Underwater Choreography Performed in the World’s Deepest Pool by Julie Gautier

AMA is a short film performed and directed by deep sea diver and underwater filmmaker Julie Gautier. The work follows Gautier through several uninterrupted minutes of underwater choreography, gracefully performed in the world’s deepest pool near Venice, Italy. She holds her breath as she uses controlled movements to twist and glide through the calm water, eventually rising up to the surface with the release of one giant air bubble.

The piece is titled after the Japanese word for “woman of the sea,” which is also the name for Japan’s traditional shell collectors. The film is a metaphoric nod to these united women, while also representing the relationship that connects women from all over the world.

“For me, this film is a way to say: you are not alone,” said Gautier, “open yourself to others, talk about your sufferings and your joys.”

Gautier and her husband, world champion deep sea diver Guillaume Néry, worked together on the 2015 Beyoncé and Arrow Benjamin music video Runnin, and collaborate on an underwater film company called Les Films Engloutis. You can see more short films by Gautier on her website and Instagram. (via Vimeo Staff Pick)

How Jewelry Artist Alexis Pavlantos Grew Her Business with Weebly

Oakland-based artist Alexis Pavlantos brings to life beetles, fireflies, and other tiny creatures in her masterfully crafted insect jewelry where unexpected wildlife becomes high-end adornment. Despite their lifelike appearance, the objects are each sculpted entirely by hand showing the artist’s remarkable ability to translate the fine details of nature into other materials.

Pavlantos often uses an ancient form of sculpting called lost wax-casting where the piece is first rendered in wax and then turned into a mould through several steps. Lastly, molten metal like bronze or silver is poured inside which assumes the shape of the original wax, resulting in a truly one-of-a-kind object.

The tiny scale of Pavlantos’ artwork was born from necessity rather than intent.  She was born and raised in the expansive southwestern United States, a place that deeply influenced her affinity for nature and the outdoors and where she obtained an MFA in sculpture from the University of New Mexico. But it wasn’t until she moved to Oakland that she had to start thinking small: studio space was simply too expensive and immediately limited the scale of her creative output.

She soon began to design increasingly smaller art objects and a menagerie of ornamental insects and functional objects in the form of both reptiles and mammals cast from various metals.

“I consider my process to be a transmogrification of my inexplicable depth of feeling into concrete material forms,” Pavlantos shares. “I create jewelry to collaborate with the human body. These embellishments interact as an extension of the body, thus nature is not something we set out to find, but is something we are a part of.”

As her business began to grow several years ago, Pavlantos made the decision to build her website with Weebly, a powerful platform for online stores. She was one of the first customers to sign up for their ecommerce platform several years ago and has used it ever since.

Pavlantos says she was attracted to a service that offered quick and easy setup while providing numerous elegant design templates and powerful tools to grow her jewelry business online. With an intuitive ecommerce website builder and an integrated shopping cart, Weebly does the heavy lifting, allowing Pavlantos to spend time on the important things like creating new work and interacting with customers.

Pavlantos’ advice for people on the fence about starting a business? “Just start somewhere,” she says. “Sometimes we’re the only ones holding ourselves back.” Whether it be the decision to bring your business online for the first time with a service like Weebly or simply reserving a new domain name, the first step is often the most important one.

Visit Weebly to learn more about their website building and ecommerce services and launch your new business today.

This post was written in partnership with Weebly.

Sisyphus: the Hypnotizing Kickstarter-Funded Kinetic Sand Drawing Machine is Now Available to The Public

Sisyphus, the wildly successful Kickstarter-funded kinetic table designed by Bruce Shapiro (previously>, is now available to the public via pre-order. The 2016 project raised $1,924,018 and is, to date, the most-funded campaign in the history of Kickstarter’s art category. The coffee table design includes a bed of sand with a magnetic steel marble that continuously traces programmed patterns through the malleable material. Many of the original designs are meditative mandala-like configurations, but it’s also possible to program the marble to create continuous line drawings or custom messages.

Sisyphus started taking pre-orders this weekend via their website. The table is available in two styles (coffee table or end table) and a variety of metallic and wood finishes. You can also follow the brand’s progress on Facebook and Instagram.

