My first travel blogger conference – what I learned

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My blog hadn’t been launched long when I found out that a travel blogger conference was a thing. I’m not sure why I didn’t think of this being a thing. But that was a pretty exciting discovery. The one I found was TravelCon, they were advertising their second annual conference. It was $399 USD. Factor in the suckathon conversion rate to CAD and I had a dilemma. I’d just launched my blog, I wasn’t really sure where I was going with it. Would it just be a hobby? Was this something I wanted to do full time? That was quite a bit of money to invest in something I’d just started. Read more about my first month of blogging and what I learned during that time.

I spent the next couple of months going back and forth on whether I should do it or not. What sealed the deal was 2 things. 1) Tickets were refundable up until 90 days before the conference; 2) the keynote speakers already lined up were amazing. In the end point 2 made sure that point 1 was not an option. The fact that Cheryl Strayed (author of Wild) would be one of the keynote speakers was enough for me to want to go. TravelCon, just take my money!!

Where is TravelCon?

In 2019 TravelCon was held in Boston. In 2018 it was Austin. I had been to Boston before. The previous year in fact. My parents flew over from the UK, and I from Vancouver. Kind of a halfway point. I’d always wanted to go to Boston, and it didn’t disappoint. So the fact it was in a city I knew I liked, that also helped. Sure, it would have been good to experience a place I hadn’t been to before, but there would be enough new things during this conference so perhaps familiarity of some sort wouldn’t be the worst thing.

TravelCon Eve 2019

Fast forward 7 months and here I am, sitting in my hotel room at the Fairmont Copley Plaza in Boston on the eve of TravelCon. I have my attendee pass, my schedule, and a whole lot of anxiety mixed with excitement. I’m about to attend my first travel blogger conference.

I thought it would be a fun idea to start this post reflecting on my expectations, fears and general wonder-ments. Then I can move into how it actually went. So here goes…

Expectations of a travel blogger conference

I’ve never been to a conference before. Well, not unless you count my annual sales conference at work, which I don’t. Mostly because I know everyone there. Also because it’s all company information. There is a good deal of learning though, and that’s what I’m most excited about with TravelCon, my first travel blogger conference. I expect that I’m going to leave here knowing a heck of a lot more than when I came. If I can just take away a few tidbits of information that will help me in my day to day blogging life I will be happy.

I expect to meet a lot of people. There are 800 attendees so I’m armed with business cards and a welcoming smile. I assume there are a lot of people who have done this before, but also ones that are in the same boat as me. Bobbing along in the direction of success, like land in the faraway distance. Hopefully the people I meet, the learnings I take away, and my own determination will help me get to shore in the not too distant future. And lastly, I fully expect to leave this three day conference exhausted. Brain full to capacity and my little introverted self maxed out on social interactions. But I have so much excitement for all of it, even if I am taking myself so far out of my comfort zone.

Fears of attending TravelCon

My number one fear is that everyone is going to have better numbers than me, a better looking blog, and generally more idea what they are doing. I’m new to blogging and while I’m now at the point where family and friends are no longer my only readers, I still have a ways to go. It’s hard not to compare yourself to others. I guess I’m worried that I’m not meant to be at the conference, that I’ve bitten off way more than I should even attempt to chew at this point in my blogger life.

Ultimately I, like anyone, fear rejection. That I’m not good enough to be doing what I’m doing. A big part of this travel blogger conference is going to be learning, but there are also opportunities to network, to pitch to prospective collaborators. If I don’t think my numbers are good enough, how can other people? I guess we’ll see. I am quite introverted, so constantly meeting new people and talking about myself is not my natural happy place. If I’m at a house party with a bunch of people I’ve never met, I’m more likely to be hanging out with the family dog than putting myself out there. Sad but true. But I’ve also been aware for a while that I need to get better at this, which is why I’m excited to tackle my fear tomorrow.

Here goes nothing

I recently had something explained more clearly to me, something I now understand to be true of me: It’s not that introverts can’t talk to new people or try new things, putting themselves out there. It’s that it takes more energy. You’re constantly fighting against what you want to do, the easier thing. So yes, I am going to be mentally drained, but it’s not going to kill me.

Well that makes me feel better. Tomorrow my day will start at 9am with the welcome to the conference meeting. So I’m going to get a good night sleep and I’ll pick this up at the end of the week. Wish me luck!

TravelCon 2019 travel blogger conference

Day 1, I’m up at 6am. After staring at the ceiling until after midnight after a red-eye the night before I’m doing great! The conference starts at 9am and my hotel is literally across the street from the Westin Copley Place hotel where TravelCon is being held. Ironically I was still running late to the first session. Welcome to TravelCon 2019! The travel blogger conference of the year. Matt Kepnes (of Nomadic Matt), our fearless travel blogging leader, took to the stage to welcome everyone to Boston. The room was packed, 800 tickets sold, and despite at least two thirds of the room flying in from different time zones we were all wide awake. “Hands up who came to TravelCon last year?” asked Matt. I looked around at the hands going up, dozens of them. That’s got to be a good sign right? They’re coming back for year 2?!

