Travel and Adventure Show 2024 - Los Angeles Convention Center

The 20th Travel and Adventure Show, known as “America’s favorite,” took place at the Los Angeles Convention Center February 3-4. The event attracted hundreds of travel enthusiasts looking for advice, personalized itineraries, discounts, and to see their favorite celebrities, including Rick Steves, Phil Rosenthal, and Pauline Frommer, to name a few. Travel lovers of all ages attended. If you missed the bustling event, don’t worry as my recap will catch you up.

Upon arrival, my friend Melissa and I made our way to the South Hall parking area where a pre-paid parking ticket cost $25, which is standard for downtown. We made our way upstairs where a huge light installation at the Brasil booth next to the large overhanging banner representing Japan, greeted us. The entire place was filled with energy and every sense was activated. We saw bright lights, and photo opportunity areas. Announcements were made over the loud speaker letting everyone know who was up next at various stages. People politely hurried past each other to discover their next vacation destination. The place was without a doubt, crowded and fun. Was it overwhelming but worth it? Yes.

Additionally, multiple stalls offered brochures and opportunities to enter for a chance to win free trips. Some booths provided free giveaways including tote bags, pens, stickers, mints, sunglasses, candy, magazines, sunscreen, and lip balm.

Bamba had us cracking up about our fear of sharks

One of the stand out booths was Fiji, where two dancers showcased their skills and also provided helpful tips on why Fiji should be a must visit location on your travel list. Dancer Bamba, taught us that Fiji is just a 10-hour non-stop red eye flight from LAX and when you land, it’s daytime. We learned that currently, the USD is doubled in Fiji due to the currency exchange rate so, your experience goes a long way and you can “live like a queen or king,” as Bamba the dancer explained. For instance, if you book your trip early in the year, save up $6,000 USD, you’ll have $12,000 to spend in Fiji, Bamba said.

From ocean activities, to hikes, resorts, snorkeling, and swimming with sharks, Fiji has it all. It’s not just a brand of water, as Bamba reminded us. We also learned that the Fiji residents are hospitable, friendly, and welcoming. This group of islands are definitely new on my travel bucket list. Melissa and I joked that maybe this will be our next girls trip location.

Another notable booth was Barbados, where free Mount Gay rum shots were offered. The rum was so smooth and warmed us up.

Free rum shots at the Barbados booth were smooth

Multiple stages surrounded the outer areas where dance performances and seminars took place. We listened to Rick Steves give a few tips on Europe.

Rick Steves offering European tips to a large crowd

We also watched as people climbed the rock wall and once they made it to the top, they would rappel down. It looked fun but we decided to watch from the sidelines instead of participate.

All the National Park booths were great and educated attendees about Yosemite, Sequoia, Zion, and Bryce, among others. Pro tip: If you love visiting national parks, then buy the America the Beautiful annual pass granting you access to all the state and national parks in the U.S. The pass costs $80 and is a great value considering a private vehicle entrance fee at a national park costs $30.

We learned that you should always check and make reservations via Recreation.gov when planning to visit Yosemite National Park, especially if you’re going up during the busier months.

It was awesome seeing Zion representing at the Travel and Adventure Show. If you’re interested, check out my Zion NP trip recap.

Looking for a Bryce Canyon National Park trip recap? Check it out here.

We also stopped by the Tanzania booth and learned it’s an 8-hour direct flight from LAX, but feels longer due to the time difference.

The next booth we came across was the Philippines. As a Filipina, who was also part of the Filipino-American Student Association (FASA) at CSUN ages ago, I was happy to see a booth representing the Philippines. However, I think it would have been cool to see more than just brochures on the table. Although there was a small airplane on display, it would have been fun to see a Jeepney replica, Filipino candy, giveaways like keychains, stickers, pens, and other promo items in general. Nevertheless, there’s a great opportunity to improve the booth as there are future shows, and I’m just glad the Philippines was represented at all.

The friendly ladies at the AAA Travel booth taught us about what Tahiti has to offer and how it’s not far from LAX with a travel time of 8 hours non-stop. You can swim with sharks, stingrays, and if you book a bungalow over water, you can see sharks swimming underneath.

Overall, this was our first-time attending this event and it was fun and kicked off my first media coverage for ChristyWanders.com. Hopefully, you found this post informative and will attend in the future.

Shout out to Melissa for this funny photo of the bear at one of the booths.

Photo Credit: Melissa taken at the Travel Southern Oregon booth

Watch the recap video where we learned about Fiji, Yosemite National Park reservations, Tahiti and how it’s just 2 hours away from Hawaii, Tanzania which is just 8 hours away from LAX, and watch as we take rum shots at the Barbados booth.