Why do men fight who were born to be brothers? Wars and debates do not help determine who is right – only who is left.

Too often at conferences, we go through obligatory pleasantries and polite discussions while avoiding deliberation for fear of a breach in etiquette. As a result, we return to our own organizations wishing a particular subject of interest was contested. Why do we do this? 

For MMGY's third annual DMO MOJO conference, we decided that it was time to have relevant topics debated amongst the DMO peer group. Civility be damned! Yes, we're all brothers and sisters in the travel industry, but honest disagreement is a sign of progress.

At first, I thought it ironic that idyllic and proper Charleston, SC would be the setting for these debates, but history reminded me that this place was also home to the first shots fired in the Civil War.  

So in between carriage ride tours of the Charleston Battery, golfing in the marsh and dining on shrimp and grits, MOJO attendees debated topics that will shape their future and, ultimately, their relevance to the travel consumer. The sides were evenly split, the topics were heatedly contested and the stage has been set for future Civil disagreements. Travel is freedom and freedom is the right to assemble, organize and debate openly. And that, I call Southern Mojo.

Top 5 Things Ted Learned About Travel On This Trip:

1. If you hit your golf ball next to an alligator sunning himself on the green, let him keep it and you give yourself a birdie.

2. The buttermilk fried chicken, mac & cheese, corn and mashed potatoes and gravy at Magnolias is worth the trip to Charleson. It's about 5,000 calories but you have all month to work it off.

3. National Geographic videographer Brian Smith (Beautiful Video) is a fantastic keynote speaker and his content subject Dean Potter is truly crazy! (video)

4. The first shots of the Civil War were fired by Citadel Cadets in Charleston. Several forts, canons and war torn buildings still exist in the area.

5. The Blind Tiger Pub pays tribute to the bawdy stories hidden in the walls of Old Charleston. The courtyard pays homage to the war and many battle ruins still remain.

Often people can be uncivil simply by too much civility – becoming tiresome in their courtesy. When you draw back the curtains of southern charm you'll find strong opinions wiling to be displayed. The object of war and debate is not to die for your opinion and view, but to make the other die for theirs. Debate amongst yourselves.

Trip Quote:

"I'm up here to tell y'all why I think Brand USA has done a poor job in their marketing efforts. I don't care if Amir is my friend-sitting right there and my daughter works for him at Brand USA. I've got to make a point! You're going down, Hagen." - Alyssa

"Bring it." - Hagen

Additional Photos From This Journey Can Be Found By Clicking Here FlickrTravelWithTed

The Golden Age of Travel was a time, not long ago, when travel was considered a luxury. When where we went held a certain cachet, how we got there was the distinction and with whom we traveled was status. It was like being in North by Northwest with Cary Grant – steaks on the train and cocktails on the plane. The journey was almost more important than the destination. Over time that has changed, but the South Dakota Tourism team recently brought it back for an evening at the South Dakota's Gov's Conference back in January.

The nostalgia for a simpler time was never more prevalent for 'Captain Ted' than while hanging out in Pierre at the event with the rest of my MMGY Flight Crew. You see, the social media generation is simplifying their dialogue and communication by speaking in hashtags. A hashtag is a word or phrase prefixed with the '#' symbol and is used to consolidate a thought or message. For example, #ThisblogentrysucksTed

So even though I was dressed ironically as a pilot, I actually felt grounded and a little lost. #gettingolder But I vowed to keep up. #FakedLikeIKnewWhatTheyWereSaying  Because if you're born without wings you shouldn't do anything to keep them from growing. #DontBeAWuss #LeaveBeforeLastCall

The SD Tourism industry is a passionate and fun one, with no fear of flying well into the wee hours of the morning. #RamkotaBarNeedsWindows And with the only two emotions on a plane being boredom or terror, our SD flight team was able to avoid both by blending the Golden Age with the Social Times. #PutAllOfThisOnOrbitzTab

The Top 5 Things Ted Learned About Travel On This Trip:

1. Dressing like pilots and stewardesses can earn a lot of interesting comments. #CanIGetEarlyBoarding #ACockpitRideWithTurbulence #WannaJoinTheMileHighClub?

2. It actually takes effort to run up a tab of more than $200 at the Ramkota Lobby Bar – and they serve free tuna fish sandwiches. #DollarDraws #OldSchool #FriedCheese #Pepto

3. The climactic ending of North by Northwest takes place on top of Mount Rushmore (Video) #EvaMarieSaintWasHotDontJudge

4. The Cattleman's Steakhouse serves a piece of meat the size of a manhole cover. #ThinkingOfBeingAVegitarianNow #LaxativeDessertNeeded

5. Local patrons get confused when they see 15 flight attendants in their bar. #DoWeEvenHaveAnAirport? #AmIDead? #BobbyGetOverHereUGottaSeeThis$%*#

Nostalgia is a file that removes the rough edges of the Golden Days of Travel. Yes, there was more focus on the journey than the destination and that was awesome, but we're quick to forget the progress we've made. #SmokingFlights #AffordableLuxury We'll always romance the past and examine the future, but remember, nostalgia isn't what it used to be. #TwitterIsAPainInTheAss

Trip Quote:

"You look lost."- Ramkota Hotel staff member

"I'm looking for my coworkers. They're all dressed like flight attendants and making paper airplanes." - Me

"Hell, I can do that. You guys hiring?" - Ramkota staff member

#GetInLine

Additional Photos From This Journey Can Be Found By Clicking Here FlickrTravelWithTed