Chicago Travel and Adventure Show Review

A few weeks ago, I got an email from the people putting on the Travel and Adventure Show inviting me to attend this year's show for free. Because the price was right, I decided to attend, figuring that information gathered could prove useful for planning future ADVENTURING opportunities, also figuring that this would be a great opportunity to gaze into the future of the Travel and Adventure marriage.

I send my condolences to all of those poor saps that spent the $15 on the ticket and the $13 to park, because that show was a dud. There was no excitement in any of the booths. It might as well have been an insurance and actuarial convention. It was as if the entire show was sponsored by Nyquil or Ambien. I would have thought that the guy handing out 'Visit South Africa' sales literature would have been more amped than the lady from the 'Southeastern Wisconsin Board of Tourism', but that was not the case.

I was hoping to get information to help plan future trips to Europe and China, but anything good was few and far between. I should have expected it because the purpose of a show like this is to make money and generate sales, and not to present honest and or useful information. The only information I found relating to China was trips arranged by Trafalgar, with costs that accosted the soul.

Through this misinformation gathering, I learned what I always had known.

1. Plan your own trip

2. Beware of phonies

No one that is under 65 should ever leave the planning of their trips or adventures to 'experts'.

1. Planning a trip is half of the fun

2. When you get there you will know what to expect

3. When you get home, you will be able to tell someone where you have been and what you experienced.

4. It will save you a shitload of cash(Euros, Lbs, rupees, yen, dollas, shillings, dabloons, skrilla)

Now a word about shyster travel companies. As far as I know, I have never been taken advantage of by a travel company. Women, yes. Travel shysters, no.

1. Travel shysters are a bunch of phonies that only want your money. You will float down the Yangtze river in a semi-water tight tour bus, and probably won't see anything remotely cool. And they will rape you(r wallet) Plan your own trip.

Chicago Travel and Adventure Show

Highlights:

1.There was a camel there. I took a picture of his toe, and put it on my Facebook page. Don't you hate it when a Camel tracks dirt onto your carpet?

2. If anyone knows famed travel writer and personality, Rick Steves, they know that he may or may not be gay. He is ambiguous. Not that there is anything wrong with that, he just has some unique mannerisms. Anyway, his brochure that he was handing out promoting h

is tour company had the title 'Rick Steves: Europe through the back door'. That is some seriously funny stuff that made me cry with delight. You would think that someone would have caught that before he had one million copies made.

Lowlights

1. Being there.

Feast your eyes below with Rick Steves' back door review, and the camel-toe.

The Flight from Hell

On my trip through Europe, probably the most miserable times were related to time spent at airports, and in my flight to Rome. Although I usually have a great time at airports, people watching and reading, this time was different, I felt like I was on 'The Amazing Race'.

My flight was intended to leave O'Hare Airport in Chicago at 1:50 PM. I was then supposed to have a 1 hour layover in Philadelphia before embarking to Rome. I decided that I did not want to take any risks in missing my flight, so I left my house in the city around 9:30, which was almost pathetically early. I took a bus and the El, and made it to the airport around 10:15. I checked into my Us Air flight, did not check my bag(which was super clutch thinking on my part, and crucial for my trip), and zipped through security. I was reading a book at my gate by 10:45, which was about 3 hours before the flight was supposed to board.

I waited patiently reading my extremely boring book(about an old geezer walking the Appalachian Trail), and about 30 minutes before the flight was about to board, they changed the time on the screen to say that the flight was delayed an hour and a half. Therefore, I would be unable to make my connection, and would have to spend the night in the Philly Airport, and delay my trip. I stormed the desk and sweet talked the lady into booking me onto an Al Italia, which was direct. I was pretty happy about this, as I took a tram from terminal three to terminal five.

When I got to my new terminal to check in, I was told that I would be flying standby on the Al Italia flight, and that the flight was full. The lady at this booth recommended that I go back to US Air and demand to speak to a manager. She also said that I should hurry because 2 other people from my original flight would be quickly on my tail. The race was on! Back on the tram to terminal three.

Back at US Air, I talked to a manager, and told her to get me on a flight to Rome that day. She was able to book me in a confirmed seat on an American Airlines direct flight to Rome, leaving at 6 PM. She said it was the last seat on the last plane leaving for Rome that day. I had made it, I had won my mini Amazing Race.

So I waited for a few more hours, and eventually, it was time for me to board my plane. I was completely ready to leave Chicago, I had been at O'Hare Airport for nearly seven hours, and had eaten three meals there. I walked triumphantly down the aisle with my North Face Terra 60 backpack that I had thought ahead not to check. I walked further and further through the fuselage of the plane for what felt like miles, and as I neared my seat.....Oh Shit... This can't be true....A huge fat man was sitting immediately next to me. What rotten luck.

I not-so-delicately smashed my pack into the overhead compartment, and took my assigned seat in the way back of the plane in the absolute middle seat, sandwiched between the gargantuan man, and a know it all cougar.

For the next nine hours or so, the obese man's enormous arm and elbow were touching my chest. The heat controls didn't work in the plane, and it was hot as Hades in the back of the plane---The man was sweating on me the entire flight. I almost was brave enough to take a picture to document him eating a wheel of cheese during the flight, but I chickened out. The in-flight movie was 'Mama Mia' which sucked, but was only made better by the fact that the sound system did not work in my section, so I did not have to listen to Pierce Brosnan sing. Unfortunately, my reading light didn't work either, so I had nothing to do except think about the amazing adventure that lay before me, as I try to ignore the beads of sweat(not mine) rolling down my right sleeve.

European Trip to be continued....

Next Stage...Naples, Italy.

Europe Trip

About a week and a half ago, I got back to Chicago from my adventure in Europe. On my trip, I toured through Italy alone, then met with friends in Munich for Oktoberfest, we went to Austria for a brief climb of a mountain, and finished off the trip in Prague, Czech republic. Then I had a 14 hour layover in Dublin on my way back home. Getting myself out of my comfort zone while traveling alone, as well as the great party atmosphere of Oktoberfest, combined to make this the best trip of my life. I will continue to post more detailed accounts of my trip, country by country in the coming days.