Recently, I wrote about catching up with Andrew McCarthy at The Travel & Adventure Show. McCarthy was definitely the highlight for me, but there were plenty of other things to capture my attention.

In its 20th year, The Travel & Adventure Show seemed to draw the biggest crowd I have seen there. Chicago was its third show this year, after Atlanta and New York. Six more are already scheduled, starting with Phoenix.

In addition to McCarthy, other speakers included CBS travel news editor Peter Greenberg and travel guidebook legend Pauline Frommer. Three theaters held sessions covering fascinating topics. A few of my favorites were Experience Italy’s Heart and Soul, Travel Tips & Frequent Flyer Hacks, Planning the Perfect Road Trip from Chicago, and Canada Is Calling!

There were hundreds of exhibitors. There were convention and visitors bureaus, travel consultants, adventure companies, authors and more. There was also a handful of food vendors. I enjoyed several samples of everything from chocolate to smoked turkey sausage. The Global Beats stage provided lively background music. A Segway riding area was a popular attraction, but I passed, having already experienced one in Washington, D.C.

My only disappointment was not seeing Newton, my camel friend from previous years. Instead, there was some sort of blowup climbing exhibit.

I picked up a lot of brochures for potential trips, talked to several experts and authors about future Talking Travel interviews and learned a lot about travel. Looking back, it’s hard to believe how much I did in just two days.

— John Wroblewski, online writer