If you’ve never been to TBEX, there are four places you should go to find out more:

1) TBEX website and schedule overview.

2) Listen to Rick Calvert and Mary Jo Manzanares discuss the history of TBEX with Gary Bembridge on the Travel Bloggers Podcast.

3) The TBEX blog is overflowing with advice for bloggers and attendees.

4) Follow the conference on Twitter (@TBEXevents) with the hashtag #TBEX

I strongly believe this could be the best TBEX yet. I’ve been speaking at the conferences since they started (Chicago, Vancouver, Colorado – missed NYC). The schedule this year will really help you ramp up your media game whether you’re a new blogger or veteran. I’m excited!

I’ll be in Toronto from May 30-June 3. I’m expecting my itinerary to be pretty packed but please holler at me if there’s one place—restaurant, bar, meal, attraction—I absolutely can’t miss!

For the third year in a row we’ve started our year off at our favorite family resort—Atlantis in the Bahamas. Here are some highlights from our first experience at the Dolphin Cay. Cora walked up to Katrina the dolphin without me, brave as ever, to get her kiss. It was our first activity, but she was the last member of our group to get the kiss. All the other guests had ended the kiss with a big splash from Katrina. Since Cora was so little – the trainer didn’t signal Katrina to splash Cora in the face. I called Cora to come back to the line, but she stood there by the dolphin, took one look at the trainer and said, “When am I going to get splashed?” Sure enough, the trainer taught Cora the signal for the dolphin to splash her, and she got her wish.

I was thrilled last year when Vail Resorts asked me to become one of their Epic Moms. Launched at TBEX12, EpicMoms.com is the family travel branch of Vail Resorts. They’ve gathered expert travel writers Kara Williams of The Vacation Gals, Jamie Pearson of Travel Savvy Mom, Helen Olsson, author of The Down & Dirty Guide to Camping with Kids and freelance writer Rachel Walker to provide family travel planning advice for their resorts: Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood resorts.

Hold tight for first-hand trip planning tips and insight into these popular resorts. It doesn’t matter if you’re dreaming of a winter ski trip or an active summer getaway filled with biking and adventure—either way, fun awaits and we’ll point you toward the best itineraries for your family.

For more information follow: www.EpicMoms.com.

Follow the moms on Twitter at @EPIC_Moms.

Like EpicMoms on Facebook at www.facebook.com/epicmoms

To plan your next vacation at Vail Resorts, visit www.snow.com.

If you’ll be attending the show, I hope you’ll stop by and say hello. Here is my schedule:

LA Times Travel Booth | Feb. 23 and 24
12:00 – 12:45 PM
Jen Leo Presents Apps for Every Travel Need

There’s a long list of other speakers you’ll recognize including Arthur Frommer, Rick Steves, Julia Dimon, Andrew McCarthy, Josh Gates, Marybeth Bond and your favorite LA Times writers including travel editor Catharine Hamm, Christopher Reynolds, and Chris Erskine. Here is the full Los Angeles Times Travel Show schedule.

If you’ll be attending the Bay Area Travel Adventure Show in Santa Clara (February 16-17), come on over to my presentation and say hello. I’ll be giving a presentation on one of my favorite topics—travel apps.

Destination Theater | Feb. 17
1:30pm – 2:15pm
FOCUS: TRAVEL APPS
Best Travel Apps to Help You Plan Your Next Trip

Here’s the rest of the speaker schedule including Rick Steves and Andrew McCarthy.

Cora is excited about the move to London. She wants to have a British accent like her friends Gwyn, Peter and Stephen. But there’s one thing Cora keeps asking us—is there enough sun in Fundon to wear my rockstar glasses Momma?

Good question! Because Cora loves gettin all hipster on the weekends.

The new podcast that I’m participating in—This Week in Travel—is already available on iTunes. I know there are a few of you who are just catching up. I think you’ll like our second episode.

Already caught up? We’ll have another one for you tomorrow.

It won’t be long before we’re adding guests and taking topic requests…so hold tight!

Listen here: This Week in Travel (Aug. 12, 2009)

More info on the guest hosts:

• Gary Arndt – Travel Blogger, Everything-Everywhere.com
• Chris Christensen – Travel Podcaster, AmateurTraveler.com
• Chris Elliott – Travel Columnist, MSNBC.com, Elliott.org
• Jen Leo – Travel Writer, LATimes.com

If you’re inclined, please become a fan of This Week in Travel on Facebook.

Thanks!