For the past six years, I’ve submitted speaking proposals to a small group of hand-picked conferences—ones I know will not only provide good exposure, but will also allow me to network with professionals in my field and learn something new and valuable. As I’ve discovered where my time and effort (and travel dollars) are best spent, each year, that group has gotten smaller. But one conference has been on my list for four years running: the Women in Travel Summit, or WITS.

There’s a reason—well, several of them—why I keep going back to WITS. We’ll get into those in a moment. To give you the 50-foot overview, WITS is a conference for travel writers and bloggers, creative entrepreneurs, influencers, travel-industry pros, DMOs, and women who enjoy the heck out of getting out and exploring the world. Organized by Wanderful, an international community of 40,000 women who live to travel, WITS is about sharing travel and content trends, forging collaborations, and supporting diversity among women travelers.

Women in Travel Summit by Wanderful

While I will get paid a small stipend to speak at the WITS 2020 in Kansas City (May 1 through 3), and the organizers do encourage us to share the good word with our audiences, if I didn’t believe in Wanderful’s mission, I’d send out a couple tweets or slap together an Instagram Story with a corny hashtag and call it a day. But WITS has been such a great experience for me over the past four years that I wanted to share a bit about why I think it’s worth the time and money to attend, and why I hope you’ll join me in Kansas City.

By the way, you can find my session, “Let’s Get It Started: Writing a Killer Lede and an Unforgettable Feature,” once the conference schedule has been posted. We’ll cover the five different types of ledes you can use for your travel stories, as well as dozens of tips for making your work irresistible to editors and readers. Take 15% off your ticket price when you use the code robin during your online registration.  

If you’re still on the fence about attending WITS, here are the reasons why it’s become my favorite conference.

The conference works hard to represent destinations around North America. They don’t choose locations solely based on city size or which destination has the biggest marketing fanny pack (those are cool again, right?). Instead, they look for destinations that can not only accommodate a large event, but also offer interesting things to see, do, and experience when you’re there. So far, I’ve been to WITS in Milwaukee; Portland, Maine; and Quebec City. They’ve also hosted conferences in Boston, Chicago, and Irvine, California.

Women in Travel Summit by Wanderful

They’re expanding into Europe. If you’re like me and you go to Europe at least once a year, the new European version of WITS (held in Riga in 2019; 2020 will bring it to Gdansk) is a fantastic excuse to book that ticket early and check out a destination that may not have been on your travel radar.

The content goes deeper than what you’ll find at many conferences. In addition to topics like how to grow your Instagram audience, understanding site analytics, and blog monetization, WITS does a great job of presenting sessions on thought provoking subjects. Here are just a few off-the-beaten-path examples: embracing diversity and inclusion in travel, changing the world by bridging the gap between travel and tourism, marketing travel to baby boomers, and connecting in a meaningful way with people from other cultures.

There are plenty of opportunities to see the host city. If you’ve got time before or after (and sometimes during) the conference, you can sign up for a variety of free destination tours. The FAM tours book up quickly (and some are based on your social or blog following), but there are dozens of others, from craft beverage buses to biking tours and food tastings.

In Portland, for example, I signed up for two shuttle tours—one downtown aboard a decommissioned fire engine (no kidding), and one hosted by a lifelong local who took us out to the coast—plus a historic walking tour and a museum tour. And this doesn’t even count the places I walked or drove to on my own, many of which I discovered during the course of the tours.

Women in Travel Summit by Wanderful

WITS is friendly. No matter which seat I take in a session or table I sit at for lunch, I know I’ll be sitting near people who are engaged, curious, and open-minded. Sure, you’ll come across the occasional person who’s tapping away on her phone or otherwise telegraphing that she needs some solo time, but turn the corner and you’ll find other bloggers, influencers, and travel pros who are quick to strike up a conversation.

Some leaders within the WITS community also create subgroups beforehand—such as bloggers over 40 or traveling moms—to get the discussion started, and then follow up with get-togethers over dinner or drinks during the event.

WITS fosters community. Yes, most conferences claim to do this. And no, they don’t often accomplish it. WITS delivers on its promise to be a place for information gathering and networking for women of all ages.

There are no high school-esque cliques and no snippy attitudes. Occasionally, a DMO will make it clear that they’re only interested in those with large followings. Don’t take it personally; just move on to the ones who are delighted to take the time to ask about your business or blog, and give you the download on what makes their destination special.

Also, Wanderful’s organizers treat all speakers with equal respect, regardless of whether they’re an influencer with 100,000 followers or, like me, a lifelong writing and editing pro, and I suspect the same hospitality extends to attendees.

If you’ve got a question about the WITS experience that I haven’t covered here, feel free to reach out to me. Then buy your ticket at 15% off your ticket price when you use the code robin during checkout.