Part one: FT4RL 6: MCO Redux! Will You Join Our Triumphant Return to Orlando? Jan. 9, 2017
I’m happy to announce that Family Travel for Real Life (FT4RL) is returning to Orlando. We had so much fun in and around Disney that going back was a no-brainer. FT4RL 6 will be May 6 at the Hyatt Place Orlando Airport. Tickets available here. Sessions will be Saturday from 9:30-5 with lunch and afternoon snack included in admission. We will also have events Friday night and Saturday night so everyone can get to the all important business of meeting and greeting your Twitter friends IRL.
Early May is a terrific time to visit Disney as the weather is not too hot and is during the Epcot flower and garden festival. If you’re not interested in paying for park tickets there’s still tons to do, and not just for kids.
Confirmed Topics and Speakers:
Ari Charlstein, Dad of a toddler and founder of AwardMagic: Multi-Generation Travel on Miles and Points
Julianna Barrett, Mom of Tween Boys and Blogger atTravelingInspired.com: Sporting and Special Event Travel on Miles and Points
I’m doing a session on Second Cities: thinking beyond the postcard
I still have two slots open so if you have a session idea please let me know ASAP. I have some ideas but you guys have so much more collective knowledge that I don’t want to limit your creativity. You do NOT have to be a blogger but I prefer that you (or one of your team as we’ve had teams present in the past) be a parent.
I’m thrilled that all three topics we have so far are new and that Ari and Juliana are new speakers. It’s my goal for FT4RL to bring creative content to the table so alumni get something new out of the conference as well as newbies.
Will you join us at FT4RL? Have any questions? Fire away in the comments. And if you’re an alum, feel free to share your impressions (good and bad, I can take it) for others to get an idea of the event.
Part two: FT4RL 6 Speaker Updates and Schedule- Get Your Tickets Now! Feb. 15, 2017
’m happy to announce that Family Travel for Real Life (FT4RL) is returning to Orlando. We had so much fun in and around Disney that going back was a no-brainer. FT4RL 6 will be May 6 at the Hyatt Place Orlando Airport. Tickets available here. Sessions will be Saturday from 9:30-5 with lunch and afternoon snack included in admission. We will also have events Friday night and Saturday night so everyone can get to the all important business of meeting and greeting your Twitter friends IRL.
Early May is a terrific time to visit Disney as the weather is not too hot and is during the Epcot flower and garden festival. If you’re not interested in paying for park tickets there’s still tons to do, and not just for kids.
Schedule:
9:00-9:30: Registration
9:30-9:45: FT4RL: State of the Hobby
9:45-10:45: Jason Steele, Dad of 3 and senior writer on The Points Guy among many mainstream publications, on “Cash back is the new black”.
With all the changes in mileage and points programs one thing never changes- free is better! Jason will share tricks and tips on how to maximize convertible currency programs and ways to save beyond the basics.
10:55-11:55: Julianna Barrett, Mom of Tween Boys and Blogger atTravelingInspired.com: “Sporting and Special Event Travel on Miles and Points”.
Making those high demand moments possible takes special skills. Julianna has been there and done that- and is happy to share her expertise.
12:00-1:00: Lunch
1:10-2:10: Yours truly on “Second Cities: travel beyond LondonParisRomeNewYorkHawaiiDisney”.
I’ll share some of my favorite spots around the world that don’t get enough coverage in the mainstream travel hacking community. I’ll also give you tips on how to find your own second city destinations.
2:20-3:20: Ari Charlstein, Dad of a toddler and founder of AwardMagic: Multi-Generation and Large Family Travel on Miles and Points.
Sometimes even 4 tickets isn’t enough! Ari will share his favorite methods of finding space for the entire family- whether you’re a couple or the Duggars.
3:20-3:40: Afternoon Break
3:40-4:40: Haley Bach, Mom of teenagers and Disney Vacation Planner on: “Hacking Disney World”.
