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Ralph Velasco speaks at the Chicago Travel & Adventure Show

The Chicago Travel & Adventure Show is a great venue to talk about travel. Whether you are a adventure travel blogger, a travel aficionado, or just a person who likes to travel, one of the greatest parts about the hobby or any interest is talking about it with like-minded people. This is why twitter has taken off in such a dramatic way for not only the travel community, but for all hobbies and interests.

Costa Rica’s beautiful booth at last year’s Chicago Travel & Adventure Show

For most of us who can only travel during set vacations, this means we can only travel for a couple of weeks each year. We can however live vicariously through the travels of others on twitter, facebook, and travel blogs. Another place where we can live the travel dream is at travel and adventure shows like the one held in Chicago this weekend.

The Chicago Travel & Adventure Show and similar travel shows and seminars main purpose is to inspire people to travel. Once the inspiration is found, then people need information and this where the shows excel. They both inspire and inform. In fact, I feel like my blog is a microcosm or an online version of a travel & adventure show as it has the same purpose. My tags on the left are like little booths of online inspiration and information and perhaps some perspiration. Do not fear though as none of the tags smell: well, except for this one.

A picture of a spider monkey in Costa Rica to inspire travel

Travel shows bring people people with the same interests together to talk about their passion. For me, the best part about the show was talking to other travelers and people in the industry whose career revolves around travel.

On hand were other people from twitter that I have corresponded with for years like the Mad Traveler Kevin Revolinski @kevinrevolinski, Jen Chicago @Jenchicago, and the Word Journey writer Debbra Brouillette @Debbradb.

Myself, Debbra Brouillette, and Jen Chicago

Talking travel with the Mad Traveler Kevin Revolinski

It was also a chance to re-connect with travel groups I have partnered with in the past like the Visit Costa Rica Tourist Board and the Wildman Ranch on the Peshtigo River in Wisconsin.

An opportunity to make new connections and friends was also present. Travel groups and people I met who I look forward to working with in the future included the Trinidad & Tobago Tourist Bureau, Infinite Safari Adventures out of Tanzania, Africa, and Family Film Productions.

Myself with good friend Paul Ceisel on hand with Travel Film Productions

Besides booths and other people the travel & adventure show has camel rides, a scuba tank, and speakers like Samantha Brown. The event is much more than a bunch of booths that hand out pamphlets. For me though, the highlight of the day was talking travel, which is usually the highlight of most days unless I am actually on the road.

Traveling Ted gets a photo opp with the lovely Samantha Brown

For those who love to travel, I definitely recommend the Travel & Adventure Show next year. It also takes place in other cities like Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, Dallas, Washington D.C., and San Francisco.

Stay tuned,

TT

The goal of Traveling Ted TV is to inspire people to outdoor adventure travel and then provide tips on where and how to go. If you liked this post then enter your email in the box to get email notifications for each new entry. Daily travel photos are excluded from your email in order to not flood you with posts. There is no spam and email information will not be shared. Other e-follow options include Facebook (click on the like box to the right) or twitter (click on the pretty bird on the rainbow above).