The business event for travel creators
Helping you go pro & scale
Go from pro traveler to pro creator...
Turn your passion for travel into something bigger! Become a respected travel authority, inspiring others to have positive travel experiences of their own – and make a living doing it.
You’ll learn how to GO PRO in the following sessions:
Presented by Sarah Dandashy, Ask A Concierge
We all want to grow a robust and engaging platform on social media, but then what? Sarah Dandashy, a verified Travel Expert and Hospitality Author, shares how she went from working as a hotel concierge to becoming a call-upon expert to discuss travel trends on TV and conferences around the world.
Sarah will break down ways that you can strategize your expertise and grow your brand to be so much more than just social content. Whether you’d like to be a professional speaker, a consultant, a called-upon expert, author, podcast host, she will share the different avenues that you can explore to grow your personal brand and business exponentially.
Presented by Preethi Chandrasekhar, Founder of The Eager Traveler
Uncover the secrets of transforming your travel experiences into a digital empire, engaging a loyal fanbase, and converting your passion into profitable ventures. From mastering the art of Facebook group engagement to launching successful group trips and crafting digital products, this presentation is a goldmine for both seasoned and budding travel content creators. Learn firsthand how to expand your email list and leverage newsletters for impactful communication and sales. Don’t miss this chance to elevate your travel blogging journey and network with like-minded adventurers!
Presented by Jessica Serna, My Curly Adventures
Jessica Serna, the creator behind the popular Texas travel blog, My Curly Adventures, shares her best tools for creating viral content. From the best equipment to online tools, the audience will get to lean into the best strategies to level up their content creation game — not only to create viral-worthy videos, but also to create a brand that will last beyond algorithm changes. Jessica will also cover mistakes people make when making videos, repurposing content, and hacks that can increase your reach.
Presented by Raimee Iacofano, RaimeeTravel
Join Raimee for an exclusive talk that breaks free from the typical social media growth strategies. Attendees will glean from her unconventional and unique methods that propelled her travel brand to over 400k followers in just 1.5 years, generating a substantial $100k income.
This isn’t your average success story – Raimee didn’t post every day, rely on trending sounds, or have to travel constantly. What sets her journey apart is that she achieved this BEFORE quitting her 9-5 job — proving you can thrive in the digital space without taking a big financial risk up front (because let’s be real, we can’t all quit and go PRO creator right away!).
Learn firsthand how Raimee used her 10+ years of professional marketing and branding experience to grow by doing LESS work and discover actionable insights for building a powerful travel brand on social media while maintaining a balanced life.
Presented by Jon Bailey & Keri Lyn Renner
Jon Baile of 62Above and 2 Dads with Baggage teams up with Keri Lyn Renner of She Saved to share tips, tidbits and takeaways about how to work with PR agencies and in-house PR contacts and get paid to travel.
These two travel industry veterans will cover how to pitch yourself to find perfect partnerships that fit your style and please the brands as well as how to negotiate money-making opportunities with authentic brand activations for hosted but unpaid travel. (Yes, this is possible!)
Presented by Joy and Hugh Obazei, Afrostylicity
In an ever-evolving digital landscape, the secret to enduring success for travel content creators is income diversification. This session offers a practical guide on evolving from reliance on a single income source to establishing a multifaceted digital enterprise. Hugh and Joy will share their firsthand experiences and strategies that helped them broaden their income streams and turn their travel blog into a successful, diverse online business.
You will gain insights into the nuances of affiliate marketing, partnerships with travel brands, and the creation of digital products tailored for the travel audience. In addition, you will explore leveraging social media platforms, not just for audience growth but as vital revenue sources.
Presented by Adam Fine, Not A Scratch Golfer
Adam started a YouTube channel as a labor of love during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. At first, he was driven solely by a passion for his subject matter. Only later did he endeavor in earnest to become a professional creator. This has been the key to Adam’s success, and his session focuses on cultivating genuine passion and acquiring subject matter expertise as a prerequisite for producing engaging content.
Presented by Chris and Sara
Join Chris and Sara for a session that drops you right into the heart of successful travel storytelling. Together they’ll guide fellow wanderers on how to captivate, engage, and create a strong bond with their audience.
