NY Times Travel Show 2012

Another year at the New York Times Travel Show, and I can easily say the cultural arts were the stars of the weekend!  Every year, the Jacob J. Javits Center of New York City is filled with booths from every country imaginable, featuring tour operators, food tastings, trip giveaways, an above-ground pool with a snorkeling demo, live music, and world stages full of dancers in beautiful costumes! Unlike past years, this year's performances were much more diverse and constant (as one performance would end on the Caribbean Stage, another would start up immediately on the European Stage and so forth).  I found myself running around the convention with camera in tow, cutting through the crowds of leisure travelers, trying to catch some decent shots of one dance group after another.  Of course in between the performances, I said hello to old acquaintances I had met within the last three years of attending, and I also met some very interesting new ones.  It was great sharing the idea of Bare Feet™ with like-minded travelers and writers, and it was a real privilege to be able to meet such notable people in the industry as Travel Junkie Julia Dimon, GoNomad.com's Max Hartshorne, Wanderlust & Lipstick's Beth Whitman, and more!

One of the most entertaining and informative speakers was Robert Reid of Lonely Planet - his talk on the art of travel video was inspiring to everyone in the room, whether they were journalists, novice video makers, or even veterans of the trade.  He said it simply and plainly, that creating a travel video does not require a huge budget, a four-person crew, or even expensive equipment - the passion and personality will come out if it is truly there!

Another great speaker was the Emmy Award winning host of Travel Scope, Joseph Rosendo.  This man is so passionate about travel and what travel teaches you; you are not only learning about the rest of the world with travel, but some major self reflection and self-realization are products of meeting different cultures.  An inspirational spirit and person, Joseph's show Travel Scope on PBS lives by its mission of "accepting the world's invitation to visit."  He was the last speaker of the weekend, and it was a perfect end to an invigorating and inspiring three days!  Thank you especially to everyone who let me rant about Bare Feet™ to them!

THE BARE FEET™ FIVE: 1.  New York Times Travel Show again?  Unfortunately, the NYT Travel Show only happens once a year in NYC, and again in Los Angeles.  Be sure to mark you calendars for 2013's shows, usually taking place in February/March! 2.  Helpful Travel Hints:  The show is all about promoting travel not only to travel professionals but to vacationers who are looking for some good deals.  Travel Junkie's Julia Dimon posted her notes from her helpful discussion on breaking the roadblocks to NOT traveling - check out her recommendations here! 3.  Who are the performers in the Bare Feet™ video?  The Brazilian dancers are always the NYTTS favorites - presented by community arts organization Soulful Arts, these dancers get people on their feet and smiles on everyone's faces.  Be sure to check out their website for upcoming events and ways to help support their organization and the community through the arts. 4.  Jack Hsu is AWESOME!  Jack Hsu is the metal Erhu player (traditional Chinese instrument) from Taiwan - he shreds in the BF video, and be sure to check out one of his upcoming gigs! 5. Upcoming events at Jacob Javits Center:  The Javits Center has some great upcoming events including Coffee Fest NY, The New York International Auto Show, and the NY Green Festival!  For more information on these and other great events, go to JavitsCenter.com