Traverse22 in Brno, Czechia
NOTE: This article is best read on a laptop or tablet, as there are multiple backlinks for further reference and active reading. The backlinks may not be so easy to access via mobile phone.
For me, 2022 was the year of travel conferences (& travel, of course) as I attended six of them. These included 4 TBEX events, 1 TravelCon and 1 Traverse. I also traveled to over 30 countries as well. It was a very busy year for me. At the beginning of 2022 I was looking forward to a very productive year. 2023 and 2024 were all about China, and half of 2025 will be also. 2022 was the last time I attended a travel conference, due to my current full-time teaching job in China and the other work that I'm doing right now over here that also involves tourism with China Social + Travel Network.
Well, 2022 didn't all turn out the way I'd hoped for. I aimed to reach my 100th country by the end of December, but I only managed to reach my 98th one (Palau). Also, with the conferencing, there was some drama with TBEX as I had some disappointing experiences there, which I'll explain in a bit. As far as TravelCon and Traverse, I really have nothing but positive things to say about them. Sadly, TravelCon was discontinued after the 2022 event, but it came back in 2024 after new investors got involved. I give Traverse a BIG A+ in just about every category that one could give a travel conference, as it truly exceeded my expectations for my first and only time attending one.
In this article, I'll mention 5 separate travel conferences, some which I've attended and some that I have not. These will be mainly conferences for influencers and sponsors looking to connect with one another, with my personal feelings about them based on my own first-hand experiences and second-hand information from the conferences websites and other people's experiences.
I will also separate and specify what I call "fully-loaded" conferences with "showcase" conferences.
A "fully-loaded" conference includes everything from speakers, sessions, sponsor showcases, FAM (familiarization) trips, midweek experiences, pre-conference/post-conference trips and other perks, whereas a "showcase" conference focuses mostly on connecting buyers with sellers at venues full of sponsor booths, but may offer other perks as well, including speakers.
I plan to update this article annually with new information, every January.
For most information about myself, I'll just refer you to the "about" page of my website.
However, I'll mention what I feel is relevant in giving myself a bit of credibility when talking about these conferences and talking about travel, in general. I started traveling in 2017 after I created Outcast Vagabond. I was an English teacher in China at the time and I had spent Christmas in Jakarta in 2016 while visiting a friend there whom I'd met online. Indonesia was my 5th-country-traveled at the time. It was that Jakarta trip that inspired me to become a world-traveling digital nomad, as well as notable Irish traveler and businessman, Johnny Ward, of OneStep4Ward.com. Of course, my late mother, was the greatest influence on me with respect to having wanderlust.
In March of 2023 I was invited to be an Executive Contributor for Brainz Magazine, and in March of 2024 I was invited to be a Senior Level Executive Contributor. I write articles, publish quotes and soon will have an exclusive interview and also contribute to their Expert Panel and Brainz Academy.
At the time I became a world-traveling digital nomad in 2017, I was also an English teacher in China and during 2013, part-time, I was a conference coordinator for BIT Congress in Dalian, China, where my job was to get English-speaking professionals to attend conferences and help to manage them. One of the conferences that I worked with BIT was the 2013 Euro-Asia Economic Forum in Xi'an:
Euro-Asia Economic Forum in Xi'an (2013)
I will say this, the Chinese really know how to host conferences and yes, I am biased when I say that.
Before all this I was raised in small town with a single mother, in a trailer, in the Upland South region of the United States. About 25% of the people in my hometown live below the Federal poverty level. So it's safe to say that I'm a country boy. I don't hesitate to tell people this because I believe in keeping it real, and also I don't want others to make the mistake of thinking that I somehow benefit from some kind of privileged, American socio-economic status. Growing up we used to dream about places like California, Florida, New York City and Europe. These dreams and vast curiosity about the rest of the world are key reasons I had such wanderlust growing up, and my late mother, who was also a traveler and who used to always talk about visiting numerous places around the world. She used to have travel magazines all over our home and watch the Travel Channel and National Geographic often. So it's safe to say that my mother's love for travel is the greatest gift she ever gave me; aside from her tough lough and priceless wisdom.
I'm a disabled Army veteran of the U.S. Army with an honorable discharge, and one of my goals is to help other disabled military veterans learn about the therapeutic benefits of travel, and how traveling can help them cope with their mental and physical disabilities. I talk to people with disabilities all the time, not just veterans, about the therapeutic benefits of travel. I even wrote a Brainz Magazine article titled, "How Travel is Therapeutic." I aim to start a U.S. veterans social network in the future, just for this purpose, and with help from veteran's organizations like the VA, VFW, American Legion and others, we can create something that will help to alleviate many of the problems that America's veterans are facing today with their afflictions. Currently, and unfortunately, about 20 U.S. veterans a day are committing suicide and even more of them are living homeless on the streets, because they're not getting the help they need and deserve.
I am a heritage traveler and I believe that heritage is sacred, like religion, which both often are connected to each other, and that it should be protected and preserved at all costs. I believe that when a person or a population are asked or forced to disown their own heritage, in any way, it is considered sacrilege and it should be forbidden. In many places around the world it actually is sacred, and it actually is forbidden for people to erase and replace, manipulate or even destroy it.
I've been to 118 countries and have lived in 4 of them as a White, English-speaking minority. I've dealt with prejudice, racism and discrimination in ways that I never knew possible until I became a world-traveling expat. Because we never experience this until we get around people who aren't like us, in places that aren't like what we're used to back home. I've also learned that being an American is both a blessing and a curse, and that China is a land of opportunity. And I just want to say that any American who isn't proud to be an American should have their U.S. citizenship revoked and that they should be deported to a third-world country to live in exile until they die.
I'm a hard-right conservative who believes in the right kind of progress and change that benefits everyone in society and not just certain people at the expense of others, while protecting age-old traditions and customs that make up populations' cultural identity, historical integrity and ways of life. I believe in a more conservative world that protects sacred heritage, and I promote that with my travel media content by exploring the history and heritage of places that I travel to.
History consists of what happened in the past, whereas heritage consists of the tangible items that commemorate the past; such as museums, artifacts, monuments, statues, memorials, battlefields, buildings, etc. I also believe in hard-right, strongmen(women) leadership, as these types of leaders reenforce the ideology that I just mentioned, and they tend to look out for their own. These kinds of leaders also are typically hard on criminals and control the flow of migrants into their countries, by vetting and deporting those who are a danger to their societies. They get things done and they're more patriotic leaders. They're tough.
I believe these concepts because of where I grew up and how I grew up, as it's all simply a part of my culture that was ingrained in me. Since I've lived and worked in China for 8+ years, I am also partial to China and Chinese culture, and especially Chinese traditions. In China, there is no "cancel culture" or "revisionist history" where people try to rewrite proven and well-established historical facts in an effort to make the past more politically correct, and to benefit certain people at the expense of others. And the most notable Chinese scholar, Confucius, wrote about how people should worship their ancestors. Given these conservative elements of today's Chinese culture, along with the fact that there is almost no domestic crime here, makes China an attractive place for people like me who want to escape the liberal American madness. With all that said, I do believe that the United States of America is the greatest country in the world. For what it's worth, I'd like to also add that I've never had a problem with abortion, as I do feel that it is a woman's right. And I probably feel this way because I grew up in a family of mostly women, and I was close to my mother.
