5 Reasons You Need to Come to Women’s Travel Fest This Year

Travel babes of the world, it’s that time of year again! I am SO SO SOOOO excited to be bringing the Women’s Travel Fest to New Orleans this March, just 6 short weeks from now (eek!).

This awesome city will be the perfect place for us to roam, connect, and share travel tips + inspiration.

Still on the fence about attending? Let me share with you what I’m personally excited about this year:

1) Our Speaker Lineup is KILLER This Year

For reals. In 4 years of planning the Women’s Travel Fest I’ve been incredibly fortunate to meet some really amazing women, like  Travel Channel’s Samantha Brown, the incredible Patricia Schultz, author of 1,000 Places to See Before You Die, and of course, journalist Laura Ling. But this year’s lineup has me jazzed in an entirely different way because we’re really looking at wholeness, wellness and how to travel as our best selves.

While every speaker is bringing something new and different to the table, here are some I’ve never met that have me buzzing about this years’ event.

Cassie de Pecol: Cassie is the first documented woman to visit every sovereign nation in the world. Which is incredible! You might’ve heard about her journey on the Daily Mail, or Forbes, or through her killer Instagram account. I love people who set goals they think are impossible and then make them happen.

I’m super excited to hear all about how she planned out and got her trip sponsored, what she learned along the way, and all of the incredible adventures she’s had in every.country.in.the.world.

 

Pauline Frommer: I first met Pauline at an event at the White House where I was invited along with 100 other travel writers (I know!). As we walked and talked I tried hard not to completely fangirl out as we traded stories of guidebook publishing. She is so kind and sweet, and I knew I had to one day convince her to keynote at Women’s Travel Fest. Well that day has come! Pauline will be sharing her stories on traveling the world safely & affordably as our Sunday keynote. I can’t wait!

 

Alyssa Ramos: Alyssa from My Life’s a Movie has been killing it in the industry, coming up in a big way over the last year and I’ve been watching her from the sidelines, excited to see what she’s going to do next. As a hustler myself, I totally recognize and appreciate the hard work Alyssa puts into growing herself as an influencer (her Instagram account is about to hit 100k followers!). It was a no-brainer to ask her to lead a workshop on how to make money on Instagram, and I look forward to learning from her tips.

 

Shannon Kaiser: A few months ago I stumbled across a book called Adventures for Your Soul, that has really inspired and encouraged me to take risks in my life and business, and travel the world. The author of that book is Shannon Kaiser, a best-selling author, coach and travel writer. I am so excited that Shannon has agreed to keynote– her main mission is to help you get clarity to live your dream life, and in that way, we are so aligned!

 

Cailin O’Neil: Cailin and I have been friends online for years but have never met in person, and I’m so glad that’s about to change. I’ve loved following her on Youtube and on her website, Travel Yourself. This year she will be talking about something we’ve never addressed before: Snapchat, and how influencers on this platform are working with big brands to create real money. Snapchat is a platform I’m personally not 100% comfortable on (how does this thing work and why?) so I’m excited to learn more from her about it.

 

Nneya Richards: Nneya has a pretty awesome back story– she was one of the founding contributing editors to Teen Vogue–and she has since made an impact in the intersection of fashion, culture and travel. This year we’re going to be talking on-stage about something she runs a podcast on: Travel and Your Love Life. Too often I meet women who don’t travel because their partners aren’t interested, and that just bums me out. So, we’re going to hear from different women who make it work as single or as married solo travelers.

 

We have literally DOZENS of incredible speakers this year, and I am so proud and honored to be sharing the stage with them. Check out the full list of speakers on our Women’s Travel Fest site.

Ready to get tickets yet? Of course you are. GO HERE.

2) Women’s Travel Fest will be in New Orleans

I mean, do I have to say more? The Big Easy is one of my favorite cities in the country and this is the perfect time of year to explore it. Mardi Gras will have just passed and the weather is still nice and cool. Our pre-party (which I’m still planning out) will have a lovely New Orleans feel to it. And you don’t want to miss it!

3) We’re Talking About Some Important Issues

Every year we share safety and budget travel tips, but this year we’re also talking at length about you: finding ‘why’ you travel, taking care of yourself before after and during travel, and how to overcome the fears that are keeping you from living your dream life.

We’re also going to be talking about travel in today’s world. The recent US election has shifted travel globally for all of us. It’s an uncertain time for American women domestically, as our new administration lines up to take shots on women’s rights and access, and the rest of the world is watching this unfold. So how should you answer when curious locals you meet want to know your thoughts on Planned Parenthood and Donald Trump? How can you as a traveler work to spread love instead of the hate? As travelers we serve as mini-ambassadors of our country, which is why it’s important we travel more now than ever before.

4) The Trip Giveaway Will Be Epic

We always do a trip giveaway at the Women’s Travel Fest and in the past some of our attendees have won trips to Mexico, Curacao and Ethiopia. Where will we take you this year? You’ll just have to wait and find out*!

*That was mean of me. I should tell you where the giveaway is going to be, but I’ve got a few details to finalize before I let the cat out of the bag, so, sorry! Let’s just say it’s someplace warm, and you have to be there to win!*

5) Ain’t Nothin’ But a Beignet, Baby. 

By now I think I’ve done my job to convince you to come spend the weekend in New Orleans with us. But if I haven’t? There’s always this:

If you don’t want to eat this, then I can’t help you. You should just stay home and miss the best weekend of the year. ;/ Just kidding, please come!

Have you been to the Women’s Travel Fest before? Are you coming this year? Tell us in the comments below!