Day 1

What do you do?

Clay Hebert kicked off the day with some much appreciated energy and enthusiasm. We’re all relaxing into the day thinking this was going to be so much fun. That is until he asked the question that would haunt us for the next couple of days. What do you do? When people ask you that, what do you say? Prior to TravelCon I likely would have said “I’m Emma, I’m a travel blogger, I write about…“. Nope, not gonna cut it any more!

This intro session was all about the best way to introduce yourself that makes it less about you and more what you do for others. Also to add a little mystery so that people will ask you more. This was an eye opening session, and such a great way to start. From now on I’m Emma and I help people get a little bit lost in some of the world’s best places.

This question was now a great ice breaker whenever we met new people.

Wild about social awkwardness

The most anticipated talk for me was the second session of the day. The first of the major keynote speakers was Cheryl Strayed. For those of you who haven’t heard of her, Cheryl wrote the autobiographical novel Wild about overcoming her demons hiking the PCT (Pacific Crest Trail) from Mexico to Canada. Inspiring honestly doesn’t even begin to cover it. She had us laughing and crying within minutes. Plus she’s pretty much BFFs with Reese Witherspoon who played her in the movie adaptation, so there’s that.

For anyone who has read the book, one of the biggest reasons for Cheryl losing herself was the death of her mother. She talked a lot about that, and the impact it had on her.

“She was extraordinary, even though she was utterly ordinary”

At her lowest point she credits a guidebook to the PCT as saving her life. That was the beginning of her hilariously ill prepared decision to hike it. She mused about how she brought so much that she couldn’t lift her pack. But at the same time knew she had to lift her pack to carry on.

“As hard as it got, I could always take another step”

This talk was the reason I bought the ticket, and I got my money’s worth right there. After the talk, Cheryl was signing books. I got in line and spent the whole time thinking…crap, she’s gonna ask me what I do! Thank you Clay for psyching me out. I tell you, by the time I got to the front of that line I knew exactly what I did. Too bad that’s not how the conversation went. I think there was a lot of wide eyed incoherent mumbling. And definitely a point where I forgot my name. Yep, that happened.

My photo basically sums up the awkward interaction one can have as they meet a hero of theirs. But I don’t care, because I got to meet Cheryl Strayed.

Day 1 break out sessions

Each day there were a number of simultaneous sessions going on. We pick whatever we were most interested in, or what was going to be the most use to us. Depending on your skill level, this could be anything from social media sessions, solo travel panels or time management advice. I decided to go with Affiliate marketing and Building an Instagram community.

The affiliate marketing session was one of the best of the three days for me. I learned so much from Youtuber Roberto Blake. He was a wealth of knowledge, and incredibly energetic. He answered so many questions we were in danger of missing lunch. But I was frantically writing it all down. Figuring out what I was going to change/add to my blog as soon as I left. He does what he loves and gets paid to do it. Isn’t that what we all want?

The Instagram session was a panel of influencers discussing the use of social media. What do their followers look for? How do they engage/grow/inspire their followers? While I took some things away from this, I have to admit it made me realize I’m not the kind of person who’s ever going to get to hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram. And I’m OK with that. I like taking photos, I’ll keep it up so I can link to my blog and express my creativity. But I’m probably not going to live and die by Instagram.

Lunch and Networking

There are adequate breaks throughout the day to mingle and meet people. But it was overwhelming at first with 800+ people milling around. One conference hall was set up as the Marketplace. All of the sponsors were in there with booths. You could take time during any breaks to visit them and chat. There were tourism boards, affiliate programs, and other brands you might want to work with. There was also a bookstore selling books written by the keynote speakers.

On day 1 there was a lunch buffet provided. A chance to meet people at the conference. With 800 people, it was more a “find somewhere to lean and eat” kind of deal, and I was already late to lunch after the Affiliate marketing session. Still, I grabbed some food, plucked up some courage and joined a table of seemingly non-threatening individuals. Yay me! I had a great chat with the people at my table. We swapped business cards and talked about our projects. It also gave me a safety net of a few people I knew throughout the conference. Awesome people with blogs just like mine, hoping to learn something more.

Remember to take a reusable water bottle with you on your travels, like this one from FastTech

Learning from the Lonely Planet

Tony Wheeler, founder of Lonely Planet, was our final speaker of the day. It felt more like an informal fireside chat, but he had some great stories and advice.

