Los Angeles Travel Show in Long Beach 2015

View of the Convention floor:

http://trainweb.org/carl/TravelShow2013/640/IMG_3683.jpg

THE LOS ANGELES TRAVEL & ADVENTURE SHOW ANNOUNCES

LINEUP OF 2015 SPEAKERS AND A NEW SPEAKER STAGE

The LA Travel & Adventure Show Will Feature the Largest Group of Celebrity Travel Personalities Ever Assembled for a Consumer Show of its Kind.

(Long Beach, CA) – The nation’s largest travel show is returning to the Long Beach Convention Center for its 10th year and will feature an impressive lineup of keynote speakers including travel personalities Rick Steves, CBS Travel Editor Peter Greenberg, Josh Gates of Travel Channel’s Expedition Unknown, Pauline Frommer, Travel Channel’s Samantha Brown, PBS’ Joseph Rosendo and The Amazing Race Host, Phil Keoghan.

Southern Californians are invited to gain valuable insight, learn travel tips and immerse themselves in the stories of the most experienced travelers in the world. In addition to the keynote speakers, the Los Angeles Travel & Adventure Show will also feature two other speaker stages for attendees who are looking for in-depth travel information.

New for 2015, the Los Angeles Travel & Adventure Show will debut the Savvy Traveler Theater, making it the third speaker stage at the show. Here, visitors will learn the best how-to tips on traveling smarter and more hassle-free. The Savvy Traveler Theater will showcase the latest travel technology, provide travel safety information and teach handy travel skills.

The Destination Theater, back by popular demand, will highlight destination-specific seminars where wanderlust travelers can draw inspiration and get detailed information about the world’s most sought-after travel destinations including Asia, Africa, Europe, the U.S. and even luxury train travel.

Keynote Speaker Schedule

Rick Steves: Join the travel expert – acclaimed for his bestselling guidebook series, public television series, and public radio shows – as he shares all the latest in smart European travel. Freshly back from travel hot spots, Rick Steves will explain the practical, money-saving ins and outs of independent travel. Packed with tips on getting the most out of every mile, minute, and dollar on your next trip, this will be a must see discussion!

Saturday, 10:15 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. and Sunday, 10:15 a.m. Autograph signing immediately following each session.

Samantha Brown: Travel Channel Host, Samantha Brown has spent more than a decade at Travel Channel. Her travel goal is to always show that if she can do it, you can do it. With years of experience being on the road, she takes a look back at just how much the travel world has changed. She touches on such topics as the evolution of using an app to book a flight (from the days of calling airlines) to the change in what motivates people to travel. Samantha is still living in airports, hotels and out of a suitcase, but things are way different now than they were then!

Saturday, 1:15 p.m. and Sunday, 1:15 p.m. Autograph signing immediately following each session.

Phil Keoghan: Although best known for his role as host and producer of the Emmy Award-Winning television show, The Amazing Race, Phil Keoghan is an also an avid adventurer. He has gone on to work in over 100 countries around the world as a motivational speaker, author, television host, actor, producer and cameraman on thousands of program episodes.

Event attendees are invited to join Phil as he takes the audience on a journey through his travel adventures around the globe and shares his passion for living life and fulfilling dreams. Phil’s NOW (No Opportunity Wasted) philosophy will teach audiences to live by letting go of the handrails, thinking outside the box and using imagination as currency.

Saturday, 2:30 p.m. Autograph signing immediately following.

Pauline Frommer: As founding editor of Frommers.com, nationally syndicated radio talk show host, Pauline Frommer, will lead a fast-paced seminar about money saving methods of travel, less usual destinations, and ways to tailor a vacation so that it fits each traveler’s personality.

Saturday, 12:00 p.m. Autograph signing immediately following.

Peter Greenberg: A multiple Emmy Award-winning investigative reporter and producer, Peter Greenberg is the nation’s most recognized, honored and respected front-line travel news journalist. Greenberg regularly reports for CBS This Morning, CBS Evening News and CBS Sunday Morning. Join him as he shares cutting-edge travel information and insider tips that all travelers should know before ever leaving home. Listeners should definitely bring a pen and paper (or tablet) to take notes!