The Surprising Result of Crushing Non-Newtonian Fluids and Crayons in a Hydraulic Press

Warning: strong language. Over on the Hydraulic Press Channel, Finnish factory owners Lauri and Anni devised an awesome experiment to force a variety of soft objects like cheese, soap, and crayons through a plate drilled with holes with the help of their famous hydraulic press. The result is as funny as it is incredible, especially the squished crayons that seem to sprout straight up like sticks. The press is set to exert 150 bars of pressure (2,175 pounds per square inch) sending the various materials squirting in every direction in genuinely surprising ways. I’ve probably watched a few dozen of their videos over the years, and this an instant favorite.

Slinky Spirals of Clay Form Topsy-Turvy Vases by Michael Boroniec

Michael Boroniec subverts the age-old conception of pots and vases as useful vessels of containment with his sculptural ceramics. The artist began his spiral motif in 2008 with a focus on teapots, and the style has since become the predominant theme of his body of work. Boroniec forms each vessel on his potter’s wheel, and then carefully slices through the still-soft clay to deconstruct the traditional shape. He describes his intention behind these deconstructions in a recent Instagram post:

This process reveals aspects of the vase that most rarely encounter. Within the walls, maker’s marks become evident and contribute to the texture. The resultant ribbon effect, reminiscent of a wheel trimming, lends fragility, elegance, and motion to a medium generally perceived as hard and heavy. This emphasizes a resistance of gravity, allowing negative space to unravel and become part of the form.

Boroniec studied at the Rhode Island School of Design and now lives and works in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. He is represented by Lyons Wier Gallery, where his work is on view in a group exhibition through April 28, 2018. You can see more of his work on tumblr and Instagram. Mark Cantin and Cat Burt also directed and produced a short film about Boroniec, which you can view below.

 

Dazzling Three-Dimensional Paper Sculptures of Birds, Bees, and Crustaceans by Lisa Lloyd

UK-based paper artist Lisa Lloyd builds dazzling birds, floral arrangements, and feasts from multi-colored layers of precisely cut paper. Her three-dimensional works are most often inspired by naturally occurring colors and patterns, which is apparent in the geometric shapes and layered textures found in her works’ feathers, scales, and wings. Recently two of her creations were featured at Milan Design Week as a part of a Wunderkammer curated by CASAfacile magazine. You can see more of Lloyd’s paper sculptures and design work for brands such as Asahi, Elle Decor Italia, Grolsch, Disney, and the BBC on her website and Instagram. (via Lustik)

Soaring Wire Mesh Buildings Cast Ethereal Shadows Over Coachella Music Festival

All images © Roberto Conte

Italian artist Edoardo Tresoldi (previously), known for his massive architectural sculptures made of wire, built three transparent structures for this year’s Coachella music festival in California. Titled ‘Etherea’, the sculptural series was comprised of three identical buildings in different sizes, inspired by Neoclassical and Baroque aesthetics. The buildings were illuminated at night with a hazy lavender glow that emphasized the illusion of Etherea’s solidity. You can hear Tresoldi share more about his work in a TED talk, and see previous installations on his website, Instagram, and Facebook. (via Ignant)

How to Spend a Week in Vienna

Vienna. Home to schnitzel, Freud, Mozart, the Hapsburgs, opera, art, coffeeshops, and so much more. Over the decade I have been coming in and out of this city, I’ve watched it change from a stiff capital city to a cool, hip, foodie, and arty paradise.

Ok, it’s always been an arty paradise and maybe the “stiff capital” was just my incorrect first impression. See, when I first visited Vienna, I wasn’t a fan. It felt too stiff. Too proper. It had the air of a city too long steeped in imperial history. Despite being taken around by a local friend, I kept comparing it to Prague and Budapest and went “mehhh.”

But, over time, I’ve come to appreciate the city and all it has to offer. In short, I was wrong about Vienna (and that goes to the important point that first impressions are not always correct). The city has countless museums, palaces, markets, restaurants, quirky art exhibits, delicious food halls, neighbors a wonderful wine region, and is a quick train trip to Bratislava.