One of the best stories was how Lonely Planet started. Tony and his wife set off from England in the 1970s with a car they bought for $150 and drove into Europe. They visited so many places and planned to end in Turkey. Instead of heading back home though, they drove on into Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan. The latter was where they sold their car for a $5 profit. Heading over to Bali and SE Asia, then New Zealand, they basically hitched a ride to Australia on a boat looking for crew. When they ran out of money Tony sold his camera for $25 and used it to write and publish their first book.

“Do something you love. If you don’t make any money out of it, at least had a really good time.”

Tony had some great business advice for travel writers. Make sure you have an interest in what you do. Think about responsible tourism when traveling, and look at some of the lesser known places and activities just as much as the popular ones. I enjoyed his talk and definitely took away a few things.

Read this post with my top 25 reasons why travel is good for you

Happy Hour and party

After all the speakers of day 1 there was an hour to mingle with people around the Marketplace and beyond. It was a chance to chat with other bloggers, the speakers and sponsors.

We had a couple of drink tickets included, so the liquid courage helped too. There was a party each night in the evening after a bit of a break. All three nights the parties were held in nightclubs and had sponsors. Not my usual kind of thing, but a great chance to meet people and chat about the day. I’m told that they’ll be avoiding the nightclub scene next year though so I look forward to that.

Day 2

After a good night’s sleep I was ready to get back in there and learn some more. Feeling super energized after day 1 (awkward interactions not withstanding) it was time to dive right into the second day.

Day 2 break out sessions

As with the day before there were two lots of breakout sessions. The first one I had the choice of some more social media sessions (Facebook ads, Instagram storytelling, Youtube monetization), email marketing, brand creation etc. I went with learning from the tourism boards that were visiting on how to run successful DMO Campaigns.

As someone in the tourism industry this really appealed to me, but I was also interested in seeing what they look for. You can’t just go emailing people asking for free stuff and expect to get it. The tourism boards work closely with each other, sharing information and of course can be key in getting in with local partners.

“Do your homework on the place you pitch to”

Look at what others have done, what is missing from their campaigns, what you can offer that is different. I also liked that they really laid out that it does take hard work, and won’t happen overnight. In short, do a great job for them, and this can really help with your blog. They are looking for a long term relationship, not just one post once and you’re never heard from again.

The next session there were writing classes, niche travel panels, and what I chose to do: photo walk.

Photo walk around Boston

Before TravelCon there was a chance to sign up for activities. They were included in your ticket but limited in number of participants and therefore sold out pretty quickly. There were writing workshops and photo walks.

I managed to get signed up for a photo walk with Gary Arndt. It was a two hour walk around Boston to take photos. My main goal was to learn something more about photography than I already did. As goals go, it wasn’t outlandish. A few weeks before TravelCon, Gary emailed everyone to ask what kind of camera they used. Convinced I couldn’t write back with “Samsung Galaxy S9” I went out and bought a Nikon DSLR camera. Bit extreme I know, but I’ve been wanting to improve my photography skills for my blog so I’m really happy.

The walk itself was informative, although a little chaotic at times as we went to some busy places. The library, farmers market and Boston Common. With over a dozen people following Gary around it must have been difficult for him too. I picked up a good few things about what to look for when taking photos. I would have loved to be able to have a post walk critique of our photos as a group but time was limited. This walk was definitely worth it though and I’ll look forward to doing another.

Not giving a F*&$

The keynote speaker in the afternoon of Day 2 was Mark Manson, author of the book The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck. I had recently read the book and loved the humor and the explanations and realizations Mark came to. His talk was everything I hoped for. If you haven’t read his book, you should. His creation Disappointment Panda is the superhero we all want to be but don’t want to meet.

“Travel doesn’t make you an interesting person, it makes you a person who has done interesting stuff”

The biggest thing I took from this was how Mark explained that nobody really has an original idea any more. We’re all just repeating stuff we’ve heard before. The difference is in how we package it. Stories need to be unique to you, use your personality. That’s what can’t be replicated.

After the talk Mark was signing his books. I was having flashbacks to the Cheryl Strayed incident of the day before, but got in line anyway. I’d say this one went infinitely better and my photo with Mark even looked normal.

Sustainable Tourism

We ended the day’s sessions with a panel on Overtourism and sustainable travel. Bloggers, influencers and tourism boards talked about what they do, and other people do to limit their environmental impact when traveling.

What can you do better when traveling? This was the constant question. Environmentally sensitive areas still rely on tourism, so we have to be better at the way we travel. Something that was said here that Tony Wheeler also said the day before really hit home. Even if you’re in a busy tourist area, just walk a few blocks in any direction. Get away from the crowd, and you’ll discover new places. Highlight some of those in your writing.

