Adventures at the Travel and Adventure Show

If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram you know that I attended the Washington, DC Travel and Adventure show a few weeks ago. I spent Saturday and Sunday listening to and learning from some of the biggest names in travel. In between sessions I was able to visit booths and gather information on places to go next.

By far the best part of the weekend for me was meeting travel icons and some of my heroes. The main reason I bought tickets to this show was to meet Samantha Brown. You may recognize Sam from the numerous shows she's hosted for the Travel Channel. She gave a talk called "Travel Then & Now" about how travel has changed in the last few years with the digital revolution.

Sam's top travel tip for any destination is "Go for a walk." It's a great way to see and experience the place you're visiting. She also noted that, "Your goal is never that your travel goes perfectly. Because it ain't." We shouldn't be planning the perfect vacation or getaway. Instead we should be planning to spend time with people we love, make new memories, or see and experience a new thing.

When it came to digital her most profound statement was, "We rely so much on social media. Just take the media out of it and be social." That's a tough one for me. I read, research, and plan but I tend to just stick to my schedule when I'm in my destination. I wonder what would happen if I slow down, look around, and start talking to someone. Why do we need to find a restaurant on Yelp? Why can't we just ask the guy we're passing on the street? Not all social media is bad and Sam admits to using it, but she does have some advice for Yelp reviewers: "You need to reign it in!" Essentially, we need to know in two sentences if this place is good.

I waited in line to meet Samantha Brown after her talk and got to chat with her for a minute or two. We commiserated over both being delayed on New York to DC Amtrak trains that week and that how in the grand scheme of things it really wasn't that bad. We were both warm and dry and slowly getting to our destinations. Life could have been much worse.

The first talk I went to was right before Samantha Brown's talk and I was only there so I was guaranteed a good seat for the next talk. But I had a great surprise when I loved the speaker, Pauline Frommer of Frommer's. The first thing I learned was how strong the dollar is now. We were told that Europe is essentially 30% off this year compared to a few years ago. What a great time to travel! She had all kinds of great advice on places to travel and sites and apps to use. Follow @Frommers on Twitter for more great info.

After seeing his name on the lineup I looked into Travel Channel host Josh Gates. He currently hosts Expedition Unknown where he tries to solve old mysteries such as the disappearance of Amelia Earhart and her plane.

Josh spoke a lot about vacation versus travel and adventure. According to him, "Adventure is good for you." Not all travel needs to be easy. Not all travel needs to be fun. Good, I'm doing something right. He went on to say that difficult travel engages your brain and adventure makes your travel more meaningful. I have found both of these things to be true. I rise to challenges I thought I couldn't handle when something goes wrong in my travel simply because I have no other choice. Challenge forces me to think things through and come up with a plan instead of just passively letting life happen around me.

He also made the intriguing point that, "The golden age of travel is right now." We tend to think of the golden age in a bygone era of  prop planes, steamships, and early railroads. But those methods were time consuming and expensive. Now, "Everybody can be a traveler, have an adventure, see the world." It's never been cheaper or more efficient to get to any destination in the world. What's stopping you?

For many, the highlight of the weekend was Rick Steves. If you've ever seen any of his shows it will be no surprise to you that the man knows his stuff. Similar to Samantha Brown's, "Take a walk," advice Rick Steves advocates to, "Be up early. Be out late. Find ways to be the lonely person there." It's hard to see and experience a place from the inside of a hotel room or running from one activity to the next. Make time to explore and experience your destination. Get alone and soak it in.

He, of course, had some great insight on Europe. According to Rick Steves, the four European cities deserving of a week-long vacation are: London, Paris, Rome, and Istanbul. He also said, "In Europe, the most popular places are the tackiest." I saw that first hand. Many of the "must see" destinations were opposite ice cream stands and souvenir shops. I always thought these were the best spots in the city since it's where our tour guides led us. But Rick Steves says, "There's a disincentive for tour guides to teach." They're not paid to tour you around. They're paid to take you shopping. This is why exploring on your own and talking to locals is so important.

