Nomadic Neen My Experience with TravelCon in Memphis, TN
When I saw an advertisement for TravelCon 2022, something in me screamed “buy the ticket”, so I did just that.
I’m so grateful I did since it was announced that 2022 was the last year TravelCon would be happening. I want to share my experience in hopes to convince you to grab your ticket for a travel convention, writers convention, or whatever convention your heart calls to. TravelCon or whatever else, I’m now a huge fan of these things. [Update: TravelCon is BACK!]
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TravelCon 2022 was held in Memphis, Tennessee. Lucky for me, flights from NYC to MEM are extremely affordable, so I quickly booked my flights and started planning my journey.
I was lucky with the flights but not so lucky with the hotel. TravelCon had a special rate at the Sheraton downtown for $196/night, which made me audibly gasp. How was one night at the hotel almost as much as my roundtrip flight! I searched around a bit and found a slightly cheaper rate at the Courtyard Marriott, which was just a 5 minute walk to the Sheraton and the Convention Center where TravelCon was being held.
After I booked a room, I took to the TravelCon Facebook page to ask if anyone wanted to room with me. I figured I might as well keep this weekend as cheap as possible and a roommate was a good start. I found one quickly; we talked about logistics, we had good conversation, and she seemed like a great fit, so now I had a roommate splitting the hotel with me. Score. I highly recommend this to anyone planning on attending a travel convention. You get to know your fellow travel bloggers and lovers, and you get company in the room!
Let’s Go to TravelCon!
I flew into Memphis late Wednesday night since I prefer to fly out the night before my vacation technically starts so I have the full day to explore. It took me a while to get an Uber from the airport, which surprised me but one finally came. She was very nice but kept talking about how much she disliked Memphis and couldn’t wait to get out. Weird, but I made a mental note. As soon as I checked into the hotel, I went up to my room and crashed. My roommate wasn’t checking in until the next day, so I had night one to myself.
Day 1 – Exploring Memphis
I was up bright and early for my first day. Today was the day to do most of my sightseeing, and I had a busy day ahead of me. First, I had plans to go to Graceland, the land of Elvis, at 9:00AM. My trip to Graceland was a TravelCon sponsored trip. TravelCon offered these things called FAM trips, which were meant to familiarize you with the area you were staying in. The costs of the FAM trips were covered by the convention, which worked out perfectly for my low-budget plan for the weekend.
Graceland is approximately 20 minutes from downtown Memphis, but totally worth the trip. I didn’t really have expectations since I am not a huge Elvis fan. I was really only going because my dad convinced me I should, and since it was free, why not?
I took an Uber to Graceland and again I had a driver telling me how much they hated living in Memphis, how unsafe they always felt, and how they couldn’t wait to get out. We’re 2 for 2 now. Mental note highlighted and underlined.
When you arrive at Graceland you feel like you are entering a town of its own. There are restaurants, shops, and museums everywhere you look. I admired the little “town” from behind the gate and then decided to get in line for the tour.
I had a ticket for the Elvis experience which included a tour of the mansion and a tour of Elvis’ planes. My low expectations were quickly overturned. Graceland is incredibly beautiful. Being able to go into Elvis’ house and to be taken back in time to when he lived there with Priscilla and Lisa-Marie was mesmerizing. The tour really gives you a feel for what it was like to live and visit Graceland in her glory days.
I loved all of the decor throughout the mansion. There was one room, the jungle room, that was decorated like a jungle and even had carpet on the ceiling! It’s a room I want in my future house. The stairs down to the basement had mirrors on the ceiling and it was so trippy and unique.
What I didn’t expect to see at Graceland? Elvis’ airplanes. There are two planes that you can see: The Lisa-Marie and the Hound Dog II. I was fascinated by the planes and was thinking to myself: “When will I ever get to see the inside of a celebrity’s private jet ever again?!”, so in I went!
With the biggest highlights done, I wandered around the museums and the gift shops, got some photos and some memorabilia. I stopped into Vernon’s Smokehouse, which was named after Elvis’ dad. The food was decent, it’s a sort of cafeteria style, which I was not expecting.
With my belly full of yummy southern cooking, I made my way back to downtown Memphis via Uber and back to the room to relax after an exciting morning. I then started to plan out what to do the rest of my day. I decided to start my exploring at The Peabody Hotel. This hotel is home to the Peabody Ducks! That’s right, ducks. These mallards live in the hotel lobby fountain and are a major attraction for Memphis tourists. They make daily marches along a red carpet to and from their home on the rooftop: The Royal Duck Palace. How. Freaking. Cute.
Next up on my agenda was to take a walk to the Lorraine Motel and Civil Rights Museum. On my walk, I quickly understood Memphis is not a place I should have been walking around alone. I thought about what my Uber drivers had said and I felt very unsafe. About halfway to the Lorraine Motel, I turned back around and went back towards the hotel.
I passed by the Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum, which was another TravelCon FAM trip option. I had a free pass, so I wandered into the museum for some rock and soul history and a reprieve from the heat outside. The Rock ‘n’ Soul museum is relatively small, and I made my way through it pretty quickly. On my journey back towards the hotel, I decided to stop on the famous Beale Street. It was late afternoon at this point, and I wasn’t in the mood for a cocktail, so I decided to get myself a chocolate peanut butter shake and it hit the spot in the Memphis heat.
