Sweet Sundays: Conference Participant Travel Guide

I’m super excited (although nervous as well, I must admit) that next week I will be attending my first Blog conference, BlogHer Food in Miami to learn all sorts of fun blog related things. I have attended tons of conferences in my day for school and work, but have never attended a conference for the ‘fun’ of it as a participant, so I thought I’d share my Conference Participant Travel Guide:

1. ONA Capri Camera Tote (Dark Tan) – I have a confession…this purse was my one present to myself and ‘splurge’ item this year, but it was totally worth it. Not only is it a super adorable purse that has a shoulder strap, but it has great protection for your camera but doesn’t look like a ‘camera’ bag. I just received mine the other day, and it is just gorgeous. Again, toooootaly. worth.it!
2. Canon EOS Rebel Camera – Since I have above said purse, it makes it super easy to travel with my camera. And I’m sure I’ll have ample opportunity to snap some pictures to share with you guys of the conference.
3. Black Color with White Dots Digital SLR Camera Straps – What better way to accessorize than an adorable camera strap?
4. Personalized Business Cards  – I’ll definitely be bringing some business cards, after seeing all these designs, I totally want every single one of them, would it be weird to have 10 different business cards?
5. Gel Roller Pen, Gold Barrel, Classic Design, Black Ink – I’m sure I’ll be learning all sorts of fun things, and since I’m an old fashioned pen and paper kind of girl, I need a good pen to write with, here is my favorite one-they write so well!
6. Black Leather NoteTaker Notebook – I have a bazillion notebooks, but my favorite one is one that has a little pocket to hold things (like business cards) in, yet has lots of pages to take notes and has a simple look, this one has all that and more!
7. Food Network Magazine Subscription – Since it IS a food blogger conference I’m going to, what better time to catch up and get inspired by wonderful magazines?
8. Skiva Apple Certified External Battery Pack – I don’t know about you, but my iPhone runs out of battery pretty quickly. With this portable charger I’ll have in my purse…problem solved!
9. Skinny Cow Dark Chocolate Candy Clusters – Seriously, I’m like a 5 year old, I need to pack a snack when traveling, and these delicious skinny cow dark chocolate candy clusters are perfect for throwing in my bag. They taste amazing and when I need a little chocolate pick-me-up, yet don’t want to eat a million calories, these are the perfect snack.
10. Clarks Women’s Lynx Charm Sandal – I definitely am all about cute and comfortable sandals for walking around in. I have been getting the same pair of sandals for years (literally, I have an alert set on eBay and keep buying this one brand of sandal over and over, I may or may not have them in every color and more than one pair in those colors)! Comfy shoes are a must!
11. Women’s Vintage bicycle embellished cotton knit dress with pockets – I love a casual dress that can be dressed up or down. How cute is this dress with the gold embellishments? And it has pockets-I love a dress with pockets!
12. Rose Gold Milky Stone Statement Necklace – To dress up any outfit, I like to bring along a statement necklace.

One of the many aspects of blogging I love is the connection it enables between bloggers and readers. As a reader of blogs I love getting to ‘know’ the blogger and even feel like I’m ‘friends’ with some of them, many of which I’ve never even met – here’s to hoping I’ll get to meet Liz, Lauren, Erin and Taylor at the conference!

What makes this trip even better (at this point, it’s like the best ever figurative icing on the cake) is that I’m looking forward to spending time with some awesome bloggers I’ve gotten to know Karis and Abby , so I’ll be trying to not be star struck by all the talent I’m surrounded by  but also having a mini vaca!

I’ll definitely be following advice my friend Kerri gave “take copious notes, ask lots of questions, introduce yourself to everyone and bring lots of business/blog cards to hand out, but most importantly, have fun!’

And no worries, I’m working on delicious posts for when I’m gone…like the worlds best ever cheesy garlic bread, yeah, you have that to look forward to!

Are there any travel essentials you take as a conference participant? Or any advice you’d like to pass on?

Are YOU going to BlogHer Food 2014?

Disclaimer: please note that some of the above links are affiliate links and if you purchase through the links at no cost to you, the pennies I earn will go towards fun giveaways for the Sweetphi readers. All opinions are as always my own, I just happen to love these items! To see a list of Sweetphi Giveaways click here.