Good evening everyone, I just wanted to share some of my thoughts from yesterday regarding my first Bay Area meetup in Fremont and my short trip to the Bay Area Travel & Adventure Show.  On Saturday afternoon, as I drove down to Fremont, it started pouring really hard.  I didn’t know if I was going to make it to In-N-Out in time for the 12pm meetup or if anyone would show up.  Luckily, by the time I made it to Fremont, the rain had stopped and the weather began to improve.  As I waited outside on the tables, I was curious to see if anyone would show up.  (Photo taken at 11:55am)

Shortly after noon, people started to show up and we began discussing Redbird.  Do you have a Redbird?  Where did you get your Redbird?  Can you load AMEX Gift Cards with Redbird?  After a while, our small group of dedicated miles and points collectors numbered 16 or 17, I lost count after a while.  Since it was lunch time, we ordered our Double Doubles and Animal Fries and sat down at the tables.  It was great meeting many long time readers and supporters (thank you for your Amazon orders!).

Most readers think bloggers know everything, every little detail, every secret trick, but that is not true.  At this meetup, I probably learned as much from others as they learned from me.  Everyone knows something, so talking to everyone is crucial.  It is also great to know where people live/work, what stores they “shop” at, and what malls they visit.  Manufactured spending is often a solo activity, so meeting someone at a meetup could be a great way to share ideas and make MSing more social.

Many people said they were glad that I organized a meetup.  If you are an average person (non-travel blogger), it can be extremely difficult to organize meetups and arrange a time/place to meet.  That is what I love most about hosting meetups.  It brings like-minded people together who may never have met otherwise.

Lastly, I plan on organizing another meetup in San Francisco on Saturday, February 21.  If you are available, I would really recommend joining me and my fellow miles and points collectors.  The time and place are TBD, but I am open to suggestions.  This is what I am looking for:

• Easy public transportation options by BART or Uber.
• Usually Saturday afternoon is the best time to meet, so a great lunch is required.
• A medium/large seating area where we can all sit near each other and chat.
• “Fast casual” restaurant with great service and each person can purchase and pay for their own meal.
• If you have any recommendations, please let me know in the comments section.

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On another note, a friend of mine invited me to attend the Bay Area Travel & Adventure Show at the Santa Clara Convention Center on Saturday afternoon.  I didn’t realize that Levi’s Stadium (home to the Santa Clara San Francisco 49ers) was right across the street from the convention center.  The stadium looks very nice and has a big parking structure across the street.

Ticket prices for the travel show were $16 at the door, but I used a discount code online, bringing the price down to $9.  Inside the convention center, I would say that 85% of the booths were manned by foreign airlines and tour operators.  You could walk the aisles and learn about luxurious tours of China, bus tours around South America, or group tours throughout Europe.  The other 15% of the booths were manned by companies that provide tourist accessories and clothing (pick-pocket-free pants and translation guides).

None of the booths excited me.  I already know I want to visit and walk on the Great Wall of China.  I already know I want to take a river cruise down the Amazon River.  And I already know I want to snorkel in Bora Bora / Tahiti / Seychelles / Maldives (thank you other travel bloggers!).  The booths are really there to promote their own tours and convince you that their tour is better than their competitors’ tours (better diving equipment, better lodging options, on-board chef, etc.).  The thing that bothers me about these travel conventions is that it makes people want to travel more, but doesn’t show them how to save money on their trip.  The crowd was mostly older people, some probably retired, not many twenty-something-year-olds in attendance :(

The thing that I really did enjoy about the travel show were the presentations, especially the presentation about Australia.  I already knew I wanted to go to Australia, but after listening to his presentation, there is way more to do in Australia than visit the Park Hyatt in Sydney or taking a cruise to the Great Barrier Reef.  My eyes were opened as he highlighted several adventurous and scenic activities in all 6 territories.  I wish I would have taken more photos from his presentation, but this slide has a summary of most of the places to go and things to do while in Australia.  Since Australia is almost the same size as the United States, you could easily spend a few weeks or more traveling around the country and exploring all the wonders Australia has to offer.  And like he said, “Australia isn’t getting any closer, it is still a 14+ hour trip, I don’t know what you guys are waiting for!”

Last but not least, Rick Steve was presenting to a packed house about Europe through the Back Door.  He has spent more time in Europe than I have spent living in California.  My family is a big fan of his travel guidebooks and I occasionally watch his television show on PBS.  I only caught the last few minutes of his presentation, but he definitely has a passion for travel.

So would I recommend going to a Travel & Adventure Show?  That depends, if you have the money to afford a luxurious, guided tour, then you will definitely be able to find a tour that interests you, whether that is about culture, the outdoors, or just relaxing.  If you are more proactive and have the miles/points/time to travel, just do it on your own.  You won’t learn anything new, other than how much money you are saving by planning your own vacation.  If you have any questions, please leave a comment below.  Have a great evening everyone!