TBEX, or Travel Bloggers Exchange, is coming to Canada this June and I can’t be more excited.
To be honest…I am a little daunted! This will be my first TBEX having narrowly missed last September’s edition in Costa Brava. I was walking the Camino de Santiago at the time and was torn…do I break up my walk for TBEX, after all, I was in Spain, or do I wait for the next edition? Tough call but in the end, I decided not to break up my walk. The Camino was too important to me as I was undergoing a major Life Transition.
Back in January, I headed down to the New York Times Travel Show and finally got to meet a fantastic group of bloggers – an outgoing bunch, needless to say and lasting friendships have been made! From there, Lola of Lola’s Travels joined me in Montreal as we embraced the cold and lived the Montreal Winter Bucket List. Now, a group of us are planning a warmer summer weekend in Montreal! But, before we head out for our Summer in Montreal trip – some of us will be re-united at TBEX in Toronto. I can’t wait!
Back to TBEX – I really don’t know what to expect. With over 1,000 registered attendees, this will be the biggest TBEX to date. The conference will be filled with fellow bloggers, photographers and people from the tourism industry. I have been told that it is THE travel blogger conference – a must for anyone who is truly serious about what they do. TBEX will be a major chance to learn from the pros out there, mingle with the tourism boards and really start to flaunt my stuff. If I am going to make it at as a travel writer – this is my time.
I have already learned so much from my fellow travel bloggers – they have inspired me, challenged me and made me laugh. Travel Destination Bucket List has grown to reach so many people who share my passion for travel and photography…I am lucky to be a part of it all. Thank you for all the shares, likes and comments…as I develop my network and build my writing portfolio, I hope you keep coming along for the ride. (BTW – did you know – Travel Destination Bucket List is also on Instagram? Follow along for more photos from the road!)
I recently read a fantastic post by Just-In-Time travels about 8 Blogging Tips for Travel Photographers. In her article, she speaks about the value of networking. She looks to the travel blogging industry for some of our keys to success. As in any business, networking is crucial, and with the proliferation of social media, it has been taken into the stratosphere! By working together, as bloggers, we can achieve so much more for the destinations we are covering, the tours we do and the hidden gems we find on the road. For our readers…we can help them find fabulous new destinations to visit by sharing what we know to be out there from trusted sources. With this in mind, I will be showcasing a number of friends I have made through the blogging community hosting a series of guest posts…these are from the people I know and respect. People I have met at places like the NYTimes Travel Show and TBEX. Their posts will be filed under “My Travel Network”. First up will be a guest post from a couple of savvy Aussies who are experts on House Sitting…stay tuned for their tips on how they make their travels last longer.
(Do you recognize these faces? They will be featured this Friday – I have yet to try house sitting, but they know a thing or two about it!)
I see TBEX as one great big, giant networking opportunity. There is so much to learn in a field that is brutally tough to make a living at, constantly evolving and so exciting. I can’t wait!
Keeping it social: Travel Destination Bucket List in Social Media
- twitter: wheretogoam
- FaceBook: Anita Mac – Travel Destination
- Pinterest: Travel Destination Bucket List
- Instagram: Travel Destination Bucket List
With this be your first TBEX? Check out Tawny&Clark’s awesome YouTube for the soon to be initiated TBEXers!
Travel Destination Bucket List 
Cool idea, maybe one day I’ll look into it too 🙂
Posted by andy1076 | May 1, 2013, 11:41 amI am looking forward to it…great chance to meet my fellow bloggers!
Posted by Anita Mac | May 1, 2013, 10:17 pmGuess who’ll be joining you on the first timer front??! 😉
Posted by GQ | May 1, 2013, 11:43 amReally! Very cool – I would have thought you guys had been before! Can’t wait to meet in person!
Posted by Anita Mac | May 1, 2013, 10:18 pmI have got to check out TBEX – sounds like a great event and a great place to network. Cannot wait to hear more – just have fun and network, network and network some more! Happy Day:)
Posted by cravesadventure | May 1, 2013, 12:04 pmOH – you really will have to look into it! There is also one in Dublin in October if you are interested!
