Utah Women In Travel Summit Review & Helpful Tips

Recently, I attended the Women In Travel Summit (WITS), my first-ever conference for travel content creators. I’ve seen other creators post about this event, so I was keen to check it out. The thought of doing a conference on my own was nerve-wracking, especially one where almost all the attendees would be women.

I had no reason to be worried. I went to WITS Utah to be inspired, meet other creators in real life, and get some momentum in my travel content creator journey while learning new tips and tricks for my content creation. What I got was so much more.

After a whirlwind of fun times and pinch-me moments, here is my honest review of the conference. I’ve also added plenty of tips to help you maximize your time at WITS if you decide to come along next time!

What is the Women In Travel Summit (WITS)? 

The Women In Travel Summit (WITS) is an annual event for content creators, influencers, bloggers, entrepreneurs, businesses, and brands to come together. 

The event focuses on elevating women in travel while also putting a spotlight on underrepresented creators in the space. 

As someone tired of always seeing female creators who all look similar and have these huge followings that do not represent me, I am here for it. All these thin and pretty creators (no shade intended) have affected my traveling and confidence a lot over the years making me think you have to look and act a certain way to travel – which is absolute BS by the way – I welcome seeing way more diversity in my feed! Pretty privilege is absolutely a real thing! But travel should be something that all women feel they can do no matter what they look like or what their sexual orientation is (like seriously who cares)

How did WITS stack up on diversity?

WITS did deliver. I was thrilled to see women of all shapes and sizes, styles, age ranges, and skin colors everywhere I went. Not only that but everyone seemed to want to meet other women genuinely. I encountered the odd woman who wasn’t very friendly or pretended to have never met me after meeting me several times (!?!), but those occurrences were rare.

Anyone Can Attend The Women In Travel Summit

On that note, this travel creator summit is for anyone from bloggers and influencers to travel writers. You also do not need to be established or have a huge following to attend WITS. Whether you are currently doing travel content creation or you just want to get into travel, you will be able to have an enjoyable time and will fit right in.

From complete beginners to full-time award-winning content creators, sessions and activities were available for everyone.

Who is Wanderful? 

Wanderful is a growing global community for women that aims to connect female travelers and travel creators. Its mission also includes advocacy work focused on making the travel industry more equitable and inclusive for everyone.

They provide spaces for women in travel to come together through the annual WITS conference, meet-ups, virtual events, and trips. Through the Wanderful network, travel creators also make connections with brands and tourism boards.

There are over 30+ Wanderful local chapters and virtual groups around the world.

The Bessie Awards

The Bessie Awards, created by Wanderful honor women and gender-diverse people making an impact in travel. Most nominees and award winners are influencers, creative entrepreneurs, marketers, and other travel representatives.

The awards gala was a lovely celebration of women and diversity in the travel industry. However. it did seem heavily skewed towards certain demographics. So it gave me an exclusively inclusive unsaid ‘only if you fit within certain demographics’ undertone and vibe. It’s doing great things to disrupt the travel industry and typical influencers but it left me wondering to what extent Wanderful is truly inclusive for all.

There was also at least one nominee in a category who I learned hasn’t been active in the travel space for several years which seemed like a check box exercise. I was surprised that there aren’t any requirements for all nominees to be actively doing work currently or at least in the past year or two.

The intent of the Bessie Awards is wonderful (pun intended). However, I would love to see even more diversity in the nominees for each category. That’s just my personal, perhaps controversial, take though based on just one year of the awards.

Date: Saturday, 17 May 2025

Time: 7 pm to 10 pm

Location: 28 Liberty Street, Lower Manhatten, New York

Day 1: Marketplace & Conference Sessions

The first day of WITS, held at the Marriott Downtown at City Creek, was a mix of networking and sessions at an additional cost. It was pay-to-play for the bulk of the programming with a beginner bootcamp track that you had to book in advance for about $100 or mentor meetings at various price points.

If you didn’t want to spend any more money, your time was free to meet with various brands and tourism boards at the media marketplace. There were also two optional speed networking sessions that you could attend. I managed to miss them both while navigating the media marketplace.