If you want to focus on people who come from disadvantaged communities, that's noble and righteous, but don't forget to include the people from Appalachia and small towns throughout America and the rest of the world. Do these people not deserve attention and help?!
I also believe that people should marry other people and have children with people whom they share similar cultural backgrounds with, and whom come from families who share similar morals and values, as this expresses pride in oneself, their heritage and the people in their families who came before them who gave them life, purpose and an understanding of their identity and who and what they are. So for example, since I'm a 16th Cherokee Indian, if I marry someone who is also of Cherokee Indian heritage, then I'm practicing what I preach. Then again, I'm also of English, Scottish and French heritage. Like most Americans, I'm a mixed-race, multi-ethnic person. But I pass as White. At least that's how I've always been identified by other people, including myself. Race and ethnicity in America are complex concepts, but these are topics I discuss a great deal as a heritage traveler because it all fascinates me. This fascination of what people are with respect to their race and ethnicity simply comes from my vast curiosity of different kinds of people, since I grew up in a small Midwestern town that was almost 100% White, English-speaking and Protestant Christian. I've always been very curious about other kinds of people, and where they come from.
Many people don't understand the difference between race and ethnicity, but there is a reason that they're often used together, but are mutually exclusive terms. According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, race is defined as any one of the groups that humans are often divided into based on physical traits regarded as common among people of shared ancestry; ethnicity relates to large groups of people classed according to common racial, national, tribal, religious, linguistic, or cultural origin or background. Merriam-Webster even offers a page that compares and contrasts the differences between the two words. In short, race focuses more on a person's physical features, whereas ethnicity focuses more on a person's heritage, which can include physical features. So for example, Hispanic basically means that a person can trace their heritage back to Spain, which makes it an ethnicity and not a race. This means that Hispanic people aren't necessarily people of color, as there are people who consider themselves "White Hispanic." Miami, Florida has a large White Hispanic population. Filipinos are Asian Hispanic. Hispanic people fall into every racial category. To elaborate on this more, a person can identify themselves as Black, racially, but can also identify themselves as Italian, ethnically. OK, you get the point. And these facts are the reason why the 2020 Census is flawed and has been challenged by many people. And some people even believe that this was done purposely to coincide with the events of 2020 to give certain people political power. George Floyd was accidentally killed on May 25th, 2020. The 2020 Census was released on April 26th, 2021, after several weeks of riots. This gives people a legitimate reason to suspect cause and effect with how people were accounted for with respect to the 2020 Census.
I believe that Woke ideology is destroying America, and this world, and that its central thesis and purpose is to place blame and shame on straight, White men who are made out to be villains with it all, and are seen as this world's greatest threat, and who are seen responsible for this world's problems. My greatest concern is what Woke ideology does to children, as it creates a great sense of insecurity and identity issues for them, and confuses them to great lengths. Today's generation of youth have the highest rates of depression and suicide, no thanks to Woke ideology (& poor parenting). So many kids today don't even know what gender they are anymore. When I talk about Woke ideology, I'm referring to its 3 main pillars; LGBTQ+ issues, #MeToo feminism and Black Power politics. I don't have issue with Woke ideology itself, as anyone has a right to be and believe whatever they want. I only have an issue with the way Woke ideology is used as a weapon and as a tool to promote the interests of certain groups of people, at the expense of others. Americans are bad about this. Woke ideology defies traditional morals and values that promote merit-based incentives to work hard and be rewarded, and replaces them with a sense of entitlement, privilege and preference that is race-based, gender-based and sexual-orientation-based. I mention this because some of today's most notable travel conferences push Woke ideology, and depending on who and what you are, you may or may not like this, as it will affect you in either a positive or a negative way. Again, it all depends on what kind of person you are and what you believe.
As I mentioned, I believe that heritage is sacred and I coin myself as a heritage traveler, I'm a very cultural kind of person who likes to dig deep into places that I visit, and the people I meet. I want to understand as much as I can about places and people and one way I do this, is to learn about places' history before I show up. This will answer a lot of questions about whatever places I decide to visit, and also about the people that I will encounter in those places.
As travelers, we all need to be conscious of who and what we are, as it will impact our experiences.
I like to talk about race, race-relations, ethnicity, gender, politics, culture, art, demographics, history, heritage, social issues, geopolitics, crime, controversies and the "majority-minority myth" and how all of this pertains to people and overall societal well-being. Though it may be taboo for a White person to discuss some of these topics, I feel that it's relevant and necessary when it comes to understanding how these topics affect travelers' experiences around the world. And I feel that by understanding these kinds of topics, one can better predict what will happen in a given place, at a given time, which can help to keep people safe. Understanding the history and the people in a given place, will help one to understand how they themselves will be perceived and therefore, will help one to appreciate their experiences in these places much more. It can also help people to maximize their travels and seek out the attractions and activities that matter most to them.
You can check out my ongoing Heritage video project here.
And my Brainz Magazine article, "The Benefits of Heritage Travel."
I learned a great deal about the value of life growing up where I did and how I did.
However, growing up where I did and how I did comes with plenty of negative stereotypes that are popularized and reenforced in Western media, notably Hollywood. But to be fair, Hollywood has made efforts to discourage the use of the word "redneck," with books, movies and shows like Hillbilly Elegy and Ozark. "Redneck" is a legitimate, derogatory racial slur that refers rural working-class, White, Southern people, as defined in the Merriam-Webster dictionary. And anyone who uses this word who doesn't fit this description, or who doesn't comes from a culture with people who do, is being racist by using it. As with anyone who is racist who uses derogatory racial slurs to refer to people who aren't like them, they do this to feel superior to them.
I don't mind hurting myself to protect other people. After all, that's what soldiers do. They fight for other people. Once a soldier, always a soldier. I will live and die a U.S. Army soldier. Hoooaaahhh!!!
Now about which travel conferences you should, or should not attend in 2025.
But which conferences you should or should not attend ultimately all depends on you.
I'll start with the conference I'm most familiar with, but I haven't been to one since 2022.
TBEX (Travel Blog Exchange)
TBEX (Travel Blog Exchange) is a San Diego club that was started back in 2009 with the first conference being held in Chicago, with an attendance of about 250 people. Typically, TBEX holds conferences in North America, Asia and Europe, but not always. I first learned about TBEX in 2017 when I was new to travel blogging and digital nomadism, and I was looking for a sense of belonging. I was already networking with people online, following notable travel influencers on their social media platforms and gearing up for my very first travel conference. I started following TBEX in early 2018 after I had learned about TBEX Ostrava, which was to be held in Ostrava, Czechia from July 26th to the 28th that same year. This looked like an opportunity that could help to launch my digital nomad career.