With so much to offer, here’s how I’d organize a week long visit to Vienna:

Day 1

Free walking tour
(Neubaugürtel 54, +43 6645544315, www.goodviennatours.eu) – Start your trip off with a free walking tour. It’s a cool way to get a sense of the capital, give you a taste of its history and culture, and let you explore and orientate yourself the city on foot. Plus, you can ask your guide any and all questions you may have! Three excellent free tours are:

• Good Tours
• Anna Loves Vienna
• The Original Free Vienna Walking Tour

Just make sure to tip your guide!

Imperial Palace
(Michaelerkuppel, +43 15337570, www.hofburg-wien.at) – Built in the 13th century, this is a giant complex with multiple attractions. You can easily spend half a day here. First, there are the Imperial Apartments, which is really three activities in one: the silver collection featuring thousands of royal dinnerware, the Sisi exhibit highlighting the life of the beloved Empress Elisabeth of Austria, and the actually royal apartments themselves. Additionally, you can also check out the butterfly museum and the National Library where you can see the ornate baroque style State Hall with its tens of thousands of books.

However, my favorite is the Imperial Treasury. You’ll find tons of royal artifacts, crowns, scepters, and a really detailed history of the Hapsburg family and empire. And, though not free, you should definitely get the audio tour. It adds a ton of context to the exhibits. Honestly, if you just see this attraction, you’d learn enough!

Opening hours: Daily (9am-5:30pm) from September to June, and 9am-6pm in July and August. Admission is 14 EUR for adults and 8.20 EUR for kids. Just be sure to avoid the weekends if you can, as it gets crowded.

Additionally, you can listen to the Vienna Boys Choir during mass on Sundays at the Royal Chapel (which is located at the Imperial Palace). They are one of the most famous choirs in the world. There are around 100 boys in the choir. (Seated tickets start at 11 EUR, though you can get free standing room tickets if you line up 30-45 minutes before the performance.)

Naschmarkt
(1060 Vienna, +43 1400005430, www.naschmarkt-vienna.com) – This is Vienna’s largest open-air food market. It’s been operating for hundreds of years and has a variety of restaurants, street stalls, and grocers. It’s a little touristy (don’t go food shopping here) but it has a cool vibe and, on a warm sunny day, it’s nice to sit out with a meal and a glass of wine. Despite its fame, you’ll still find a lot of locals here. Be sure to hit up Umarfisch for seafood and wine.

Opening hours: Monday-Friday (9am-7:30pm), Saturday (9am-5pm). Restaurants and cafes are open later.

Day 2

Museumsquartier
(Museumsplatz 1, +43 15235881, www.mqw.at) – Once the imperial stables, the Museumsquartier is now home to three different museums: the Leopold Museum for Art Noveau and Experessionism; Kunsthalle Wien, an exhibition center with rotating exhibitions; and the Museum of Modern Art, which has the largest collection of modern art in central Europe. The Museumsquartier is also home to a number of festivals throughout the year.

Basically, if you love modern art, you need to come here!

Museum of Fine Arts
(Maria-Theresien-Platz, +43 1525240, www.khm.at) – This is the largest art museum in the country, with artifacts from ancient Egypt and Greece and paintings from Raphael, Rembrandt, Pieter Brueghel the Elder, and more. Most of the items are from the Hapsburg’s old collection. This museum is more “classic art” and there’s enough to keep you busy for a few hours (at the very least).

Opening hours: Daily (10am-6pm; 10am-9pm on Thursdays) from June to August. Tuesday-Sunday (10am-6pm) and Thursday (10am-9pm) from September to May. Admission is 15 EUR.

St. Stephen’s Cathedral
(Stephansplatz 3, www.stephanskirche.at) – Built in Romanesque and Gothic styles, this cathedral has been standing since the 12th century. Inside, you’ll find an ornately decorated church with high archways, vaulted ceilings, and a plethora of statues and religious paintings. Additionally, there are two beautiful altars: the High Altar, built in the 1640s and the Wiener Neustadt Altar, commissioned in 1447. The cathedral also has two towers, though one was never finished because they ran out of money. You can pay 5 EUR to climb the several hundred steps of the south tower or, if climbing isn’t your thing, you can pay 6 EUR to explore the catacombs below the cathedral.

