As I wait for my flight home from the Women in Travel Summit, I think about the sink full of dirty dishes and piles of laundry that awaits me. It was a 3-hour train ride from #WITS18  in Quebec City to Montreal. A 4-hour wait for my flight and a 3-hour plane ride to Atlanta. I was exhausted and for a moment I wondered if it was all worth it.

The exhaustion was a by-product of a weekend filled with laughter, learning, networking, and sisterhood. I’d just spent the BEST four days in a grand chateau filled with diverse women that travel!

The Women In Travel Summit, created by Wanderful (WITS), was held at the Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac on May 3-6 2018. I’ve attended several blogger conferences before, but this was my first time at an exclusive travel conference for women.  Unlike some of my experiences at other conferences, at WITS I felt like I belonged in the room and had a seat at the table.

I learned about the summit from an email newsletter sent by the Everywhere Agency. What first attracted me was the diversity of the speakers. I was prepared to be one of a few women of color in the room, but at WITS I didn’t have to.

There were also many Family Travel Bloggers at WITS.  On my first night, I hung with Karen Akpan of The Mom Trotter. And on the second day, I met Iliah Altoro from Negra Bohemian. The three of us instantly connected and shared the challenges of being a family travel blogger. We brainstormed ideas of a creating a blogging tribe, which every mom blogger needs, and collaborating

At WITS I learned so much and met a lot of new people.  It was good to catch up with old blogging buddies that I haven’t seen in years.  Back at home in Atlanta, I have a large stack of business cards to sort through. What typically is a task filled with the challenges of placing a face to a name, I sift through easily remembering almost every unique conversation and nearly every kind face at WITS!

Here are My 5 Biggest Takeaways from the Women in Travel Summit #WITS18:

1. From Blog to Business
Stop thinking small and think BIG to grow BIG. Use your Blog to develop your Brand and ultimately your Business.

2. Define your Niche
Instead of trying to be everything to everyone,  focus on a primary niche. Become an expert in that one area first. Include a few of your related passions into your brand to set yourself apart from other Travel Brands.

3. Work Smarter Not Harder
Do not try and master every social media network. Use tools such as Planoley, Hootsuite, or Buffer to post so you can spend more time enjoying your family and travels.  And remember, hashtags do matter.

4. Get Out and Network
Take business cards with you wherever you go.  Connections can happen anywhere and you don’t want to miss the opportunity to connect with the right person or brand.  Attend local networking events and conferences. Be sure your cards are updated and stand out.

5. Pace Yourself
After being loaded with so much valuable information at WITS18, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. You don’t have to go home and do EVERYTHING right away. Take time to enjoy family first then get to work to avoid burn out. Pace yourself and know that consistency is key to most successful business.

Check out this list of Top Family Travel Bloggers at WITS18!

Have you attended #WITS18 or any Travel Conference?  How was your experience and what was your takeaways?  Please share them in the comments below.