Positively Going 'Round The World - In 3.5 hours

by Mauverneen

Early last summer I had a wonderful road trip to South Carolina and have been trying ever since to plan another getaway. Since then my daughters have been to Costa Rica, New Orleans and Key West. Where did that leave me? Penciling in the dates I would be dog-sitting. Doesn’t seem fair!

So on Saturday I took a quick trip around the world – the Travel and Adventure show was in town. What fun – and travel inspiration galore!

Exhibitors from numerous countries, many of the states, tour planners, resorts, cruise lines, and more – all happy to talk to you about making their home your next destination.

 

Most people, myself included, walked out of there with bags stuffed with literature, perfect for planning and dreaming over morning coffee, or spread across the bed at night to fall asleep with dreams of far away places. I tried to limit myself to pick up brochures only from those places I am seriously interested in getting to within the next year or two. Cappadocia, Alaska and New Zealand for starters. But I also came away with an armload of information about interesting locations closer to home. It’s nice to have places to visit within driving distance for shorter getaways. Every state has something to offer and as I have found, there are generally some wonderful gems close by.

 

 

Besides the booths with their enticing photos and glossy brochures, there were some hands-on activities such as basic scuba diving instruction and mechanical bull riding - the hardest part of which for one poor girl was attempting to get ON the thing. There were sled dogs, police dogs, and small animals, some giveaways, prizes, and lots and lots of travel deals.

 

Entertainment stages also dotted the show with presentations by travel writers and TV personalities Rick Steves, Samantha Brown, Todd Carmichael, Patricia Schultz and Pauline Frommer.

 

 

Plenty of seating was available as ethnic dancers representing several countries provided another respite from being on your feet.

 

 

Also fun was the Taste of Travel Stage where celebrity chefs gave cooking demonstrations that included samples of the fare. Tim Matthews was making Lake Superior Salmon on a bed of lemon cream on my first pass and later, Fabio Viviani showed us how easy it is to make perfect gnocchi, which tasted heavenly in the Wild Boar Ragu. I definitely will try making the gnocchi, but the Ragu might be a little harder to duplicate. Not so much for the taste, but the wild boar is a little sparse out here in the suburbs. At any rate, it was fun and oh so tasty!

Chef Tim Matthews

 

Chef Fabio Viviani

All in all I did enjoy my brief tour of the world and it’s delights. I’m still waiting to hear if I won any of the trips I entered to win. I’ll keep you posted. If I do, you'll be sure to come along, won't you? Virtually at least.

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