed, intimate journeys that bring you closer to the cultures of the world. Every experience is crafted to help the traveler explore nuances of the destination: its food, culture, people, and customs. Discover enchanting castles, tulips and windmills, and Christmas markets along Europe‘s historic rivers and canals. Immerse yourself in the dramatic sights and sounds along the fabled Yangtze, exotic Mekong, or Irrawaddy. We invite you to come learn more about this exceptional vacation experience.
11:30 am – 12:15 pm
Savvy Traveler Theater
99 Ways to Cut Your Travel Costs – Without Skimping
Russell Hannon, Ultra-Economical Travel Expert
Known for wowing TV and radio audiences with untold budget travel tips, Ultra-Economical Travel Expert Russell Hannon from breakthetravelbarrier.com offers 99 ways to quickly and easily find the best and least expensive travel options for you. No matter what your travel type is, or where you want to go, you will leave with dozens of practical tips and tricks you can put to work right away to save.
12 Noon – 12:45 pm
Destination Theater
Wellness Travel Panel
Speaker and Panel Host: Anne Dimon, Journalist, Founder/CEO Travel to Wellness, Program Director of the Travel & Adventure Show’s new Wellness Travel Experience, and Co-Founder of the new Wellness Tourism Association
Panelists: Kimberly Rossi, Director of Business Development, Art of Living Retreat Center & Shankara Ayurveda Spa;
Zebulon Miracle, Curator for Gateway Canyons Resort and Spa
Are you looking for the perfect wellness retreat in 2018? Join us to find out more about Wellness Travel, the world’s fastest growing travel sector. What it is. Why it’s important. Where you should go. And, how to find the perfect fit for your own wellness travel personality.
12:30 pm – 1:30 pm
Travel Theater
The World in a Glass
Jack Maxwell, Host of Booze Traveler on Travel Channel
Celebrating cultures through the lens of a cocktail glass.
Autograph Signing Immediately Following
12:30 pm – 1:15 pm
Savvy Traveler Theater
Travel Like A Pro: Packing Tips & Savvy Travel Skills
Angel Castellanos, World Traveler, Travel Expert, Writer, AngelsTravelLounge.com
Make the next trip, the next best trip of your life! Angel Castellanos, The Travel Ambassador, delivers his popular and acclaimed seminar on packing tips & savvy travel skills drawing from his experience and frequent travels. This informative presentation prepares and inspires travelers with savvy tips to travel smarter, better and cheaper. Angel will deliver the best travel tips on packing smart, safety, new airport security rules and tricks, saving money, sightseeing hacks, traveling with technology and much more! No matter your level of experience, you are bound to come away with practical travel tips to help you travel like a pro. The packing demonstration included in this talk is one you do not want to miss. Packing in a carry on? No problem! Join us for this insightful and dynamic presentation. Travel smart, well and often! www.AngelsTravelLounge.com
1:00 pm – 1:30 pm
Destination Theater
Beyond the Cruise: The Inside Scoop on Alaska Adventures
Dawn Campbell, Tourism Development and Sales Manager, Visit Anchorage Alaska
Learn about the hidden gems and can’t-miss experiences from Southcentral Alaska’s destination experts. Anchorage is an urban oasis in untamed wilderness nestled between Cook Inlet and the Chugach Mountains with 60 glaciers within 50 miles of the city. When is the best time of the year to visit? Come and learn what Alaska adventure is waiting for you.
1:30 pm – 2:15 pm
Savvy Traveler Theater
Travel Matchmaking with Cruise Planners
Cathy Kusuma, Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships & Agent Engagement, Cruise Planners
Join Cruise Planners for a fun, interactive Travel Matchmaking Game Show to learn about your bucket list destinations and be matched with the vacation of your dreams! Come learn, laugh, and have a chance to win some fun travel prizes. Plus, each person at the session will receive a gift just for attending!
1:45 pm – 2:15 pm
Destination Theater
Ho’olauna Maui Nui (Get to Know Maui, Moloka’i and Lana’i)
Julie Yoneyama, Director of Leisure Sales- Maui Visitors Bureau
Every island has its own personality, learn about these three islands and what makes them unique and special. From a dormant volcano with five different climates, to the crystal clear blue ocean, explore the different attractions on these islands while getting insight on the Hawaiian culture.
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Travel Theater
What Smart Travelers Need to Know to Navigate the World and Why the World has Suddenly Become a Global Buyers’ Market
Peter Greenberg, Emmy Award-Winning Investigative Reporter and Producer and CBS News Travel Editor
You’ll learn everything you need to know to navigate the world of airlines, hotels and all things travel…and why offline might actually be better than online.
