Whatever journey you’re after or questions you have about how to travel better—be it in the outer boroughs or far beyond—you’re sure to find answers and inspiration at the New York Travel Festival, which returns for its third year on April 18-19.
With its engaging topics and stellar lineup of tech-savvy travelers and industry experts, NYTF will prepare you for that great adventure you may not have even known you wanted to take. Among the many reasons to attend the New York Travel Festival, here are eight seminars we’re looking forward to this weekend. Don’t forget to use code OMIND for $25 off Industry tickets or code OM15 for $5 off Traveler tickets!
What: Best Places to Adventure in NYC Presented by OutdoorFest
When: Sunday, April 19, 11am-12pm
Who: Sarah L. Knapp/bouldering, Rob Riccardo/trail running, Julietta Gismondi/kayaking, Tyler Breuer/surfing.
What: Travel 2.0 @ #NYTF “The Future Is Coming!”
When: Saturday, April 18, 10-5pm
Who: Keynote by Google Travel: Getting to the Future First: How businesses succeed in the accelerated world, startup presentations by Threestay, Fantrotter GeoSure, Poshpacker Travel Monkey, more.
What: Affordable Luxury
When: Sunday, April 19, 12pm-1pm
Who: Budget Travel’s Digital Editor Kaeli Conforti, EuroCheapo’s Co-Owner Tom Meyers, ShermansTravel’s Associate Editor Christine Wei. Moderated by blogger Ko Im.
What: What Lies Beneath: the Deeper Meaning Behind Your Writing and How to Find Meaning in Your Travel Stories
When: Saturday, April 18, 3pm-3:50pm
Who: Author and travel writer David Farley of the New York Times, Bon Appetit, AFAR, Condé Nast Traveler
What: Show Me the Way to the Next Whiskey Distiller: The Craft Distilling Boom and Distilleries as a Destination
When: Saturday, April 18 at 4pm-4:50pm
Who: Urban Oyster’s Founder David Naczycz, Empire State Development’s Sam Filler, The Noble Experiment’s Owner Bridget Firtle, Van Brunt Stillhouse’s Owner Daric Schlesselman
What: The Ethics of Travel: Should You Stay or Should You Go
When: Saturday, April 18, 12pm-12:50pm
Who: Wall Street Journal Travel Editor Sarah Clemence, Costa Rica Tourism Board’s Marketing Director Alejandro Castro Alfaro, Tartan Founder Deirdre Campbell, Emmy award-winning journalist Sandra Guzman, Anthropologist Pegi Vail.
What: Tales of the Well-Travelled
When: Saturday, April 18, 11am-11:50am
Who: Lee Abbamonte, the youngest American to have visited every country in the world, Gary Arndt, Everything Everywhere blogger and co-host of This Week in Travel, globetrotter Beth Belkonen, award-winning journalist Sheri Rothman.
What: Smartwatches, the Sharing Economy and Selfie Sticks: Travel Trends in 2015 and Beyond
When: Saturday, April 18, 11am-11:50am
Who: Mashable’s Travel Editor Jessica Plautz, Sense of Place President and VisitNewEngland.com developer Jim Brody, marketing/communications whiz Alex Herrmann, CIRE Travel’s Owner Eric Hrubant, and Urban Adventures Digital Marketing Manager Lindsay Young.
NYTF will take place at W83 on Saturday and Hostelling International on Sunday. For more info, visit nytravfest.com.
The co-founder and editor-at-large at offMetro, Lauren is a sustainable travel specialist and freelance journalist with frequent bylines in National Geographic, Bicycling Magazine and Shape. Follow Lauren’s adventures at @laurenmati.
Sarah Knapp is a Brooklyn based entrepreneur whose love for the outdoors and community building led her to the October 2013 creation of OutdoorFest. She has a BA in History, is a Wilderness First Responder and a NY state hiking, camp and boating guide. Her proudest achievement to date is reading the Aeneid in Latin. 
Allison was one of our first top writers and Chief Editor but is no longer working with offMetro. Allison is a native New Yorker, who has lived in Rome, Tuscany, Melbourne, Toronto and Los Angeles. She frequently contributed travel pieces to Family Travel Forum, using her own children as guinea pigs as they travel the globe. She never missed a chance to sample local delicacies, as her love for travel goes hand-in-hand with her love for food and wine. 
Josh Laskin is a freelance travel writer and photographer based in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. When he is not at work or on the road, you can find him in the mountains snowboarding, climbing, hiking, fly fishing, mountain biking, and eating bagel bites.
Annie is a travel writer, environmentalist, and surfer based in Venice, CA. She heads up our West Coast team, keeps our grammatical errors in check, and makes sure our California writers always have a plan for their next adventure. Follow Annie’s travels @annelisemcb.
Carly Pifer is a freelance writer who has been known to follow whims inspired by romantic movie scenes or colorful street style shots to India, Japan, Tunisia and Argentina. After stints living in Seoul, Boston, Paris and Los Angeles, writing and searching for something intangible, she landed somewhat steadily in Brooklyn and has begun to find inspiration in her more immediate surroundings. 
Kate E. O’Hara is a New York based freelance writer and photographer who loves all things food—especially the people who make it and market it. Her writing aims to capture the essence of the food experience; the stories that go well beyond a plate of ingredients. In addition to her love of food, Kate is also known to have a hankering for red wine and craft beer. You can also find Kate on Instagram