Whether you’re navigating the terrain of YouTube, Instagram, or podcasting, this couple’s experiences in remote entrepreneurship and travel content creation will empower you to leverage your personal experiences, quirks, and even those oh-so-relatable bloopers.
This session is an indispensable map for the modern-day nomad seeking to stand out in an oversaturated market while staying true to your core values. Ready to make your globetrotting stories your golden ticket? Buckle up and get ready to take notes as they share their journey with you.
Presented by Katherine Fan
The skills Katherine learned from her first career in tech sales helped her pivot into a second career as an award travel journalist. This session covers her lessons from a decade in the industry and how newbies can stand out in the over-saturated world of freelance writing.
Presented by Rachel Rudwall, Rachel Roams
In the age where selfies reign, it’s easy to think that Self matters more than Community. When it comes to effective storytelling, however, it’s all about the audience! During this session, Emmy-Nominated TV host and producer Rachel Rudwall will discuss ways to weave your POV into narratives *without* making it all about you, helping you build an engaged audience *and* an engaging, authentic arsenal of content along the way.
This session will include insights into:
- Identifying your audience—and learning to put them first – Developing an authentic, consistent voice
- Artfully building effective narratives
- Harnessing the tools of the trade, including video and audio equipment
- Building your brand across storytelling platforms,
- Getting out of your head so that you can truly shine when you’re on camera!
Presented by Rand Fishkin, SparkToro
In years past, creators published content on their own platforms and used social media and search engines to drive traffic to their sites. Today, that practice barely works. Every platform is biased against outlinks. Native content is in. But creators who build fragile presences exclusively on billionaire-owned networks take on tremendous risk.
In this presentation, Rand will show how to overcome the zero-click universe and benefit from native content and your own, resilient platform at the same time.
Presented by Kemoy Martin
Kemoy Martin, a seasoned travel creator, will share his transformative journey from hobbyist to full-time professional in an engaging talk. Join him as he imparts valuable insights, unveiling the 5 essential steps that propelled him to achieve 5-figure monthly success. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from Kemoy’s experience and pave your way to a thriving career in the world of travel creation.
You’ve built. Now it’s time to scale...
As an established creator, your next move is to improve your workflow and structure to keep up with demand and make a bigger impact.
You’ll learn how to SCALE in the following sessions:
Presented by Danielle Desir Corbett, The Thought Card
More travel destinations and brands are showing interest in audio content. Join this session to learn how award-winning travel podcaster Danielle Desir Corbett pitches captivating story ideas and creates multi-destination campaigns that result in doubling clients and income. Leave this session with a clear roadmap for improving your storytelling skills, even if you’re not a journalist. You will also review case studies and learn strategies for creating compelling pitches, ultimately becoming a sought-after and well-compensated audio creator.
Presented by Christina McEvoy, Macs Explore
Learn how you can create other streams of income (outside of blog revenue and brand partnerships) to scale your business by building digital products and offers such as courses, membership sites, e-books and guides, and even group trips. This includes how to come up with the right marketable digital offer that aligns perfectly with your audience, how to prime your target customer for your offer so you are successful in selling it, and how to create passive income and scale your digital products beyond six figures.
Presented by Emily Mandagie, The Mandagies
Whitelisting? In perpetuity? Full usage rights? What does it all mean and how can it be leveraged for more revenue?
Bloggers, influencers, and travel photographers will discover how to optimize their income by licensing their travel images to partners, brands and DMOs. They’ll learn strategies on how to price their images, communicate their value, and increase project budgets exponentially by adding this valuable asset to their deliverables. Taught by Emily Mandagie of the PNW professional travel photography duo, The Mandagies, she gives real numbers, project examples, and a game plan for others to take advantage of this underutilized part of the industry.
Presented by Ashley Peterson, Ashley Gets Around
Subscriptions are a underutilized revenue source for creators. In this session Ashley will teach you how she scaled her business to 6 figures in less than 4 months by leveraging her email list and subscriptions. You will learn how to incorporate a subscription model in your business, the different options for subscriptions as a creator or blogger, and why it might be the best way to scale your business and make stable recurring revenue.
Presented by Siya Zarrabi, Hopscotch the Globe
Kristen and Siya have been travel content creators since 2010, when making money off of social media wasn’t even a consideration. Back then, they would even need to explain to people what YouTube was! What started out solely as pure passion for travel and storytelling turned into a multiple six figure business that has continued to thrive throughout the years. There’s been a lot of hard work, perseverance and constant evolving that has allowed the duo to become and stay full-time travel creators for over a decade.
