Ana, a new team member to The Dining Traveler as food and travel contributor went to the DC Travel and Adventure Show this past weekend. Although the weather has not been anything to write home about, Ana was transported to warmer climates during the show. Here's her recap:
The Travel and Adventure Show 2015 came to D.C. at the right time. All this snow is tiring and I am looking forward to travel adventures. The travel bug is buzzing and the Travel and Adventure Show provided plenty of inspiration on destinations afar and within driving distance.
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| Ana at the Puerto Rico Booth of the Travel and Adventure Show |
The Dining Traveler has written before about beautiful Puerto Rico and at this show I discovered a different side: adventure travel at the Puerto Rico Tourism booth. Experiences such as underground river cave hiking or canoeing offered by Aventura Guided Tours and Batey Zipline Adventure sound exciting (Jessica has done an underground cave trip in her travels to Puerto Rico, she recommends it). Aventura takes you on a true adventure up a mountain and into the Cueva (cave) Ventana in Arecibo. If cave exploring is your thing, then the Window Cave is the one to explore. the cave opens up from the mountain onto a beautiful landscape. Batey Tours takes you canoeing on the Tanama River and combines adventure with exploration. They take you to visit the Caguana´s Indigenous ceremonial park, the site of the Boriken, natives of Puerto Rico before the Spanish set foot ashore.
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| At the Ecuador Booth |
Ecuador Tourism booth was represented by a woman dressed in traditional clothes who offered chocolate and tea bags. The country's sights are set onto expanding their tourism footprint: Ecuador was the first country to run an ad during the Super Bowl this year. Its colonial cities and beautiful Andes landscape, stretching down across the country, makes Ecuador an exicting destination.
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| Ana at the Travel Channel Booth |
If you have never thought about visiting Belize, think again. This gem of a country is nestled right along the east coast bordering Guatemala and Mexico but their official langauge is English. The country offers beautiful sand beaches, lots of scuba diving sites, snorkeling, wildlife and Mayan sites.
If looking closer to home, the Travel and Adventure Show was a great opportunity to learn about places within driving distance to the DC metro area. West Maryland offers many hiking locations and beautiful scenery. Much of the Allegheny mountains is protected and it stretches from Pennsylvania, West Maryland, West Virginia and southwest Virginia. A great opportunity to leave indoor winter living and enjoy the outdoors.
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| The Scene at the Travel and Adventure Show |
The show also offered tips from known travel experts and food samples, as well as technology tools for travelers to explore. Travel Tonight is an app that offers last minute hotel booking. However, the booking can be done up to 7 days in advance. It is mobile only and rates are available on the app which you can access on your smartphone or tablet. It seems to be a useful tool, especially when you can´t make up your mind on where to stay until before your departure to your destination.
We sprang forward and into, hopefully, Spring. So it is time to get out, explore, and discover a new destination this year, even it if is closer to home. Travel Show Tip: Check out the website beforehand and take note of the booths that you are interested in visiting, as they are huge, and it's easy to get derailed. Where are you planning to travel to this spring?
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