I got back to the hotel and had a message from my roommate that she arrived and was grabbing some lunch at food trucks parked near the hotel in Court Square Park. This was the perfect opportunity to meet up before being at the hotel together for the weekend and say hello. We hit it off right away and I was so happy to have made the right choice in roomie!
The last thing on my jam-packed itinerary was another FAM trip, but this time it was to Sun Studios. If you’re unfamiliar with Sun Studios like I was, this is one of the most famous recording studios in Memphis. Sun Studios is known as the birthplace to rock-n-roll and is known for being the recording studio that launched Elvis Presley’s career. In 1954, Elvis recorded some of his first tracks at Sun. The history of Sun Studios is really amazing, and this tour was a highlight of my trip to Memphis. This is a tour you do not want to miss if you are in Memphis.
TravelCon hosted a “night before” happy hour at Moxy, which was very close to my hotel that I decided to check out. This was a great opportunity for me to meet some fellow travelers before the conference started in the morning. I arrived at the Moxy and to my surprise, I was the only one there! After a little bit one more traveler ended up coming, and we got to chatting and became fast friends. She decided to leave the Moxy and was heading to the unofficial TravelCon welcome party being held at The Peabody Hotel (home of the ducks). I decided against joining her since we had a long couple of days ahead of us.
I ended my night with a stroll along the Mississippi River to watch the sunset. A perfect, relaxing evening before the chaos of the conference I knew was ahead of me.
Day 2 – Let TravelCon 2022 begin!
Friday was the first day of the conference. I woke up bright-eyed and ready for the day. I wanted to be energized and fueled for the big day, so I took a walk over to Cafe Keough and treated myself to a chai latte and a brie and fig croissant. Delicious and the perfect way to kick off TravelCon!
I walked into the conference center and was amazed at how many travelers were surrounding me. I don’t think I had ever been in a room with so many like-minded people at once. There was something powerful about being in a room full of people who just get it, who care deeply about storytelling, connection, and making something meaningful out of their travels.
The day started off strong with a keynote speech from none other than Pauline Frommer of Frommer’s [travel guides]. After that the workshop sessions started. There were multiple different sessions to choose from, so I went to the ones I thought would help Nomadic Neen thrive as a person and a blogger, or any sessions that just seemed interesting! Between sessions you could also visit the expo, where there were different booths set up by travel companies, travel destinations, and more! This was a great time to mingle and discover even more of the travel blogger world.
The afternoon keynote was given by Pico Iyer, an experienced travel writer. Pico’s keynote was so motivating and encouraging as a travel writer. It was the perfect afternoon boost to add to the high I was on from the incredible first day of TravelCon.
After a long day of sessions and mingling came to an end, TravelCon held a Welcome Party on Beale Street. The party started with a second line, which is essentially a brass band parade, as a welcome to all TravelCon Members. We walked down Beale Street with incredible music playing and high energy surrounding us everywhere. The second line ended at Jerry Lee Lewis’ Cafe and Honky Tonk where the party continued.
Unfortunately, Jerry Lee Lewis’ has since closed. I really enjoyed the vibes of the bar. It was multi-level and had great views from a balcony to look over Beale Street and see everyone vibing and having a good time.
The brass band followed us into the bar and continued to play as people danced and mingled. It was a great time to get to know all of the fellow travelers I met throughout the first day of the conference and throughout the expo.
After the official welcome party was winding down, people started planning how to keep the party going. I decided against going to a second bar and made my way back to the hotel with a couple of others since we had another long day ahead of us as the conference continued.
Day 3 – TravelCon Continues
The second day of TravelCon was the kind of day where you bounce from session to session, notebook in hand, hoping to soak in as much wisdom as possible. People were definitely moving slowly this morning after the Welcome Party and the after parties that went on, but I was refreshed and ready to go! I sat in on talks about everything from travel writing and SEO to building a personal brand, and each one sparked a new idea (or ten).
Saturday’s keynote speakers kept the energy high and ensured that even though everyone was exhausted that we were all still excited and ready to talk about all things travel and all things blogging. We had Jeff Goins to kick off the day and then the afternoon was a panel-type discussion with Memberful and Katalina Mayorga from El Camino Travel.
During the lunch break, myself and a couple of my new travel blogging friends decided to go out for an authentic southern-soul food lunch at Alcenia’s, which was just a couple minute walk from the conference center. When we arrived Alcenia’s was packed and had a line out of the door. We decided to wait since we had heard rave reviews about this place over the couple days at TravelCon. Alcenia’s staff are true professionals and knew exactly how to handle the lunch rush from conferences. The wait was completely manageable and totally worth the wait. I ordered the fried chicken and you know I can never pass up grits if I’m in the south. Lunch was delectable. Alcenia’s is an absolutely must go if you find yourself in Memphis!
