KW Mega Camp Travel Essentials Guide 2026
- Brooke Silva
- Jul 18
- 5 min read
What I actually bring to survive long conference days, freezing meeting rooms, dead phone batteries, and very long coffee lines.
Originally published January 29, 2025. Updated for KW Mega Camp 2026.
KW Mega Camp is not a normal little work trip. It is several full days of sessions, conversations, walking, note taking, networking, late nights, early mornings, long coffee lines, and trying to remember where you put your charger.
Mega Camp 2026 is happening August 17 through 20 at the Henry B. González Convention Center in San Antonio. The agent track runs August 17 through 19, while Market Center leaders continue through August 20.
The official hotels are all within about a mile of the convention center, which sounds close until you've already walked 12,000 steps and your laptop bag suddenly weighs forty pounds.
I've attended enough corporate and Keller Williams events to know the right travel setup can make the difference between being fully present and spending half the day hunting for an outlet, a sweater, coffee, or a hangover cure.
Here is what I actually bring. (And you've probably borrowed!)
My Top Three Mega Camp Essentials
Your phone is doing everything at a large event. It holds your schedule, tickets, notes, maps, contact information, group chats, photos, social media, and every text asking, "Where are you sitting?"
Don't assume you'll find an open outlet. Thousands of other people have the exact same idea.
I bring at least two portable chargers. One stays in my everyday bag, and one stays charged in the hotel room as backup. A magnetic charger is convenient while you're walking around, while a larger style power bank is better when you need enough power for multiple devices.
Nerd Tip: Charge every power bank before you leave home and pack the correct cables. A fully charged battery doesn't help when the cable you need is still sitting on your kitchen counter.
Conference days get busy fast. You sit down for one session, run into someone in the hallway, head to the next room, and suddenly it's mid afternoon and you've consumed nothing but coffee.
Bring a water bottle that's easy to carry and easy to clean. I prefer one that seals well because nobody needs their conference notes marinating in purse water.
Refill it every time you pass a filling station, even if you think you're fine. Future You will thank you. They run out of water in hotter climates, and refill stations aren't always replenished quickly.
3. Comfortable shoes
This is not the trip for shoes that merely look comfortable while you're standing in front of a mirror.
AKA... no red bottoms.
You need shoes you can walk in, stand in, and wear through a full day without thinking about your feet. Break them in before the event. Bring a second pair so you can change pressure points from one day to the next.
Cute is welcome.
Blisters are not.
Other Must Know Things
How I Take Notes Without Bringing Five Notebooks
I love a digital notebook for conferences. We have both a Kindle Scribe and a reMarkable in our Nerd Home, and I like them for different reasons. The best option depends on how you naturally write, organize, and revisit information.
A digital notebook lets me keep session notes together without hauling around a stack of paper notebooks or wondering which random page contains the one idea I promised myself I'd implement.
The case matters more than you think. Get one that secures the pen. Magnetic pens have a deeply annoying habit of disappearing in hotel rooms, airplanes, convention centers, and whatever black hole exists inside tote bags.
Not a note taker? Mike's Notes has historically covered major Keller Williams events and can be a useful backup. I still recommend capturing your own decisions, questions, and action items because those are the notes most likely to change your business.
Bring Layers. Seriously.
Convention center weather follows no recognizable law of nature.
One room is cold enough to preserve seafood.
The next feels like someone left the heater running during a Texas summer.
Bring a light layer you can put on and take off easily. A cardigan, zip up jacket, or light blazer works far better than hauling around something bulky all day.
Coffee Before the Crowd
Large event coffee lines aren't where dreams go to die, but they are where your carefully planned morning schedule disappears.
Get your preferred coffee before you walk into the convention center whenever possible. Check your hotel lobby, nearby coffee shops, and mobile ordering options the night before. Don't wait until five minutes before the opening session to begin your caffeine quest.
I also travel with a small coffee setup because hotel room coffee is a gamble I'm not always willing to take. A compact usb kettle, simple pour over filters, and coffee I already know I like make early mornings much less chaotic.
The Small Things That Save the Day
Snacks
Pack snacks that won't melt, leak, crumble into every corner of your bag, or make you feel terrible halfway through a session. Protein bars, nuts, crackers, or whatever you'll actually eat are much better than assuming you'll have time to stand in a food line.
A small cleanup kit
SinkSuds or another travel laundry soap has saved me more times than I can count. Spills happen. Makeup happens. Coffee definitely happens. A stain remover pen and a couple of laundry soap packets take almost no room and can rescue an outfit.
Basic comfort supplies
Bring the things you know your body will ask for after a long day. Pain reliever, blister patches, electrolyte packets, mints, tissues, bandages, and any medication you normally take belong in your bag, not back at the hotel.
A bag you can carry all day
Choose your conference bag based on comfort, not how it photographs.
It needs to hold your water bottle, charger, notebook, layer, snacks, and all the random things you collect throughout the day without digging into your shoulder by lunchtime.
Do a test pack before you leave home. If it already feels heavy in your bedroom, it'll feel ridiculous after several hours of walking.
Technology
Phone
Two portable chargers
Charging cables
Wall plug
Digital notebook or paper notebook
Pen or stylus
Earbuds or headphones
Conference Day Bag
Water bottle
Light layer
Comfortable shoes
Backup shoes
Snacks
Business cards (if you actually use them)
Lip balm
Hand sanitizer
Tissues
Mints
Medication
Pain reliever
Travel laundry soap
Stain remover
Hotel & Morning Setup
Coffee supplies
Electrolyte packets
Small extension cord or multi port charger
Empty tote for conference swag
Before You Leave Home
Download the event app.
Screenshot your tickets.
Save your hotel address.
Mark your must attend sessions.
Leave room for spontaneous conversations.
Charge everything.
Label your chargers.
Check the San Antonio weather.
Still pack a sweater.
The Most Important Thing to Bring
Don't pack your schedule so tightly that you miss the people.
The sessions matter.
The notes matter.
The ideas matter.
But some of the most valuable moments at a Keller Williams event happen in the hallway, over coffee, at dinner, or because you happened to sit next to someone you didn't know.
Bring what helps you stay comfortable, charged, hydrated, and present.
Then look up from your phone.
Talk to people.
I can't wait to see old KW friends, meet new ones, and hear what everyone is building next.
Helpful Links
Affiliate Disclosure
Some links in this article are affiliate links. If you purchase through one of them, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I genuinely use, love, or believe are worth recommending.
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