I am really excited to be part of the hosts and organizers behind Meet, Plan, Go this year. My partner, Keith Hajovsky, and I are co-hosting the Austin event on October 16, when 9 other cities will also have their own Meet, Plan, Go (MPG) events happening.
Meet, Plan, Go! (MPG) is an organization that is dedicated to helping people fulfill their dreams of really traveling to experience the world, well beyond the two-week vacation. There are MPG groups active in ten cities around North America, and on October 16, 2012. These ten cities will host events that will provide attendees with inspirational speakers, discussion panels, breakaway sessions, resources, and giveaways to help people connect and plan their own extended travel or career break. Many of the resources, and ways that MPG folks travel, are much like the methods that we use and detail in our book — meant to drastically save money, in many cases making world travel far less expensive than remaining at home.
Keith and I attended the Austin MPG event last year, and then early this year we were flattered to be asked to become the co-hosts of this year’s event. For my part, I was motivated to accept hosting because of my passion for travel as a part of life, and even a part of work. If you are really passionate about seeing the world, there is hardly a better way to do so than to craft your life, and work, to make travel a part of it.
Keith says that when we received the opportunity to co-host the Austin 2012 event, it seemed like a natural fit. “Travel has been an extremely positive part of my life for a very long time, and I genuinely believe it has made me a better and happier person. Because of this I’ve always encouraged other people to get out and see the world as much as possible too, and whenever others have asked me for travel advice I’ve always gladly offered to help them as much as I can. We get to help others learn how to travel longer and more deeply and have fun while doing it. What could be better than that?”
The Austin event will be held at Abel’s on the Lake on October 16, beginning at 6:30 pm for mingling, with the program starting at 7 pm. Tickets are only $20 each and include an e-goody bag with all kinds of giveaways and discounts.
Our featured keynote speaker is our friend Jefre Outlaw, who has been traveling the world nonstop for the past three years, visiting 96 countries and 250 cities on six continents. After Jefre’s opening talk about his travels, we will introduce four additional panelists and open the panel to questions and discussion. Our travel experts include:
- Jefre Outlaw
- Tiffany and Billy Toomey, who spent a year in Costa Rica, with their four children!
- Greg Davis, who quit the tech business to travel the world — and subsequently launched a new career as a travel photographer.
- Jean Warneke and Barbara Baggett, who run JB Journeys and are dedicated to sustainable travel around the world.
- Sofia Martinez, who as a college student has taken advantage of study abroad opportunities.
- Jade Whitman, who works for AirBnB and is a consummate backpacker.
“Because we live in a society that doesn’t find value in taking time off, we wanted to create a community for people who want to break out of the norm and travel for an extended period of time,” says MPG co-founder Sherry Ott. “This is the only seminar out there designed for people who are looking to do long term independent travel.”
Check out the official Meet, Plan, Go! Austin page and Meet, Plan, Go! Austin Facebook page for more information. To see if there is a city close to you hosting this event, be sure to visit the Meet, Plan, Go! website for more information.