Sunday, 3:30 p.m. Autograph signing immediately following.

Josh Gates: Having traveled to more than ninety countries, Josh Gates is an adventurer and avid explorer with a unique brand of humor and deep-rooted passion for off-the-map excursions that take him in search of the world’s most enduring mysteries. Gates will be featured in the upcoming Travel Channel series “Expedition Unknown,” set to premiere in January 2015. Gates previously served as host and co-executive producer of the Syfy Channel series “Destination Truth,” based upon his bestselling book, Destination Truth: Memoirs of a Monster Hunter.

Sunday, 12:00 p.m. Autograph signing immediately following.

Joseph Rosendo: Emmy-award winning director and travel host Joseph Rosendo has been a travel, food and wine journalist and travel broadcaster for more than 30 years. Since 2007, he has hosted, directed and written Joseph Rosendo’s Travelscope®, the award-winning travel television series.

Sunday, 2:30 p.m. Autograph signing immediately following.

Patricia Schultz, author of the New York Times Bestseller, 1,000 Places to See Before You Die will be hosting the Destination Theater and will be available for autograph signings each day.

The event’s National TV Media Sponsor is Travel Channel. Supporting sponsors include Rick Steves’ Europe; Taiwan Tourism Bureau; Indonesia; Tourism Authority of Thailand and Yosemite/Mariposa County Tourism Bureau. Contributing sponsor is the Japan National Tourism Organization. Official Airline Sponsor is Ethiopian Airlines.

The 2015 Los Angeles Travel & Adventure ShowTM will take place February 21 and 22 from 10 am to 5 pm at the Long Beach Convention Center, located at 300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach, CA 90802. Tickets are available online for $11 for one day or $17 for two days (use promo code: LAPR). Children 16 and under are free. For tickets and information please visit www.LAtravelshow.com, email info@travelshows.com or call (203)878-2577.

A special talk of interest to TrainWeb readers is:

One of the speakers will discuss luxury train journeys:

Supinder Singh
President, Palace Tours

3:40pm Sunday – Destination Theater

Mr. Supinder Singh is the President of Palace Tours, based in Princeton NJ, a leading luxury tour operator specialized in building unmatched experiences for the independent traveler in Asia, Africa and Europe. The company specializes in luxury train journeys and custom designed travel experiences for its guests based on a consistent service delivery framework. Before Palace Tours, Supinder worked with leaders in timeshares and hotel industry and was a consultant to a number of companies where he helped them grow their business on the Internet. He has helped position the Palace Tours as a market leader by investing in technology solutions for marketing, sales and consistency in service delivery while keeping the costs down. He continues to travel extensively and helps his team in identifying potential areas of grow the portfolio of Palace Tours offerings.

About UNICOMM LLC

UNICOMM LLC is an independent business-to-business communications company specializing in originating and managing world-class trade shows and conferences. Unicomm’s properties include the nation’s largest and longest running series of travel events, Travel & Adventure Show® in Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, San Francisco Bay Area, Washington, D.C., San Diego, and Philadelphia.

Peter Greenberg (left), Pauline Frommer (right)

# # #

My rail-report from the 2013 Travel Show with photos and links is at: http://trainweb.org/carl/TravelShow2013/

My Arizona rail-report from 2014 including the Grand Canyon Railway: http://trainweb.org/carl/Flagstaff2014/

Comments, Photos, and Notes after I attended the show.

The largest theatre in the convention center was the Travel Channel Theater (above). You are seeing about half the audience in the above photo.

Rick Steves, "Europe Through the Back Door with Rick Steves".

One of the first and most important things Rick Steves said was that all of his talks, tours and TV shows are online (including the one I attended and his second talk on Italy (http://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/video/travel-talks/italy-travel-skills-rick-steves).

His excellent website has this section that lists all his talks and shows: http://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listenhttp://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen

The Distant Lands booth at the show carried his and other speakers' books at 20% discount.

