Followthe good, the bad and the ugly
ooo lala – kick off party at the castle
here we are. another Travel Bloggers Exchange aka TBEX has come and gone and all the “lessons learned and friends made” posts are coming out. i can say i did learn a thing or two and made a few new friends. yeah, it was THE BOMB.
BUT that’s not what you wanna hear now is it? you want the juice, the scoop, the dirt, the scuttlebutt. well, you came to the right blog. ‘where in the world is lola?’ has the gossip AND it’s completely ridiculous how many bloggers got accosted by this one crazy blogger. YEP, i’m talking about ME!
if you recall, last TBEX conference i claimed to have stage fright. well you no longer have to wonder how i made out! (AND NOT LITERALLY perverts) i’d say this TBEX lola jumped right past that stage fright, much to some fellow travel bloggers dismay. here’s the breakdown:
GOOD
cava was overflowing at the castle
learning, networking, partying. it was all that and more compared to my last TBEX in Colorado. i truly enjoyed the sessions and got more out of this TBEX that i will now apply to marketing my brand & making my blog better. i also enjoyed the networking. many, many of my favorite European bloggers were in attendance and i was beyond *thrilled* to finally actually meet them. NOW let’s discuss the parties. yeah, those were GRRREAT. lola managed to suck down plenty o cava at the castle, convince the bar to let buy my own G&Ts at the beach soiree and drink everything under the sun on Saturday night between the Cathedral beer to The River sangria to more G&Ts out at La Planeta – the club we ended up every night.
BAD
naughty lola buying drinks at the bar because the free ones weren’t good enough
flying in on Thursday and hitting the ground running with the kick off party. lola should really remember that cava (Spanish champagne) is not my friend. always gives me a terrible hangover. despite that and the jet lag, i managed to make it to all the sessions of day 1 of TBEX. cannot say the same for day 2. the exhaustion of everything FINALLY caught up with me. needless to say, this nearly killed lola and ruined my time.
flying in and rushing from one thing to the next also didn’t allow time to actually tour Girona. it’s a shame because i cannot share any stories about what is supposed to be a lovely city. (Girona’s auditorium is FAB) thank goodness i stayed on an extra couple of days and was able to visit a bit of Costa Brava. otherwise, i could have been anywhere for this conference! lesson learned: build in time on both sides of the conference to actually experience the location you are in. that’s my job & i like doing it. i felt a little short-changed from my time in Spain.
UGLY
one of the gabillion gin & tonics i enjoyed in Spain. it really should have been BIGGER!!
this is what you really came here to read. i have no one is to blame but myself. i didn’t exercise much self-control in department of drinking. free booze = it’s hard to limit yourself. and, given that i’m really not a shy wall flower, the booze just further emboldened me to say more than a hello to a few of those “blogging heroes” i mentioned from the last TBEX. all i can say is LO SIENTO. yep, i introduced myself to the infamous Gary Arndt by referring to his blog all wrong. and when i had my first run-in with Nomadic Matt…let’s just say i feel badly for his ear. Johnny Jet, you are lucky you were on your honeymoon of a lifetime because you would have gotten #lolafied too.
lola loves LiveShareTravel!
thankfully, i don’t think i was offensive to most. two of my favorite things said to me were from Terry Lee of LiveShareTravel. 1) he said lola was like Patsy from Absolutely Fabulous. 100% correct. you get my character completely 2) Terry also said “Sarah and I agree that if you didn’t exist we’d have to invent you.” BEST COMPLIMENT EVER!
oh Will i heart you too!
then there was Will Peach. you know the dude i love to hate or whatever that phrase is. yes, this TBEX he didn’t have 5 things he’d rather be doing. he came, he saw, he kicked ass. BUT when it came to meeting me, well…i think there may still have been at least 5 things he’d rather be doing.
hobo lola
AND a heart-felt thank you to Stephen Otto of Walks of Italy. you’re a friend & a gentleman for scooping me up and sending me off in a cab. too bad i was locked out of my lovely flipkey apartment for over an hour “resting” on the stoop like a hobo. i’d like to say that my roommates slept through me buzzing them but we all know the truth is i was probably buzzing the wrong buzzer. bad lola!
i often say that i don’t need a babysitter but this visit to Spain may suggest otherwise. i’m happily accepting applications should you wish to accompany me in my crazy traveling escapades.
