Month: February 2020

Reader Survey Results: What We’re Changing This Year!

a laptop notebook and smartphone At the end of 2019, the team and I ran a reader survey. We wanted to see what you liked, didn’t like, and wanted from us in the future. There were some interesting and helpful suggestions in there. I read through over a thousand responses, as I wanted to see what you wanted from us. You can’t get better without feedback, and we always want to make sure we’re serving your needs. So, as we make our way through this year, I wanted to share with you some changes you can expect to see on the website: First, we’re continuing to bring on new voices to write for us. You might have noticed that we’re having more guest posts to more destinations! We’re currently looking for articles about:
  • LGBT content: stories by transgender people, queer couples, and solo gay, lesbian, or bi travelers
  • Africa-related content (bonus points if it’s East or Central Africa)
  • Middle East–related content
  • Central Asia–related content
  • India-related content
  • China-related content
  • Technology- or gear-related content
  • Senior/Older travel
  • Family travel
If you want to write for us, check out our guidelines page. Second, I plan to write more travel stories this year. We do a lot of brass-tacks, hard-numbers stuff here. The nuts and bolts of travel. Practical information. But last year, writing my book inspired me to get into more storytelling. So this year, as I make my way around the world, I’m making an effort to create more stories about the places I visit — their history, people, and culture. So you’ll see such content popping up with more frequency. And you’ll see more history and culture in our how-to posts too. I want to start painting a more holistic view of each destination we write about. Third, we’re going to be hosting a lot more events this year. We’ve started The Nomadic Network so we can do more in-person events this year. We really want to take this online community offline, so we’re building a great website for that and hosting lots of events. For more information and ways you can get involved, check this post out. Fourth, a lot of you suggested topics you wanted to see, so we’re busy making that happen! Some of the topics you’ll start to see more of over the course of the year are:
  • Eco-travel
  • Traveling with pets
  • Family/kid-friendly travel
  • Traveling when you’re older
  • How to make friends when you travel
  • How to make the most of your time
  • How to save more money BEFORE you go
  • Off-beat destinations
  • “Thematic” ways to see a city
  • Reader stories
  • Ways to volunteer
  • Itinerary posts
  • And a bunch more!
Obviously, I can’t write all the time (or expertly on all these topics), which is why we’re going to be bringing in a few more regular contributors and writers now. So not only will you be seeing more content, you’ll be seeing a lot more diverse voices on the website too. And, as a sidebar to that: since we have so much content now, we’re going to be doing a new redesign in the middle of the year so the site will be easier to navigate. That’s it! Those are our big plans! We’re super excited about what’s in store for this year. – Matt

Book Your Trip: Logistical Tips and Tricks

Book Your Flight Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my two favorite search engines because they search websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is left unturned. Book Your Accommodation You can book your hostel with Hostelworld as they have the largest inventory. If you want to stay somewher eother than a hotel, use Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates for guesthouses and cheap hotels. I use them all the time. Don’t Forget Travel Insurance Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. I’ve been using World Nomads for ten years. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are: Looking for the best companies to save money with? Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel! I list all the ones I use to save money when I travel – and I think will help you too!

TravelCon: Come attend the biggest travel media event of the year!

Travelcon 2020 in New Orleans, United States Are you in the travel industry? Want to learn from the best, meet your peers, and make deals with brands? For those of you who don’t know, in 2018 we created an event called TravelCon. This three-day conference connects you with industry leaders, influencers, and celebrated writers through keynote speeches, small-group writing and photography workshops, breakout tutorial sessions, networking events, and industry panels. At TravelCon, you’ll:
  • Improve your craft in the four major areas of travel: video, photography, writing, and blogging
  • Learn what’s hot, what works, and what doesn’t
  • Keep current on the best practices in digital travel publishing
  • Learn about new products and services
  • Meet destinations and travel brands
  • Network with experts inside the travel industry
  • Learn from experts outside the travel industry
  • Make connections with other travel lovers
  • Have a ton of fun!
This isn’t just for bloggers — we focus on all sections of the media: photographers, vloggers, podcasters, freelance writers, travel agents, and guidebook authors. Think of it as a travel version of the professional development doctors, lawyers, nurses, teachers, and other industries have! Unlike other events, we’re focused on bringing you intermediate- and advanced-level talks and top-tier talent from inside and outside the travel industry, so you can learn the skills needed to advance your career. This year’s event is in New Orleans from May 8th to 10th. Since we’re only three months away from TravelCon, it’s time for another update! We’ve been planning a lot in the last few months as we head towards the finish line.