He suggests spending the night in tourist towns rather than staying nearby in a less expensive cookie-cutter hotel 10 miles away and being bussed on an optional tour back to town for a night visit. Stay in tourist towns and getup early and stay out until 10 a.m., then get out again after 5 p.m. and the bussed tourists will not be an issue.

It takes him six days to do a half-hour TV show. He has a staff of 100 researchers who work for him in Seattle. He spends 120 days each year checking that his past travel books are current, and learning new things to put in his trael tour books.

Tips on Photographing Wildlife on Safari by Paul Renner, Professional Wildlife Photographer and Tour Leader, Renner Safaris.

After seeing Paul Renner's website and fantastic wildlife photography, I decided this was a session I had to attend. His presentation was in the Savvy Traveler Theater, much smaller allowing me to be closer for photographs.

Paul Renner, Left

Paul uses 2 lenses on his DSLR on safaris - a 200-400 and a 70-200 plus a tele converter. He also takes a Lumix camera with a 20x zoom.

When asked what camera should safari clients take, he says, "Take a camera you know, do not spend time on safari trying to learn your camera."

He showed animal photos to illustrate these points:

Hold your camera steady. Focus on the eyes of the animal. Compose the photo correctly - watch the background. Try for contrast in color. Include action. Animals in pairs are interesting subjects, but check the depth of field. Use f/16 to get side-by-side animals in focus. Shoot tetures such as elephant skin. Use lighting such as backlighting with dust of moving animals. Be aware of horizontal lighting so get out early and late. Animals are affectionate after being apart, so be ready to take a photo. Blur the background. If you go to an enclosure where animals are kept, a good time to photograph them close up is when they are being fed. At lakes, look for water reflections.

There are two types of safari vehicles, he prefers the enclosed ones because they provide shade.

Select a tour where they get out early, before breakfast, for the best horizontal light. Look for action like animals fighting. Look for eye glint in birds. Set your camera to keep the birds in focus while in flight. Select the photo of birds with their wings up during flight. Notice what is in the corner of each photo, no distracting elements. When shooting a dark animal like a gorilla, underexpose for the greenery around him then lighten shadows in post-processing. Shoot verticals. Milky way photo was 42 seconds and 2 seconds to use a flashlight to light a tree. Pre-think the photo; if you see a nice background and an animal moving toward it, wait and take the photo when the time is right. To get photos of herds of migrating animals heading toward you, position yourself ahead of time then photograph them coming toward the camera.

Pauline Frommer:

Pauline Frommer gives the most useful information for travelers of all the speakers at the two travel shows I attend each year in the Los Angeles Area. Other speakers are more about promoting their tours, TV shows, and books.

Pauline Frommer does a teriffic job getting a lot of current information to the audience. She prepares current slides with websites in big type, then tells the audience to take a digital photo of the slides for use later, rather than trying to write down all the information.

Pauline began by saying that 2015 will be a great year to travel, although 4 airlines in the US control over 80% of domestic flights, unlike past years, because of the strength of the dollar. The following slide gave a comparison.

Another piece of valuable information was research by the Airline Reporting Corporation which surveyed 120 million transactions to buy airline tickets and when the lowest price was obtained:

To get the lowest price airline ticket:

In the past, Tuesday was the best day to book a flight, so keeping up to date at travel shows is important.

For Airfares:

For Hotel Reservations:

Air/Hotel Packages:

For Accommodations Rentals:

Other notes by Pauline Frommer:

Use a flexible airlines credit card to use your mileage on any airline, not an airline-specific awards card.

Future developments - Hotel door locks for your room will be connected to your smartphone and your phone will be pinged with the door's code so you skip the desk and go right to your room.

HotelTonight app for late hotel reservations. They give better discounts to local hotels.

BiddingTraveler.com - very low room rates, but you bid for the room.

Air/hotel packages (slide above) cheaper than booking air and hotel separately.