Opening hours: Monday-Saturday (6am-10pm), Sunday (7am-10pm).

Stroll along the Danube
If you haven’t done so already, take a walk along the Danube. There are plenty of bars, stores, and cafes along the water so you can grab a drink and chill or just window shop if you don’t feel like stopping. In the summer, there are also a few small “beaches” where you can relax and soak up some sun and relax on a nice day.

Day 3

House of Music
(Seilerstätte 30, +43 15134850, www.hausdermusik.com) – This is a small but fascinating museum featuring exhibits on some of the world’s most well-known Austrian composers — Mozart, Schubert, Strauss, and Schoenberg. You can view manuscripts, artifacts, and there’s also a virtual stage where you can conduct your own symphony.

Opening hours: Daily (10am-10pm). Admission is 13 EUR.

Schonbrunn Palace
(Schönbrunner Schloßstraße 47, +43 1 81113239, www.schoenbrunn.at) – This palace started off as a hunting lodge in 1696 before becoming the summer residence of the Hapsburgs (because at the time this was far outside the city center). There are over 1,400 rooms in the palace but only a handful are open to the public (you’ll see 22 rooms with the imperial tour and 40 rooms with the grand tour). However, there’s enough to spend a few hours here wandering the exquisitely restored rooms. The gardens are free (you’ll see a lot of locals running here) and there’s also a neat maze as well as the “Schonbrunn Tiergarten” (the Vienna Zoo), which is a great place to take the kids. I love coming to the gardens, climbing up the hill, and enjoying a bottle of wine with friends. You can see the city off in the distance. There are also guided tours for those particularly interested in the history of the palace.

Opening hours: Daily (8am-5:30pm) from April-June and September-November; 8am-6:30pm from July 1-August 31; 8am-5pm from November 5-March 31. The Imperial Tour is 14.20 EUR and takes 30-40 minutes, the Grand Tour is 17.50 and takes approximately 1 hour, the Classic Pass is 24 EUR and takes 3-4 hours, and the Sisi Ticket is 29.90 EUR and lasts an entire day. There is also an audio guide available in 21 different languages free of charge.

Vienna State Opera
(Opernring 2, +43 1 514 44/2250, www.wiener-staatsoper.at) – Vienna is pretty much synonymous with opera. This opera house is one of the largest and most famous in the world and opera is a major focal point of Viennese life. For 9 EUR, you can take a 40-minute behind-the-scenes tour of the facility. To see a show, I recommend buying last minute standing room tickets for around 10 EUR (often less) the day of a show, usually around 60-80 minutes before it starts (you can line up earlier than that, but they don’t start selling until right before the show). It’s first come, first serve and you can only buy 1 ticket per person.

Opening hours: Varies daily for guided tours and for performances.

Day 4

Belvedere Palace
(Prinz-Eugen-Strasse 27, +43 1 795570, www.belvedere.at) – This is one of my favorite places in the city. The Belvedere is actually two palaces. The northern palace is home to an incredible art collection with works by Renoir, Monet, and Van Gogh and a large portrait collection (which is my favorite). The southern palace is a rotating exhibit hall. The free grounds feature beautiful fountains, gravel walkways, ponds, statues, plants, and flowers and are prefect for stroll on a nice day.

Opening hours: Daily (10am-6pm). Admission is 8-22 EUR, depending on how much you want to explore.

Jewish Square
(Dorotheergasse 11, +43 1 5350431, www.jmw.at) – For centuries, Vienna was home to a sizable Jewish population. Then the Nazis came. This area of town features two important museums: the Vienna Jewish Museum that details the role Viennese Jews played in the development of city life; and the Medieval Synagogue, which gives a more authentic look at the history of Jewish life in Vienna. There is also the nearby sober Holocaust memorial designed by British artist Rachel Whiteread.