I started following news about the Ostrava conference before I even traveled to Europe for the first time, which was February of 2018, when I covered 8 European countries in two weeks (including Vatican City). I was excited about visiting Czechia the following summer and I started promoting Outcast Vagabond a great deal before the conference to gear up for it. I really didn't know what to expect, other than what I'd read online and watched on YouTube vlogs of other travelers and their experiences. It was all mostly positive reviews of TBEX, but I did read one article from a prominent travel influencer who had addressed their concerns about TBEX hosting a potential event in Zimbabwe, which at the time had a great deal of political turmoil and had later experienced an ugly revolution via a military coup d'état, which ousted long-time dictator, Robert Magabe. This happened just months after TBEX had announced a Zimbabwe conference and was around the same time the conference was supposed to held there. To make matters worse, the post-conference FAM trips were to take place at the exact same time as the Zimbabwe elections were to be held. It's a good thing that the conference was canceled before this all went down, and thank God a prominent travel influencer called TBEX out on this, which I believe contributed to canceling the event.
I love Africa. Last year, I embarked on an 11-country African tour during Chinese Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) for 28-paid days off of work. I work with African people at my school in Wuhan, from different African countries, and I have several African friends elsewhere around the world. One of my good friends here in Wuhan is from Nigeria. I enjoyed my first trip to Africa in 2018 when I visited Kenya and South Africa. I visited Morocco in 2022. The African continent has much to offer visitors, and it's worth visiting the safe places but do your research and avoid the unsafe ones.
I purchased my ticket for TBEX Ostrava in early 2018, before my first trip to Europe, and by the summer of the same year I was on my way to my first TBEX, and my first-ever travel conference. The trip to Ostrava was actually part of a greater project that I had going on, which was my first circumnavigation around the world. I had left Wuhan, China (where I was living and working) and made my way to Doha, Qatar. After a couple of days there I flew to Prague, Czechia and spent a couple of days there. Then I took a train to Ostrava and I must say that Regio Jet makes train travel in Czechia great, as they had a chef on board, beer and wine available for purchase and cozy seating options with huge windows to enjoy the Czech scenery. I mingled with other travelers and enjoyed a couple of cans of Pilsner Urquell, my first Czech beer experience, and it really is some great beer.
I checked into my Ostrava hotel after arriving at the train station and being dropped off by a taxi. The conference was being held at the Gong conference center, a former industrial park. Ostrava seemed like an amazing place. TBEX Ostrava broke me into the basics of a TBEX conference.
Typically, there are pre-conference pre-BEX tours for two days before the conference. Then there is an opening-night party, the night before the first full day of the conference on the day that most conference goers are still arriving. The next day there is a first-timers' session before the opening keynote speaker, then after the speaker there are two hours of "breakout sessions" which involve the other speakers who talk about everything from SEO (search engine optimization), brand building, content creation, partnerships, photography skills, YouTube videography tips, travel writing techniques, monetization ideas, etc. Then there is a lunch that lasts about an hour and a half and then another hour of breakout sessions. Then there are two hours of "speed networking" and you can "meet the experts" and mingle with the sponsors at their showcase tables. Then there is an evening party somewhere which you can hop on a conference bus that will take you to the venue, for about 3 hours, then you can take a conference bus back to the conference center and sometimes be dropped off at your hotel if it's along the way. The second full day at TBEX is just like the first, minus the first-timers' session and with a closing keynote speaker. There are post-conference FAM (familiarization) trips that the sponsors host which you have to be selected for upon signing up for them.
This is pretty much how it was for the 6 TBEX conferences that I attended from 2018 to 2022.
Given that I haven't been to TBEX since 2022, I'm not quite sure what it's like today, but you can always refer to their website for more details: www.tbexcon.com or talk to other people whom have recently been to a TBEX event in the past year or so.
My first conference, TBEX Ostrava, and my last conference, TBEX Phuket were good.
I enjoyed TBEX Ostrava so much that I created a short film about it, and the whole experience made me fall in love with the Czech Republic (Czechia), notably Czech beer and Czech women.
I gave the appropriate shout-outs for TBEX Phuket because I enjoyed it, too. And it gave me a reason to visit Phuket, which I stayed for several days and rented a scooter to explore the entire Island.
I could have done without the 4 in between, as they weren't so good for multiple reasons.
These were TBEX Billings, TBEX Tri-Cities, TBEX Marbella and TBEX Lafayette.
I experienced with a bit of prejudice at TBEX...
I've decided to tone down my rhetoric about TBEX and how I feel about it, personally, compared to last year's article, because I have friends who do attend their events often and out of respect for them, and the new folks who may actually benefit from it, I've made this piece more appropriate.
With all that said, I will never attend another TBEX event. Without elaborating on all the issues I have with TBEX, I will just say that cultural and political differences did play a key role in my poor experiences at TBEX, most notably in 2022.
In 2022, TBEX was a post-Floyd, post-COVID mess that had its obvious issues while adjusting to these radical cultural changes in America. Rick hustled to hire the right people and to bring in the right conference speakers to comply with the demands of this new normal, just like every other American business was forced to do at the time. During this year DEI policies wreaked havoc across America as good people lost their jobs while less qualified people took their place, other credible candidates were overlooked for promotions and businesses were forced change their entire corporate philosophy to adjust to this new normal. Colleges and universities were still using affirmative action policies to discriminate toward Whites and Asians, particularly Asians, which finally led to a Supreme Court decision to finally axe the policy, which had been used and abused for years. Political candidates were basically being selected, rather than elected to offices across America. Fortunately, this tactic didn't work in the 2024 Presidential Election with Kamala Harris, as Americans decided that they've had enough. Woke ideology is divisive, toxic and far-out ideology that just has no real, long-term benefits to overall society. It simply pits people against each other, and causes people to hate each other and despise each other. Not to mention, blame each other. Woke ideology really just promotes new ways to hate, discriminate, blame and shame.
I do want to confirm that people do not need to attend TBEX to learn the skills that are taught there by the "experts" and "sponsors" who speak at and attend TBEX. Just check the TBEX website to see who is at the events. You can email these people directly, meet them elsewhere, follow their social media platforms, take their free (& paid) online courses (if available), etc. I also feel that "speed networking" is a waste of time, in my opinion, which is why many other travel conferences don't do it. There are other opportunities to speak with these sponsors either at their tables, during lunch or during the afterparties. Or you can just say hello to them really quick and exchange cards with them, and save time by just following up with them online or somewhere else. The afterparties are typically good, which is 100% thanks to the sponsors who are spending all the money and doing all the work toward them. 90% of the people that I've met at TBEX have been great people who are easy to talk to, regardless of their age, race, gender, sexual-orientation, political beliefs, nationality, socio-economic status or whatever. These are the people who understand the core values that make up the rich fabric of the typical traveler's philosophy and moral code.