Trip Insurance: SquareMouth.com, InsureMyTrip.com Do not buy trip insurance from the same company that you buy your package from.

WomenWelcomeWomen for rooms.

Monasteries are also places to stay in the U.S.

Good Destinations in 2015 (List on Frommers.com)

1. Cuba before it changes
2. Belize - like Costa Rica plus cultural sites, Mayan Temples, Swimming caves
3. Belgium - Anniversaries of WWII battles
4. South Dakota - buffaloes
5. Tanzania - Cellis Game Preserve before poachers kill off its rhinos and elephants.
6. Ashville, North Carolina
7. Argentina - weak peso
8. New Mexico - Tallest old Chaco is licensed for fraking, use 4-wheeled vehicle
9. Malaga, Spain
10. Austria
11. Yellowstone - Lodges remodeled
12. Washington, DC150th anniversary of end of the civil war
13. Cunard Cruise Line's Anniversary
14. England
15. Viet Nam - their 1st National Park
16. Turkey

Here is a short interview of Pauline Frommer at the Chicago Travel Show about airplane etiquette: http://1000traveltips.com/tips-on-airplane-etiquette-from-pauline-frommer/

Pauline Frommer gives the most useful information for travelers of all the speakers at the two travel shows I attend each year in the Los Angeles Area. Other speakers are more about promoting their tours, TV shows, and books.

Samantha Brown's presentation conflicted with my agenda, so here is the essential information:

Also, since Samantha had been at the January Chicago Travel Show and was interviewed there by the head of the Travel Shows, I found her interview at 1000TravelTips.com and here is a link to that interview: http://1000traveltips.com/best-tips-for-novice-travelers-going-abroad-from-samantha-brown/

Railroads represented with booths and personnel at the LA Travel Show.

Central Japan Railway Company

Nobuko Aoki (above left)
aManager, Inbound Tourism
Central Japan Railway Company
JR Central Shinagawa Bldg. -A Wing
2-1-85, Konan, Minoto-KU
Tokoyo, 108-8204, Japan
e-mail nobuko.aoki@jr-central.co.jp

Taku (Tak) Kawaguchi (above right)
Manager, Washington, DC Office
Central Japan Railway Company
900 17th Street, NW, Suite 520
Washington, DC 20006, USA
E-mail tak@jr-central-usa.com

Central Japan Railway Company: http://english.jr-central.co.jp/

Central Japan Railway Company Tourist Pass: http://touristpass.jp/en/

Japan Bullet Train Tours: http://www.japanican.com/en/special/tours/shinkansen/index.aspx?aff=GMT#shinkansen

SCMAGLEV and Railway Park Main Hall (Display of Bullet Train History)

Photo Credit: muza-chan.net

http://youtu.be/4j-yvU2H1rg?list=PLaKio8N74sIZGsp_GOjoRPmNycS1_263o

Fastest Train in the World: 581km/h. Japan JR-Maglev
http://youtu.be/IPduAYKk_6I

Palace Trains - Exotic Rail Journeys

PALACETOURS.COM

(888) Lux Rail
(888 589-7245)

Offices in the United States: Houston, TX Los Angeles, CA (213-341-9099); New York, NY; Princeton, NJ (corporate office)
Foreign Offices: Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, and United Kingdom

President and CEO, Supinder Singh (above).

Mr. Supinder Singh is the President of Palace Tours, based in Princeton NJ, a leading luxury tour operator specialized in building unmatched experiences for the independent traveler in Asia, Africa and Europe. The company specializes in luxury train journeys and custom designed travel experiences for its guests based on a consistent service delivery framework. Before Palace Tours, Supinder worked with leaders in timeshares and hotel industry and was a consultant to a number of companies where he helped them grow their business on the Internet. He has helped position the Palace Tours as a market leader by investing in technology solutions for marketing, sales and consistency in service delivery while keeping the costs down. He continues to travel extensively and helps his team in identifying potential areas of grow in the portfolio of Palace Tours offerings.