You were my star of tbex! Loved spending some time with you – never a dull moment with Lola! Xx
@mrsoaroundworld recently posted…Making friends around the world
i love spending time with you too, Mrs. O. looking forward to seeing you again SOON!! 🙂 xx
You are such a drama queen … And the award goes to Miss. Lola 😉 any ways, nice update I’ve found it here and it’s really funny when I saw the guy who showing the middle finger to you and you doesn’t care of it. Great Stuff !!
thank you SO MUCH Susan! i do like to be a little dramatic – well my travel persona LOLA does anyway 😉
yeah, that dude that’s being cheeky to me…he wants me BAD in real life 😉
Yay, the dirt! 😀
Well, I think I’ll have to join the lovely (in)famous Lola & Co. and a future TBEX. Thanks for the recap – it;s good to know what to expect (and the quality of drinks provided, por supuesto). 😀
Pola (@jettingaround) recently posted…Photo of the Week: Skyscrapers in Minneapolis, Minnesota
hahaha indeed, Pola. no more skipping out for you. you will LOVE it and we will all have a great time!! 🙂
Ha Ha Ha! You are too funny. I’m sorry to have missed you. Next year I’m going to be looking for YOU.
i can’t wait to meet in real life Johnny Jet! i’ll be easy to spot – i wear a bright pink boa until i lose it, that is – HA!! 😉
Free drinks = partying and you partied!
ugh YES. free drinks = trouble for lola!! 😉
I think the word everyone is looking for here is… Annyywayyyy….
D.J. – The World of Deej recently posted…Epcot Food & Wine Festival Survival Guide
yes, i know DJ! it isn’t really a stretch here now is it?!
I think you got your babysitter taking care of you the first night and opening doors for you too 🙂
crazy sexy fun traveler recently posted…Benefits of traveling to Ireland
you, Miss Crazy Sexy Fun, are the *best* roomie ever!!!! thank you for helping your pal lola out. 🙂 xx
This is exactly the kind of report I expected to read from you! 🙂
Jeremy Branham recently posted…Why I took off my pants for Scottevest
i hope that’s a good thing, Jeremy! being predictable can be boring AND that is SO NOT LOLA! 😉
It was epic, and you alone made it worth the trip 😉
awwww! it was so awesome meeting you Chris! i really hope we can connect next month while i’m in Europe 😉
One of the things I would rather be doing involves teaching you the effectiveness of the caps-lock key. Another would be castigating you for giving 60% of the attendees genital herpes.
i really don’t know what to say Will. how can you teach me anything when you seem to only have the use of one finger? AND i’m not sure how you would know anything about what i was doing at TBEX since you dodged me every chance you got 😛
It was unfortunate I couldn’t go this time to witness more of Lola at a TBEX. Keystone memories will have to do for now and they do! Here are new words I took away from this Costa Braca recap:
Lolaments – where Lola laments the free drinks not being good enough
Lolabellum – a body part only Lola has; it helps her drink her drinks faster than anyone (you dirty minds better look it up in a dictionary)
Lolavatory – where Will probably had to go after Lola attacked him
Lola
Lolaugh – what I do when I read about Lola’s escapades
Raul (@ilivetotravel) recently posted…International Atlanta – A Food Story
you are SO BRILLIANT with your lola word play! i love it soooooo much!!
I knew this before, but this post confirmed why we get along.
Traveling Ted recently posted…Banana pancakes, coffee, fresh fruit, and twitter in Costa Rica
thank god, Ted. i’m so glad we are friends!! 😉
ooh lola, you make us so sad we couldn’t make it!
the lazy travelers recently posted…no travel required
haha it would have been SO MUCH MORE FUN with you two there – it would have been illegal!
LOL at Will P’s comment. Lola.. you’re good, bad and ugly all sound good to me! Looking forward to beers in Prague! 😉
Kieu ~ GQ trippin recently posted…Ranakpur in Photos: The Most Beautiful Temple in India
oh Will P. what will i ever do with him?! he needs a good spanking 😉
i CANNOT wait to see you in just a week & a half in Prague. WOOT!
Obviously that was my first glass of cava in the first photo because my eyes were open. And, yes, you must have been ringing the wrong buzzer. No way the three of us would have slept through that ghastly sound. This post makes me laugh and wish we could do it all again.
Leah Travels recently posted…Serendipity and Skiing in Switzerland
i wish we could do it again just so i would see more of Spain and less of the insides of my eyelids! do-over begins in T-minus 1.5 weeks!!
The party started when we met Lola and it just never stopped. You are our guilty pleasure. When will we see you again? We need Lola love.
Terry Lee recently posted…Luxury Travel Resources
OMG Terry & Sarah – i LOVE you so much it hurts!! we do need to see each other again soon. i’m coming your way in late Nov/early Dec. meet up??
Let us know when you are here and we’ll be there. And don’t forget to bring lorry loads of Lola love.
Terry Lee recently posted…Dial An Exchange boosts member benefits
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