While at TBEX in 2022, Rick and his friends felt they needed to keep an eye on me. There were 5 of them who were doing this, including Rick and people who worked for him. They can call me crazy, delusional or whatever, but I know what I experienced. I tried to talk to Rick about all this a couple of times, but he just played dumb about it. I'm not going to elaborate on what was going on, but I will say this, it was disturbing to say the least. So given that nobody could act like an adult and speak to me about whatever problem there was, I was left to assume why this was going on while these people acted like 7th graders. And my best guess is everything from my open support for Donald Trump in 2020 during his re-election bid that I caught hell for (link below), my thoughts about COVID-19, and the fact that I traveled during the Pandemic (I followed all the rules) and my partiality to China, all were reasons why I was experiencing this.
But I feel the most contributing factor for all this was due to my open support for Trump in 2020, which can be witnessed simply by seeing my Facebook Post here (pay attention to the names) which earned almost 200 comments, mostly negative and hateful crap that was geared to make me look bad. Mind you, these people work in the travel industry, and many of them are TBEXers. I think it's worth checking out, because of it's entertainment value, if nothing else. Some people have since deleted their comments since last year's article when I called them out on it all.
I want to also say that comparing Donald Trump to Adolph Hitler disrespects anyone who suffered under the Third Reich, because it downplays the evil that Hitler and the Nazis were.
I also feel that another reason that I was having the experiences that I was at TBEX in 2022, is because I was very outspoken on social media about the 574 violent riots that occurred in 2020 throughout numerous American cities for several weeks by hard-left radicals, which led to many lives being destroyed while wreaking havoc on innocent Americans. These people should be proud to be Americans and grateful that they were doing this in the United States, rather than in China, as anyone who remembers Tiananmen Square in 1989 can pretty much predict how violent riots in China end, in a very dramatic way and a much shorter period of time with the law and the government on the winning side every time.
And the people who try to give me a hard time for my partiality to China, are typically people who have never even been to China, who have no Chinese or Chinese-American friends and who are brainwashed by the Western-propagated media. In other words, they're simply ignorant of, racist toward and prejudice of China and Chinese people. COVID-19 fuels a lot of this.
People who aren't familiar with conservative, rustic cultures in America tend to lean on their own limited understanding of them. They read books and watch movies and shows like Hillbilly Elegy, Ozark, Deliverance, Winter's Bone, Poor White Trash, Justified, Dukes of Hazzard and others. Of course, these books, movies and shows depict Upland South culture in mostly negative and satirical kinds of ways. And this works against people like myself, because I grew up in the Upland South. Since I understanding this, it helps me to cope with people's ignorance and attitudes that they display toward me, and people similar to me, in a much easier way. And I knew that the misunderstandings by select individuals whom I encountered at TBEX, were being fueled by their ignorance and the Woke ideology that they're infected with, which contributes to their attitudes. This is why I experienced the prejudice that I did at TBEX, by only just a few people. I, myself need to learn more about other cultures, as I too tend to associate people with what they look like, how they talk, and where they come from based on my limited understanding. But I always treat people with dignity and respect, unless I don't get it from them.
And it's true that I don't understand West Coast cultures as much as I should.
By the way, I love every bit of California. And when I embarked on my Pacific Coast Highway road trip back in 2020, it was one of the best experiences of my life. And I didn't just see the coast, I drove inland and experienced Bakersfield, Coachella and other California farming communities.
My thoughts and prayers go out to those affected by the recent L.A. wildfires. It's very sad.
Psychology teaches us that people stereotype others because it's more convenient to do this, than to get to know each person, individually. We're all guilty of this, whether we know it or not.
I don't think that Rick Calvert or anyone who is partial to TBEX are bad people at all. I just feel that TBEX has the potential to be much better, and a place that is open to all people, not just liberals.
Travel conferences, in my opinion, should be more about travel, business and networking, and less about politics, social issues and self-promoting.
You'll need to talk to someone who attended in 2023 and 2024 for their up-to-date assessment on the quality of TBEX conferences, how organized and professional they are (or not).
And TBEX just recently started recognizing outstanding talent in the travel industry, with awards. This is something that other travel conferences have been doing for years. I applaud this upgrade.
I do want to point out that the FAM trip that I went on after the Tri-Cities conference (before Marbella) was wonderful, It's just a shame the the one I went on after the Marbella conference was just the opposite. But I was also with a different group of people.
I believe that the best way to maximize your time at TBEX is simply to be open-minded, be sociable and learn to ignore people who don't like you or who are rude to you due to political or cultural differences. And be yourself. Though American politics and social issues are discussed a great deal at TBEX, I would recommend avoiding this, even if you're a liberal. You should keep your conversations clean; about travel, business and other inclusive, positive and productive topics that anyone and everyone can enjoy. Get some business cards made that you can hand out and exchange with other people. The greatest benefit I got out of TBEX was the wonderful friends I made.
Other TBEX issues that were clear as day in 2022 were Rick fumbling with introductions on stage, countless website glitches, on-stage keynote speakers who would get cut off before they could finish speaking (because there was no 10 or 5-minute warning for them), session speakers who didn't have access to their PowerPoint slides during their presentations because TBEX admins failed to have them ready for them, as well as audio and video issues galore. I hope they've fixed all this by now.
TBEX Catania was supposed to happen in mid-March of 2020. I, myself, signed up for it. But leading up to the conference, COVID-19 was creating concerns for everyone, as death tolls were on the rise, countries were closing their borders and cities were imposing lockdowns. I personally feel that the conference should have been canceled in late February after the first COVID case was reported in Palermo on February 25th, especially considering that parts of Italy were already on lockdown. But TBEX admins and sponsors kept trying to get people to come to Catania, nonetheless. This worried a lot of us as we debated it on social media on the Conference Facebook Group. ITB Berlin, a much bigger conference, had been canceled on February 28th, so it made sense for TBEX to cancel the Catania conference around the same time, they just didn't do it quick enough. Bodies were dropping and borders were closing, but TBEX admins and sponsors were hell-bent on getting people to come to Catania. Event sponsors were sharing these lovely videos on the Conference Facebook Group making it look like everything was A-OK in Sicily.
A handful of people actually did come to Catania, and they got stranded when the Italian government locked the entire country down and imposed travel bans on March 9th. Rick gave this group a name and called them "TBEX Survivors."
I will never ever compromise my values just to fit in with other people. What you see is what you get, you can take it or leave it. I believe in being a real person, and keeping it real. I'm open to anyone who acts like a half-ass decent person, and if they're willing to give me a chance then I always reciprocate. I have an elaborate social network with people from all walks of life, and I feel that every single person alive should be this way. It's just the right way to be. I only have a problem with people who have a problem with me.
And to all the people who gave me a hard time for publicly endorsing Trump on Facebook in 2020, it feels damn good to say that you lost and we won. I was right to support Trump, and you were wrong to support Biden in 2020 and Harris in 2024. And the fact that Trump received 2.3 million more popular votes than Kamala did, most Americans not only knew of and felt the damage that Biden created in 4 years, but they also could predict what potential damage Kamala would have done, if she would have been elected, after being selected by Biden to be the Democratic nominee.