Palace Tours offers luxury train trips in Ecuador/Peru/GalapogosIslands, Spain/Portugal/Morocco/, India/Nepal/Bhutan, Africa, and Europe/CentralAsia. Check their beautiful website at: http://www.palacetours.com/

Always a friendly face at this booth. I spoke with Teresa Popeck again and learned that they now co-package accommodations at the Cliff Castle Casino-Hotel. Check out their travel packages at verdecanyonrr.com/

My travel report about the Verde Canyon Ralroad and the Blazin' M Ranch last September is at: http://trainweb.org/carl/VerdeCanyonRailroad2014/

Georgetown Loop Railroad - A Property of the Colorado State Historical Society

I have been to the Georgetown Loop Railroad one time and took some after-sunset photos.

http://trainweb.org/carl/GlenwoodSprings2013/800/IMG_5559.jpg

My report about that trip is at: http://trainweb.org/carl/GlenwoodSprings2013/#georgetown

Georgetown Loor Railroad website: georgetownlooprr.com

The Loop: Then and Now

The Georgetown Loop Railroad® was one of Colorado’s first visitor attractions. Completed in 1884, this spectacular stretch of three-foot narrow gauge railroad was considered an engineering marvel for its time. Today, the Loop is once again a popular tourist attraction and an exceptional way to see the Clear Creek Valley.
Three miles of marvelous adventure.

The Loop takes you between Georgetown and Silver Plume, over 2 miles apart. The tracks scale an elevation of 640 feet over mountainous terrain, requiring trestles, cuts, fills, loops, and curves totaling 3.1 miles of narrow gauge track.
An engineering feat for its time.

The once-thriving mining towns of Georgetown and Silver Plume lie two miles apart in a steep, narrow mountain canyon. To connect the two, the railroad’s builders designed a “corkscrew” route that traveled twice the distance, slowly gaining more than 600 feet in elevation. The route included horseshoe curves, grades of up to 4%, and four bridges across Clear Creek, including the massive Devil’s Gate High Bridge.

The Colorado & Southern Railway operated the line for passengers and freight from 1899 to 1938, when it was abandoned.

Schedule and Fares

Train ride in the coach section. These are open-air cars with bench seating. This tour is about one hour and 15 minutes round trip. Cost is $25.95 for adults, $18.95 for children (3-15 years old).

Train ride in the first class parlor cars. These are fully enclosed, with table and chair seating. Guests in this section recceive a soft drink or water and light snacks. Beer and wine is available for purchase. This tour is about one hour and 15 minutes round trip. Cost is $34.95 for adults, $22.95 for children (ages 3-15 years old).

Train ride and Lebanon mine tour. The mine tour - available only from the coach section of the train - is a guided walking tour, and involves about 3/4 of a mile of walking. Guests wear a hard hat and go about 540 feet into the mine. This tour is two hours and 30 minutes round trip, including the train ride. Cost is $34.95 for adults, $22.95 for children (3-15 years old). This tour is not recommended for children under 5 years old.

Train ride and Extended Lebanon mine tour. This mine tour skips the exterior mine buildings and takes guests about 900 feet inside the mountain. This tour is two hours and 30 minutes round trip, including the train ride. Cost is $37.95 for adults, $$30.95 for children (3-15 years old). This tour is not recommended for children under 7 years old.

2015 Schedule

MAY 2015 (Opening after Winter Closure)

May 2 - 22:

            Georgetown Devil’s Gate departures: 10:00 am, 11:25 am, and 12:50 pm*

       *Added 2:15 pm departure on weekends

            *No mine tours offered on the last departures of the day

Go to their website for June - January schedule.

Above information from http://georgetownlooprr.com/

Alaska Railroad

There were two representatives in this booth, one from Alaska Railroad and one from Talkeetna Hotel.

They had some interesting suggestions for traveling on the Alaska Railroad.

One that interested me was the: Talkeetna Rail & Hotel Special - Starting at $249 per person from Anchorage. http://talkeetnalodge.com/rail

Ride the scenic Alaska Railroad from Anchorage to Talkeetna and enjoy a night in a Main Lodge room at Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge at a great price. Book Adventure Class by June 30 and take 10% Off!

