This is the summer of a lot of firsts for me; first time going to ISTE and many other conferences, first time going to certain states like Utah, first time doing an Ignite, first time going to NerdCamp (finally!) first time getting an award, and first time doing a lot of travelling by myself. So as I have been preparing to hit the road, I figured I cannot be the only one that is traveling to conferences by themselves this summer and thus needs some help on how to make the best of it. Behold, Pernille’s 10 travel tips for going to a conference all by yourself…
Make connections beforehand. If you are on Twitter, start following the hashtag of the conference and see who else will be there. I also know there are Facebook groups for some larger conferences and I have been joining some of those, just to make connections. Even if you are not into social media, Google the conference and see what comes up. I also try to scope out what type of social event there will be available to you beforehand so that you can go and meet people. No one should have to go through a conference by themselves.
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cross-posted at pernillesripp.com.
Pernille Ripp is the creator of Global Read Aloud Project, co-founder of EdCamp MadWI and the author of Empowered Schools, Empowered Students – Creating Connected and Invested Learners and Passionate Learners – Giving Our Classrooms Back to OurStudents, She teaches seventh grade in Verona, Wisconsin, and blogs at http://pernillesripp.com. Follow her on Twitter @PernilleRipp.