I advise anyone that if you want to get to know someone or if you have a problem with someone, be courageous and be adult-like about it and talk to them face-to-face. Don't give people dirty looks, gossip about them and try to understand them from a superficial Hollywood, pop-culture and social-media perspective. Be real, and talk to them in person and get to know the real them. Do this before you decide if you like them or not. It's better to act like an adult rather than a 7th-grader (unless you are a 7th-grader). This works in my small town where I grew up, and it can work for everyone else.
Lastly, and probably the most disturbing thing that I witnessed at TBEX, was the Sinophobia that seemed to be omnipresent there, and this is no thanks to COVID-19, South China Sea issues, spy balloons, and so many other issues that involve China and poor Sino-American relations. But as a person who is partial to both China and the United States, I take this seriously and personally. I know what life is really like in China, not what the Western-propagated media tells people it's like. People who work in the travel industry really need to stop busting on China. There is nothing worse than people who are involved with travel promoting China in a negative context, especially those whom have never even been to China, and have no Chinese or Chinese-American friends. One of my goals while living and working in China have been to help promote China in a positive light, and to help people understand what life is really like there. Nobody wants to see Sino-American relations improve more than myself. In July of 2023, I hosted my very first social event for China Social+Travel Network, which was a two-hour event at the InterContinental Changsha with several speakers and an afterparty on the rooftop bar. It was a great time, and there was also one on October 18th in Baoding at the Hilton DoubleTree with an afterparty, and we offered free tickets to a couple of local museums (with the help of the local tourism authority). The last event was actually just a get-together in Harbin, China at a coffee shop, with walking tours around the city during the Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival. The first two were put together with the help of a friend of mine, an American professor who also lives and teaches in China. My next event is scheduled to be in Wenzhou, China before August. The goals of these events are to help bring foreigners and Chinese people together, to bridge cultural gaps and to help promote tourism in China. And also to counter the Sinophobic, Western-propagated media that is fueled by politics and money (& racism). In my 8+ years as an expat living and working in China, I've never experienced any real animosity. It is extremely safe in China, as there is almost no domestic crime; no shootings, no rioters, no burning buildings down to the ground after they've been robbed blind. I can't defend the Chinese Communist Party, but I will always defend Chinese people and Chinese culture. And I will always defend Wuhan, because this is the city that changed my life forever and for the better. China is my land of opportunity, and after August when I leave China, I will publish my Brainz Magazine article about my China story, which will basically be the prelude to the book that I'm writing about my China life. And it is an article that will teach people how they can make China their own land of opportunity.
I can't be a part of any entity that is anti-Chinese. I can't, I shouldn't and I won't.
I've always believed in a world where the Americans and the Chinese can be real friends and real allies who cooperate with each other. I believe if this were to happen, together we could solve every single global issue. We'd end all the wars and maintain world peace, we'd create new jobs, we'd end starvation and poverty around the world. We'd make travel more accessible for more people. It's a real possibility, and I will never stop trying to make it happen in my own small way.
TBEX is what I consider to be a "fully-loaded" conference with speakers, sessions, FAM trips, etc.
To the people who are regulars at TBEX, good for you. I'm glad you like it. To the people who are curious about TBEX, I would recommend checking it out at least once. Maybe you'll love it, maybe not. I talk about my personal experiences at TBEX because anyone who shares similar cultural attributes as I do, or has similar beliefs, be they cultural or political, I feel you need to be conscious of yourself at TBEX. Again, I don't write what I do about TBEX for myself, I do it for others.
I truly wish Rick Calvert, his friends and everyone who is loyal to TBEX all the best. I really mean that. I have no animosity toward any of them. I really meant it when I said that TBEX has a lot of potential and perhaps it has improved a great deal since 2022. I hope it has. And if you're reading this and you've never been to a TBEX, I do encourage you to attend one of their events and see how you like it. Maybe you will love it and you will want to attend more of them.
You can sign up for any of the 2025 TBEX events here.
There are plenty of alternatives to TBEX, a great deal in fact and it seems as though there are more of them coming out every year. Next I'm going to discuss my personal favorite. I've only been to one of them but doing the math and comparing it to other conferences I've been to, I wouldn't look any further than Traverse. I say this for a multitude of reasons but I will admit that I have yet to attend more of them, so much of how I feel about Traverse stems from me personally attending only one, just like my feelings toward TBEX are based on first-hand experiences. But I always like to consider other people's experiences as well, to give my assessments better balance.
Traverse
I want to start by saying that Traverse also promotes Woke ideology, but the key difference is that it is run by Europeans rather than Americans. This makes all the difference in the world, and it makes Traverse much more tolerable to anyone, regardless of who they are and what they believe.
Traverse was founded in 2013, is based in London, and in my opinion is without a doubt the best alternative to TBEX. This is for multiple reasons, but one reason is that they aim to be unique in their own right in just about every way possible. This means that American culture, politics, social issues, and other elements are basically omitted from Traverse events. They don't emphasize American politics and social issues so much. In other words, Traverse events welcome everyone. Traverse typically hosts three events every year; They have their main event, Traverse, and two side events, Keyframe and Reboot. I attended Traverse22 in Brno, Czechia and I was very impressed with it. Everything about this event was spectacular and well-organized.
This year Traverse is hosting an event called Waypoint, which is an elaborate networking event, and you can sign up for it here.
How the annual Traverse main conference works is that there is an opening-night party on Friday, for Traverse22 it was at the beautiful, historic and iconic Špilberk Castle. I mean, anywhere in Europe is fascinating for me but to show up to a Friday night gala, at a 13th-century castle, in the heart of Europe is truly orgasmic. I didn't know what to think when I walked through those huge wooden doors onto the open-air balcony and was offered a glass of Champaign. Holy shit. It's definitely not something I'm used to but it was an experience that I'll never forget. It was like being in a real-life fairy tale. Again, this is thanks to the genuine European flavor that Traverse offers. The opening-night gala had all sorts of cool stuff going on with food, beer, wine, concerts, demonstrations and just great company. I was able to connect with old friends and make new ones. For me, people were so much easier to talk to at Traverse and I didn't feel like a criminal like I did at TBEX. I felt more free and more welcome, where I could just be myself without feeling condemned.
The next two days of the main conference, Saturday and Sunday, is when they have the opening and closing keynotes along with the speaker sessions and sponsor showcase tables. In the evenings there are social events including a closing-night party. I wasn't able to make the closing-night party at Traverse22 but I did do the pub crawl social around Brno Old Town with a group on Saturday. The reason I couldn't make the closing-night party was because I had to catch a train to Bratislava and I needed to leave as soon as possible to get the one I wanted, so that I could make it to Bratislava earlier. I would have booked an extra night at the Hotel Passage but I needed to get going. Altogether, including layovers, I covered 15 countries in September alone. But after seeing Facebook video clips of the closing-night party the next morning, I really wish that I had stayed for it because it was held at Sono Music Club and it looked like a freakin' great time!!