In this session, they will share their success story, particularly what has made them stand out, stay relevant and thrive in their business. A big key to growing the business was scaling by outsourcing, knowing what tasks could be done in house and what could be hired out. They’ll share tips on the hiring process and finding the best people for the job.
Presented by Ricky Zhang, Prince of Travel
In this session, Ricky will share the story of how he scaled what was originally a humble personal blog into a content media empire of 10MM+ annual users and a product ecosystem that brings in $1MM+ annually.
We’ll cover topics from setting out a vision to team building to differentiating between personal and company brands as we navigate this nascent but exciting journey in the travel creator economy.
Presented by Laura Bronner, Eternal Expat
The way we consume media is changing and video is more important than ever. In this talk, Laura Bronner of Eternal Expat will focus on how you can use all of the knowledge you have gained from turning your blog into a success to grow a YouTube channel and build an additional stream of passive income through video.
These speakers and more will share their insights and success stories, aimed at helping you go pro and scale as a creator.
FEATUREDSPEAKER
More about Jeff
Jeff Jenkins will be kicking TravelCon 2024 off with the Opening Talk!
Jeff is an award-winning Travel/ Food Blogger, speaker, podcast host, and Influencer based out of Austin, Texas.
Jeff most recently is proud to add host and travel documentarian to his list of adventures as he stars “Never Say Never with Jeff Jenkins,” a show that explores diverse cultures, locations and overcoming fears, backed by National Geographic.
Connect with Jeff:
EVENT EMCEE
More about Juliana
Juliana Broste, “TravelingJules,” is a 12x Heartland Emmy award winning travel video journalist–a producer, shooter, writer, editor and host.
Whether you spot her in front of the camera or behind the lens, you’ll recognize this fierce female filmmaker sporting pink lipstick and an armful of camera gear!
Known for her high energy, high quality travel vlogs, Jules captures the world with signature style.
She has been featured on networks like CNN, PBS, Local Now, Lonely Planet and beyond.
She also creates content for tourism boards and brands, including dream job assignments for Bumble and Viator.
Her enthusiasm and joie de vive inspire travelers to get out of their comfort zone and try new things.
Jules calls Denver, Colorado her home and her launchpad. In her spare time, you’ll find Jules snowboarding in Vail where she is a fully certified instructor.
Connect with Juliana:
More about Ashley
Ashley Peterson is the founder of Ashley Gets Around, which started as a travel blog in 2013. She runs the only woman owned flight subscription service and only premium cabin only subscription service.
Ashley is also the founder of TravelMore Con, the premier points and miles conference. She has visited over 90 countries on 7 continents since 2008. You can usually find her in an airport somewhere.
Connect with Ashley:
More about Chris & Sara
Chris and Sara are a husband and wife travel storytelling duo. Along with their intrepid four-legged sidekick Kramer, have mastered the art of adventure in their classic ’88 Toyota Land Cruiser and beyond.
From soaring above the clouds to the unbeaten paths trodden by their trusty wheels, they bring you the world through vibrant YouTube visuals, Instagram stories that engage, and podcast episodes that feel like a cozy chat with old friends.
Ditch the travel brochure and join these ethical explorers as they dish out top-tier travel tips with a pinch of humor and heaps of heart.
Connect with Chris & Sara:
More about Christina
Christina McEvoy is an adventure travel creator and coach who has built a 7 figure income and helped hundreds of travel creators monetize their brands.
Connect with Christina:
More about Danielle
Danielle Desir Corbett is a multi-passionate travel and personal finance creator who has authored six travel books and hosts the highly-rated travel podcast, The Thought Card. Her podcast encourages financially savvy travelers to explore the world and live on their terms.
In 2024, Danielle and her co-host launched Road Trip Ready, a podcast that showcases some of the best road trips across the U.S. and Canada.
Danielle has extensive experience partnering with tourism boards and attractions to produce engaging audio content that reaches thousands of listeners worldwide.
When she isn’t traveling or podcasting, she works as a podcast marketing coach, helping others grow and monetize their shows.