If you haven’t heard Haley talk Disney- you’re in for a treat! If you have, you’re as excited as I am that she is sharing her wealth of knowledge.
4:40-5:00: Ask the Speakers
I’m thrilled that we have so many original topics and that Ari and Juliana are new FT4RL speakers. It’s my goal for FT4RL to bring creative content to the table so alumni get something new out of the conference as well as newbies.
Will you join us at FT4RL? Have any questions? Fire away in the comments. And if you’re an alum, feel free to share your impressions (good and bad, I can take it) for others to get an idea of the event. (And if you lost the Alumni promo code, be sure to send me a DM so you get your discount!)
Part three: Why FT4RL (and Sesame Street) Matter Mar. 31, 2017
I found an amazing deal last night that I decided not to blog.
I decided it was definitely a mistake and didn’t want to break it. I did, however share it among a group of travel hacking friends and on my personal Facebook wall. (Friend me if you actually know me.) I’m not telling you this to be mean- I’m telling you this to remind you that networking is the key to travel hacking.
I HATE the Word Networking
Let’s just call it what it is- making friends 101. Skills you should have learned on Sesame Street. The awkward part in travel hacking is finding out where the playground is. That’s where events like Family Travel for Real Life (FT4RL) come in- it’s where you find the “cool kids” (HA!). Well, it’s where you find people who are as geeky for miles and points as you are- probably even more so. Events like Chicago Seminars and FTU also have an important function- but walking into a room of 600+ is a heck of a lot scarier for most than walking into a room of 40. Especially when the room of 40 has a hostess (yours truly) who will make sure you’re not left hanging by the water fountain. (Pats self on back.)
Why ya gotta be so rude?
Let me return to Sesame Street for a moment. I’ve been putting my words out in public for over five years now. Most days the tone has vastly improved over when I started- at least I haven’t been called a whore by a commenter in a good long while. However, once in a while the dogs will have their day.
Commenters feasted on my flesh recently when I dared admit I wasn’t an expert MSer and that I wouldn’t recommend anyone who wasn’t comfortable with a lot of risk deal with Gift Card Mall. Don’t play any violins- I’m not asking for them! I’ve got my big girl panties on and can take the heat. The commenters even turned on themselves when the insults got too nasty. Self-policing is an definite improvement.
But what I want to mention is that I’ve been doing this in a forward facing manner for over five years and still get that level of vitriol. Imagine how someone who is new to Flyertalk would have reacted to the comments I received? To be honest I think someone new to “The Hobby” even reading the comments I received would think twice before raising their hand in class.
THAT’s Why FT4RL Matters
Because we’re not jerks.
Now I’m not saying every Flyertalker is a jerk- 90% aren’t (Well maybe 80% depending on the forum). But 100% of FT4RLers aren’t jerks. I simply don’t allow it. Another jerk free zone? Travel Hacking 101 on Facebook. Rich doesn’t allow it either. The Saverocity crew? Snarky as all get out- myself included- but not a jerk in sight.
Nice people are travel hackers, too. In fact most of us are really nice people! You just might have to go out of your way to meet us in person because- like in real life- usually those who scream loudest on the internet have the least to say.
Part four: Some Thoughts on FT4RL 6, May 9, 2017
Greetings from, well, home. I’m just back from Family Travel in Real Life 6 (!) and want to share a quick FT4RL recap- well, more of some general lessons learned and thoughts I’m taking home. I’m also sharing a brief life recap as well since posting has been a bit light of late.
FT4RL Recap and general thoughts
People are starting to catch on.
Let me state for the record: I am NOT anti-Hyatt. I am anti-THOUGHTLESS Hyatt. I am anti-thoughtless anything. The good news is that I think people are finally stepping off the status hamster wheel. With airlines it’s easy: they’ve pretty much let us know where they stand! With hotels it’s harder. Hotels have mastered the ego massage- exclusive access here, special amenity there, pretty soon you think they actually care about you. They don’t. You’re not special, you’re a dollar sign. Use that to your advantage, not theirs.