Opening hours: Sunday-Thursday (10am-6pm), Friday (10am-2pm). Admission to the museum is 12 EUR for adults, with discounts available.

Natural History Museum
(Burgring 7, +43 1 521770, www.nhm-wien.ac.at) – The Natural History Museum features a huge collection of minerals, precious stones, meteorites, fossils, and even some taxidermy because stuffed animals and all! With over 30 million objects, the museum’s collection is one of the biggest in Europe. The museum is also home to a digital planetarium where you can watch movies about the earth and its development. I highly recommend going (cause space is awesome).

Opening hours: Thursday-Monday (9am-6:30pm), Wednesday (9am-9pm). Admission is 10 EUR.

Day 5

Mozart Museum
(Domgasse 5, +43 1 5121791, www.mozarthausvienna.at) – Though Mozart lived at a handful of different addresses in Vienna, this is the only apartment that has survived. He lived here from 1784-1787, and you’ll learn about his life, family, music, friends, and are able to listen to his work. There’s a variety of paintings, artifacts, letters, and memorabilia from his life here as well. It’s a neat little museum to check out.

Opening hours: Daily (10am-7pm). Admission is 11 EUR.

Freud Museum
(Berggasse 19, +43 1 3191596, www.freud-museum.at) – Sigmund Freud, the famous founder of psychoanalysis, lived in this apartment-turned-museum from 1891 to 1938. The museum was opened in 1971 with the help of Anna Freud (his youngest daughter) and is home to the original furniture and Freud’s private collection of antiques as well as first editions of his works. There are also films from his private life. It’s small and only takes about an hour to visit.

Opening hours: Daily (10am-6pm). Admission is 12 EUR.

Albertina
(Albertinaplatz 1, +43 1 53483, www.albertina.at) – The Albertina is one of the best museums in the city (which says a lot because this is a city of museums)! It’s housed in one of the old private residence wings of the Imperial Palace. It’s most famous for its print collection, which is comprised of over one million prints and 60,000 drawings. However, they have a lot of temporary exhibits that rotate through here too, which I found to be the highlight (I saw one on Raphael).

Opening hours: Saturday-Tuesday, Thursday (10am-6pm), Wednesday and Friday (10am-9pm). Admission is 13 EUR for adults and free if you’re under 19.

Day 6

Do a Wine Tour
(+ 43 12297334, www.discoverviennatours.com) Once you’ve had your fill of museums and palaces, take a bike tour of the nearby Wachau Valley. You’ll get to taste some of the best local wine while burning off a few extra calories (to make room for more wine, of course!). It’s a full day excursion (plan to spend 8-10 hours on this) that includes some sightseeing and lunch too. If you’re looking for a tour operator, I suggest Discover Vienna Tours. They are who I use when I run tours to Vienna and people love it. Honestly, it’s the number thing people remember!

Tours go between April and October and cost around 74 EUR per person (with discounts available for students).

Day 7

Visit Bratislava
Bratislava makes for a great day trip from Vienna. Located only an hour away, you can easily head there for a day to explore its charming medieval center, several castles, a cathedral, beer halls, restaurants, and paths along the Danube. Bratislava is a relatively small capital so it’s easy to get around on foot. Trains depart regularly from Vienna for as little as 10 EUR, while Flixbus runs a regular bus service with tickets starting around 5 EUR. If you stay in the night, Hostel Blues is my favorite hostel in the city.

OR….

Explore Vienna Woods
This beautiful woodland (known as Wienerwald) is located on the outskirts of the city and is filled with a lot of hiking paths. It’s located around 30km from the city, extremely popular with locals (few tourists get out there). If you don’t have a vehicle, you can take public transportation or try the ride-sharing service BlaBlaCar.