Schedule

We’ve released the schedule! Check out it here. We’re focusing a lot more on monetization, Instagram, freelance writing, and succeeding on social media. I’m so excited about the speakers and the talks we have this year. While the times of the talks are subject to change, you can see what you’ll learn at the event. Here are some of the highlights:
  • How to update content so it ranks better
  • How to succeed on Pinterest in 2020
  • How to run small group tours
  • How to become a travel agent and add new revenue to your business
  • How to build a strong online community
  • The micro-influencer: how to succeed as a small fish
  • The law: legal and IP issues you should know!
  • How to get freelance work
  • All the tax stuff you should know!
  • Affiliate Marketing 101
  • Advanced Google Analytics
  • How to improve your UX and design
  • How to write effective sales pages
  • Making money on YouTube
  • LGBTQ freelance writing
  • Two sessions on improving your writing
  • A guide to self-publishing
  • How to hire people the right way
  • How to run Facebook Ad campaigns
  • SEO best practices
  • How to make money on Instagram
  • And so much more!
All in all, we’re going to have close to 50 sessions to choose from. And don’t worry if you can’t make them all! Included with the ticket is a virtual pass of all the talks. We record every talk and keynote so you can access them after the event to continue to learn!

Speakers

Since our last update, we’ve added some new speakers:

Bani Amor

Travel Writer

Cynthia Andrew

Simply Cyn

Joey Coleman

Author, Never Lose a Customer Again

Adam Groffman

Travels of Adam

Mike and Anne Howard

HoneyTrek

Benet Wilson

The Points Guy

Cal Fussman

Author

Erin Sullivan

Erin outdoors
For a full list, check out our homepage. We’re going to have 60 incredible speakers from inside and outside the travel industry. Many don’t normally talk at other events so TravelCon is one of the only events you can see them at!

Workshops and FAMs

We’ve released our workshop and FAM schedule. This year we’ll be having complimentary FAM trips before and after the event that will allow you to visit New Orleans as well as the surrounding area. You can see a list here, but some highlights include:
  • Demonstration Cooking Class with Crescent City Cooks
  • French Quarter Tour with Historic New Orleans Walking Tours
  • Garden District Food Tour with Fat Tire Tours
  • Glory Days of the Garden District Walking Tour with Ask Arthur
  • Grand Garden District Tour with Two Chicks Walking Tour
  • Harbor Jazz Cruise with Steamboat Natchez
  • French Quarter Ghosts & Legends Tour with Haunted History Tours
  • Cocktail History Tour with Dr. Gumbo

Check out our sponsors!

We’ve been signing tons of sponsors for this year. Our exhibit hall is going to be larger than last year and includes brands that have never attended before. During the event, you’ll be able to book meetings with decision-makers, organize campaigns, and make the deals that will grow your business. Some of the sponsors we have this year Additionally, though they don’t have their logos up yet, we’re going to have Sony (!!!), TripAdvisor, HostGator, AdThrive, and Moon Travel Guides too! In total, we’re going to have about 40 brands and destinations this year. There’s more to come but, without contracts signed, I don’t want to jinx it!
***
All in all, it’s going to be a fantastic event! We’re going to have an incredible New Orleans–themed opening party with music, performers, and a taste of the new and old New Orleans. We also scoped out venues for our niche meet-ups too. If you want to attend the conference, tickets to this year’s TravelCon are $399. They include access to the event, parties, meet-ups, FAMs, lunches, a virtual pass, and more! You can click here to learn more and secure your spot today! We’re capping our event at 800 attendees this year. We’re currently over 50% sold out and expect to sell out soon (we’ve sold out every year). With only three months to go, don’t miss out on the biggest travel media conference of the year. If you have any questions, leave a comment! See you in NOLA! – Matt

Book Your Trip: Logistical Tips and Tricks

Book Your Flight Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my two favorite search engines because they search websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is left unturned. Book Your Accommodation You can book your hostel with Hostelworld as they have the largest inventory. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates for guesthouses and cheap hotels. I use them all the time. Don’t Forget Travel Insurance Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. I’ve been using World Nomads for ten years. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are: Looking for the best companies to save money with? Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel! I list all the ones I use to save money when I travel – and that will save you time and money too!