Connect with Danielle:
More about Emily
Emily Mandagie is the writer behind TheMandagies.com, a Pacific Northwest-centered travel blog. Together, with her husband, they specialize in outdoor adventure and photography, helping travelers plan and capture beautiful experiences in the PNW.
They have had their work featured at Leica, The North Face, Winnebago, Canada Goose, and REI to name a few!
Today, she continues to serve a hyper-dedicated audience through their website, social media presence, and weekly emails.
Emily loves connecting with others on the trail and meeting people in person!
Connect with Emily:
More about Jessica
Jessica Serna is the Creative Mind and the Face of My Curly Adventures, a Texas based travel brand inspiring people to find magic in the everyday and encouraging people to live a travel lifestyle even with a 9-5.
Jessica, often touted as the Texas Travel Expert, takes readers on colorful adventures across Texas, the US, and beyond.
Her creative, fun content has helped small businesses and brought tourism to small towns. She has inspired millions to travel and support local communities while contributing over $5 million in media value back to the Texas economy.
Along with being online, her travels, tips, and inspiration can be found in her published magazine, on local TV news stations’ travel segments, and at speaking events across the country.
Connect with Jessica:
More about Jon
Jon Bailey is co-founder and Chief Relationships Officer of 62ABOVE, a California based marketing agency specializing in travel, tourism and hospitality clients. He and his team lead outreach and content creation programs for destinations across the US, regularly working with travel writers, influencers and creators to produce interesting and clickworthy materials on behalf of 62ABOVE clients.
In addition, Jon is a travel writer for msn.com, The Points Guy, Vacationer San Diego Magazine and more, and founder of award-winning travel and lifestyle platform 2DadsWithBaggage.com. Along with his husband Triton and their daughters Sophia and Ava, he chronicles their adventures traveling the world to discover new places, cultures, people and tastes with humor and authenticity.
Connect with Jon:
More about Joy & Hugh
Joy and Hugh Obazei are a travel-loving married couple from Dallas, Texas, who turned their dream of globe-trotting into a heartwarming reality.
Growing up where travel was seen as an unattainable luxury, they have now made it their mission to explore and share the world’s wonders. These storytellers aim to show that travel can profoundly change perspectives and inspire personal growth.
Their content is a window to the world, demonstrating that exploring new places is about more than just seeing – it’s about learning and evolving.
Connect with Joy & Hugh:
More about Katherine
Katherine Fan boarded her first international flight before her first birthday, and she hasn’t stopped traveling since. She moved to Taiwan in the fourth grade, and has changed her address more than three dozen times (so far).
A journalist by education and profession, Katherine began her professional career in tech, where her experience in sales helped her beat out 400 other applicants for a contributing writer position with The Points Guy in 2015.
She holds dual degrees in print and photojournalism from the University of Texas at Austin, and has published more than 2,000 articles on award travel and personal finance since 2015.
Her bylines can be found on The Points Guy, Nerdwallet, Newsweek, Forbes Advisor, USA TODAY Blueprint, Slickdeals Money, The Dallas Morning News, the Austin American-Statesman, and many more.
In her spare time, you can find Katherine crafting or cooking in Austin, New York City, or Taiwan — all places she calls home.
Connect with Katherine:
More about Kemoy
Kemoy Martin, based in sunny Miami, Florida, is a seasoned content creator with a decade-long journey that spans 73+ countries. Boasting a remarkable 1 million followers across diverse social media platforms, Kemoy’s expertise lies in crafting engaging content that resonates globally.
Beyond his personal success, Kemoy collaborates with renowned brands worldwide and dedicates his time to coaching hundreds of aspiring entrepreneurs.
Join Kemoy at the conference for practical insights and actionable steps as he shares his passion for travel and the keys to turning it into a thriving, full-time career.
Connect with Kemoy:
More about Keri Lyn
With over 15 years of blogging under her belt (SheSaved.com) and 20+ years of brand marketing, Keri Lyn Renner loves the authentic relationships that are formed through the sharing of great adventures.
A six figure affiliate earner across several platforms, Keri Lyn has found innovative ways to turn her love of travel into content that converts by presenting her family adventures in a very real and relatable format.