Autograph Signing Immediately Following
2:30 pm – 3:15 pm
Savvy Traveler Theater
Tips and Hacks for the Solo Traveler
Nadine Sykora, Top Female Travel Vlogger
Exploring the world solo can be a bit daunting, so let’s break it down and answers those questions & concerns. Join a top travel expert and learn some helpful tips and tricks for your first or next solo adventure.
2:45 pm – 3:45 pm
Destination Theater
America’s Most Unique Destinations: The National Parks
Becky Lomax, author of Moon Glacier National Park
Erin English, author of Moon Rock Mountain National Park
Jason Frye, author of Moon Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Judy Jewell, author of Moon Zion & Bryce
Ann Marie Brown, author of Moon Yosemite, Sequoia & Kings Canyon
From the stark granite heights of El Capitan to the misty forests of the Great Smoky Mountains, America’s natural wonders are like no other place on earth. Join our expert panel of outdoors authors on an adventure through America the beautiful, covering Glacier, Rocky Mountains, Great Smoky Mountains, Zion, Bryce, and Yosemite National Parks.
3:30 pm – 5:00 pm
Travel Theater
Rick Steves’ Europe: Cruise Ship or Tour Bus?
Rick Steves, Travel Writer, Host of Rick Steves Europe and Travel with Rick Steves
Travel writer Rick Steves explores the pros and cons of exploring Europe by cruise ship, tour bus and independently. Rick wrote the best-selling cruisers’ guide to Mediterranean ports, runs a company that takes 30,000 Americans through Europe each year on his Rick Steves bus tours, and authors the classic Europe Through the Back Door guidebook for independent travelers. And with all that experience, he’ll share a candid and practical review of the options.
Autograph Signing Immediately Following
3:30 pm – 4:15 pm
Savvy Traveler Theater
Getting Great Travel Photos!
David McKay, Owner, McKay Photography Academy
Learn great travel photography techniques no matter what camera you have! David will specifically be sharing ways to compose your images and the best times of day to photograph along with ideas to make your travel photographs stand out from the crowd.
Learn techniques to help you make the most out of your travel photos!
Sunday, March 25
11:15 am – 12:45 pm
Travel Theater
European Travel Skills
Rick Steves, Travel Writer, Host of Rick Steves Europe and Travel with Rick Steves
Join travel expert Rick Steves – acclaimed for his bestselling guidebooks and public television series – as he shares the latest in smart European travel. In this entertaining, information-packed slideshow lecture, Rick will explain how to travel smoothly and affordably by stretching your travel dollar, eating and sleeping well, avoiding crowds, and packing smartly. Freshly back from lots of travels, Rick will share exactly how you can enjoy maximum travel thrills for every mile, minute, and euro on your next European adventure.
Autograph Signing Immediately Following
11:30 am – 12 Noon
Destination Theater
Discover South Africa – the Adventure Capital of the World
Deon Barnard, COO, Go Touch Down Travel and Tours, African Travel Specialist
South Africa is known for its diversity of cultures, plants, and animals. South Africa is a value for money destination. Discover the untamed, spectacular, and pulsing rhythm of the African bushveld in one of the most captivating places on earth. Witness herds of Wildebeest graze and Cheetah cubs learn to hunt. Uncover the mysteries of the bushveld with Deon, as he shares his Native South Africa with you. Explore the Mother City… Cape Town, a rare cultural gem with a colorful history spanning more than 300 years.
South Africa is different. Known as The Rainbow Nation for its melting pot of cultures, the country has 11 official languages and many more unofficial ones. Its diversity extends beyond its huge-hearted people to its dazzling plants, with more than 20,000 different species in its floral kingdom; its wildlife and marine life, its varied landscapes and unexpected cuisine.
Learn why everyone should see South Africa at least once in their lives and how Go Touch Down can make it possible. When was the last time you did something for the first time?
12 Noon – 12:45 pm
Savvy Traveler Theater
99 Ways to Cut Your Travel Costs – Without Skimping
Russell Hannon, Ultra-Economical Travel Expert
Known for wowing TV and radio audiences with untold budget travel tips, Ultra-Economical Travel Expert Russell Hannon from breakthetravelbarrier.com offers 99 ways to quickly and easily find the best and least expensive travel options for you. No matter what your travel type is, or where you want to go, you will leave with dozens of practical tips and tricks you can put to work right away to save.
12:30 pm – 1:00 pm
Destination Theater
From Rivers to Oceans – Explore the World in Comfort with Viking
Reiner Marks, Director of Business Development, Viking Cruises
Please join us for an in-depth introduction to River Cruising and discover why this vacation style has become so very popular in recent years.
We travel to explore, to learn, to understand. River Cruising offers extraordinarily well-designed, intimate journeys that bring you closer to the cultures of the world. Every experience is crafted to help the traveler explore nuances of the destination: its food, culture, people, and customs. Discover enchanting castles, tulips and windmills, and Christmas markets along Europe‘s historic rivers and canals. Immerse yourself in the dramatic sights and sounds along the fabled Yangtze, exotic Mekong, or Irrawaddy. We invite you to come learn more about this exceptional vacation experience.
