Jaunted

One tour company, G.A.P. Adventures, was at the Travel Show promising self discovery on their eco-travel adventures. Their tours deliver the best in nature while leaving behind a small carbon footprint. They also tout the motto “travel solo but never alone”, gearing their tours to individuals who can share a room (and expenses) with someone else of the same sex. Their tours visit exotic locations around the world and are not for the spa set. Most are rustic treks like tours of pre-Inca cemeteries in Peru or camping under the stars in Africa.

Another company offering an opportunity to not just take a vacation but make an impact was Go Philanthropic. Go philanthropic helps you give back from the moment you step on the plane by buying carbon credits to offset the emissions from your flights. They also donate 10% of their profits to making a difference in education, employment and empowerment. Their tours to Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Ecuador and Panama include R &R on exotic beaches, tours of landmarks and temples but they also bring you to local charities, orphanages and organizations dedicated to educating children where you can make donations and learn about the problems effecting each region.

In addition to the more eclectic locales, there were dozens of less expensive locations on hand like The Hudson Valley, Lake George, NY, Maine and New Jersey. It goes to show that cost-conscious travel is one of the biggest trends of the year and extravagant vacations that max-out credit cards are probably a thing of the past. All of these destinations boasted their cheap prices and close vicinity to the city, a good combination in an uneasy economic climate.

Related Stories:
· NYT Travel Show [Official Site]
· New York Times Travel Show This Weekend [About.com]

[Photo: NYT Travel Show]