A former Hilton Mom Voyage brand ambassador, Oprah Magazine Ambassador and recipient of the 2018 O-verall Contribution O-ward as an O Mag Insider, Keri Lyn approaches travel with unique perspective that incorporates affiliate, social/SEO and building brand relationships authentically to create residual income and high brand ROI.
All of this is built authentically around her country life in Idaho as the wife of a veterinarian and the proud mama of two student athletes who also have a strong passion for travel and adventure.
Connect with Keri Lyn:
More about Kristen Sarah & Siya
Kristen and Siya are the duo behind Hopscotch the Globe. With over 70 countries under their belt, this dynamic pair has expanded their travel squad to include daughter Kai and pup Atlas.
Their mission is to inspire others to break free from their comfort zones and live the life of their dreams.
Through 14+ years of online content creation, they’ve cultivated a loyal and engaged audience, making them sought-after collaborators for brands and destinations. Their honest storytelling, creative flair, and unique perspective keep followers coming back for more.
A fun fact: They recently shipped their 1976 vintage Airstream (their home for 5 years) to Costa Rica, where they’ve built a jungle home in an intentional eco-community. This is where they spend their time when they aren’t traveling.
Connect with Hopscotch the Globe:
More about Laura Sarah & Siya
Laura Bronner is a travel blogger and YouTuber who has been creating content on the internet for over a decade.
After graduating from college she left for a gap year that never quite ended. Since 2010, she has lived in 6 different countries and traveled to over 30 more while documenting it all on her website Eternal Expat.
Connect with Laura:
More about Matt Kepnes
Matt Kepnes runs the award-winning travel site nomadicmatt.com, which helps people travel the world on a budget.
He’s the author of the NYT best-seller How to Travel the World on $50 a Day and the travel memoir Ten Years a Nomad.
His writings and advice have been featured in The New York Times, CNN, The Guardian, Lifehacker, Budget Travel, BBC, Time, and countless other publications.
When he’s not on the road, he lives in NYC.
Connect with Matt:
More about Preethi Chandrasekhar
Preethi Chandrasekhar (aka theeagertraveler) is a trailblazing BIPOC outdoors photographer/writer, whose mission is to inspire individuals to reconnect with nature and unlock their own potential.
After attending her first travel conference in 2019 (TravelCon), she went on to register TheEagerTraveler as an LLC and began monetizing her content creation by working with tourism boards/brands.
She has served as the only Indian American speaker in multiple panels for Visit California, She’s Wanderful, Nomadnessfest, etc.
In 2022, she founded the Outdoorsy South Asians community. Today, it’s grown to a community of 3k people who join her on monthly hikes in California.
In 2023, she quit her job in the tech world and is now helping others experience the outdoors with a focus on sustainability/conservation.
Her eguides & group trips aim to help people get comfortable with hiking/camping and recreate in the outdoors responsibly.
Connect with Preethi:
More about Rachel Chandrasekhar
If you want to know what it’s like to climb Kilimanjaro, paraglide with a hawk (a.k.a. “parahawk”), ice climb while simultaneously acting as the Director of Photography on an EMMY-nominated TV show, or SCUBA dive cage-free with bull sharks, Rachel’s the woman to ask.
As an Emmy-nominated producer, on-camera host, camera operator, writer, and award-winning photographer, Rachel has traveled all seven continents, lived in three countries and journeyed through 75+ nations – all in the name of storytelling.
She does such a good job of it, in fact, that she’s been named an Explorers Club Fellow alongside the world’s most celebrated explorers.
Rachel’s global audience spans over 250,000 adventurous souls, and clients include Google, TIME, Nat Geo, AFAR, and Discovery.
Connect with Rachel:
More about Raimee
Hailing from Michigan, Raimee Iacofano is a seasoned traveler who has explored over 40+ countries throughout the past decade.
Raimee shares smart travel tips with a dedicated community of over 400k+ followers on her channels @raimeetravel.
With a professional journey spanning several years in the travel and marketing industries, Raimee has become a go-to source for simple, insightful and unconventional travel advice.
She is now based in California and continues to travel the world via hopping ON planes at LAX.
Connect with Raimee:
More about Rand
Rand Fishkin is co-founder and CEO of SparkToro, makers of fine audience research software, and indie game developer Snackbar Studio.
He’s dedicated his professional life to helping people do better marketing through his writing, videos, speaking, and his book, Lost and Founder.