The Media Marketplace

Speaking of the Media Marketplace, I was very nervous and apprehensive about speaking to brands or tourism boards. My blog and social media channels are still in their infancy. My stats aren’t great because I’ve been so inconsistent for these past 2 to 3 years for many reasons, and I knew that many bloggers and influencers were crushing it.

But I came to WITS to learn and grow, so I approached various tourism boards and brands. I learned that some want to work with microbloggers and influencers, and some are just as interested in UGC as in typical influencer partnerships you see online.

I had so many positive conversations and left with a couple of destinations on my mind that I’m very keen to go and explore.

Even if you are literally just getting started in your blogging or influencer journey, put yourself out there! You might surprise yourself!

The Sessions

The afternoon of day 1 offered sessions open to everyone. It started with an inspiring opening session which included a thoughtful discussion on cultural connection and diversity in Utah that included the Mayor of Salt Lake City, and a very enthusiastic welcome from Park City.

Then the individual conference sessions began. These were varied, and not all were created equally. The most interesting sessions were also full before it began which meant choosing between less relevant topics.

Since I started my blogging journey during the pandemic, I’ve taken several courses and attended many masterclasses which I think put me at a slight disadvantage here because the sessions that were not full generally overlapped with courses I’d taken significantly.

A Night At A Museum

After a day of networking, and conference sessions it was time to party…in a museum. The Natural History Museum of Utah to be exact. To say I was excited to check out this museum is an understatement. They have an insane dinosaur exhibition that I could not wait to see. On top of that, the band they had hired to play for us would be performing mostly country music.

Dinosaurs, Live Country Music, Wine & Great Company = A Pretty Perfect Night Out!

Utah pulled out all the stops and gave us such a warm welcome into the museum with beautiful table centerpieces, flowing drinks, and delicious food.

The Museum also offers stunning mountain views! It was unlike anything I’d ever experienced before.

Naturally, as soon as I entered I grabbed a glass of wine and headed straight to the dinosaurs where I also bumped into the Country Music band, Metro Music Club, who would be entertaining us.

This is one of my favorite photos from the impromptu mini-photoshoot we did. Thank you to the lovely attendee who orchestrated it.

Welcome To Jurassic Park

The Dinosaur exhibition was insane. If you are even remotely into dinosaurs, this museum should be at the top of your bucket list. They have a really large collection of fully intact dinosaurs from different periods. They also have some extremely rare creatures in their collection.

It is without hesitation the best dinosaur exhibition I have ever been to. You really will feel like you’ve gone back in time to Jurassic Park.

Side Note: Playing the Jurassic Park theme tune while you walk around is optional but encouraged.

Utah Live Music Scene

Speaking of music, did you know that Utah has a pretty great music scene?! Neither did I until I got there! I went to Salt Lake City ahead of the summit to explore a little on my own. Utah was on my bucket list for years because so many great movies and TV shows have been filmed there. So I was eager to get out and about.

Whenever I go to a new place on my own, I am always on the lookout for live music. It’s my absolute favorite way to spend an evening – or day for that matter. I have just always loved music. I often think that maybe I chose the wrong career path, and should have done something music-related, to be honest. So my number one question to Uber drivers, Airbnb hosts, bar staff, and hotel concierges is always “Where can I find some live music?” followed by questions about favorite local places, and hidden gems to get the feel of a place.

A fellow WITS attendee (@staying_afloat_) had heard about a downtown bar that has live music every single night so we went to check it out.

Lake Effect Cocktail Bar

On the second night, I met up with another attendee who had learned that a bar called Lake Effect popular with locals had nightly live music. I was delighted to hear Country music as we walked in. The band was from Nashville, and the bar had a nice relaxed vibe. The rolling ladder for the barmen to reach high liquors, wooden furniture, dimmed lighting, and cute table centerpieces, made me feel like I was in a speakeasy.

