Travel & Adventure Show: Travel is Back in 2022

If you’ve ever thought of traveling everywhere in the world all on the same day, perhaps you should consider attending an in-person travel expo like the Travel & Adventure Show. With 16 years and over 100 Travel & Adventure Show events under its belt, Travel & Adventure Shows are among the marquee events for travel enthusiasts.

We attended the Dallas version this past weekend with exhibitors all eager to show that travel is back in 2022. Count me in as a believer.

According to Jonathan Golicz, Vice President of the Travel & Adventure Show, one of the main reasons that people attend these shows is for the crucial new travel information. Given all the changes in the travel and tourism industry enacted by the global pandemic, a lot has changed and travelers need to be aware. Golicz highlighted that a distinctive quality of the Travel & Adventure Show is that all of this updated material is available under one roof.

Through a pipeline of expert presenters, travel agents, tourism board representatives, and other knowledgeable professionals, the Travel & Adventure Show connects attendees with the updated travel resources they need to make timely decisions.

By taking the time and effort to attend an expo, it’s clear that the attendees are serious about getting back to travel right now. Although Mr. Golicz estimated that the current expo was not quite at maximum capacity in terms of volume of exhibits and attendance, nonetheless “it’s encouraging that travel is being booked here…travel is back as you can see”. It’s hard to argue to the contrary after witnessing the surging array of booths and exhibits, eye-opening travel industry information, and swag-filled discussions with travel professionals from across the world.

The Travel Show Experience

The Exhibits

The floorplan and layout at Dallas Market Hall was well considered. I found an easy flow of aisles designated by travel types and geographic distribution. Vertical banner signs signaled the way to re-orient me whenever I wandered away from my pre-planned route. Every entrant also received an exhibit floor map.

Much like exploring on an actual vacation, everyone can suit their own style for exploring the space. You can pre-plan your exhibit itinerary or wander through the Dallas Market Hall avenues at your whims of the moment.

The sheer volume of having so many local, regional, and international exhibits felt a tad overwhelming at first. Where should I start, over at the African safari river boat booth or the Antarctic cruise destinations? For the kids, the Houston-area exhibit fresh with astronaut ice cream was a no-brainer. NASA is a huge tourism draw for the Houston area, and the kids love space. And ice cream. But especially space ice cream.

Locals from All Over the World

Several of the booths were filled with information about local towns and communities with their own distinctive features. Take Deer Park, Texas for example. As a native Texan who listened keenly during my 7th grade Texas History class, I should have already known that Deer Park identifies itself as “The Birthplace of Texas”.

Deer Park representative Kaitlyn Bluejacket shared the pride of such heritage and that “there’s really something for everyone here”. She and her fellow Houston-area presenters highlighted the area’s historical significance and noted that the blending of modern and traditional cultures have formed a travel-friendly melting pot.

Nicole Dees over at the Navarre Beach booth touched on the calming essence of natural oceanside. Operations and Sales Manager Michelle Flippo with the Oxnard section of the Ventura County Coast exhibit outlined the well rounded flow across several diverse California communities. I also loved hearing contrasts between the constant strum of urban living versus the “deafening silence” encountered on Antarctic cruises.

Being the home of the Dallas Cowboys, no Texas travel expo would be complete without some authentic cowboys in their old-west attire. Curiously, we found them standing in their booth next to an ATV-sized electronic dinosaur. I’m going to need to re-take my history class…but I digress.

The Speakers, Presenters, & Travel Celebrities

Headlining the 2022 Travel & Adventure Show in Dallas were travel celebrities Brian Kelly (aka, “The Points Guy“), producer and news journalist Peter Greenberg, and best selling author Pauline Frommer. The amount of expert knowledge oozing from these presenters is well worth the price of admission.

I’ve been to travel conventions where the top billed speakers gave some canned information with no opportunity for audience participation. I’m not sure if it was simply a unique set of travel celebrities at the show today, but they seemed to genuinely care about the material they were presenting. My previous perception of travel celebrity stuffiness was debunked today.

For the Dallas show, the setup was very fluid between the exhibits and the presentation area. This openness allowed for simple shifts from visiting the booths to joining the ever-ready flow of educational seminars. Attendees had no need to purchase a separate ticket, arrive hours early, or reduce time spent in diligent efforts to capture more of those coveted swag bags from the trendy nearby booths.

Plus, it wasn’t just the headliners pulling in an audience. Pleasantly, the presentation topics included more than re-tread “bargain travel talks” or representatives hyping sponsored destinations. I’m thinking this was largely due to the organization, specificity of topics, and transparency of the presenters.

I personally enjoyed the accessibility of most of the presenters who readily entertained questions from the audience. Seriously, where else do you get to chat with high-end travel professionals like this?

Travel Conventions are Back

Interestingly, when exhibitors heard that I was working with PsychologyofTravel.com, the discussion often naturally shifted from their exhibit content to more specific ways that their respective destinations offered emotional benefits. Using words like relaxation, tranquility, cultural appreciation, travel sustainability, self-growth, adventure, peacefulness, and a variety of similar synonyms highlighting the mental health benefits of travel, we all began speaking the same language of travel joy. It was refreshing.

Still, not every booth held something that was of direct appeal to me. Certain elements didn’t seem as clearly travel-centric. The house restoration folks were very informative and non-pushy, though it wasn’t the specific reason I was there. Plus, I wasn’t looking for a time-share sales pitch. So, I came prepared with some polite yet creative ways to say “no thanks”. I may or may not have had my kid come grab my hand to pull me away under the guise of wanting ice cream. She already had ice cream, dehydrated and bagged straight from NASA, remember?

The Final Word

With all that said, the vibe was friendly and the huge range of updated travel information was appealing. Quite frankly it just felt overdue to be in the company of fellow travelers again. Plus, there’s the “Travel Show Exclusive” deals and discounts on travel that are (seriously) difficult to beat.

Travel, and travel conventions, are back. So, if you’re contemplating your next trip and need some inspiration, or if you just need to book your ideal destination, the next Travel & Adventure Show should be on your immediate to-do list. While you’re at it, get yourself some astronaut ice cream.

For more, sign up for the free Psychology of Travel Newsletter. Comment below with other travel expo info and tips for your fellow travelers!

Happy Travels,

Dr. L
Founder, PsychologyofTravel.com

Disclosure: Special thanks to Travel & Adventure Show – Dallas for sponsoring our entry ticket admission and media credentialing. All opinions remain my own and an honest attempt to review my experiences for my readers and followers. For more information, see our disclosure statement.

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