1:00 pm – 1:45 pm
Savvy Traveler Theater
Travel Like A Pro: Travel Smart with Technology
Angel Castellanos, World Traveler, Travel Expert, Writer, AngelsTravelLounge.com
Do you want to use your smartphone or other gadgets abroad without going broke? What are the best apps for travel? Angel Castellanos, The Travel Ambassador, delivers his acclaimed “Travel Smart with Technology” seminar to answer all of these questions and so much more. Learn to unlock the potential of your device and travel easy and smarter without getting lost in your phone. This informative and popular presentation prepares travelers so they can confidently use their mobile devices as a tool to travel better and easier. Angel will cover the best travel apps to enhance your travels and allow you to communicate effectively without breaking the bank. No matter how tech savvy you are, you will definitely come away with great advice and helpful apps to travel smarter and better with your technology. Join us for this insightful and dynamic presentation. Travel smart, often and well! www.AngelsTravelLounge.com
1:15 pm – 1:45 pm
Destination Theater
The Islands of Tahiti Are Closer Than You Think
Mari Masuda, CMP, Director of Promotions & Incentives, Tahiti Tourisme
Tucked away in the South Pacific, just 8 hours from Los Angeles, The Islands of Tahiti are closer than you think. Boasting high, rugged mountain peaks, coral reefs, turquoise-blue lagoons, white sand, palm-fringed beaches, and luxuriously intimate resorts; each of the 118 islands and atolls have something for everyone. Worlds away from the hectic daily grind, where a natural balanced rhythm between the land and the people exist, means connecting with what is really important in life. Discover the escape of a lifetime today!
1:30 pm – 2:30 pm
Travel Theater
What Smart Travelers Need to Know to Navigate the World and Why the World has Suddenly Become a Global Buyers’ Market
Peter Greenberg, Emmy Award-Winning Investigative Reporter and Producer and CBS News Travel Editor
You’ll learn everything you need to know to navigate the world of airlines, hotels and all things travel…and why offline might actually be better than online.
Autograph Signing Immediately Following
2:00 pm – 2:30 pm
Destination Theater
Israel: Land of Creation
Richard Liverance, ThM, DMin, Israel Ministry of Tourism, Marketing Director, Western Region USA
As the Land of Creation, Israel connects us to the origin of all things and inspires us with creative hope for the future. Strategically located in the center of the world, Israel is a land-bridge, connecting Europe, Africa, and Asia. As such, it is a land steeped in a history that has defined human civilization the world over. Israel is also a land of wonder. It is the place where heaven reached down to touch the earth and faith and redemption were born. The stories forged in Israel that the entire world has come to know have changed people and nations and inspired countless works of art, music, literature, speech, science, and valor for thousands of years; and today, Israel’s technological innovation, diverse culture, and ongoing adventure captivate millions of visitors every year. We invite you to come join the adventure.
2:00 pm – 2:45 pm
Savvy Traveler Theater
Travel Matchmaking with Cruise Planners
Cathy Kusuma, Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships & Agent Engagement, Cruise Planners
Join Cruise Planners for a fun, interactive Travel Matchmaking Game Show to learn about your bucket list destinations and be matched with the vacation of your dreams! Come learn, laugh, and have a chance to win some fun travel prizes. Plus, each person at the session will receive a gift just for attending!
2:45 pm – 3:45 pm
Travel Theater
The World in a Glass
Jack Maxwell, Host of Booze Traveler on Travel Channel
Celebrating cultures through the lens of a cocktail glass.
Autograph Signing Immediately Following
2:45 pm – 3:15 pm
Destination Theater
Can a Group Tour be Your Perfect Colorado Adventure?
Carrie Whitley, Executive Director of Tour Colorado Association, Representing Colorado Tourism Office
Can a Group Tour be Your Perfect Colorado Adventure?
Planning the perfect Colorado travel adventure involves making a lot of choices. Joining a multi-day package tour can make decisions easier, but how to decide the best approach for you?
3:00 pm – 3:45 pm
Savvy Traveler Theater
How to Capture Your Adventure on Camera! Tips and Tricks to Document Your Trips
Juliana Broste, Travel Video Journalist + TV Personality, TravelingJules
The best travel souvenir is definitely not a refrigerator magnet. Discover creative and unique ways to capture your travel experiences through photos and videos. Travel Video Journalist Juliana Broste (aka TravelingJules) reveals top tips and tricks for travelers who want to document their adventures. Listen in as Jules shares stories from the road and lessons learned from filmmaking assignments around the world. Before you know it, you’ll be capturing engaging video and compelling photographs, sure to make your Facebook friends green with envy.