The 2019 Chicago Seminars is now open for registration!

What to Expect at the 2019 Chicago Seminars

Chicago “Bean” by Pixabay user BriBra

The Chicago Seminars are now in their tenth year, an exciting time to go!  The Seminars are an annual conference focused on travelling, award travel, and maximizing points and miles.  This year, they’ll be held at the Holiday Inn Elk Grove from October 18th to the 20th.

For the most part, the Seminars are a series of presentations and round table conversations.  Want to see the lineup for 2019?  Check it out here!  There are some great names – Stefan Krasowski will be talking about credit cards and showing us all how to get to those hard to reach spots on the globe.  Nick Reyes is sharing some tips for great award options, Spencer Howard is going to give us everything we need to know about Flying Blue, and I’m sure we’ll pick up a lot of other tips.

How do I sign up?

You can sign up for the event itself here.  If you’re from the Chicago area, your best bet is probably driving or taking transit to the hotel.  If you want to stay at the conference hotel, click here.  (Group code is C19.)  Unfortunately, you won’t be able to use points for the stay, but you can at any of the other lodgings in the area!  If you’re flying in, opt for O’Hare over Midway, as the conference and hotel is on the north side of the city, right near O’Hare International.

Assuming you stay at the host Holiday Inn and use points for your flights, you’re looking at a price tag of around $400 for the the event and hotel.  Toss in a few meals, maybe a bit of sightseeing in the Windy City, and you’ll want to make sure you’re getting the best bang for your buck.  Make sure there are some relevant topics you want to attend, and be sure to meet fellow travelers and points enthusiasts!

I’ve been to the Seminars twice before, in 2016 and 2017.  (Couldn’t get there last year!)  Even though I’d consider myself fairly knowledgeable in the travel hacking world, there’s always something new to learn.  Besides, the real benefit to these conferences is meeting folks in the same lane as you.  When I tell most people about my travel, one of two things happen.  One – their eyes glaze over…travel just isn’t for everyone I guess.  Two – their eyes light up!  They ask how I travel, then…they tell me a number of reasons why it won’t work for them.

The Chicago Seminars are different, refreshingly so.  I’ll be there, so if you feel like coming, comment here.  If there’s enough interest, we can plan a little Points With a Crew meetup!

Hope to see you in Chicago in October!