Hello all! This past weekend I attended the annual New York Times Travel Show at the Jacob Javitz Center in NYC. In addition to discovering great deals and learning about various new travel options, I also had the pleasure of hearing father-daughter duo Arthur and Pauline Frommer (of the famed travel guides) speak about their thoughts on travel in 2015. Keep reading for some interesting facts I took away from the show.
Locations
Cuba – If you hadn’t already heard about major travel restrictions being lifted on Cuba this year, now you know! Travel to Cuba is expected to be the big story of 2015. The Frommers recommend traveling there without a tour guide and staying at casa particulars, which are rooms/spaces within private residences, partly akin to Airbnb and partly akin to a bed and breakfast. These rooms are for the most part up to tourist standards. More information can be found here.
- London – One warning on traveling to London: London airport taxes have gone up significantly recently, and you could potentially save in the $100s by traveling to another nearby/European airport and connecting onwards to London, instead of taking a direct flight into London. For example, if you are flying from the U.S., a cheaper option is to fly into Ireland first, and then to London (especially if you can fly into London on a carrier based in the European Union). Another example when generally flying from outside of Europe is to fly somewhere into Europe first, and then to London.
African safaris – People are canceling safaris constantly due to their fear of catching Ebola, although Ebola hasn’t spread to anywhere in Africa near the popular countries for safaris (Kenya, South Africa, and Tanzania). As pointed out by the Frommers, parts of Europe are in fact closer to the locations where Ebola exists than these other countries of Africa.
Australia – Travel to Australia is much cheaper now than it was 2 years ago.
Indonesia – If you are looking to travel to Indonesia (or just Bali), the helpful representatives at the Indonesian booth explained to me that the hot places to go right now apart from Bali are Raja Amput (beautiful beaches and diving), Lombok (for trekking and close to Bali) and Mountain Bromo (an active volcano).
Russia – The Frommers recommend staying away from Russia in 2015, as there is a huge propaganda campaign against the US, and tensions are high between the two countries.
Travel Developments
Hotels & smart phones – By 2016, every major hotel chain will be able to check you in to your hotel room with a smartphone. They will also know where you are in the hotel through the hotel’s app (if you allow access to the GPS for the hotel’s app) and will promote specials and deals based on your travel history and location in the hotel. For example, as you walk by the hotel bar, you might see an offer pop up on your screen for 2:1 drink specials! If you join hotel rewards programs, most will also give you free wifi at this point.
Free room stays – Have you heard of the websites globalfreeloaders and couchsurfing? I hadn’t until the travel show, but they are a really interesting idea in travel. These websites offer free room stays with hosts in foreign places. I’ve since heard of friends of friends who have used these sites, and one story heralded at the travel show was of a woman who saved $40,000 in one year by using these websites. The websites have user reviews, which is supposedly a good check on the host. If you feel up to the challenge, are careful and brave, this might be the way to travel for you!
Women travelers – Womenwelcomewomen is a website that caters to easing travel for women. It allows for a network of women wherever you want to go.
Cruises – The recent big trend in cruises has been turning them into amusement parks on water.
Travel Companies
G Adventures – G Adventures is one of many travel companies I came across at the show, but this one in particular touts affordable travel and offered a number of great deals, in particular to Africa. The company focuses on small group travel with a maximum of 14 people, with packages for different age groups, costs and levels of luxury. For example, their “YOLO” package is for younger travelers between the ages of 18-39 and the “Comfort” package is for travelers who want more relaxation.
I loved this post! And I really wish I could have attended, it seems like you had a great time:) If you have time check out my blog? http://www.wanderwithlove.co Have a great week!!