I've heard TBEXers say that Traverse is a copycat of TBEX, since TBEX has been around longer and indeed was the first of its kind when it did come out. I actually used to believe this myself until I attended a Traverse in 2022. I will admit, there are some parallels but these are the same parallels that you will see at just about every travel conference, and every conference in general. Traverse is truly unique in its own ways. There are sessions with speakers, similar to TBEX, but these sessions tend to better for me because they're not peppered with American politics or hard-left social issues and the speakers, to me, are more professional and affable. There are social functions at the beginning of the conference (opening-night parties) and at end of each day of conferencing, similar to TBEX, but they do vary depending on where they are held. So I wouldn't give TBEX or Traverse, either one, an edge in this category. Traverse events don't have a "speed networking" timeframe but I'm OK with that. The sponsors are available throughout the day at their showcase tables, similar to TBEX, for people to speak to them anytime during the conference hours or even during conference social functions. From my experience, you only really need just a few minutes to talk to a brand rep and exchange business cards and other information with them to have a productive verbal exchange. You can speak to them more than once since you have the time with three days of conferencing and you can talk to them at the social functions at the beginning of the conference and at the end of each day. Then you can follow-up with them whenever you want after the conference is over via email. I believe this is a better way of connecting brands with influencers. Other differences between TBEX and Traverse are pretty clear, as I've mentioned many of them already, but another big difference is the locations of the conferences. And Traverse just attracts better people for me, personally. I mean, you can never go wrong with anything European.
You can sign up for the 2025 Traverse Waypoint Event in July in London here. The Event will be held on July 15th and 16th at the Underwood Lofts in Shoreditch, London, United Kingdom.
Traverse events are always in great places and are just better conferences, in general, partly because there is only one main Traverse event every year whereas with TBEX they have about two or three every year. Traverse offers midweek experiences (TBEX does not) from Tuesday to Friday before the conferences begin that weekend. TBEX does offer pre-BEX trips the Thursday and Friday the week of their conferences. Both Traverse and TBEX offer FAM (familiarization) trips post-conference that you will need to apply for. Traverse organizers put more effort and resources into one main event to make it really great, this makes a big difference. Since Traverse is London-based, it does attract a lot of Europeans and most of their main annual events are held in Europe somewhere. Also, though Traverse has more of a mix of different kinds of people, even young, old and middle-aged folks, it tends to have more of an overall youthful vibe to it. I also firmly believe that Traverse is just more professional and better organized than TBEX, and there is always someone around to assist you if you need some help with something. The people working and volunteering for Traverse can be spotted wearing shirts that say "Traverse" so you know exactly who they are. One last factor that I'll point out is difference in attendance. I noticed a lot more people present at Traverse22 than I did at every TBEX event that I attended, not just the same year, with the exceptions of TBEX Ostrava and TBEX Phuket. I really enjoyed my time at my first Traverse event and I highly recommend it to others. Michael Ball is a great guy and his crew are truly amazing at what they do; very professional, very organized and very open-minded people.
As I mentioned, aside from the Traverse annual main event, there are also sometimes side events such as Keyframe and Reboot. Keyframe is a conference exclusively for video content creators and for those who aspire to become better videographers. I feel that this is brilliant given that videos do have higher response rates and this is why television advertising (especially during the Super Bowl & World Cup) costs so damn much, but they provide a very healthy return-on-investment. The last Keyframe event was held in Malta in 2023 from April 13th to 16th and you can see more on it here.
Reboot is a health & wellness-themed event, with the 2022 event being held from April 22nd to 25th in Hamburg, Germany. It was a multi-day event that included yoga, a Hamburg walking tour, roller skating, studio drift exhibition, Beatles tour, music works session, productivity & mindfulness session and other cool stuff that is aimed to help people improve their health and wellness. There is yet to be information about an event for 2025, if and when it's released then I will update it here. The best information I could find about the 2022 event was a vlog that was produced and published by travel influencer, Greg Snell (click his name to subscribe to his YouTube channel). I have his permission to share the video which can be seen below. Reboot seems like a nice side retreat for travel influencers, and you're likely to see people that you already know from other conferences.
Traverse Events ReBoot 2022 Hamburg Marketing by Greg Snell
One aspect about Traverse that I really appreciate is their Traverse Creator Awards that they have every year to highlight outstanding talent in the travel industry. I feel that every single travel conference that is setup for travel influencers should have something like this, not just to reward those who deserve it, but to also show respect to the very people who are supporting their events.
Traverse has also hosted other side events in the past such as BorderlessLive, Antigua Elite Conference, Traverse Virtual Events and others. Traverse has something for everyone.
So far, in my relatively short digital nomad career with my limited conference experiences, Traverse has impressed me the most. They are well-organized, open-minded, multi-ethnic and diverse in every way possible. They are progressive in a way that isn't provocative. They are creative and innovative with exceptional multi-themed events. I was truly surprised and delighted at just how different and better they are compared to TBEX. Due to all of this, I strongly endorse Traverse as a conference for every kind of traveler and even for those who aspire to become travelers and digital nomads. Traverse admins don't judge people and gossip about them based on who they are, where they're from, what they look like, how they vote, their sexual orientation, how they talk or even what they believe. They don't hold any of this against anyone. They don't mess with people or give them dirty looks. Everyone is welcome at Traverse events, so go check them out. They're a lot of fun and they provide educational and memorable experiences. Traverse also provides exceptional and invaluable networking opportunities.
The next conference that I'll discuss has a bit of a different setup from Traverse and TBEX, but is one that I would recommend, not based on my personal experience (I've never been), but on the experiences and reviews of those who have attended them. It actually has two separate experiences to it; Nomadbase, which is the event on land and Nomad Cruise, which is the event at sea.
Nomadbase is a multi-functional conference that was founded by Johannes Voelkner, a digital nomad from Germany. Nomadbase consists of live events that take place in different parts of the world, always in fascinating, exotic locations. Previous Nomadbase events have been held in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico (NBL Mexico), Primošten, Croatia (NBL Croatia), Cape Town, South Africa (NBL Africa) and other locations. 2023 there was a Bali Reunion (Feb.).
Nomadbase events typically consist of about 7 days of conference networking, speaking sessions, skill-sharing workshops, paid (& free) adventure excursions, a welcome session that includes drinks and registration and a closing ceremony. Every Nomadbase event is unique and has a similar setup that is familiar with all of them, but also has new elements to all of them that make them different.
Since I've never attended a Nomadbase, I can only go by hearsay and available online resources but I'll be honest when I say that I've never heard anything negative about these events. Many people have attended them and it seems that there is nothing but positive reviews, at least that's all I'm seeing and hearing. I've considered attending one before, I thought about attending the Croatia event three years ago but since I was already registered for 6 travel conferences for 2022, I figured I'd just wait and sign up for one another year.
Here is a promotional trailer taken directly from the website...
Nomadbase Promotional Trailer
I can't say for sure, but I believe it's possible that Nomad Cruise is more popular than Nomadbase.
A Story of the Nomad Cruise - Official Movie
Nomad Cruise is a part of Nomadbase, and it's the first of its kind being a travel conference at sea.
