If you haven’t taken a trip on your own for either business or pleasure I highly recommend it! And this is coming from a 26 year old who has never gone anywhere without a PIC (partner-in-crime).
This week I was going to attend Pubcon, WebmasterWorld’s Search & Internet Marketing Conference in Las Vegas with Jen Kushell. I was all set to go…and then Sunday morning I received a call from Jen saying that she had to cancel for a family emergency (see Jen’s heartwarming article – May You Live to 120 Years Old) and would not be able to join me – but that I should consider going on my own.
My first thoughts – NO way! I didn’t know anyone attending and the excuses in my mind for not going kept building. I spent Monday morning calling all my friends who work from home and tried bribing them to come with me. I even tried to convince my mom. After relentlessly trying to find an accomplice, I gave up and started driving to the office. And then it hit me! Why should I pass on this amazing opportunity out of fear of the unknown? I quickly turned around (it was 2:00pm and my flight, an un-refundable ticket, was at 4:00pm) packed my bags and headed to the airport. I’ll forever remember this moment as a growing point in my life!
For those who are afraid to travel alone, let me tell you – you have nothing to worry about. Think about the positives:
- It’s a growing experience that you’ll never forget.
- It will bring a sense of confidence and independence to your life.
- You don’t have to share a hotel room with anyone, which means – you go to sleep and wake up when you want, choose the station or movie to watch on TV, and you get throw your clothes all over the place.
- You can make your own schedule. One of the greatest things about traveling alone is that you can do and eat whatever and whenever you want. No compromises!
While this trip was a huge success for me (in many ways) it would not have been possible without the encouragement from Jen Kushell, Shade Kelly, and Joseph Morin. Joseph is an evangelist and organizer of PubCon Internet Marketing Conferences, Founder of Boost Search Marketing, advisor and consultant for several major companies, AND speaks around the world. But most importantly, he is a dear friend of Jen’s (and now a friend of mine). Joe you made this trip for me, and forever I’ll be grateful!
If I hadn’t made the decision to step out of my comfort zone I never would have had the opportunity to hear Tony Hsieh, the CEO of Zappos, speak about the core values and culture behind the success of Zappos. I never would have been exposed to the views on social media, SEO, SEM and Twitter by some of the greatest online marketers such as Warren Whitlock, Kate Morris, Mike Dorausch and Bob Brisco! AND I never would have gained the courage to attend a party or networking event on my own!
**Stay tuned for my next post full of tips and tricks I learned at PubCon from some of the top online marketers in the country, including Tony Hsieh, (CEO, Zappos), Brandie Feuer (Director Interactive Marketing, Planet Hollywood), Scott Stratten (President, UN-Marketing) and more!
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I travel a lot so I’m not really afraid to go anywhere by myself. This past weekend though was the first time I want to a conference by myself, which actually did scary me a little. Of the 200+ people attending not only was I the youngest there but I only knew two other people attending and roomed with someone I had never met.
Luckily the conference was set up in a way that we had speed networking events and other team building activities that after a day or two I basically knew everyone. My advice to anyone is if you are afraid to approach anyone, just put your head down, take a deep breathe and DO IT. You have nothing to lose and so much to gain!
I’ve done it twice and I found out if you start talking to people at the conference, they’ll respond back to you. I bet there are MANY people go to the conference alone and they are itching to talk to others but do not have guts to start the conversation.
I always find my “conference-buddy” there on the spot when I travel alone. What you need to do is to say hi or even ask them where they’re going to eat lunch.