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I’ve never been to a travel blogging conference before. I actually don’t even know anything about travel blogging, I just write posts when Amy tells me to and she does all the work. But I know a lot of you travel bloggers out there are attending TBEX travel blogging conference this week. The conference sounds pretty lame, like any conference, but I hear once you get a bunch of travel bloggers together it’s just one big party and I can be down with that.
So, if you must go to a travel blogging conference and sit through hours and hours of sessions on SEO practices for Dummies or how to use social media to get free shit, here are five tips for how to survive TBEX:
1. Beer.
Lots of beer. As much beer as stolen drink tickets at a Travel Massive party will get you for free. Maybe some local brew. Maybe something fancy and imported. Whatever kind of beer it is drink a lot of it. You’ll need a buzz to deal with the number of times someone walks away in the middle of a conversation as soon as they realize you have less uniques than they do.
2. Wine.
Maybe beer’s not your thing? Or maybe you want to try to appear like you’re some luxury travel blogging expert. Solid plan. Drink wine. It will make you look more classy and score you a better press trip to Malta. Or Nebraska. Take what you can get.
3. Whiskey.
Or any hard alcohol. You’re going to need it to mend your broken heart when that eager young blogger you’ve been eying all night responds, “I’ve never heard of your blog,” or when the Expedia rep stares at you blankly after pitching your next big thing guide to traveling around the world blindfolded to really experience a location with your other senses. Maybe Housetrip is up for it? Whiskey.
4. Cocktails.
Whether it’s a cuba libre or a sex on the beach, cocktails will get you through a travel blogging conference. Get a few cocktails in you and stand in the suck-up swarm forming around Lonely Planet. Bring an extra, the buzz will wear off before you actually make it close enough to talk to them. And definitely make sure you get all your travel blog groupies as many cocktails as they want before offering to show them what a comped apartment rental bedroom looks like.
5. Shots.
Because at the end of the night, shots get you drunk fast. Take a shot and celebrate a successful round of speed networking. Take a shot for a quick boost of courage to ask G Adventures to send you around the world for free. For their benefit, obviously. Take a shot and fuck that travel blogger who has a better PageRank than you. Take a shot and pass out in the middle of the keynote. Just kidding, you won’t be awake in time for the keynote.
Are you attending #TBEX blogging conference? Which techniques will you use to survive?
Photos: sumnersgraphicsinc/iStock (beer), gresei/Shutterstock (wine), Zerbor/Shutterstock (whiskey), QUAYSIDE/iStock (cocktail), Maxsol/Shutterstock (shots)
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