Steve Boscoe Band

The artist playing was Steven Bosco with his band. Originally from Utah, Bosco now lives in Nashville playing at bars like Luke’s 32 Bridge (owned by Luke Bryan) and Casa Rosa (owned by Miranda Lambert). He puts on a great show, and it’s obvious that he loves playing for people and meeting new people. From taking numerous requests from me that he delivered on (except Billy Currington lol) to shout-outs and taking time to chat, I felt very welcomed and like I was just down at my local bar.

I had such a good time there singing and dancing to Bosco and his band that I went back again after the WITS welcome party. The first time I went it was free, but Friday night had a cover so most of the group I had dragged along bailed on me. I don’t typically go to places with cover charges, and will usually bail as well, but this one was genuinely worth it. Brittany of @brittanygoesabroad and I spent the entire night there after the welcome party and had a great time. We danced the night away safely with other people at the bar without any fears of being treated inappropriately.

Day 2: Park City Excursions

On Saturday, it was time to get out of Salt Lake City to spend a day in Park City. Our Utah hosts were so genuinely excited to show us Park City that I couldn’t help but feel quite excited. Before WITS, you had to pick your morning activity out of a varied selection. The most popular excursions fill up quickly. By the time I bought my ticket in January, many were sold out. So I opted for a safe option; a Whiskey Distillery tour with whiskey tastings, lunch, cowboy poems, and live music. There was no sign of any cowboy poetry or live music but I still had a great time,

High West Distillery & Tasting Room

The first thing to note about High West Distillery and Tasting Room in Wanship is that it is absolutely beautiful! From the Western-style wooden buildings, and walkways to the stunning scenery, everywhere is Instagrammable. I’ve been to quite a few wineries, breweries, and distilleries over the years and this is by far the best I’ve been to. I could have easily spent an entire day or evening here.

It wasn’t just the architecture, interior design, and landscapes that were next level – it was also the service. I’m not exaggerating when I say it’s the best service I have ever experienced on a tour or excursion.

Naturally, with us all being content creators, we couldn’t resist taking lots of pictures and videos outside.

Learning About The Distillery & Making Whiskey

After giving us some time to take in the scenery, it was time for behind the scenes tour. Our tour guide was a perfect blend of educator, tour guide, and whiskey enthusiast which culminated in an engaging and interactive tour. Even if you were not particularly into whiskey, his enthusiasm was contagious.

I learned so much about the art of making whiskey in such a short space of time and loved how hands-on it was. Has anyone else been on super boring tours where the guide just points and speaks constantly? This was the complete opposite.

Time to Taste Some Whiskey

First of all, if you enjoy whiskey…this whiskey is GOOD! It was obvious that they had been thoughtful about what samples to give us. They were so excited for us to taste their whiskey and it was obvious that they just wanted us to love it as much as they did.

We got 4 whiskeys to taste, and afterward, the staff was happy to give us other recommendations. High West has been intentional about the staff they hire; we have experts without any pretentiousness, many of whom have tour guide experience hence the next level of service. Hands down, it was the best whiskey tasting I have ever done.

Lunch With A View In The Refectory

Then it was time for lunch. They sat us right in the corner of the refectory with the best panoramic view of the mountains. The food at places that focus on their drinks generally do not offer great food…but High West takes their food offerings just as seriously as their whiskey.

We tried almost every single thing on the menu. To kick things off they had pre-selected some of their most popular starters for us to try, followed by any dish that we were curious about, and our main courses that we chose. It’s one of the only times where I can say that almost an entire food menu was utterly delicious. Every single dish was surprisingly good, and I loved that they focused on locally sourced ingredients like local trout. Also the cheese curds…where have they been all my life!?!

I opted for this Bison burger to try something new and it was divine.

Cocktail Hour in High West Style

Just like the whiskey, and the food, High West makes delicious cocktails. I opted for the Paper Plane to be transported to Italy for a hot minute – but I regret not trying more of the cocktails as they all looked so good.

Park City Scavenger Hunt

To be honest, I could have happily just stayed in the Refectory for the afternoon drinking whiskey cocktails, but after an insane amount of food, feeling a tad tipsy, we went to Park City.

The scavenger hunt was a fun idea, but by the time we got to Park City, it didn’t leave us that much time to do it properly. I also just wanted to experience Park City as much as possible in my limited time rather than focus on the scavenger hunt.