Foodie blogger meet up

At the end of day 2 of the travel blogger conference was the niche meetups. What’s my niche? Honestly I wish I knew. I blog about a lot of travel related things, mostly things people with a 9-5 can do on their limited vacation time. I have started reviewing a lot of food tours though, food activities, and blogging about places I eat on my travels. Who doesn’t love food right? So I decided to go to the foodie blogger meet up.

I’ll be honest, it’s also because this group know the best places to meet. We went to Stoddard’s Fine Food and Ale. I got to meet a bunch of other bloggers, some with food as a focus, others who just like and appreciate good food on their travels. It was great to connect with a group of people in a more comfortable setting. With a drink in hand, we were able to chat and swap stories. Some were new bloggers, others who were now doing this as a career. The meetups were definitely worth it.

Day 3

Just like that we’re on the final day. So much left to learn but already running out of time. I was tired but still excited to hear more from today’s speakers.

Million dollar blog – the goal!

The opening keynote speaker was the aptly named Kiersten Rich. The Blonde Abroad started her blog way back when and has now grown it into a successful brand. She was open and honest about what she’s learned along the way, even breaking down her finances for everyone to see. If there’s anyone to learn from at a travel blogger conference, it might just be her.

“You don’t have to be the best at everything to be successful. Be strategic with your time.”

Kiersten talked about the risks she’s taken, and how it doesn’t always work. Know when to drop something if it’s not worth your time. She didn’t sugarcoat that starting a blog and your own brand is hard work. You”ll face rejection and have to change what you do often. While I know not everyone will get to this level, it’s great to see someone who did. To learn from one of the best.

Day 3 breakout sessions

Today I went with SEO for Travel Blogs, Ambassador Programs with Brands and Photo Editing after a last minute schedule cancellation forced me to think on my feet.

SEO eludes me. Most of the time I have no idea what I’m doing, how to know when I’m on the right track, and why SEO is even important. Kaitlin McMichael really helped me figure out a lot more about SEO. How to modify photos, check for keywords, and the use of backlinks. We went over Google Analytics in depth and what plugins work better for SEO. She also talked about the titles of posts to stand out. Overall really helpful info for me.

The Brand Ambassador talk with Kristen Luna was to me a bit of an extension on the DMO Campaigns talk from the day before. It worked well with where I see myself going in the future. She kept things real and advised the best way to be considered for rehire with a brand.

“You’re a travel blogger, not Beyoncé “

Kristen Luna – Camels and Chocolate

Kristen shared insider tips on respecting the brand you are working with. She showed how to use affiliate links when working with a brand, promotion of a post and giving feedback.

My last session was a photo editing class with Edin Chavez. Considering I had to think fast when my planned session was cancelled I couldn’t be happier than to have stumbled across this one. It followed on from my photo walk and I’m already using Edin’s Lightroom advice for my photos. He was funny and engaging, and really helped me learn a lot about photography. Plus the guy takes some wicked photos!

Stories from Morocco

It was the end of a long three days. Tahir Shah had perhaps the most difficult job. The final session. He was the last keynote and all that was standing between us and finding out where next year’s TravelCon would be. Yet he managed to not only keep our attention, but make time stand still as he layered story on top of story. He was hilarious and told some fantastic tales. His family believed in storytelling more than anything, and he recounted tales of his childhood, of famous writers at his home and how the tiniest details are the key to a good story.

“I think the greatest joy in life is to find your groove”

I was in tears laughing at his story of telling his wife they should move to Morocco, as she heard Monaco and didn’t seem to let him forget it. Stories of haunted mansions, genies, exorcisms and how to get a good deal in Morocco. He also told of his harrowing stay at a Pakistani torture prison after being arrested with a film crew while visiting the country. Inspiring that he can talk about that and that he used storytelling to get him through it.

The whole room gave the biggest round of applause to Tahir, and it was the perfect end to the three day conference.

And that was my first travel blogger conference

TravelCon was a whirlwind for me. So much information and so many people to meet. My expectations of TravelCon were surpassed, my fears dissolved (mostly) once I got there. Of course there were still times when I had to remind myself not to compare my blog to others. I pushed myself to try new things, meet new people, and embrace the possibilities. Overall I am incredibly proud of myself. I was a nervous wreck going in, but I made it. Did I find the conference worth it? You bet I did.

The final act of the three days was the announcement of next year’s conference location. So am I going to the next TravelCon? You bet I am. Just take my money TravelCon! I bought my ticket for the next one within 2 days of the conference ending and I’m already so excited about attending. If you want to take on your first travel blogger conference, I hope to see you there.

If you’ve enjoyed this post please leave a comment or share using the social media buttons below. Did you attend TravelCon or similar travel blogger conference? Would you attend in the future?