Where to eat

Here’s a list of all my favorite restaurants in Vienna:

• Figmueller (Wollzeile 5, +43 15126177) – Founded over 110 years ago, the Figlmüller is famous for its schnitzel. Yes, it’s super touristy but the schnitzel is very good and it’s about the size of your face so you’ll have leftovers. Be sure to make reservations!
• Der Wiener Deewan (Liechtensteinstraße 10, +43 1 9251185) – This pay-what-you-want restaurant cooks Pakistani cuisine with excellent daal, naan bread, and salad. It’s popular among students (the university is nearby). Don’t go in a huge group or you’ll never get a seat.
• Café Jelinek (Otto-Bauer-Gasse 5, +43 15974113) – This is one of many coffee houses in Vienna. It’s cool, stylish, serves great drinks, and has comfy tables.
• Japanisches Restaurant NihonBashi (Kärntner 44, +43 18907856) – This is the best sushi restaurant in Vienna. Not only is the food mouth watering but it has an extensive sake menu.
• Plutzer Bräu (Schrankgasse 2, +43 15261215) – A Westernized bar, this place has delicious Viennese food, along with steaks, burgers, and lots of beer.
• Café Phil (Gumpendorfer 10, +43 15810489) – This cafe is also a bookstore. It’s very laid back and a great place to people watch. They also have fast wifi, friendly staff, and serve food!
• L’Osteria Bräunerstraße (Bräunerstraße 11, +43 1512253610) – To die for Italian and pizza joint right downtown with outdoor seatings, friendly staff, and a huge wine list.
• Restaurant Hidori (Burggasse 89, +43 15233900) – Another solid sushi place that also services some pretty amazing yakitori (grilled skewers).
• Café Sperl (Gumpendorfer 11, +43 15864158) – This traditional coffeehouse dates back to the 19th century and is home to some delicious pastries. It was featured in Before Sunrise and A Dangerous Method.

****
Vienna has a lot of things to do in see. Sure, there’s a lot of museums and, by the time you leave here, you’ll have museum overload but there’s also a lot of great walking tours, excursions outside the city, food markets, places to eat, and cafes to sit around with a good book in! Vienna will never steer you wrong!

The post How to Spend a Week in Vienna appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

Afro Beauty Brought to Life in Photographer Luke Nugent’s Lavish Hair Portraiture

British photographer Luke Nugent captures a wide range of style, beauty, and personal expression in his creative photo shoots, for which he often works with London-based hair stylist Lisa Farrall. Nugent highlights women of color in his varied series, from the more subdued everyday styles in Emancipate to the Afrofuturism-inspired Armour, which was a finalist for the 2016 British Hair Awards.

Nugent studied photography at London’s University of Greenwich, and has been shooting professionally since his late teens. He creates work for a variety of commercial and editorial campaigns, with a focus on fashion, portraiture, and music. You can see more of his photography on his website, as well as Instagram and Behance. (via Scene360)

 

Narrative Dramas Unfold in Robert Proch’s Multi-Dimensional Glitched Paintings and Murals

‘Late yellow’, 190x130cm acrylic on canvas, 2016

Robert Proch combines the aesthetics of street art and fine art in his dizzingly complex paintings and murals. The artist engages multiple perspectives, glitched repetitions of figures, architectural motifs, and tightly controlled color palettes to create his distinctive style. Scenes tend to radiate out from a central perspective point, surrounded by abstracted shapes and atmospheric brushstrokes.

Proch’s artist statement describes his work as mini-narratives that “examine the modern human condition using vivid colors and tangible emotions. Sentimentality, ambition, fear, loss, hubris, greed, and friendship play their roles in snapshot dramas.”

The artist studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Poznan, Poland, which is where he currently resides. Proch also explores his signature style in the mediums of drawing and wood bas-relief sculpture, which you can view on his website and Instagram. (via Booooooom)

‘Rebirth’, Dąbrowa Górnicza Poland, 2013

‘Rubicon’, 160 x 120 cm acrylic on canvas, 2013

‘Traffic’, 120×120 cm acrylic on canvas, 2017

‘Undo’, painted in Washington DC, 2016

‘Big shadow’, 180x180cm acrylic on canvas, 2017

‘Ok What Now’, 180 x 120 cm acrylic on canvas, 2013

‘Emergency Exit’, 140 x 140 cm acrylic on canvas, 2014

‘Selective memory’, Boras, Sweden 2015

TravelCon Updates: Speakers, Sponsors, and More!

