The Case for Vaconferences

Part vacation, part conference, vaconferences are the closest thing I have to vacations during grad school. As I've recently revealed this perspective to others in my department, I thought I'd talk about the case for vaconferences in this week's blog post.

Cost

The main reason I decided to treat conferences like vaconferences is mostly due to money. I am dead broke this year because summer work was difficult to get. However, during some conferences, I've been able to get funding from my department, instructor training funds, and a grad school award. Without these funding sources, I wouldn't be able to afford plane tickets or hotel stays for these conferences, let alone the usually expensive registration costs.

Before I was broke, I decided to buy the cheapest flights even if it meant arriving a day early or leaving late for the conference. I've also never roomed alone for any conference, with some of the most affordable having me share a room with 3 or 4 people. These little ways to save money allow me to afford staying an extra day or arriving a day early to explore the city and hang out with friends I've met at previous conferences. Going to conferences alone just isn't feasible, even with funding. You have to pay for luggage if you bring it, meals, and any attractions you attend that aren't free. If you're as lucky as me and go to a conference where the professors are kind to grad students, you also probably got a free drink or meal from a generous scholar. At the end of the day, learning how to make your funding go far by being cheap and looking for deals helps make the conference more plausible.

Thank you to all the kind scholars who bought me food and drinks at my conferences. You not only helped me feel welcome at these intimidating events but helped me be able to afford better-than-microwave-ramen meals while I've been at the conference.

from the Dartmouth Summer Seminar, 2024

Travel

The cool thing about conferences, for me at least, are the cool locations. I've had the pleasure of going to Spokane, Chicago, Minneapolis, Denver, and this semester, even my hometown! My first in-person conference was a mere 4-hour drive away from my university, making it an even more affordable vaconference as we paid under $100 to travel there by train.

This is what inspired my belief in vaconferences. Normally, I don't have money to travel to dream destinations and explore my country. Even as a kid, I didn't go to too many of the states for travel. When my funding didn't cover the whole trip, which is pretty much every time, I would happily put some of my "for fun" savings toward attractions or nice restaurants wherever I was. On those days before and after the conference, I spent my mini-vacation days exploring aquariums, interactive art exhibits, museums, tourist trolley rides, restaurants owned by Michelin-star chefs, and gluten-free treats. During the conference, I'd usually be able to go out for drinks or good food with at least one new scholar I met. Of course, to make my funds and savings go the extra mile, I always ask for student, teacher, or tourist discounts. I also look for coupons online before paying for attractions I plan to visit.

There's nothing I love more than a conference with people with similar research interests in a nice place I haven't been to before. Whenever I see a #CFP for places I haven't been to and feel like the #CFP is related to work I've done previously or am already working on, I shoot my shot and send in my proposal. I'm sure one day I'll be able to afford vacations on their own, but I'd still happily go early or stay later to save money on a place ticket and explore the conference location just a bit.

Work-Life Balance

Probably the biggest complaint someone might have is that a conference isn't a real break from work. That's definitely true. Submitting a proposal, researching and writing the presentation, and networking and going to other panels is definitely related to work. However, I think my vaconference mindset works well for me. The presentations I go to usually are on topics I'm very interested in or have a scholar I want to learn more from. While the schedule may feel daunting, I don't have to attend every single panel. If I'm tired, I can take a break and eat a snack or have a drink with a friend. Every panel I've gone to has at least interested me a little bit. And I love learning about my research interests in my free time, so I feel like watching others at panels and presentations isn't heavy work; it is more fun for me as I do this kind of thing in my free time.

My own presentation is more stressful, work-related part for me. It's mainly because I don't like talking for long periods of time and I did have a negative conference experience once where the other panelists quit and an elder scholar in the audience decided to use their time in the panel to explain their disdain for my application of a theoretical lens to a time period they felt it wasn't applicable in. Once I'm done with my presentation, I often take a break to relax and put my mindset into the right place before going to another panel. Otherwise, I really do enjoy meeting other scholars in my field and attending the social events at conferences. Despite their connections to work and networking, I find myself often really relaxed to talk to other scholars outside of my department and school.

If you don't find your work or research at least a little enjoyable, you're in grad school for the wrong reasons in my opinion. However, I do understand that I like conferences more than most people do. If you don't find these conferences as fun as I do, vaconferences probably isn't meant for you. That's okay.

When not to Vaconference

While I love vaconferences, I get that there are reasons why some people shouldn't. Some people need breaks from work, and I mean all work. Conferences are often to work-adjacent to give people that kind of break. If you know you're not the type of person who will enjoy that, don't do it. I know some of my friends are extremely introverted and need to rest during conferences. This might not be the mindset for them.

Conferences can also be expensive. If you don't get outside funding to attend or don't have extra money in your account to spend on it, I also wouldn't suggest it. This is especially true if you need to travel by plane to attend or would have to room alone. Don't spend your whole "for fun" savings on a conference. My first conference in person was nearby and that helped make it affordable. Otherwise, I wouldn't have gone. "For fun" savings should only be part of how you pay for conference attendance, hence the term "vaconference": part vacation, part conference. If all the money is coming from your savings, it should be a vacation, not a vaconference.

Vaconferences also should consider the location of the conference. If you're going somewhere you don't really want to go or someplace you've been to before and don't want to see again, it wouldn't make sense to make that a vaconference. You can still attend for the conference itself, but don't spend your "for fun" money on it. I've gone to ones in person that I wanted to explore outside of conference activities. Chicago, Spokane, and Denver were great! I didn't have the money nor the desire to go to Salt Lake City for a conference I attended virtually. I didn't attempt to make that conference a vaconference. I am still hoping to find the perfect conference #CFP for visiting New Orleans and the northeast coast.

Another reason to not vaconference is if the conference itself isn't in a field you're interested in or a part of. I saw literature conferences in New Orleans, but that wasn't work I already did or planned to work on. So I didn't send in my proposal and I didn't go. I'm waiting for a better fit for my research, as preparing the presentation at conferences is definitely work. I rather use money for a vacation itself than go to a conference I'm not interested in presenting or meeting colleagues at.

Overall, the vaconference mindset encourages me for every conference I travel for and present research at. It also helps me relax a bit more than I can when I'm stuck in my college town. If our minds are similar and everything lines up well enough, maybe you should try a vaconference. I've never been disappointed by it.

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