When Rand’s not working, he’s usually cooking a fancy meal for the love of his life, author Geraldine DeRuiter.
Connect with Rand:
More about Ricky
Ricky Zhang is the founder of Prince of Travel, Canada’s leading resource for using frequent flyer miles, credit card points, and loyalty programs to travel the world at a fraction of the price.
Connect with Ricky:
More about Sarah
Sarah Dandashy is a verified travel expert, best-selling author, and TV personality with over 18 years of luxury hotel experience.
Inspiring over 250+k on social media channels, Sarah offers insightful travel tips, advice, and the latest trends straight from the “frontlines of travel.”
Follow her on social media under her brand, “Ask A Concierge,” or catch her on the news breaking down the latest in travel on ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, Scripps, or Cheddar News.
Sarah is the author of the # 1 Best Selling Book, Hospitality From Within, hosts Visit West Hollywood’s The Creators podcast, and co-hosts the LinkedIn live show Good Morning, Hospitality.
Connect with Sarah:
What's on the AGENDA?
The schedule is packed with opportunities to find your people, do business, and learn from your peers.
Expo
Featuring Travel Boards, Brands, CVBs, DMOs, creator service providers, and more -- many with specially-curated offers, partnerships, and products to discuss with you.
Sessions
All of our sessions will be aimed at helping you go pro or scale. You'll learn from the success stories and case studies of your industry peers and leaders.
Meetings with Industry Reps
Pro Networking is 1:1 meetings with brands, sponsors, and travel boards, scheduled in advance using our event software.
Meetups
Find your people in meetups tailored to your platform or niches. Our goal is to connect you with as many creators as possible!
FAM Tours
Pre and post-event adventures to help you uncover the vibrant culture of Portland & surrounding areas. For attendees only.
Evening Events
Who doesn’t love letting loose with your travel friends? Have fun at the Welcome Reception, Dinner Clubs, Late Night Meetups, and more.
May 15-17, 2024 • Oregon Convention Center • Portland, OR
CREATOR PASS
Travel influencers, bloggers, YouTubers, podcasters, authors, and creators
- All Access to Sessions, Networking, Expo Hall, and Official Parties
- Software to Book Meetings with Industry Reps (Pro Networking)
- Access to Familiarization Tours
- 2024 Session Recordings (Post Event)
- Free 1-Year Access to Online Creator Community in Spring 2024
$499
Use code TRAVEL15 for 15% off
INDUSTRY PASS
CVBs, DMOs, Travel Boards, Travel Brands, Destinations, Tour Companies, Creator Services, Creator Tools, Agencies, PR Companies
- All Access to Sessions, Networking, Expo Hall, and Official Parties
- 2024 Session Recordings (Post Event)
$999
Use code TRAVEL15 for 15% off
TravelCon 2024 will be held at the Oregon Convention Center in downtown Portland, OR, on May 15-17, 2024
Speaker applications have now closed.
TravelCon is designed with online travel creators in mind – influencers, bloggers, podcasters, vloggers, course creators, freelancers, and more. The goal is to help you go from hobbyist to pro creator to successful online brand and business owner. If you’re eager to learn from industry peers and leaders, then, yes, this is worth it! TravelCon also provides the unique opportunity to meet face-to-face with industry reps, including CVBs, travel boards, travel brands, creator service providers, and agencies — something you can’t do just anywhere!
Pass are non-refundable. It is only transferrable for a limited time and requires a $50 admin fee in order to do so.
Yes, we will run optional tours on May 14th and 18th. See the list of FAMs here.
Yes! TravelCon 2024 provides a unique opportunity to be in the room with 500+ travel creators with a wide range of niches, platforms, and audience sizes.
If you’d like more information about sponsoring or exhibiting, email caren@travelcon.org.
Yes, in addition to meeting with brands and boards in the Expo Hall, you’ll also have access to our software that allows you to book 1:1 meeting with reps. These will be available throughout the event.
Don’t miss out on staying in the same hotel as others in the TravelCon Community! Some of the best connections come through serendipitous elevator encounters or spotting someone in the hotel lobby.
The deadline for the discounted room blocks was April 15. However, you can still book a room at the regular rate.
TravelCon 2024 will be in-person only. Join us in Portland!
We’d love to hear from you! Email us at info@travelcon.org