There have been 13 Nomad Cruises, with the first one being in 2015 and the most recent one being in 2024. The next one will have a route from France to Greece from June 7th to 13th this year. There are several different ticket options to choose from. Sign up now via the website here. And another one that will happen this year after that one will be a route from Seattle to Sydney from October 12th to November 9th, and it's the 10th Anniversary Cruise!! You can sign up here.
What one could expect from a typical Nomad Cruise is hundreds of digital nomads onboard for several days, visiting exotic destinations while enjoying daily conferencing activities and evening festivities. It's basically what you would get at a typical "fully-loaded" land conference except it's all on a cruise ship, along with land excursions and activities. It is "an environment of learning, sharing, creating, and connecting," according to their website.
Attendees on board can enjoy everything that a typical cruise ship has to offer.
According to Nomad Cruise founder, Johannes Voelkner, there are 11 things people love about it:
1) It's a networking paradise; everyone is there to network, inspire, teach and learn from one another.
2) It's all inclusive; the cost of your ticket includes all food and drinks.
3) Speakers; speakers are selected from around the world to offer a great learning experience.
4) Workshops; workshops are small groups with experts who focus on certain ideas and skills.
5) Meetups; any cruise-goer can organize a meetup to share their expertise with others.
6) Special events; special events include a talent show, salsa workshops, jam session, etc.
7) Excursions; there are a wide variety of port excursions to choose from when docked.
8) Lasting friendships/business partnerships; there are lots of opportunities to connect with others.
9) Cultural exposure; with over 40 nationalities on board and several countries visited during the trip.
10) Visit more countries/territories; have the opportunity to see more of the world.
11) Reunions; there are no such things as "good byes" in the travel world, only "see you laters."
(read the full article here or click on the red text above)
Though I've never been on a Nomad Cruise, I feel that it's a brilliant concept. The fact that they came up with this unique idea and have kept it going for 10 years is truly amazing. I've also never been on a cruise so this makes it all more attractive to me. I do want to go on one someday, I just don't know when "someday" will be. I wasn't able to make Nomad Cruise 13 this past October because I was teaching in China and that prevented me from going. However, if YOU are able to attend any of these I highly recommend it. I've heard nothing but amazing reviews about them, so they seem worth the time and the money, and to my knowledge, it's the first and only conference of this kind. Tickets are pricey but you get what you pay for. I feel it's worth it.
Next, I'd like to discuss a highly notable "showcase" conference that occurs once a year...
ITB (Internationale Tourismus-Börse Berlin) Berlin was established in 1966 on the Berlin fairgrounds with exhibitors from Egypt, Brazil, Federal Republic of Germany, Guinea and Iraq presented their products, services and destinations as a showcase to attendees.
2024 was the last event and it attracted brands and attendees from 181 countries with about 160,000 people, altogether. Given these stats, ITB Berlin has coined itself as the "World's Leading Travel Trade Show" and they've even patented that statement. ITB eTravel World discusses social media trends.
Here is a video from the ITB Berlin YouTube channel from the new Exhibition Director:
New Exhibition Director at ITB Berlin: Introducing Deborah Rothe
According to ITB Berlin conference organizers, here are 10 good reasons to attend;
1) Be at the forefront of the "World's Leading Travel Trade Show."
2) Strengthen or establish your brand.
3) Grow your network by meeting a variety of people with various skills.
4) Strengthen your bond with existing customers.
5) Close deals with a hand shake on the show floor.
6) Increase your knowledge and learn about trends in the travel industry.
7) Meet companies and individuals who can optimize your business.
8) Learn what your competitors are doing.
9) Expand your database of leads.
10) Be present and address your target market directly.
ITB Berlin is known to attract the travel industry's top speakers and notable experts who share their knowledge with those who attend. With it being a travel conference that's been around longer than all the others, being able to attend it carries a great deal of prestige. You can talk about it on your blog or mention it with people you do business with and it definitely sends positive messages to people. Not to mention, the knowledge and the networking that you can gain from attending it is invaluable.
You can download the ITB Berlin app before attending the conference so that you can keep up with exhibitor and product information, receive a detailed program interview and detailed hall plans and even link the app to your ITBxplore profile so that you can connect with other attendees.
The ITB Travel Hero Podcast includes one-on-one talks with some of the most notable minds in the travel industry who share their expertise, stories and opinions. These people offer travel tips, predictions and recommendations with travel-related advice.
ITB Berlin is definitely a must-see travel conference that offers everything for everyone in the travel industry. Due to their longevity and reputation, there really isn't a true substitute to it.
Another "showcase" travel conference that I'd like to mention is the Travel & Adventure Show:
Travel & Adventure Show 2025 Information
Since I'm late getting this article out, I missed promoting the most recent events in Atlanta (January), NYC (January), Chicago (Feburary) and Phoenix (February). But more are coming this year.
It may be safe to say that the Travel & Adventure Show is the western hemisphere alternative to ITB Berlin and also an alternative to WTM (World Travel Mart). These are all what I consider "showcase" travel conferences, as they tend to focus on buyers and sellers with booths and attendees (of all kinds, not just travel influencers). However, now the Travel & Adventure Shows are offering FAM trips, so it's safe to call them "fully-loaded" events now, similar to TBEX, Traverse, Nomadbase/Nomad Cruise and also TravelCon (I attended the one in Memphis in 2022), which all offer some kind of pre-conference, in-conference and/or post-conference tours and other perks.
The Travel & Adventure Show in NYC takes the place of the now defunct New York Times Travel Show (I attended the very last one in 2020). The Travel & Adventure Show in New York is at the same place at basically the same time of the year, as the former bought out the latter. It's held at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in Lower Manhattan.
The Travel & Adventure Show offers multiple conferences throughout the United States, and this year they are in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Atlanta, Phoenix, Dallas and Denver.
The Travel & Adventure Show offers all-American conferences for people who live in the U.S. and who may aspire to do more travel abroad. I haven't been to one yet, but I'm 100% certain that I will attend one or more of them in the future, probably while filming my ongoing Road Trippin' USA project.
According to their website, it has been around for 19 years and has completed over 118 events, while connecting over 2.5 million travel enthusiasts, over 15,000 unique travel advisors and thousands of travel media entities with over 4,500 different exhibiting companies from around the world, influencing over $6 billion in travel bookings.
Notable names like Rick Steves, Phil Rosenthal and Pauline Frommer (Frommer's guidebooks) have been known to appear at The Travel & Adventure Show events around America.
There are dozens of travel seminars that take place during these weekend events.
You can purchase tickets to upcoming 2025 events here.
Another "showcase" conference worth mentioning, that I already mentioned is WTM London:
I would say that WTM London carries the same level of prestige with it as ITB Berlin does, though that is open for debate. However, they're both similar to each other in many ways and they both carry the charms of Europe with them. And they both have been around for a long time.
WTM London has been around for over 40 years, with the very first event opening at Olympia London and was introduced by the Duke of Kent and Miss World, Kimberly Santos of Guam.