Experience a relaxing ride on the Alaska Railroad and enjoy the Lodge’s unrivalled views of Denali (Mt. McKinley) and the Alaska Range. Savor fine dining and a wealth of uniquely Alaska activities in Talkeetna. Package valid for select dates and departs from Anchorage only, with return from Talkeetna the following day.

    Denali is our backyard!
    Spend the day exploring Talkeetna and Denali’s south side.
    Add flightseeing, float trips, or a jetboat tour
    Dine in the shadow of Denali
    Enjoy our award-winning wine selection
    Keep in touch using our wireless Internet access

If booking within 7 days of travel, please call 1-877-777-4067 to confirm your trip.

Spring & Fall Rates

May 15-31 and September 1–12, 2015

Adventure Class Train w/ Forest View Room (With 10% Off)
Meals available for purchase on train

    $364.94* — 1 per room (single)
    $249.17* — 2 per room (double)
    $221.02* — 3 per room (triple)
    $206.94* — 4 per room (quad)
    $80.28* — Children (age 2-11)

Goldstar Dome Train w/ Mountain-Side Room
Meals included on train

    $655.25* — 1 per room (single)
    $522.75* — 2 per room (double)
    $483.58* — 3 per room (triple)
    $464.00* — 4 per room (quad)
    $220.25* — Children (age 2-11)

Amtrak

Amtrak Vacations was promoting

Escorted Rail Journeys: Glacier National Park Discovery, Southern Heritage with Jekyll Island, National Parks of the Southwest, and Music Cities of America. Prices ranging from$1,999 to $3,449 per person for 7 or 9 days.

Independent Rail Journeys: Jazz Blues and Rock 'n' Roll, Rails to the Canyon, Grand Canyon Explorer, and Pacific Northwest. Prices ranging from $949 to $1,499 per person for 5 to 9 days.

They were handing out the "Amtrak Vacations 2015/2016" but you can request one at: https://book.amtrakvacations.com/res/STWMain.aspx?Action=BrochureRequest

Booth personnel also were handing out "Amtrak California VIP Save 20%" cards directing you to AmtrakCalifornia.com/VIP20 for more details.

AmtrakVacations.com

ViaRail.ca

This booth was handing out 3 brochures:

"Legend Meets Prestige - The New Prestige Sleeper Class on the Canadian"

"See Canada by Train"

"Explore Canada By Train"

At the viarail.ca website, you might enjoy this video, "Train Advantages - Via Rail" http://www.viarail.ca/en/train-advantages

The "Explore Canada By Train" brochure includes the map above.

Visit their website for much more: viarail.ca

I found 1000traveltips.com, which was advertised around the travel show, an interesting sight. Ralph Velasco was a speaker at this show, but I was not able to attend his session. However, I found a great interview of him on a video at: http://1000traveltips.com/travel-photography-tips-from-expert-ralph-velasco/ I have mentioned interviews with personalities at the LA Travel Show above, but here are more interviews of the Keynote Speakers: http://1000traveltips.com/category/celebrity-corner/

I hope you enjoyed my report on the LA Travel Show in Long Beach California. My main interest was visiting the representatives of tourist trains, luxury trains, and national train systems from Japan, Canada, and the United States.

Of course, there were many booths for countries around the world and individual tour companies, which I did not cover in this report. The keynote speakers by TV personalities are very popular as well. The cost to attend is minimal considering the amount of contacts you can make in one or two days.

Comments are welcomed: Carl Morrison, Carl@TrainWeb.com

Oh, Sunset magazine had a booth where you could have your photo taken:

I chose a Hawaii backdrop since I will be going to Maui in June.

LINKS

To enhance your traveling experiences, check out my eBook, "How to Take Great Travel Photos"

80 photographic concepts and over 100 example photographs
for less than the cost of a glass of wine.

http://www.palacetours.com/

http://1000traveltips.com/

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