Hey everyone! I’m super-duper excited about TravelCon, our upcoming conference to teach people how to build sustainable careers in the travel industry. It’s going to be the biggest — and best — travel media event of the year! I have some exciting updates:

1. We’re sold out! I had to increase the number of tickets to 600, but we are now at our max capacity. I think it’s incredible that it took us less than two months to sell out the event! Who knew there was such demand for this thing? I was anxious about getting even a hundred people in the door, but the fact we have so many people coming is amazing.

But for those who weren’t able to get tickets, we’re working on solutions. First, I’m sure people will cancel. Plans can fall through, so we’re going to open ticket sales again in the coming months. Join our waitlist and get first dibs on tickets when they come out.

Second, we’re working on some sort of recording or livestream option for those who live in far off lands and can’t make it. It’s surprisingly difficult (and expensive), but we’re trying to come up with a solution. I hope to have better news on this front by the summer!

2. We’re almost done with our schedule (yay!), and I’m excited we added even more amazing names to our speaker list in the last month. (I’m excited about them all but really excited about Helen Russell. I loved her book, A Year of Living Danishly!)

Lola Akinmade

Geotraveler Media

James Bradbury-Boyd

Singapore Airlines

Paul Brady

Condé Nast Traveler

Edin Chavez

Shut Your Aperture

Julia Dimon

Freelance Writer

Lebawit Lily Girma

Sunshine and Stilettos

Stephanie Griest

Writer, Around the Bloc

Spud Hilton

The San Francisco Chronicle

Rob Holmes

GLP Films

Clint Johnston

Triphackr

Anna Karsten

Anna Everywhere

Matthew Karsten

Expert Vagabond

Peep Laja

ConversionXL

Gary Leff

View From the Wing

Rolf Potts

Vagabonding

Erick Prince

Minority Nomad

Helen Russell

The Year of Living Danishly

Patricia Serrano

Fresh Traveler

Claudi Sult

GreenMe Berlin

Thomas Swick

Writer, Unquiet Days

I’m excited to have so many wonderful people speaking at the event and sharing their advice, tips, and wisdom.

(For a full list, check out our speaker page!)

3. We’ve started to get some sponsors for the event. From tourism boards to tech companies to agencies, here’s who will be in attendance so far:

As an international financial services provider, Allianz offers over 86 million customers worldwide products and solutions in insurance and asset management.

AWeber is an easy-to-use email marketing and automation software used by some of the best writers, photographers and content creators around the world, including Ann Handley, Stephen Kamb, and more.

Bluehost is a leading web solutions services provider. They power millions of websites, making them one of the largest and most trusted web hosting services.

ConvertKit are creators who help creators earn a living online. They have the best email marketing software on the web. Their features are built by bloggers for bloggers to help online businesses grow their biggest asset: their email list.

Diamond PR are leaders in creating impactful, cutting edge public relations and social media campaigns, specializing in communication strategies for luxury travel clients and destinations around the globe.

Intrepid Travel is the world’s largest adventure travel company, operating amazing small group experiences in over 120 countries.

Mediavine offers full service ad management including display ad optimization, video monetization and sponsored influencer marketing. We’re here to help content creators build sustainable businesses.

Teachable provides you with all the information, knowledge, and resources necessary to create and sell your online course. Teachable does the heavy lifting for you so you can focus on creating courses and teaching your students.

Walks offers small group tours in cities around the world. Tours are offered throughout Italy, Paris, New York, and Turkey, where you’ll get exclusive access to behind the scenes areas that no one else gets to see.

 
We also four major tourism boards, a few PR firms, and some other companies confirmed but until those contracts get signed, I can’t put the logos up! But, needless to say, this list is growing! You’ll be able to meet with each company as we are going have scheduled appointment times on our last day!

(Psssst…..are you an the industry? Would you like to have your company at TravelCon and meeting with the best of the best in travel media? Contact me about sponsorships! We have a wide, wide range of opportunities to fit any of your needs.)

That’s it for now! Super excited to see you in September!

— Matt

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