{"id":4349,"date":"2018-06-14T09:55:09","date_gmt":"2018-06-14T07:55:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/travelbucket.co.za\/?p=4349"},"modified":"2019-04-26T14:36:59","modified_gmt":"2019-04-26T12:36:59","slug":"travelbucket-meeting-travelstart-ecmeetup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/travelbucket.co.za\/travelbucket-meeting-travelstart-ecmeetup\/","title":{"rendered":"TRAVELBUCKET MEETS TRAVELSTART @ ECMEETUP 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"

It was that time of the year where bloggers from across the Eastern Cape get together to share ideas, exchange business cards, meet the newbies on the block and share experiences.\u00a0 For the Travelbucket team it was time to travel again, to experience the Eastern Cape and to visit a new venue that has not been visited before \u2013 another tick off our list\u2026\u2026..it was time for the #ECMeetUp<\/a>.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve been blogging under the radar for a few years now, but we could never understand why our following would not pick up.\u00a0 For the month\u2019s leading up to the ECMeetUp, we would follow and keep a close eye on the event on social media.\u00a0 Being a traveling family, we would always choose a solitary life in the wilderness somewhere.\u00a0 There where we would be alone and make memories for us to remember.\u00a0 Even though we were sharing our memories with fellow and potential travelers, we never saw the need to attend any events where you mingle with fellow bloggers.\u00a0 Being adventurous, we decided to take the big step and signed-up for the ECMeetUp to get out of our comfort zone and see what all the fuss was about.\u00a0 If you don\u2019t attend, you will not be able to say that \u201cyou aren\u2019t one for events like this\u201d, and then simply crawl back into your cocoon and carry on traveling solo.\u00a0 Even after buying our tickets, we were still looking for excuses not to go, but we took the leap of faith and there we were, all dressed up and ready for the high tea.\u00a0 We have made it!<\/p>\n

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It was nothing like we expected and from entering the venue right through to the prize giving, everything was just so amazing!\u00a0 The food was of a very high quality and the caterers from Petronella Fine Dining<\/a> really did a beautiful job.\u00a0 Port Elizabeth has just outdone itself once again and I am so proud to call this city our home (for one half of the Travelbucket team atleast)!\u00a0 Not only is the ECMeetUp an opportunity to meet fellow bloggers, it is also the opportunity to collaborate with brands like Travelstar<\/a>t, the leading online travel portal in Africa!\u00a0 Wow, what a privilege to learn from the knowledgable Kirsten Litsen and fellow blogger and influencer Lyle Scritten (VersatileLyle.com<\/a>).\u00a0 New ideas on how to improve our blogsite to provide better feedback to our followers arouse from their talks and working in collaboration with them, is a dream come true for the Travelbucket team.<\/p>\n

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The organisers of the ECMeetUp event know what they are doing and they sure know how to make you feel spoilt and important.\u00a0 The goodie bag that we received at the event speaks for itself.\u00a0 Popular local brands like Cape Mohair<\/a> (mohair socks), Travelstart<\/a> (Discount flight voucher), Nutristart<\/a> (honestly the best cereal), and Five Roses (tea is our favourite beverage) to name a few, were onboard and us as travel bloggers could see how we could utilize every single gift in our goodie bag.\u00a0 We like practical presents.\u00a0 The competitions that were running on the day was mind blowing and once again Nutristart<\/a>, HPH Publishing<\/a> and Daily Dish<\/a>, just to mention a few, have partnered with the ECMeetUp event to make this one of the events to attend in the Eastern Cape.<\/p>\n

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Nelson Mandela Bay is a city that is underestimated and underutilized in the travel industry.\u00a0 People are often under the impression that because we are not an economic hub (although the motor industry is big in the area), that we do not have a lot to offer.\u00a0 This incredible city is a gold mine of activities and so affordable.\u00a0 Since one half of the Travelbucket team resides in the Garden Route, they are situated right in the middle between the beautiful Cape Town and the adventurous Port Elizabeth.\u00a0 Having the best of both worlds, the logical go to city that has everything and more on offer, always ends up being Port Elizabeth.\u00a0 Make no mistake, Cape Town is a world class city, but Port Elizabeth is not far behind.<\/p>\n

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Nelson Mandela Bay with Port Elizabeth at the centre point, offers you everything that Cape Town has to offer and more.\u00a0 Sun, sand, sea, wind and eateries, but there\u2019s more.\u00a0 Nelson Mandela Bay boasts with the largest South African flag proudly displaying in the wind on \u00a0a daily basis, an hour\u2019s drive from the only Big 7 National Park in the Country in Addo Elephant National Park, a world class horse racecourse in Fairview Racecourse<\/a> (also the venue of the ECMeetUp), a beautiful coral reef to explore with one of the diving companies in the city, ziplining, segways, horse riding, sandboarding, boat trips, surfing spots, a very rich history (we are named after one of the world\u2019s rolemodels afterall), Cheap flights to Port Elizabeth<\/a> and best of all, friendly people \u2013 yes we are called the Friendly City!<\/p>\n

To top all of this off, everything is affordable and aimed at family experiences, which makes it a perfect holiday destination and gives you a reason to prolong your stay to have the full experience.<\/p>\n

Travelbucket has experienced a big variety of different cultures and activities during our travels, but we highly recommend making your flight bookings<\/a>, jumping on a plane and making your way to the Friendly City for an experience you will never forget.\u00a0 We have had a great time and we will definitely be making our way back to Port Elizabeth soon to bring you another few items to add to your bucket list.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It was that time of the year where bloggers from across the Eastern Cape get together to share ideas, exchange business cards, meet the newbies on the block and share experiences.\u00a0 For the Travelbucket team it was time to travel again, to experience the Eastern Cape and to visit a new venue that has not been visited before \u2013 another tick off our list\u2026\u2026..it was time for the #ECMeetUp. We\u2019ve been blogging under the radar for a few years now, but we could never understand why our following would not pick up.\u00a0 For the month\u2019s leading up to the ECMeetUp, we would follow and keep a close eye on the event on social media.\u00a0 Being a traveling family, we would always choose a solitary life in the wilderness somewhere.\u00a0 There where we would be alone and make memories for us to remember.\u00a0 Even though we were sharing our memories with… Read more ><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4364,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[765],"tags":[1096,1091,1069,1071,298,1093,1094,1097,1092,38,1098,1076,1095],"geo":null,"yoast_head":"\nTRAVELBUCKET MEETS TRAVELSTART @ ECMEETUP 2018 - TRAVELBUCKET<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"t was that time of the year where bloggers from across the Eastern Cape get together to share ideas, exchange business cards, meet the newbies on the block and share experiences.\u00a0 For the Travelbucket team it was time to travel again, to experience the Eastern Cape and to visit a new venue that has not been visited before\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/travelbucket.co.za\/travelbucket-meeting-travelstart-ecmeetup\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"TRAVELBUCKET MEETS TRAVELSTART @ ECMEETUP 2018 - 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