Back in the day, I used to frequent blogging conferences a lot. I even spoke at a few. I loved meeting like minded people, getting new ideas, and connecting with brands. As I got farther along in my writing journey, I found the educational tracks to not make sense for me, but I still went anyway to meet up with others and have fun. Then Covid hit, and conferences all but disappeared. I haven’t been to one since maybe 2017 or 2018….so suffice to say, it’s been a minute.
When I heard about Southern Travelers Explore last year, I was so excited until I realized it was already sold out. Womp Womp. I found out 2024 would be in one of my favorite places, Gulf Shores Alabama, and I knew I HAD to be there. I got on the email list so I would know as soon as tickets were available, and I was able to snag one! February seemed so far away at the time, and also snuck up on me rapidly, which I know sounds contradictory. I was nervous since I was going by myself, but also super excited. I knew this conference was more geared to travel writers, and while I do have a blog and do write (yes, you are reading this on my blog!), over the past few years I have mainly done my travel writing via social media, videos, IG stories and the like.
One of the things I disliked and feared about some of the big blogging conferences I used to frequent was that they could be very….cliquey. The “big wigs” didn’t want to talk to the “little people,” girls would group up and not talk to anyone outside their circle, and it quite frankly just felt like high school all over again. Between that and some of the political agendas (I literally got up and walked out of a keynote speech y’all. There is a time and a place but this aint it), I had told myself I was “done” with conferences. But…BUT! I am So glad I gave STE a chance.
When I say I met the most lovely, welcoming, non judgemental group of people, I truly mean it. I talked to so many different people from all walks of life and locations, and never felt less than. I was the “newbie,” but never made to feel like I didn’t belong with the “repeaters.” The organizers of the conference do an amazing job of mixing things up and forcing you to hang with hew people. (So if you are anxiety ridden about not getting to latch on to your bestie the whole time, prepare yourself!) We had name plates for the big room, small groups for meals, and even activities with yet a different set of people. At first I groaned a little inside, but ended up LOVING it. I truly can’t believe I have to wait another year to go to this!
While yes, there wasn’t a huge focus on the social media side of things, I still learned a lot, and made some great connections. On the last day, there is a “marketplace” (like a small expo) where the tourism boards in attendance set up tables that you get to go by and visit and chat with them about working together. It was so fun, and my only complaint is not having enough time to visit all the tables!
I also loved getting to explore the area with small groups. We split up and tried restaurants, and I even got to take a sand castle building class and have a picnic lunch on the beach. My only other complaint is that the conference wasn’t long enough! I wish we had one more night so that we had time to truly explore the are and hotel more. (I guess I could have just booked another night but I didn’t know what to expect as a Southern Travelers Explore newbie. Now I know!) It felt like such a whirlwind (in a good way, a fun tornado!) and I needed to come home and brain dump just to get everything organized.
All of this to say, if you are a travel writer or creator and on the fence about attending Southern Travelers Explore next year, consider this your push to the other side. You will be so glad you did, and come home feeling energized and ready to try new things your business. It truly was a wonderful weekend. If you have any questions, feel free to comment, DM me on Instagram, or email me at Heather@HeathersLookingGlass.com. I am happy to help!
Related: BlogHer 2017 Recap
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