Chubby Diaries presents: Top takeaways from TravelCon 2018!

Jeff Jenkins
Jeff Jenkins

Did you know that there was a conference specifically for travel bloggers and influencers?

Well I was unaware – until a couple of months ago. However, when I found out that it was 349 bucks, I told myself that this one wasn’t in the budget. Some of you know, I have been working at this entrepreneurial stuff for over a year now, I’ve started a nonprofit building water wells in Rwanda and now I’m starting my very own internet media company ChubbyDiaries.com. So back to the money… $349 is a lot of money, so I wrote it off when I first heard of this event.

A couple of weeks ago my mentor mentioned how his money was tight and that fear told him it would not be worth it to go to a conference in Orlando. Nevertheless, he decided to go anyway (and he actually ended up speaking at that very conference). His approach to fear motivated me to push through the financial fear and go book my ticket for TravelCon. *Eye roll insert* Unfortunately, the conference that I just grudgingly committed to – was sold out! I was like “What the Heck?” When I say this thing was sold out – I mean all additional tickets were gone and you couldn’t get a ticket anywhere!

Luckily, this year’s TravelCon was going to be hosted in my city – Austin,Texas. While it looked like there was no way in, I decided I would just show up and hope that someone would let me in. My backup plan was to purchase online access, find a nearby spot to watch the courses, and hustle to network when sessions ended. I was determined, but showed up to the JW Marriott quite nervous. As I entered the building, I even looked around to see how I was going to sneak in if push came to shove lol jk. I went to the registration table and literally just asked and I got a badge!! (Thanks friends)

With all that said, TravelCon 2018 was literally the best conference I’ve ever attended! Cheers to facing any fear! I love conferences that are truly all about learning and networking. So here are my takeaways from TravelCon:

  1. The traveling influence and blogging business is growing!
  2. Companies are now in a space of actively learning how traveler bloggers can benefit their company.
  3. There are lots of people in the world that like to travel as much as, or even more than I do!
  4. Building community in whatever you are passionate about is key!
  5. Step out on your dreams
  6. Travel Influencers and Bloggers are go-getters!
  7. Travel Influencers and Bloggers are facing their fears!
  8. There needs to be more diversity in this travel space. Companies kept telling me this while I was there.
  9. Chubby Diaries is creating its own table for plus size traveling!
  10. Finally, TRAVELCON 2019 is a must!!!

I can’t stress this last takeaway enough. Please take advantage of TravelCon next year in Boston! For more check out my Instagram @chubbydiaries.com and our website at ChubbyDiaries.com.

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