Naturally, I went straight into the cowboy store we found which was not on the scavenger hunt but had to be done. But the highlight was trying on lovely cowboy hats at X store. I now need a pink one. They were really expensive designer cowboy hats so this girl will get her pink cowboy hat elsewhere.

Empire Canyon Lodge

Back on the bus we went, and we were taken to a beautiful ski lodge. Just like Utah, Park City went all out to make us feel welcome. We were treated to a three-course dinner with bottomless wine, beer, and prosecco and stunning views.

The first course was raclette cheese being melted over open fires with all the sides. The second course was a hot dinner buffet with an array of meats including carvery, vegetables, fish, and more. Then for dessert, it was a choice of melted milk white chocolate or caramel with fruit, chocolate, and sweet treats to dip in it.

I was impressed, and it was not lost on me how fortunate I was to enjoy these incredible experiences.

Things That Were Great About WITS Utah

Meeting Other Content Creators

Within days of getting my last-minute ticket, many other women were saying that they’d never attended before and knew no one. So a Facebook chat was quickly established, and plans for get-togethers with a large group of lovely ladies were made. I also got to meet an online friend in person and get to know her better which was one of the best outcomes of the conference.

Women Uplifting Other Women

With very few exceptions, all the women came across as pretty inclusive and supportive of other women. Not all are created equal when it comes to travel content creators and influencers, and as always happens people naturally gravitate to particular women, and smaller friendship groups could be seen everywhere. But amidst that was a general vibe of everyone wanting each other to succeed.

This mirror in the women’s bathroom at the conference hotel was covered in uplifting and positive notes for all attendees by the end of the conference.

Meeting Brands & Tourism Boards

Whether a complete newbie or a very established creator, there seemed to be brands and tourism boards there for every type of creator, and many were open to working with micro-influencers. So even if you are not quite at the level to work with brands yet, it’s a great way of slowly making yourself known – and most importantly it’s an opportunity to practice pitching yourself. Only at events like WITS will you get this many brands and tourism boards with a desire to work with a diverse range of female content creators.

Decent Value For Money

Especially for those of you who are on a tight budget like I am (Canadian to USD is tough), all the hosted events, plus the food and drink provided during the conference went a long way to covering the cost of the ticket in terms of dollar for dollar how much I got for free.

The Things That Were Not So Great At WITS Utah

The Sessions

There were two main negatives to the sessions: Availability & Quality.

Firstly, it is highly likely that you will not be able to get in unless you are an early bird for every session you want to go to. All but two of the sessions I wanted to attend were fully booked so I had to pick a less relevant session or skip that part of the day.

Secondly, of the limited sessions I attended, only one was helpful and valuable. One was very similar to masterclasses and sessions I’ve been to online by other creators…not great. So you will find that not all sessions are created equally. Kudos to Jessica Serna of My Curly Adventures for providing such an interactive, jam-packed session that will help me move the needle. If you’re interested in Texas travel go and give her a follow!

Was The Women In Travel Summit Worth It?

This conference boosted my confidence in so many ways, and I had pinch me “Is this real life?” moments regularly.I attended to be inspired. To get some momentum and motivation to keep going. To make some connections in real life with other creators. 

Tips for attending your first travel creator or blogger conference

Don’t Try To Work

No matter how hard you try, you won’t be able to work much during the conference. Even if you are an early bird you will still have limited time to do anything that isn’t conference-related.

So unless you want to use your laptop to take notes, admit defeat and leave it in your room!

Get Out Of Your Comfort Zone

It sounds so cliche – but there will be things during a conference like WITS that will be outside your comfort zone; whether that’s talking to brands, meeting new people, or trying new activities. To make the most of everything on offer at WITS.

Enjoy Every Moment

Events like WITS where your days are jam-packed with activities go by fast so enjoy every moment. Take pictures, write notes, say hi to people, eat the damn cookie even if you are on a diet, go out to a bar or a meal with other attendees – and just enjoy the experiences.

Take & Share Notes

Don’t rely on your memory alone when you attend sessions, actively take notes in whatever way works best for you. You can organize them after the conference so focus on taking in as much information as possible.

