Things to Do at the Los Angeles Travel & Adventure Show

It’s almost 2013, and that means only one thing: The Los Angeles Travel & Adventure Show is coming to town! (Well, a new year means more than just that, but just roll with it for now.) The expo will be January 12-13, 2013 at the Long Beach Convention Center. I’m excited to do a whole bunch of activities there; looking over the schedule for the 8th annual Los Angeles Travel & Adventure Show, the fun array of activities is sure to have a few things for every travel-loving attendee. There are lots of things to do at the Los Angles Travel & Adventure Show! By the way: The Los Angeles Consortium of Online Travel group is an official partner again this year, and I’ll be speaking about handy travel apps with the talented and lovely Brett Snyder and Kim Lachance Shandrow. Nonetheless, there are plenty of – ahem – other useful panels, family activities, and food and wine displays to check out at the Los Angeles Travel & Adventure Show. Here are just a few, the ones that I’m sure going to try not to miss.

Favorite speakers — come hear Pauline Frommer, Rick Steves, Peter Greenberg, Richard Wiese, Jean-Michel Cousteau and more travel luminaries. Listening to these folk talk about their travel adventures and thoughts on the state of travel will surely be inspiring.

Family Activities Galore — There are more family-friendly activities than ever at the Los Angeles Travel & Adventure Show. This may be in smart response to how many attendees bring their children with them to the expo; if so, I commend the scheduling genies at Unicomm. Some of the ongoing activities (and contests!) are a rock climbing wall, sponsored by Tenaya Lodge in Yosemite National Park, a zip line sponsored by Redwood Canopy Tours, bubble rollers — which I loved last year – a culinary stage, the Wild Angle Photo Contest in which winners may get  a camera (Canon T4i) or a spot on one of judge Ralph Velasco’s photo tours, and the World Challenge Game in which players have to perform specific tasks at certain exhibitor booths — like a scavenger hunt — to win. The winner of this one receives a 2-night stay at the Ventura Beach Marriott Hotel and a trip to Channel Islands National Park.

The VIP Food & Wine Experience — this one necessitates buying an additional $15 ticket in advance, or $20 at the door. This makes sense, considering the high-end wineries with samples galore, and James “UrWineKing” right there to help you learn how to best appreciate wines…followed by Limoneira Ranch’s Chef Jason Collis, on hand to provide recommended food and wine pairings. Some of the wineries represented are Montefiore from Piedmont, Italy, Terrior Napa Valley from (obviously) Napa Valley, California, and Ombu from San Rafael, Argentina. This interactive wine and food “learning” experience will be Saturday, January 12 from 3:45 to 5:00 PM.

The Los Angeles Travel & Adventure Show will run from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, January 12-13, 2013 at the Long Beach Convention Center, 300 E. Ocean Blvd, Long Beach, CA. Tickets are available online for $9 with promotional code “LAPR” or at the door for $12. Children under 16 years old are free. For tickets and more event information. visit LATravelShow.com, email info@LATravelShow.com, or call (203) 878-2577. Hope to see you there.