Turning a Hobby into a Momcation: Bouchercon 2019

Last weekend, I did something I’ve never done before: I took a Momcation!

What is a Momcation?

The last few years, #momcation has been trending on social media. It’s the term used for a solo trip by a mom to recharge and rejuvenate. See this recent article about #momcation.

My Momcation lasted just two nights at a local hotel for a convention. But, it was really the first time I took a solo trip by myself without any family or friends, excluding visits to see my family.

All the stars aligned for me to take these two days off. The convention I attended was wedged between two of my husband’s business trips. I’m actually amazed the timing worked out!

Bouchercon 2019

Besides miles and points, I enjoy reading books. I’m not a prolific reader, since I just don’t have that much time for another hobby. But, I do attend my neighborhood book club meetings once a month, so I usually finish at least one book per month.

A few months ago, our book club leader shared a flyer for Bouchercon 2019. It’s a mystery book convention that just happened to be located in Dallas this year. After checking with my husband’s work calendar, I impulsively signed up for the convention.

The convention was held at Hyatt Regency Dallas (see my review here). The group took over the entire hotel, and some attendees had to spill over into nearby hotels. Bouchercon actually started on a Wednesday. But, since I wanted to spend Halloween with my kids, I didn’t arrive until Friday. I missed seeing author James Paterson.

The best way to describe Bouchercon is that it’s like Comic Con, but for mystery books. There were panels run by experts, celebrity interviews (authors) and book signings, books for sale and giveaways by book publishers.

After checking into the hotel, I put my luggage into my room and checked in to the convention. I decided to attend an interview with author Sandra Brown that had just started a few minutes prior. She lives in the DFW area and sounds very southern. It was interesting to hear how and where she writes.

Later that day, I went into the book room to claim my four free books that were included with my convention registration. There were so many to choose from that I could have spent hours just picking out my freebies.

The next day, I ate breakfast by myself at the counter of one of the hotel restaurants. As luck would have it, I was sitting next to an author who gave me her tickets for another free four books. Score! I also attended a publisher event with authors, games and more free books.

That same day, I attended another author interview and a special panel on “10 New Ways to Poison Someone.” Now THAT was an interesting seminar. Don’t worry, the seminar was geared for writers to learn new ways to poison people in books. The room was packed!

For dinner, I went to the hotel’s Italian restaurant by myself. A table of three authors invited me to join them, so that was a real treat for me!

Overall, I enjoyed Bouchercon 2019. Attendees were friendly and diverse. I did feel a like a bit of a novice reader compared to most, and I felt the convention was more geared for authors. But, I would consider going again in the future. And of course, having a hotel room all to myself was a nice treat.

My Future Momcation Plans

Taking this weekend trip by myself, even though it was local, was a real luxury for me. I understand that many moms don’t get a break like this, and I am thankful that the timing worked out and the cost was reasonable.

Several other conventions were advertising at this convention. Apparently, there are other mystery book conventions out there, including several regional conventions and Thrillerfest in NYC. I’d love to attend a miles and points convention (there are many) or something Disney-related, like a D23 event.

For a future Momcation, I’d like to go somewhere that has a spa or better pool. Of course, the beach would be nice, too.

While I didn’t use miles or points for this local getaway, having them available can make a Momcation free or almost free. I would consider using hotel points for a local getaway again.

Readers, what do you think of this Momcation trend? Moms, have you been on a solo trip? What kind of solo trip interests you?

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