He also spoke a bit about cruising. He said that on a ship with 3,000 guests: 1,000 are lazy tourists, 1,000 are just looking for a floating Las Vegas, and 1,000 are real travelers. About the time in port he noted that, "Eight hours is a long time if you're well organized." I found that statement particularly encouraging as I'm writing a book about efficiently using your port time on a cruise.

The most meaningful speaker for me was Patricia Schultz, author of 1,000 Places to See Before You Die. I received a copy of her book from a professor as I was about to graduate college. At the time I had only visited a handful of states and had never been on a plane. To be honest, I thought it was a pretty terrible gift. Clearly this professor didn't know me at all. But I really enjoyed flipping through the places and imagining all there was to see and experience in the world. Four months later I was on my first flight. Now, eight years later, I've been in 48 states and 30 countries and I've seen many of the places listed in the book.

Patricia Schultz had great advice and stories. She told of meeting a 90 year old woman who said, "Your knees have expiration dates" and "You need to get the difficult places [to see] out of the way first." We were encouraged to open our heads and open our horizons. I was shocked to learn that only 30% of Americans have passports.

I was also kind of shocked with how many of the speakers had something negative to say about Disney or Orlando. Many of them said that everyone should visit Disney once, it's too great not too. But Rick Steves is out to, "Challenge Americans to take one step further than Orlando." Patricia Schultz said, "It's all about priorities. Do you really need a new flat screen? A new car each year? Eleven pairs of shoes? Or a trip to Disney each year?" Her point being that we can all afford to travel, it just comes down to what we're spending our money on. For example, a one day ticket to one park at Disney World is between $97 and $105 dollars. Where can you fly to with that kind of money? I just did a quick search and I can fly to Hartford, Atlanta, Cincinnati, or Charleston. One person skipping one park for one day could have them a whole new city to explore. Now, I'm not anti-Disney. I've gone a couple times (thanks to friends who work there) and I think it is an absolutely magical place that everyone should experience. But I am pro-travel and pro-horizon expansion and have limited resources and time.

I also learned about several great apps and websites. Some I had heard of before, but some were new to me.

• Hotel Tonight - They help hotels fill vacancies by selling off unreserved rooms at a steep discount. I'd heard of them, but I didn't know that they have expanded to a full week instead of just the night of your stay. 
• Airfare Watchdog - I'd used this site before, but kind of forgot about it. You enter your departure city and it brings up the cheapest fares. That's what I used to find the cheap flights above. It's great if you're looking for a cheap getaway and want to see where you can go now. You can also save itineraries if you're planning a trip and the site will email you when they've found a discounted fare.
• SkyMap - a stargazing app that maps the night sky for you. I have yet to try this, but I'm really excited about it. 
• Other sites and services such as Couchsurfing and Airbnb were discussed

What travel sites/apps do you use? Where are you headed next? What do you think about the points the speakers raised about Disney?

 

PA Parks: Allegheny Portage Railroad

In an earlier post I mentioned how I hadn't visited many of the Pennsylvania parks.  I took a day of my vacation to visit the Flight 93 and Johnstown Flood Memorials. As I was researching in preparation for my trip I discovered another park close by that I had never heard of - The Allegheny Portage Railroad.

By the time I reached the Allegheny Portage Railroad I was exhausted. If you read the posts on the other two parks of the day you know that I had been given an emotional beating. Now it was 4:00 pm, the park closed in an hour, but I was determined to make discoveries. My first discovery was that when you get to a park that late in the day you don't have to pay the entrance fee! So don't let time stop you from visiting a nearby park. Even if you have less than an hour you can learn something.

The visitor center looks like an old train depot. I loved it, probably my favorite visitor center so far. I didn't have time to look around or watch the introduction film like I usually do.  Instead I headed down the boardwalk to Engine House 6.