WTM London offers new tech and lifestyle ideas with vast networking opportunities.
Other WTM events include Arabian Travel Market, WTM Latin America and WTM Africa.
In 2025, WTM London will be November 4th to 6th, Arabian Travel Market will be from April 28th to May 1st, WTM Latin America will be April 14th to 16th and WTM Africa will be April 9th to 11th.
In 2024 WTM events had tens of thousands of attendees from 184 countries.
This is a very good conference to attend as there is a wide variety of people, from graduates to government ministers (according to their website). So there is something for everyone.
You can sign up for the 2025 events and learn more info here.
Notable Mentions
TravelCon 2024 Highlight Reel
TravelCon was founded in 2018 by notable travel influencer and businessman, Matt Kepnes (AKA Nomadic Matt), and his team. The 2018 event was in Austin, the 2019 event was in Boston and the only one that I attended was the 2022 event in Memphis. I have to say, I was impressed with it.
The Memphis event had a lot of great speakers and sessions, including the iconic Pico Iyer, who was a keynote speaker and shared his brilliant wisdom with us all about life and travel. I saw some familiar faces here and also made some new friends. And given that Memphis is right down the River from where I grew up, I kind of felt at home during this whole time. I was able to experience aspects about Memphis in ways that I never have, thanks to TravelCon. I've been to Memphis quite a few times. I went on a self-guided, post-conference FAM trip to Graceland with a friend and fellow traveler from Tennessee. TravelCon presented Memphis in ways that I was not used to, and that was magical to me.
I first met Matt at a bar in New York City during a post-conference party that was a part of the 2020 New York Times Travel Show. He was an easy person to talk to and I was glad to finally meet him. The second time I spoke to him was during TravelCon in Memphis. For those who aren't familiar with Matt Kepnes, I would encourage you to check out his website by clicking here. He is one of the pioneers of modern-day travel blogging and travel influencing. He's penned several books, spoken at several events and has helped a lot of people "travel cheaper, longer and smarter," like with his New York Times Best Seller, "How to Travel the World on $50 a Day." I read this one and also another one of his books, "10 Years a Nomad: A Traveler's Journey Home." I believe that both of these books are worth purchasing and reading, I got a lot out of them.
At the end of the Memphis event, Matt had announced on stage that it would be the last TravelCon event. Most of us were sad about this, especially myself, because I had only been to one and I was really able to get a lot out of it. Memphis is a wonderful city, and the opening night march with the band on Beale Street toward the Jerry Lee Lewis' Cafe & Honky Tonk was a real night to remember.
However, TravelCon came back in 2024 with an event that was held in Portland, Oregon from May 15th to 17th. This year's 2025 event will be held in Tuscon, Arizona from March 14th to 16th. You can purchase tickets for the event via the TravelCon website here. By the way, TravelCon is what I consider a "fully-loaded" conference with speakers, sessions, sponsor showcase tables, FAM trips, etc. And now they have 1:1 meetings that connect travel influencers with sponsors, similar to "speed networking" at TBEX.
Now I will discuss the Bansko Nomad Fest in Bulgaria...
Bansko Nomad Fest 2024 Highlights
Bansko is a small village in Bulgaria that during one week in the summer, hundreds of nomads, remote workers and freelancers take over the village for a mix of presentations, workshops, sports, mindfulness and nature (according to their website).
Bansko Nomad Fest 2023 Recap
The Festival was founded by Matthias Zeitler, owner of Coworking Bankso (watch vlog below):
On their website they promote "don't just attend an event; transform your life and achieve true freedom!" One thing is certain, it's tough to beat the location. Bansko is a lovely mountain village.
I can't label Banko Nomad Fest as a "fully-loaded" or "showcase" conference, as it appears to be unique in its own right and doesn't fall into either category. I've personally never been to one.
I've never been to this one either, so without first-hand experience I'm limited to online resources about it and also what others have told me. I did meet and speak to ETF co-founder and organizer, Ric Gazarian, at TBEX Phuket in November of 2022. He seemed like a great guy who was very affable.
It appears that this one would fall more under a "fully-loaded" conference given their conference schedule with speakers, sessions, trips, etc.
Extraordinary Travel Festival is a new kid on the block, as the first event was held in 2022 in Yerevan, Armenia. The second event was in Bangkok, Thailand in 2024 and currently there has been no 2025 event announced, and appears that there will be no new events until 2026 (according to their website). If there is a 2025 event announced, I will update it here.
Here is the promotional trailer for the inaugural Yerevan event:
Extraordinary Travel Festival 2022 Yerevan Promotional Trailer
And here is a vlog from the actual Yerevan event:
Extraordinary Travel Festival 2022 Yerevan Vlog
Here is the vlog with a recap from the most recent 2024 event in Bangkok:
Extraordinary Travel Festival Bangkok Recap Video
In Conclusion
Conferencing is invaluable in just about any industry, as it offers multiple perks to the people who attend them. For me personally, it's the networking that I enjoy and benefit from the most, with face-to-face socializing, which you must be at the conferences in order to reap those particular rewards. Everything else can be acquired via the Internet, or by traveling yourself (with respect to the trips).
Not all travel conferences are alike, though many of them do have parallels with one another. My best advice is to attend several of them and see which ones you feel most comfortable with. 4 years of conferencing taught me which ones I like and which ones I don't like, which ones I fit in at and which ones I don't. I suggest you do this yourself, try several out. You'll have some good experiences and some bad experiences but in the end, it will all be worth it because you will know where you belong and where you don't, where you can make the most progress with people and gain the most knowledge and invaluable skills, and where you will feel like you're irrelevant or feel like you're a problem. Some people just have better experiences in different places with different people.
This article is based on both my first-hand experiences and second-hand information of the most notable travel conferences today. Some of my best friends and like-minded people have been those whom I've met at different travel conferences, in some way or another.
I truly hope this article will serve as a guide, will help you understand what is available to you with respect to travel conferences, and will also give you a better idea of who and what I am, what I stand for and I what I don't like. I feel that I've provided enough relevant information and backlinks to get you started on planning your 2025 travel and conference itinerary. Whether you're a full-time, world-traveling digital nomad or someone who aspires to become something like that, or perhaps you're a travel agent or something else in the travel industry; Travel conferences are good for all kinds of people who share a passion for exploring our big and beautiful world, and making profitable businesses out of all of it. May 2025 inspire you and take you places you've never been. Godspeed.
I'd like to add that in 2025 my primary focus will be to help people understand the therapeutic benefits of travel. I want to help people understand this and encourage them to travel more for these particular reasons, especially those to struggle with mental and physical disabilities, or some other kind of affliction that they have to live with. We all struggle with something, and it's a fact that travel can help not only to treat people, but even help to heal people from mental and physical disorders. Travel can simply make people happier and bettter. I wrote an article for Brainz Magazine that is titled, "How Travel is Therapeutic." According to psychologist Dr. Rich Walker, people who engage in a diversity of experiences are more likely to feel positive emotions than negative ones. I can tell you from my experiences as a world traveler, that is absolutely true.
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