Today I went down to the beautiful Darling Harbour to check out the Travel mania that has swept through Sydney this weekend. My focus was on the Adventure Travel & Backpacker Expo but it was easy to get distracted with Mind Body and Spirit as well as two other festivals going on around there.
My greatest surprise of the day was to get into the Expo at around 3pm (closes at 4pm) and see that it was already time to start celebrating the success of the day. However, my sources inform me that the whole expo is like one big backpacker travel party. Good people, travel on the brain, beers and other beverages flowing and generally a great vibe throughout the whole place.
The expo is run by http://www.myadventureexpo.com/and sponsored by Myexpotravel (http://www.myexpotravel.com/) aswell as TNT Magazine and YHA Australia. The goal of the event is for people interested in travelling in Australia and Around the World, who have a focus on Adventure and Backpacker style travel to connect and learn more about what’s on offer. And man was there a lot on show!
From overseas work to Incredible India, Bungee Jumping in New Zealand and Volunteering in schools in Africa. You had the latest in backpacker accessories, the best in accommodation and backpacking locations around Australia as well as the cream of the crop for Travel agents and guides. Throw in some competitions, live music, 1000’s of brochures, lollies and FREE giveaways and you’ve got the traveller’s dream day.
My favourite stand was definitely the crew from Cairns! They set up a bar and the tunes were pumping out all day. Win friends and influence people with FREE Beer, these guys are on to a good thing. I was also very impressed with an up and coming group, DragonBus. www.dragonbuschina.com was launched last night and they will be offering a hop on/ hop off bus service in China. You also can’t miss the fun teams at TNT Magazine and TravelManagers for their down to earth vibe and great advice (Contact NickBowditch for all the best deals!)
I really took away from this Expo just how little I know about Australian Travel and the many wonderful places that this great country has to offer. I have been to some of the “must see” destinations in the world- Eiffel Tower in Paris, Taj Mahal in India, Pyramids of Mexico and Oktoberfest of Munich. Sadly though, I have not seen Australia’s Great Barrier Reef or Ayers Rock. I haven’t even been to some of our major cities like Hobart, Adelaide or Darwin. It was definitely a bit of home truth for me and Australia is now at the top of my travel list!
The event is on again tomorrow, 8 November 2009 at the Exhibition & Convention Centre (Darling Harbour). Grab a few mates, cool down with a beer and you can start planning your next big adventure!
For FREE ENTRY visit: http://mytraveladventure.com.au/free-sydney-expo-ticket/
Lovelly Travels 
I’m really glad I just stumbled upon your blog article. I found out about the show about two weeks ago and was considering exhibiting there… however, I didn’t know much about the show and being from miami it would have been a hectic endeavor to fly and set up last minute. But it’s good to see that you give it a good review and that the show itself keeps to backpacker attitude and lifestyle. I’ll definitely be there next year. Cheers!
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Thanks for your comment.
It was definitely a good event to attend and really great for making connections within the Travel Industry.
Follow me on Twitter if you like as we are all starting to connect on there.
I loved Miami (only had 4 days) and hope to get back there. The everglades and Key west so close by were also a great experience.
Let us know when you come into Sydney so we can show you some of the great sites we have to offer!
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The website address for Dragon Bus is actually http://www.dragonbuschina.com
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Thanks for that Paul
Now corrected:
http://www.dragonbuschina.com
Good luck and hope to speak to you again soon.
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Lovellyinc
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Nice blog. thank you very much for sharing
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nice blog 🙂
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