This past weekend, April 26th and 27th, I attended and spoke at the annual NY Travel Festival. The weekend was a productive and interesting look at the state of the Travel, Adventure, and Travel Media industry, and featured informative sessions from industry leaders including the Travel 2.0 group, G Adventures, Matador Network, and AFAR Media, among many others. A few wrapups and followups from the festival:

I appeared at the event as the resident expert on Antarctic Adventure and Expedition Travel, leading two sessions of one-on-one consulting, as well as doing featured talk on my experience living and working in Antarctica, and how future adventure travelers can make their own way to the frozen continent. If you missed my talk, you can read my entire account of Antarctica at https://JeffreyDonenfeld.com/Antarctica. Continue reading about my complete Travelogue.

 

(Video, thank you very much Meg for the action shot and video! Previously, I spoke for an hour about Antarctica at Percolate Inspire)

Exploring Earth’s Most Extreme Continent – Antarctica.
During the ’12-’13 Austral Summer, Jeffrey Donenfeld deployed with the United States Antarctic Program to live and work at the most remote outpost of humanity, in the middle of the highest, coldest, windiest, and driest desert in the world – at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, South Pole, Antarctica. Live on the station was extreme in every sense – extreme weather conditions, extremely cold, extreme science, and extremely fun. Join Jeffrey as he shares critically acclaimed photographs and first-person video clips shot while on station, as well as hear how YOU can make your own journey to explore the earth’s southernmost continent.

I was lucky to meet a number of great people to discuss innovative new products and services within the industry. A few standouts:

• Newleyweds Mike and Anne of HoneyTrek spoke on Extended Honeymoon Travel, and told the awesome story of their 675-day round-the-world honeymoon. “We’re Mike & Anne Howard, two American newlyweds who thought a ten-day honeymoon wasn’t nearly enough to celebrate a new life together. With a little bit of savings, no kids, and good health, we figured there was no better time to travel than now. So we quit our jobs, rented our apartment, and set out on a 675-day honeymoon around the world. Using Anne’s background as a magazine editor and Mike’s as a digital media strategist and photographer, we started HoneyTrek.com to share our journey of love, life, and adventure.”
• Transformative Traveller Ian O’Sullivan of Alternative Escapes set up shop both days to talk with attendees about Transformative Travel, one-of-a-kind eco-cultural adventures, and the Ultimate Packing Guide. Sign up on his site for a free download of the guide.
• Bruce Poon-Tip of G-Adventures presented as the keynote speaker, sharing his story, as well as a collecting of entertaining and tightly produced promo spots. “The 2014 New York Travel Festival welcomes Bruce Poon Tip as the headline speaker for the Matador Network Speaker Series. In 1990, Poon Tip founded G Adventures, a global adventure travel company dedicated to providing travelers with award-winning experiences and authentic accommodations. In a session entitled “Transformation in Travel,” Bruce will discuss lessons from his experiences as an entrepreneur and sustainable travel advocate, as well as his new book, Looptail.” – NY Trav Fest official schedule
• Marc Orenstein and Adam Rapp of Clothing Arts demoed their stylish and functional Pick-Pocket Proof  P^cubed  Travel Pants and Shirts. The travelwear is built with a variety of hidden zippers and buttons, providing secure storage for travelers, while offering modern and versatile style. I was particularly impressed with the feel of the quick-dry nylon fabric used in their line of button-down shirts – the fabric feels and moves like fine cotton, but is actually synthetic and dries quickly. I’m yet to actually field-test their gear, but am looking forward to getting it out there and publishing my notes soon.
• Mentions also for Lee Abbamonte, Patricia Serrano, Kyle Davidson , Zeleno Drvo, Ryan Van Duzer, Elaine J Masters, and Valarie D’Elia.

Also during the festival, and chronicled via Twitter – FOLLOW ME
https://twitter.com/Jeffzilla/status/460137579753373697
https://twitter.com/Jeffzilla/status/461294627450941440
https://twitter.com/Jeffzilla/status/460911083604443137
https://twitter.com/Jeffzilla/status/459839454048698368
https://twitter.com/Jeffzilla/status/460453485503602689
https://twitter.com/Jeffzilla/status/460123444558835712
https://twitter.com/Jeffzilla/status/460099627740839937
https://twitter.com/Jeffzilla/status/459850894600056832
https://twitter.com/Jeffzilla/status/459529371863486464

Next up in the circuit of NY-based travel, adventure and outdoor life events is Outdoorfest, taking place May 30 – June 8 2014.

A festival to bring out the adventurer in all of us, OutdoorFest provides a space for the outdoor community to share our passions. We’ll spend ten days kayaking on the Hudson, running through natural forest, and photographing wildlife, all within city boundaries. Through these events, we can connect with others who share our interest, discover a new sport, and champion healthy, active lifestyles.