Traveling in an Era of Uncertainty; Why You Should Go

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Irish dancers perform at Bay Area Travel & Adventure Show. Photo © Nancy D. Brown

I don’t like to discuss politics and travel if it results in heated debate, but sometimes you have to put your feet to the flames. I don’t support President Donald Trump’s travel ban, but I do believe that everyone should have a right to travel unless they are a terrorist, convicted criminal or they are sick and could contaminate others. I say that as a Caucasian woman, living in the San Francisco Bay Area, in possession of a valid United States passport. If I were a person of a different nationality in possession of a green card, I would have a very different look at travel in this era of uncertainty. I was recently at the Bay Area Travel & Adventure Show and, as usual, I came away inspired with travel destination ideas. Below are some of the reasons why you should go travel.

“We are the unpredictable country to travelers,” said CBS News Travel Editor Peter Greenberg at the Bay Area Travel & Adventure Show.

“We are the unpredictable country to travelers,” said CBS News Travel Editor Peter Greenberg at a recent appearance in Santa Clara, California at the annual Travel & Adventure Show. But we should still travel, as there is so much to see in this world. In fact, travel opens up dialog between people in different parts of the world. I wish everyone had the opportunity to travel within the United States and internationally.

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Nancy Brown transports herself to Taiwan and the Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival

I have yet to visit so many parts of the globe, but with the help of a green screen I was able to transport myself to the Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival in Taiwan and reel in a massive rainbow trout from Mammoth Lakes, California. I watched Chhavi Singal dance to Morey Piya, a song about two lovers torn apart from India and I was magically transported to Ireland with the help of some young Irish dancers in California. I did this all in a day spent at the Travel & Adventure Show in Santa Clara, California.

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Representing Fiji, musicians from Suva Conservatory of Music. Photo © Nancy D. Brown

With booths representing California, Asia and the South Pacific, the Caribbean, Mexico, Latin America and Europe, among other places, travelers were offered many trip ideas. In addition, there were stages strategically placed throughout the convention center featuring Global Beats to a Taste of Travel cooking stage and well-known travel speakers like TV Personality Rick Steves, Patricia Schultz, Author, 1,000 Places to See Before You Die, Phil Keoghan of The Amazing Race and Peter Greenberg.

When I walked onto the trade show floor, the first music I heard was from three musicians from Fiji’s Suva Conservatory of Music, along with Master Lai. This was the trio’s first time to visit the United States. I hope they meet friendly and helpful people while they visit California. As a fourth generation Northern California girl, I feel a responsibility to represent the Golden State as a travel ambassador of sorts. I want everyone to enjoy California and our many beautiful destinations as much as I do.

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Fishing at Mammoth Lakes, California

Some of the places that I hope to visit this year are Greenhorn Creek Guest Ranch in Eastern Plumas, California, Stillpoint Lodge in Alaska or Queen Charlotte Safaris Lodge in British Columbia, Canada. I’d like to circle back to pet-friendly Mendocino County or take a bike ride and hot air balloon ride in Sonoma County. I had never considered visiting India, but after watching Chhavi Singal dance, I was intrigued with the culture. Of course, I wouldn’t mind switching my phone off to start roaming in FIji either!

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Chhavi Singal takes us to India on the Global Beats stage. Photo © Nancy D. Brown

I’ve always wanted to visit Africa and experience a safari and I was very pleased to see the SATA Azores Airline booth as I love traveling to Portugal and the Azores. But what I’m truly looking forward to in the immediate future is my trip to Ireland to meet the people and stay in castles and manor houses with Ireland’s Blue Book. That’s why I went a little overboard on the Irish girls dancing photos. They are just too cute!

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Irish eyes are smiling because the girls are dancing. Photo © Nancy D. Brown

Insider Tip:

Don’t let this era of uncertainty limit your travel plans. Thanks to discount carriers like Norwegian Air and WOW airlines, the major carriers such as United, Delta and American Airlines are starting to price match airfare to Europe and beyond. Apply for a passport if you don’t have one and be sure to keep on top of your passport’s expiration date so you don’t get caught with an expired passport – you need to renew your passport six months before it expires.

If You Go:

Travel & Adventure Show coming to a location near you.

Traveling in an era of uncertainty written by Nancy D. Brown. Photos and YouTube video courtesy Travel Writer Nancy D. Brown.