My Experience on the Road Warriors Panel with USA Today Travel Media Group

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of having breakfast at the USA Today headquarters in McLean, VA. Joining me were: Ben Mutzabaugh, Editor, Today in the Sky; John Peters, President, USA Today Travel Media Group; Victoria Borton, Senior Vice President, USA Today Travel Media Group; Krista Nordlund, Vice President, Product and Operations, USA Today; Janenne Remondino, Senior Director, Community and Events, USA Today; Kristen Kim, Business Analyst, USA Today.

Also joining me was Jeanne from Heels First Travel.

The panel discussion was on the aims, methods and uses of travel, and how we traveled, and how USA Today could improve their products and services to meet those needs. Overall, I was absolutely thrilled to be apart of the discussion and had some great takeaways from the event.

First off in the morning, we talked about what the USA Today Travel Media Group was, and it’s current products and services. Afterward, we shifted gears to discuss the “travel cycle:”

• Before – Where do we go for information?
• During – What tools or sites do we use while on travel? What do we do in our spare time?
• After – Do we share tips, reviews and advice?
• What is missing that would make our travel easier?

Online and social interactions also played a larger role, as we looked at various website mockups, and discussed potential for paid subscription services.

We had an extraordinarily, healthy and lively discussion for about two and half hours, before we left for a tour of the news facility upstairs.

I’m really humbled to be apart of this opportunity, and I look forward to participating more with USA Today in their travel ventures.