In 1826 Pennsylvania needed to develop a faster way to get people and goods from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh and vice versa. The Erie Canal recently opened and the merchants of New York City were thriving as those in Philadelphia struggled with no efficient way to move their goods west. By 1831 most of the Main Line canal system was finished, but no one wanted to deal with the issue of the Allegheny Mountains. Tunneling a canal through the mountains was considered, but eventually a decision was made to go over them.

On March 18, 1834 a system of 10 inclined planes opened. People and goods were transferred from their canal boats to railroad cars, pulled up five inclines, then lowered back down the other side of the mountain via five more inclines. Soon someone developed sectional canal boats and now each section could be floated on to a rail car, pulled up the mountain, lowered down the other side, and floated back into the canal -- eliminating the need for a transfer. People now rode their boats (as opposed to "rowed their boats") on a train car up and down the mountain! How crazy is that?!

The inclines were too steep for the locomotives of the day so the cars were pulled with the power of stationary steam engines located on the planes between each incline - think of it like going up a hill on a roller coaster. The railcars/boats on one side of the mountain acted as a counter balance for the railcars/boats on the other side. Locomotives would pull the cars along the planes. Horses were always a backup - even on the inclines. If the engines failed, horses would pull the cargo up the mountain. I'm not sure what these railcars and boats looked like, but it's hard to imagine horses pulling a train up a mountain! It was probably also exceptionally slow. When using the locomotives and steam engines it took 6 hours to travel 36 miles.

Engine House 6

Steam Engines in Engine House 6

At Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site you can visit an engine house to get a better understanding of how the process worked. You can also tour the Lemon House. I'd be lying if I said I didn't get a bit excited at the prospect of Liz's ancestors living there. The Lemon House was a tavern built steps from the Portage Railroad to serve passengers. The first floor of the house is open for self guided tours and sections have been restored to what it probably looked like in the 1840s. It was interesting to see the accommodations serving the different classes of passengers.

Lemon House Tavern

Despite being a remarkable engineering feat, the Allegheny Portage Railroad was obsolete soon after completion - just like the canal system. The railroad was a much stronger, more efficient option and it quickly became the transportation method of choice. Unlike canals, railroads don't freeze in winter (although according to Amtrak there is a problem when the tracks get cold). 23 years after the first train/boat climbed the Alleghenies, the portage was abandoned.

This has been my most fascinating park visit to date. I had never heard of floating boats on to train cars to take them over mountains! And it all happened a few hours from my house. What will you discover? Get out there, explore, and let me know what you learn. Tweet me: @valeriedperry

To learn more about the Allegheny Portage Railroad visit: http://www.nps.gov/alpo/index.htm

Throwback: Chicago by Train

When I tell people my story I start to realize that I must enjoy living on transportation. I spent 2 years practically living on a bus and nearly 4 years living on a ship. Maybe one day I'll have a private plane I can live out of! I would actually love to give RVing a try…but I don't want to drive it. So if there are any drivers out there, let's join forces. In December 2013 I got to cross trains off my "Types of Transportation I've Lived On" list. It was only for one night, but it counts!

There's a saying about the hardest part of the journey being the first step. That was especially true for this journey because I couldn't find the train. Since it's much closer to me, I decided to book my trip out of Rockville, MD instead of Union Station in DC. I had seen the Amtrak terminals at Union Station before- very airport-esque with screens to tell you at which gate your trip would begin, friendly staff to direct you, etc. Rockville station doesn't even have a sign that says "Amtrak." No markings at all. It is just a set of tracks next to the Metro tracks so I prayed I was in the right spot. I even called Amtrak customer service to ask if I was in the right place, but they weren't even sure! I was thankful I was leaving a full day ahead of when I needed to arrive to Chicago - I thought I might need to go book a last minute flight. **TRAIN TIP #1: Book your trip out of a real station, not these side of the road "stops." Your peace of mind in knowing you're in the right place is worth it.**

Finally, more people started to show up and my confidence began to grow. Eventually the train arrived, the conductor stepped out and said, "I'm looking for one person. Is Valerie Perry here?" Gulp. Why were they looking for me? There were now about 20 of us at the station. Why was he asking for me? I shyly raised my hand. He asked if he could store my large bag for me before showing me to my compartment. That's why he was looking for me - I was the only one that booked first class! Whew!

