If you know me, you probably know that I can’t shut up about how awesome Twitter is. I’ve used it for a lot of things, most notably planning my current Big Trip. But I’ve also used it to meet other people interested in travel.
I think I’ve said this before, but while I was in Boston I couldn’t talk much about my future travel plans. My friends (many of whom I’d sworn to secrecy about my future travel plans) got bored of my incessant talk about quitting my job & “traveling.” And they certainly got tired of hearing about how I was up until 4am the night before and how I’d just successfully figured out how to “move a widget with some CSS code… and I inserted a rule to appear above every headline!” I can’t blame them.
My head was into travel. For minimum 6 months before leaving, almost everything about my life was about travel. “Can’t go out tonight…trying to save for an elephant ride in Thailand.” I imagine people got sick of hearing things like that. Understandable.
But then I figured out that I wasn’t alone! There were heaps of other travelers out there and they were all thinking the same things. I must meet these folks, I said. (to myself. my friends had stopped listening.) Luckily, Boston has a nice community of travel bloggers and it’s also a transitory place for a lot of current travelers. So I planned a handful of meetups for when other travelers were in town. It was fun.
There are a few BIG travel meetups each year. Whether for professional industry travel writers, or for travel bloggers. And now there’s a new one to add to the mix: Meet Plan Go!. Of course, during its inaugural year, I’m on the road. But just like I lived vicariously through people’s travels while I was sitting at work, I can now live vicariously through these travel meetups while traveling. Plus, I’ve met plenty of other travelers & travel bloggers on my trip already. Including Lillie who is running the Boston Meet Plan Go! event. Though you should know that this year’s Meet Plan Go! events are being held all over the country: Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Minneapolis, New York City, Orlando, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington D.C. and Toronto.
Meet Plan Go! sounds like it’s going to be a good event. And the best part…it’s completely FREE! Seriously. Anyone can go. The idea behind it is simply (with my commentary in parentheses):
- MEET inspirational speakers and like-minded travelers in your area. (Boston’s got a lot of folks interested in travel…from college students to wanderlusting adults.)
- Get motivation, contacts and resources necessary to PLAN the trip of a lifetime. (whether a gap year, career break, or a 3-month summer holiday volunteering)
- Start taking concrete steps forward and get ready to GO! (ask a lot of questions!)
So, if you’ve even got an itch of desire to travel more, I’d suggest signing up to attend this free seminar. It’s one-day only: September 14th. And I think Lillie’s already got some exciting stuff lined up for the Boston event. I know she could talk your ear off about it, so if you’re curious about Boston’s newest travel event, then just ask.
Oh, and if you go, could you pick me up any free swag? ;)
Adam, you make me happy. Your experiences especially pre-travel are so damn familiar. You rock my socks, buddy. When are we going to have a Meetup, eh? :)
Adam, you make me happy. Your experiences especially pre-travel are so damn familiar. You rock my socks, buddy. When are we going to have a Meetup, eh? :)
I wish there was something like that in my area too!
I still feel like everyone think I’m foolish. :p
I’ve met some some fellow travelers in the Atlanta area just last night. I would never have met them if it wasn’t for twitter. I can’t really talk about my plans much with my friends and family here because I plan on quitting my job and that will cause some drama that I’m not interested in dealing with yet.
I’m looking foreword the Meet, Plan, Go event here in Atlanta.
Thanks for the great write up on Meet, Plan, Go! We are blown away by how this event has been embraced and grown much bigger than we even imagined in the first year alone. In addition to finding inspiration at each event, attendees will also get some great resources to get them started. Plus are sponsors are giving away some amazing trips! We are already “at capacity” in several locations, so this gets us excited for more events in the future.
And Nick – events like this are great for those who aren’t ready to come out of the “career break closet”. It’s hard to stay motivated and inspired when you aren’t ready to share details with your family and friends, but you can surround yourself with like-minded individuals that you will hopefully meet at Meet, Plan, Go!
I’ll be on the panel at the Dallas Meet Plan Go event. Pretty stoked to meet some new travelers and get some inspiration before my big trip!
Adam, you sassy little devil you: “Talk your ear off?” And yet– ’tis true. “Meet Plan Go” is going to be so awesome that there’s much to say. The Boston event will feature Amanda Pressner from “The Lost Girls,” Stever Robbins, the “Get it Done Guy,” Bob Riel of “Two Laps Around the World,” and several other travel rock-stars… and great folks like the readers of this blog, of course! Go on now, people… connect with us! Can’t wait to meet you. Thanks for the article, Adam!
Adam, you sassy little devil you: “Talk your ear off?” And yet– ’tis true. “Meet Plan Go” is going to be so awesome that there’s much to say. The Boston event will feature Amanda Pressner from “The Lost Girls,” Stever Robbins, the “Get it Done Guy,” Bob Riel of “Two Laps Around the World,” and several other travel rock-stars… and great folks like the readers of this blog, of course! Go on now, people… connect with us! Can’t wait to meet you. Thanks for the article, Adam!
We absolutely have to have a meetup! When are you headed to China (I saw you were just now applying for your visa). I’ll be in SEA around Novembmer-December-ish…
Hiya Nick,
Twitter is so great for meeting people. Can’t stop talking about that, actually! I completely understand you not wanting to tell too many people yet. I only told a handful of friends early on, and then casually mentioned it more often as I got closer to breaking the news officially. It was tough because many of my friends’ reactions were less than stellar, though mostly supportive.
Hi Michael,
I’m so amazed at how well this event has taken off. From everything I’m hearing, I think it’s going to truly be unique and inspirational. Can’t wait to see and hear more about it—and hopefully get more involved for next year!
Hey Jenny,
Really stoked that there’s a MPG event in Dallas. It’s an oft-forgotten city when it comes to events like this (at least as far as I’m concerned). I’m originally from Dallas (I think I’ve mentioned that to you before) so it’ll be exciting to hear about the speakers, etc for that meetup. Please let me know all the juicy details!
Haha, my pleasure, Lillie :)
Also, totally jealous of all the cool people you’re going to meet. Glad to see Boston’s got such an awesome lineup already! Keep it up!
Adam – first of all – I really hope you got to take that elephant ride in Thailand – followed by a cheap Thai beer!
Second – thanks for this great post. Hopefully we’ll create an environment for travel lovers to meet up and talk all night about travel so that their friends and colleagues don’t have to hear about it any longer!
Happy Travels and we’ll see you next year!
Thanks Sherry! Haven’t gotten to Thailand yet but that’s all in the plan. Can’t wait to hear the stories that come out of Meet Plan Go…
Heidi! Okay okay you’re totally right!
A lot of it was in my head, too. Plus, that whole trying-to-keep-it-a-secret-forever thing drove me insane. I’m terrible at lying!
You, of course, were a lifesaver while I was planning!
Dude, you’re harsh. Not all your friends were so “bored” of your travel talk, nor did we all “stopped listening.” haha HAPPY EXPLORING ANYWAY. :)
It is always great to find a group where everyone shares the same passion. I had to do the same thing before at work, I kept all my plans to myself about quitting as I wanted to travel as well. It was hard since there are times that you just want to say it out loud.