WYSTC

A Day at WYSTC

A Day at WYSTC

It stands for the World Youth Student Travel Conference. WYSTC is where buyers and sellers get together in the student travel business. It runs every year and the locations read like a bucket list for the world traveler. Last year it was in Australia, this year it’s in Dublin, and next year in Cape Town. It’s a place to network, see a new city, find out about new trends in student travel and have fun.

The setup is like most conferences – a healthy mix of seminars and keynotes. But it’s the 6 hours of speed-dating where the real action happens. You get 20 minutes with a vendor face-to-face on an open table – will this be the match? Will the palpitations begin? Where will this lead? Can this person be an important person in my life?

You meet people from all over the world, some work in game parks, some work in conservation centers in South America, and others spend their time selling hostel and hotel rooms. Sometimes you develop a decent contact, and most of the time, you don’t. There’s a gala farewell where everyone gets drunk in a hotel and tells everyone else that they love them. I can’t wait for Cape Town next year!

 

Leave a Reply