Alright I’ve had some time to marinate on the wild, inspiring, jam-packed three days that was TravelCon in Boston, and I’m finally sitting down at the computer to share a little bit about my personal experience. First, let me just say: wow. I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from this. This was my first conference, first travel conference, first big investment in myself and my career, and first time to take a trip one-hundred percent solo (not even meeting up with someone I know). I hoped I would have a good time; I hoped I would learn something useful; I hoped I’d meet a few cool people. Instead, this is what happened:
I had a freaking blast.
When I bought my ticket to TravelCon, I decided at the very least it’d be fun to go to Boston and spend a few days at a fancy hotel meeting world travelers.
I arrived in Boston the evening before the conference started and spent the next few days mesmerized by the beauty of the historic city and star-struck by writers and travelers I admire.
When I got to the hotel, I saw the duo behind HoneyTrek (the blog that inspired me to start my own, and sparked the idea to attend this travel conference) and immediately texted Jackson.
I totally just saw HoneyTrek, I wrote.
Did you say hello? he asked.
No, they were organizing a group, didn’t want to interrupt, I responded.
The next day I would approach my blogger crush and, I kid you not, my knees were buckling. When Mike asked my name and then said, “Oh yeah! I know you!” I must’ve beamed.
I had to fight back tears when talking to Cheryl Strayed. I thought about how I’d felt when reading Wild; connected to someone I didn’t imagine I would ever meet. There was quite a line (obviously), and Matt (of Nomadic Matt and also TravelCon’s creator) was trying to keep people moving so he’d said one quick question and one quick picture. “I don’t have a question,” I told Cheryl. “I just want to say thank you. Thank you for sharing your story.”
I ran into Mark Manson in the elevator. International bestselling author Benny Lewis spilt my wine all over me (so I told him he owed me an interview). And by the end of the conference, I was on the dance floor next to Anne of HoneyTrek.
I learned SO MUCH.
To be honest my head is still spinning from information overload. I wanted to learn from the pros: how to tell good stories, how to travel more, how to build something that matters. I’m not blogging to make money, but writing is my chosen career path and travel is my passion. TravelCon put me in the classroom with teachers who inspired me to work hard AND smart.
Sometimes, in the middle of a session, I would think, Geez I need a whole chunk of time just to process that one statement! I need to put that into action before I do anything else!
Many sessions went on simultaneously, so there were some I missed. The good news is I can rewatch the ones I felt like I needed more time to absorb and see the ones I missed via the virtual pass. So, so much learning still to go!
I found my people.
I don’t think I can put into words what this group of people means to me, but I’m sure gonna try.
One of the things I love about travel is that it challenges our perspective of the world. It opens our hearts to other people, cultures, and schools of thoughts. Travel reveals to us just a glimpse of how much bigger the world is outside of us, our needs, and our opinions. It humbles us, teaches us, and encourages us to question what we thought we knew. Experiencing the world inspires us to be better citizens of it, and it reminds us that we are all community members here.
At TravelCon, I walked into rooms full of people who just get it. We have all been impacted by the wonder that is travel in similar ways. I was surrounded by adventurers, explorers and creators who want to share what they’ve learned and experienced with others. In sharing their stories, these travelers hope to inspire others. Everyone I talked to was on a mission: learn, grow, and make the world a better place.
I left the beautiful city of Boston stoked to get to work, but also remembering why I started this blog to begin with: I want to encourage people to become comfortable with being uncomfortable. Life is hard, the world is big, and pursuing our dreams is scary. That place in-between what we’ve always known and where we want to be is uncomfortable. But that’s okay.
Thank you, TravelCon, for bringing together a group of people who who understand it’s okay to be in-between.
