The Best Travel Tips from the 2017 Travel & Adventure Show
Over the weekend, I attended to the 2017 Travel & Adventure Show in Washington, DC. There were multiple vendors and speakers buzzing about the top trends and things to know for travel in 2017. I’ve highlighted the most intriguing insights from two of the top experts in the industry.
Peter Greenberg – Travel Editor for CBS News and Host of The Travel Detective
With Global Economies in Flux, 2017 is the Year of the American Traveler
Since the US election in November, the US dollar has grown 4.5% in value against other global currencies making 2017 a buyer’s market for American travelers. Also, with the Euro and British pound struggling, Europeans are expected to travel less creating excess capacity on flights around the world leading to discounted prices.
I did a quick test on one-way flights from JFK in New York City on Tuesday, April 4th and found the following deals:
JFK to Hong Kong - $318 on EVA
JFK to Mumbai - $509 on Etihad
JFK to London (LGW) - $217 on Norwegian
JFK to Paris (ORY) - $224 on Norwegian
JFK to Munich - $295 on TAP Portugal
JFK to Buenos Aires - $403 on Avianca
The US dollar will go far and international airfares will be very favorable in 2017!
Redefine Your Idea of Safety
Peter Greenberg has two rules for where he chooses to travel in terms of safety; 1.) I know who’s in charge and 2.) I play by THEIR rules. For example, he won’t go to Syria because he doesn’t know who’s in charge. He’s been to North Korea and Iran because he knows who’s in charge and when he’s in those countries, he plays by their rules.
He highlights that while the news makes global terrorism seem like the main killer of tourists across the world, automobile accidents is still number one. Even “death by selfie” ranks higher than death by global/political terrorism. That doesn’t mean everyone shouldn’t be concerned for their safety, but fear is playing too large a role in keeping people away from intriguing destinations.
Beware of Changes to Frequent Flyer Programs
All three major US carriers have changed their frequent flyer programs to focus more on the cost of the ticket purchased to earn miles vs. the older standard of miles flown. This in turn has changed the value of airline miles and it’s important to remember that there is no federal mandate to how airlines change the value of frequent flyer miles or redemption criteria.
If you travel frequently for work and are earning status and miles regularly, things shouldn’t change much for you. If you don’t travel regularly, Greenberg’s advice is not to hoard your miles. Use them when you can and focus more on cost and not loyalty to one airline.
Samantha Brown – The Travel Channel
The Emotional Value of Travel
Samantha Brown started this portion of her presentation by highlighting that people focus too much on the monetary value of a trip and don’t spend as much time investing in the emotional value that truly makes lifelong memories. That’s done primarily through incredible personal/human interaction. Find time to talk to people and learn about their lives where you travel. You can’t get that from taking a picture in front of a site.
Belong to a Destination
Don’t spend all of your time in the past at your destination in museums and churches. Go for a walk with "no maps and no apps". Spend more time three or four streets off the main drag than you do on the main streets. You’ll enjoy more in the mundane of your destination than in the overcrowded “must sees”. Create a ritual every single day that brings you closer to the destination. For example, visit the same coffee shop at the same time every day of your trip.
Great Advice for Parents When Flying with Young Kids
One parent boards the plane first with all carry-ons that have to go into the overhead bins and with strollers that have to be put under the plane. You have to give the heads up to the airline staff ahead of time so they allow you onto the plane with the extra carry-ons. Once on-board, that parent sets up the seats for the kids to arrive.
The other parent stays at the gate with the kids and waits towards the end of the boarding process to board the plane. That way when the kids are on board, the flight doors are ready to be closed and there isn’t a lot of wait time for the flight to take off. The parent first on the plane already has snacks out and activities ready to go for the kids to distract them prior to take off.
With boarding a plane being the most stressful these days, the kids don’t see and feed off that bad energy. Sounds pretty genius!
My Conclusions
2017 should be a great year for travel, especially international travel. I’m going to challenge myself with a more adventurous destination this year and will focus on meeting and talking with locals. I encourage you to find some time and map out your travels for the new year.
Be Bold. Be Safe. Travel Well!