I climbed aboard and the train moved forward a few car lengths to allow the rest of the people at the station to get in the coach car. Have you heard comedian Brian Regan talk about first class people? (Watch in HERE.) It was like that. "Close that curtain! Snap it! Snap it shut!" I felt like I was out of my league, punching above my weight class - a feeling I have often. Anyway, I boarded my fancy first class train and my "Sleeping Car Attendant" took me up a tiny little staircase to the second floor. (Did you know Amtrak cars have 2 floors?! The lower level was luggage storage, bathrooms, and showers, while the actual private compartments were on level two.) At the top of the stairs he showed me where the complimentary water, coffee, juice, and soda station was located. He then showed me to my room and asked what time I would like to have dinner.

I was 20 minutes away from my apartment, but I was on an epic adventure! Here I was on a trip of 700 miles in over 17 hours with a bunch of strangers and on a train! This is exactly the kind of excitement my life needed.

I loved my private compartment. It was probably a bit more than half the size of my last ship cabin, so it didn't really feel that small. After all I lived in that cabin for three months. I would be living here one night. Each compartment accommodates two people. It would have been cozy with a roommate. One bed folds up against the wall and the bottom bed is made of the two seats that face each other next to the window. Each compartment has a sliding door with a little latch on the inside. The only thing I did not like about my trip was that there was no way to lock my compartment when I left. I didn't want to carry my laptop and camera bag around with me, but I hated that there was no way to secure my stuff. Amtrak, please fix this!

The seats were really comfortable. They provided pillows and blankets so I kicked my shoes off, propped my feet up on the chair across from me and snuggled in next to the window. Unfortunately this trip was in early December so it was dark an hour into my trip. **TRAIN TIP #2: Book your train travel during daylight hours. I saw very little.**

I was comfy. I was warm. I was content. But I knew that I had a whole train to explore so I couldn't just sit there. The car directly behind mine was the Dining Car. Just like in White Christmas! (Snow! Snow! Snow! Snow!) More on that in a minute.

The next car was the Sightseeing Car - all windows. Even part of the roof! I stayed here until it was too dark outside to see. It's a great space. Amazing views, lots of room, even booths where you can play games. The lower level of this car had a snack bar where you could buy sandwiches, chips, drinks, etc.  The car after that was the Coach car. In hindsight I should have explored more. I wasn't sure where all I was "allowed" to go so I laid low. I should have just went and apologized later if I needed to.

Soon it was time for dinner. One of the great things about booking in the Sleeper Car is that your fare includes all of your meals! The downside (that I didn't know about when I booked) is that your meals are community seating- meaning they just pair you up with some random person/people who also needs a seat buddy. I hate this concept. Ask my parents about taking me to local fire hall dinners. I support the fire department. I do not support eating my meal across from a stranger. But I embraced it here - a bit of a "When in Rome" situation I guess. And it wasn't bad at all. I got paired up with a guy who was traveling from DC to Chicago as well. He was originally from Philadelphia and the Eagles were playing the Bears in Monday Night Football so he decided to hop on a train and go see it for himself. He was a former professional soccer player, but he got injured so now he does something in IT but also earns quite a bit of money playing poker at local casinos. And that's when I realized: I could be anyone I wanted to be on this train. No one knew me. We were all going our separate ways in 17 hours. I told him I was a comedy scout for SNL and was coming to Chicago to look for fresh talent at Second City, iO, etc. I didn't. But I could have! It was a freeing feeling.

After my steak dinner I went back to my compartment and enjoyed the solitude. This was early December and the holiday craziness was already beginning to effect the rest of my life so it was really nice to just relax for awhile. There were no expectations of me at all for the next day. No one to please. No one to impress. And no real agenda to keep. Just time and travel. (But sadly no time travel. That would for sure impress some people.)