Posted by Anita Mac | May 1, 2013, 10:18 pmI’m planning to be at TBEX Toronto and it will be my first time as well – nervous doesn’t begin to cover it! 😉
Posted by Lisa from Gone With The Family | May 1, 2013, 12:11 pmThis is so awesome…I don’t feel so new anymore and get to meet so many of the great people I have been meeting on line! Can’t wait to meet in person.
Posted by Anita Mac | May 1, 2013, 10:19 pmlove this photo! had so much fun meeting you that night!! xo
Posted by Lazy Travelers (@lazytravelers) | May 1, 2013, 12:11 pmIt was a pretty good night, eh! Looking forward to more like that! Great meeting you guys too.
Posted by Anita Mac | May 1, 2013, 10:20 pmcannot wait to see you again, Anita. TBEX is nothing to be afraid of. it’s tons of FUN. that’s why i keep going back! 🙂
Posted by Lauren DiMarco | May 1, 2013, 12:28 pmWe will have a riot! Will be sure to pack the boa for Toronto. See you soon my friend!
Posted by Anita Mac | May 1, 2013, 10:21 pmYou will have a good time. Well worth attending, if only to meet some of your fellow bloggers out there toiling along. Hopefully some of them will be talking people into joining the Professional Travel Bloggers Association, so we can all make a better effort as a community to turn our toils into a better profession for all of us 😉
Posted by Michael Hodson | May 1, 2013, 1:04 pmYou’ll have to tell me more about that – I am a huge fan for some kind of association that brings us all together! Have been learning a lot out there and can see that it is still an industry in great flux!
Posted by Anita Mac | May 1, 2013, 10:22 pmWish I could be there…
Posted by Fishing4Deals | May 1, 2013, 4:42 pmWill be pretty awesome! Will be sharing many tales from the experience.
Posted by Anita Mac | May 1, 2013, 10:22 pmAnita,
I hope to meet you in person in Toronto. It will be my 3rd TBEX, after Copenhagen + Costa Brava (plus, I’m headed to nearby Rotterdam for TBU in 2 weeks). You always learn something + meet lots of someones at these great networking events.
In the meantime, would you be interested in re-posting my story about couchsurfing…which is a good way to meet new people, engage in cultural exchange + reduce the costs of your travel: http://uncloggedblog.com/2013/02/01/six-habits-of-highly-effective-couchsurfers/? Mostly, I blog about Amsterdam, my adopted city, but this is a more generic post based on my experience with hosting + surfing.
Posted by WordGeisha | May 2, 2013, 8:09 amLooking forward to meeting too!
Posted by Anita Mac | May 2, 2013, 9:08 amLooking forward to first trip to Canada. Also looking forward to finally meeting you and some of those crazy bloggers you mentioned. They’re some of the same people I’ve been connecting with online and looking forward to getting to know you all more.
Posted by Lance | May 3, 2013, 5:02 pmWhat…you haven’t been to Canada yet?? Will have to get you initiated! Good times ahead my friend!
Posted by Anita Mac | May 6, 2013, 5:08 pmYou are correct. Almost went to Vancouver. Almost went to Niagara Falls. But almost doesn’t get you there. Even though I’ve only been at this blogging business for a few months I decided the only way to get serious about taking it to a serious level is to be around people doing that. So I signed up and away to Toronto I go. I arrive late Friday, so I’ll be late to the party but I do hope to meet up with many of you.
Posted by Lance | May 7, 2013, 1:32 pmHave fun! I need to attend one in 2014. Look forward to your blogs about your experience.
Posted by travelwithlaughter | May 3, 2013, 10:09 pmFor sure – did you know there is also one in Dublin later this year?
Posted by Anita Mac | May 6, 2013, 5:09 pmDublin is on my list of places to go, but I have meeting for work. Have fun! -Helen
Posted by travelwithlaughter | May 7, 2013, 7:51 amToo bad…I am sure we will run into eachother some other time then!
Posted by Anita Mac | May 21, 2013, 7:56 am“Stronger together than we are alone,” how true indeed. Here’s to “first time” nerves and anticipation! I hope we’ll cross paths in Toronto this year…
Posted by fortheintolerants | May 21, 2013, 8:01 am