This Weekend: The New York Times Travel Show

Being careful with how you spend your money but still hankering to go on a great trip this year? If you’re in NYC this weekend, stop by The New York Times Travel ShowThe New York Times Travel Show, this Saturday, February 7, and Sunday, February 8, at the Javits Convention Center.

The show features seminars on how to score spectacular travel bargains in these troubled times, from industry superstars such as Arthur and Pauline Frommer, Rick Steves, and Samantha Brown. Andrew Zimmern, of “Bizarre Foods,” will present, as will travel writer Patricia Schultz, author of 1,000 Places to See Before You Die, focusing on not-to-miss destinations in the U.S. and Canada. Plus you can catch IT contributor Andrew Evans discuss “Making Your Wildest Travel Dreams a Reality” on a panel with other travel writers and industry experts.

In addition to travel writing seminars and tips on gay, adventure, spa, luxury, and family travel deals, six performance stages will come alive with dancers from India and Indonesia, Mongolian throat-singing, Garifuna music and culture, Tarahumara dance, Greek singer Eleni Alexandris, and many more. You can learn how to brew your own Peruvian pisco sour or taste an array of South African wines.

The $15/day admission fee affords you access to seminars, stage performances, exhibitors, book signings at the on-site Borders, and giveaways galore, including one that really caught our eye, a trip to Nicaragua auctioned off by the Mesoamerican Ecotourism Alliance. Plus, SeaWorld’s bringing some penguins, a toucan, and a sloth for the kids’ enjoyment or they could opt to scuba at the heated pool.

The New York Times Travel Show’s array of cultural performances and food and drink tastings will surely get you charged up for your next well-planned, memorable, and economical trip.

Photo: via the New York Times Travel Show website