After lunch, we all returned to TravelCon, enjoyed some more presentations, wandered around the expo, and networked whenever we had the chance. The day ended quickly, but that was just the official conference end. We still had Niche Meet Ups on the Agenda for the evening! Niche Meet Ups were meant to put bloggers and vloggers in the same worlds in a room together. I chose to attend the Solo Female Travelers meet up, which was hosted by Seeker. Seeker is essentially a social media for travelers. It is a place to find and share all of your favorite travel destinations.
The meet up was too much fun. A group of girls who love traveling and are courageous enough to do it solo? You’d be hard-pressed to find a group with better energy. The event was hosted at Loflin Yard, which is a restaurant and a phenomenal event space! The Solo Female Travelers Niche Meet Up was being held in their outdoor area, which had separate bars, firepits, yard games, you name it. It was a whole vibe. It was such a fun night and a great opportunity to meet other women in the travel space who love to do what you do!
Day 4 – TravelCon Continues
I won’t lie, by the third day of the conference, my brain was full, my coffee intake was out of control, and I had about 107 blog post ideas scribbled in various notebooks, in my notes app, and on random fliers from the expo. I was excited to sit in on the sessions for the last day, but I was really excited to start putting all my new knowledge into my blog. I felt more ready to take Nomadic Neen to the next level than ever before.
I started the morning with another walk along the Mississippi River, but this time I was on a mission to find the statues of BB King and Elvis Presley. After finding them and snapping some pictures, I strolled back to the hotel to ready for the conference.
We started the day strong with Nicole Walters. Nicole’s talk may have been the highlight of my TravelCon. Nicole had high-energy, an inspiring story, and she was exactly what I needed to start my final day at TravelCon. She gave me the energy boost I needed to join in on more sessions and wander the expo to network for one last day.
Naturally, the afternoon Keynote speech was from none other than Matt Kepnes, better known as Nomadic Matt. This is when Matt announced that TravelCon 2022 would be the last. Everyone in the room was visibly upset, myself included. I just had the best three days ever and now I can’t go again?! Talk about heartbreak.
I had a small break of sessions and decided to take the time to do some touristy things. One of the highest things on my Memphis bucket list was to eat at Elvis’ favorite restaurant, which is coincidentally the oldest restaurant in Memphis: Arcade Restaurant. Elvis frequented this restaurant so often that he now has a booth memorialized to him there!
After I ate, I took a walk over to the Lorraine Motel. Visiting the Lorraine Motel in Memphis was a sobering and powerful experience. This is the site where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968, while standing on the balcony outside room 306. There is a memorial wreath hung outside room 306 because of this. Standing there, it’s impossible not to feel the weight of history: the pain, the injustice, but also the courage and hope that Dr. King stood for. The motel has since been transformed into the National Civil Rights Museum, preserving not just the room as it was that day, but also the stories and struggles of those who fought for civil rights. It’s more than just a place frozen in time; it’s a call to reflect, to remember, and to continue the work.
Post-exploring, it was time for my last batch of sessions before TravelCon would come to an end. The sessions went too quickly and before I knew it, I walked out of my last TravelCon presentation.
Rather than mourning the travel conference we all came to know and love, we celebrated big at the final farewell party. The farewell party was hosted at Carolina Watershed. TravelCon took up the entire space, indoor and outdoor. The event space was beautiful and a truly wonderful spot to end such an incredible weekend with all the new travel friends we made along the way.
Day 5 – Travel Day & Reflection
My time in Memphis was coming to an end, and as much fun as I had at TravelCon 2022, I was more than ready to come home. I had done a lot of traveling leading up to TravelCon and the exhaustion was starting to get to me. It was time to put everything to good use!
So, would I go back to Memphis? I’ll be honest, Memphis wasn’t what I expected. While I appreciated the music history and soul food, I personally didn’t feel very safe walking around alone, especially after multiple Uber drivers echoed similar concerns. It’s not a city I’d rush back to, but I’m glad I experienced it through the lens of TravelCon.
Would I go back to another travel convention? Hell yes. I was truly sad that TravelCon announced it was the last year, and I told myself I’d get to a different travel convention soon! It’s even better now that we know TravelCon is an option again!
Post Conference Blues & Today
I left the conference feeling tired, but like nothing could stop me from becoming a successful travel writer. Unfortunately for me, as soon as I got home, I hit a major burnout. I was overwhelmed with information, I was starting to feel like I could never be at some of these other travelers’ levels, and I’d never keep up with their country counts, their affiliate revenues, or their instagram views. It felt like a defeat. Suddenly, the energy I’d built up turned into pressure. Social meia felt more like a performance than a passion, and I realized I needed to step back.
I took a break from Nomadic Neen. I’d check in on instagram here and there. Maybe write a little bit. I wasn’t as invested as I was just 2 years back when I started my blog.
Then in 2024, I remembered what I was really in this all for. I am not here for Instagram likes. I am not here for affiliate revenue. I am not here to show off my country count. I am here to share my stories, my itineraries, and my photos to inspire other people to travel somewhere new. I am here simply to share about my travels and that thought alone reignited my spark and got me to sit down in these last few months and catch up on some long overdue posts (including this one).
Nomadic Neen is back, with a different outlook, but she is back to sharing the wonders and beauties all around the world.
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