Sessions will get oversubscribed if they are popular topics so a helpful workaround is collaborating with other attendees to share notes. For WITS Utah, we have shared notes via Google Drive and left organizing them until after the conference.

Exchange your info with everyone

This is not the time to be shy…even if you are shy or introverted, find ways to exchange your info with the people you meet. Whether speaking to the attendees sitting at the same table as you, or saying hi to people while you are in a queue, the biggest benefit of events like WITS is meeting other people in real life. Or be like me, and make yourself known by being a joiner so people come to you which is way less intimidating.

Also, I had recommendations to get business cards, but other than for the media marketplace I did not need them. I may or may not use them to give men my number instead.

Create Your Elevator Pitch & Practise It

Ahead of the conference, take some time to create a elevator pitch that sums up you are, what you do, and who your audience is if you don’t already have one. Keep practicing it until you feel comfortable saying it.

Maximize Your Time 

Ahead of the conference, get clear about what your goals are for the time that you are there. Why are you going? What do you hope to gain from going? What do you need to do or get to make positive progress in the things you are working on?

It will make it much easier for you to plan your days, and prioritize what’s most important for you so that you can maximize your time and get the most bang for your buck. You spent a lot of money to come to this event, so make sure you get everything you need out of it.

Say Yes To The Freebies

I was given so much swag at the conference. I couldn’t carry it all and sadly I lost a couple of items I received. So definitely either bring a larger handbag or a second bag for swag.

Be A Joiner & Get Involved

As with any event or activity, you get back what you put in so join in on the contests, networking, and any other activities you can participate in. I tried so hard to win the InfluenceKit Influencer contest, largely because the prize was a WITS ticket for next year, and USD to CAD makes conference tickets pretty unaffordable. However, after posting over 100 pieces of content I was unsuccessful (100+ entries and still can’t win a prize draw lol).

But looking at it positively, I was number one on the leaderboard for the entire weekend – only dropping down to second place for an hour or so on the final day. I was pretty proud of that. I’ve stayed on top of that leaderboard to this day. I got nothing for this achievement from the organizers but gave myself two positive outcomes. Firstly my social media especially Instagram, which had been performing poorly got a much-needed boost. Secondly, it made me a familiar name and face at the Summit.

Give Thanks To The Host City & Sponsors

The host city and all the sponsors put a lot of money, time, and energy into giving us the best experience possible during WITS so take the time to thank you. That could be in person, on social media, or via posts on your blog. Also, if you are trying to grow your social media, take the time to look at the style of content each brand posts on their account and create similar content to increase the chances that they will share the content on their grid or stories to increase your reach.

Dont Just Stay For The Conference

The Women In Travel Summit offers opportunities for FAM trips, day trips, and excursions before and after the conference. So if you can stay longer, I’d highly recommend doing so. I left when the conference was finished and almost immediately regretted doing so. Seeing all my new friends doing activities together gave me major FOMO. I also undoubtedly would have had a nicer time for the remainder of my time in the States if I had stayed in Utah with everyone. Next year, I am intending to spend time at the destination both before and after the summit.

Join Me At WITS Downtown NYC

Speaking of next year….it was announced in Utah that the Women In Travel Summit (WITS 2025) will be hosted by Downtown NYC.

Utah was next level in their hospitality and the experiences they gave us so New York has a tough act to follow but I’m sure they are up for the challenge. The baseball caps they gave out, literally live in mine, was a great way to kick things off.

I’m really looking forward to exploring more of New York City through a different lens surrounded by fellow content creators.

Let me know in the comments if you are planning to come next year! If you do, I hope that all the tips I have shared will be helpful.

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Gemma Lawrence

Gemma Lawrence is the creator of This Brits Life. Born and raised in England, she has been living in British Columbia, Canada as a permanent resident since 2016. A solo traveler for the past 9 years, she hopes to inspire and help others to enjoy solo adventures too. As someone who has always struggled with her self-confidence and mental health, she also shares tips and inspirational stories relating to self-love, self-care, and mental health.