A Schmittastic Travel Roundup 2012

2012 was a really successful year for me in terms of travel. I absolutely love to visit new cities and learn about other cultures so I’m thankful for every opportunity I get to see new places that I get. Here’s a recap of the fun times that were had in 2012 in my travel career:

January: Las Vegas, Nevada for Consumer Electronics Show

I kicked off 2012 as I am this year and the year before last. The Consumer Electronics Show always draws me to Vegas to find out what’s new in tech, media, and all things fun gadgetry. It was also a really important week because my good friend Sassibob and I met for the first time after working together for a few months on video projects. Vegas is always a fun time, but I love going there for conferences because it’s a great place to network with people. Someday I’ll be able to afford a room at the Cosmopolitan during CES and that’s how I know I’ve made it. (Okay maybe not really but it would be really sick. Party at my hotel!)

Here is my CES 2012 Playlist:

February: New Orleans, Louisiana for Mardi Gras

My first trip to New Orleans was of course during Mardi Gras. This wasn’t planned or anything on my life list or anything. My boyfriend was down there for an extended trip and I randomly decided to fly down for the last few days of his visit which were during their biggest event of the year. Totally impressed with how family friendly Mardi Gras can actually be. It’s no all Bourbon Street and I never would have guessed that. Tons of parades happening constantly and the best part for me was going to the Orpheus Ball and seeing Bret Michaels, Cyndi Lauper, and Harry Connick Jr. perform. Bad. Ass.

March: Orlando, Florida for Playlist Live

My first video personality conference was an absolutely amazing experience. It was great to meet a lot of my favorite people in the industry and I love to learn about making better video. Big thanks to Raaw for sponsoring the gig. Great product and great people to work with! Highlight of this trip was talking to Jenna Marbles. Unlike the fans, I didn’t have to stand in a 5 hour line to talk to her. AND I got an interview. This is when people from home realize I’m legit.

Here is the Playlist Live 2012 Playlist:

June: New York City for My Birthday and BlogWorld

I had never been to the big city before, so I was excited to take advantage of the East Coast version of BlogWorld so I could gather some cool people outside of the conference to make my birthday awesome. And it was. I particularly enjoyed my first experience with the Uber cabs and visiting one of my client’s offices for the first time.

My Uber Ride with Elijah:

June: San Francisco, California

I’ve visited SF a couple times for very short periods and it’s just one of those cities that makes such an impact on me that I don’t have to wait for a business trip to come back. I really wanted to get back there and get to know the area, people, and culture much better. I feel really connected to it because of the work I’m in but also because it’s absolutely stunningly gorgeous there. I’ve always felt a gravitational pull to the West Coast and SF is really the happy medium because you still get seasons there… somewhat.

Just a little SF view:

June: Anaheim, California for Vidcon

After a relaxing trip to San Francisco, I traveled down to Anaheim for my first Vidcon conference. Such a great experience to do both Playlist Live and Vidcon. I met a lot of video friends who had only been online friends previously. There were a lot of fans there and it was so special to see this amazing community come together and encourage great video content creation. I really enjoyed every minute.

Hanging with Austin at Vidcon:

November: London, England for Mozilla Festival

I was SO tried after all the travel during the first half of this year. I told everyone I was done until January. And then a little conference call Mozilla Festival came a knockin’ and suddently I booked a flight and took off to speak in London, England. My first international trip EVER! I was so thankful for such an amazing opportunity and really took advantage of the opportunity by staying for a little less than two weeks. Lucky for me, the conference put me up for a few days and my boyfriend’s uncle lives in a suburb so I had many places to see, food to eat, and experiences to have.

I even SAW THE QUEEN! Yes that’s right. Learn more in this video of one of my most fave days in London:

Finally…

I was inspired by an article about Zig Ziglar after his passing last year. The man had traveled more than five million miles during his career. Wow. Since I’ve made traveling and networking a big part of my business, I figured I’d start creating yearly recaps to keep track of my travel career as well. Since October 2010 — the beginning of my time as an entrepreneur — until the end of 2012, I’ve reached 35,053 miles.

Go me.

Travel Career Miles: 35,053