Rotating speakers and topics matters.
The reason is partly selfish- I have to go to every FT4RL and I don’t want to get bored! But all of us raise our game when we hear from new voices and about new stuff. Each speaker taught me something I’ll put to immediate use.
Blogging carries responsibility.
The entire concept of Vendoming came from the fact that I couldn’t stand the “bloggers’ circuit” and the FOMO (fear of missing out) it created. For a long while it was if you “weren’t doing it right” if you hadn’t visited the Maldives, flown first on a middle eastern airline and yes stayed the Park Hyatt Vendome in Paris. What bothered me wasn’t that bloggers were writing it, but that readers were accepting it as gospel.
Fast forward three years and my little corner of the internet is a bit larger than it used to be. That means my words carry responsibility, too. I heard from more than a few of you (at FT4RL and online) about plans you had made based on my recommendation. It’s a fact I don’t take lightly.
It’s also why I’m very conservative on giving credit card advice. To this point I’ve resisted selling credit cards on the blog. The money certainly is tempting but the idea of even one person going into a debt spiral based on my advice is not one I’ve reconciled yet.
Y’all are fun!
As the party “host” it’s my job to make sure everyone has a good time. In the planning weeds I often forget the actual event is fun for me, too! After six we’ve self-selected just a cool bunch of people. I love giving us an excuse to get together. We had a lot of newbies this time and I was glad to see how quickly they blended right in. While each individual event size stays about the same (by my choice) our alumni network gets bigger and bigger.
Life Recap
I was in Orlando for two weeks and see some progress on the remodel upon return. I’m still pretty convinced workers will be here into the summer. Deal Dad and I have a bet whether or not they’ll be done by Camp Mom in July. I still feel good about my odds on that one.
I’ve still only planned the first three days of five weeks of our Chile/Argentina adventure. I’ve mentally filled in about two of the five weeks but need to get booking! That’s my next big project as we leave in seven weeks.
Between catching up here at home, getting camp mom booked and meeting Traveling Mom deadlines things may be a big quiet over here for a few more days. I have lots to share and will try to carve out time as often as I can.
If you came to FT4RL, what did you take away? Any suggestions for next time? Please share in the comments.
Part five: What Should I Do About FT4RL? June 11, 2018
Please bear with this stream-of-consciousness post.
I’ve come to a crossroads and have put off making a decision long enough. I could really use your help deciding what to do about Family Travel for Real Life.
To be honest, I’m of two minds about the future of the conference and am trying to determine when, or if, I should plan another one. When I need to make a decision I usually make a pro and con list, so I’ll give it a stab here.
PRO
I’m extremely proud of what FT4RL has accomplished. Four years ago I could count the family miles/points writers on one hand with fingers left over. Now the family viewpoint, if not prevalent, is at least well represented.
CON
Now at most larger conferences more family points of view are represented. Is the family viewpoint well enough established that the community doesn’t need a dedicated space anymore?
Selfishly I take some credit for that as many of the successful people in our community were among the first to sign on to FT4RL. I can add my own voice to the larger conferences if I want to be sure the points drive home.
PRO
The conference is fun for me. I love having an excuse to get together with old friends and new. I learn from you more than you learn from me. The intimate size means FT4RL feels more like a weekend-long party once it’s begun. I also selfishly take credit for the positive tone and the genuine likability of the people who choose to attend.
CON
Getting there is a helluva lot of work. Finding speakers, a venue, and a date that works for enough people is stressful, as is worrying about selling enough tickets to break even. It’s a labor of love, but I have other labors I love that are much more financially rewarding.
So now that I’ve laid bare I’m asking for your two cents. I’m NOT looking for “Dia, please don’t go!” ego-boosting, but genuine reflection.
Have you found FT4RL to be of value? More importantly, would you find future FT4RLs to have value as well?