I decided to get ready for bed and went downstairs to use the tiny bathroom. Even this didn't bother me. It just reminded me of the ship. When I came back up my Sleeping Car Attendant asked if I was ready for bed and he prepared the top bunk for me. They have a cargo net that you hook to the ceiling to ensure you don't fall out of bed - something cruise ships can learn from. I know more than one crew member that had to take days off of work after falling out of bed.

One of our middle of the night stops was Pittsburgh and I really wanted to see what my old town looked like via train. I assumed I would be sleeping very light with announcements, rail noise, and stops and starts waking me up often. In reality, I slept soundly. I didn't wake up until after 6:00 am. I enjoyed a huge breakfast in the Dining Car then stared out the window.

There's not that much to see through Indiana and Illinois next to the Amtrak tracks, but it looks like a slice of typical midwestern Americana. I was still very much in my "adjusting to land life" stage during this trip and seeing so much of my own country reminded me how much of the world I have yet to see. I loved seeing the plants and mills along the tracks. The people that work there are who have literally built this country.

We were significantly delayed as we got closer to Chicago. There was a lot of freight traffic and we were told that rails were too cold. I'm not really sure what that last part meant, but it the end it meant my trip took about 2 hours longer than I had expected. I didn't mind. I got some juice and read my complimentary newspaper (how did they deliver newspapers to the train?).

Fun Fact: I took my first solo trip to Chicago. It changed my life.

I got off the train at Union Station in Chicago but my journey was just beginning. For starters I couldn't figure out how to get out of the station so I wandered around for a bit. It was lightly snowing when I finally made it outside. I knew my hotel was only a few blocks away, but it took me awhile to get my bearings. I eventually found it, was grateful for an early check in and a hot shower in a room 7 times the size I'd just spent the night in.

After warming and resting I was ready to go experience a Chicago Christmas. After all I got here a whole day early - I better not waste it! The Christkindlmarket and the Marshall Fields building were right across the street from my hotel.

Marshall Field & Company (Now Macy's) Building

Spectacular tree in Marshal Fields

Tiffany ceiling built in 1907.
Largest glass mosaic of its kind.

It took some searching, but I found the wreathed lions at the Art Institute of Chicago. Now I was hungry, exhausted, and cold. I bought some food, headed back to my room, and warmed up while watching Christmas movies.

But…there was still more to see! I calculated that the Lincoln Park zoo was only about an hour's walk away. I could walk there, see the Zoo Lights, then come back via Navy Pier and Magnificent Mile to see their lights. One thing I hadn't calculated: a snowstorm. It put down about 3 inches before I even reached the zoo and it kept coming. But if you know me at all you know there's no stopping me when I commit to a crazy idea. I made it to the zoo and really enjoyed the lights.

A storm is brewing.

The storm has arrived.

It made everything beautiful.

I was too late coming back to see the Christmas stuff at Navy Pier, but the lights on Magnificent Mile were gorgeous in the snow.

I needed a quick stop in CVS to thaw on
the way home. I'm covered in ice.

When I went to bed that night I knew our speaker had arrived but the rest of our staff was delayed because of the snowstorm. **TRAIN TIP #3: Snow doesn't stop trains the way it stops planes.**

When my colleagues found out I was taking a 17 hour train trip instead of a 2 hour flight they all thought I was crazy…and told me so. After my trip, many of them asked me about it and then confessed that they too would like to try a train trip one day. I think a lot of life is like that. People will tell you that you're crazy or you can't do something. But when you do, you'll find out you're not the only one who wanted to try. You're just the first one who tried. In the end I'd rather be seen as crazy or adventurous than boring. If a 17 hour overnight train trip and 3+ hour city hike in a snowstorm keeps me unboring then I guess I have some adventures to plan.

**TRAIN TIP #4: Do it.**

I flew home.