More people than ever are traveling a little lighter this year, as the cost of attending ‘that conference’ in Austin is becoming a deal-breaker for many but that’s not stopping people from taking advantage of all the activities you can still do without a badge.

If you’re traveling badgeless in Austin, there’s still plenty to do including these events from the community calendar on Badgeless2012.com,

Austin Walking Tour

Fri, March 9, 12:15pm (leaving every hour). Yes, it’s rainy but Austin is still a beautiful city so check out this walking tour which starts at 12:15pm and leaves you every hour. Tours leave from 500 East 4th Street and are approximately 45-minutes to see East Austin’s secret gardens, food trailers and street art. Free booze and cheap eats! Meet outside the Liberty Tavern at the big orange balloon, south side of the Hilton, across from the Convention Center.

Ignite Social Media Party

Be sure to visit the calendar and add other badgeless events!

After day two at SxSW Interactive, Social Media Clubhouse 6 was buzzing with activity. Chris and myself highlighted the days events, which came after we had just wrapped up our inaugural chapter leader and Professional member meeting.

This was a very special day for Chris, Kristie and myself, as we were finally meeting some of the chapter leaders we’ve known virtually for months, even years but had yet to meet in real life.  We had representation from more than 20 chapters across the U.S. and look forward to heavier attendance as this meeting becomes an annual event.

Chris shares his escapades from the evening prior and highlights from some of the top industry parties and best experiences, including visting the TechMunch opening party where he tried some delicious Texas wines at the Whole Foods Corporate Headquarters.

I go on to highlight one of Social Media Club’s newest initiatives, the Social Media Book Club.  We just had just introduced it on Saturday, March 12th, and our chapter leaders and professional members were very supportive of our newest program, with many volunteering to participate in book reviews.

For more information about the Social Media Book Club, visit the official post here.

Interview with Jessica and Chris – 3.12.11 from Social Media Club on Vimeo.

We have a great mix of interviews, parties and educational events happening this year in the Social Media Clubhouse.

The calendar is being updated daily, click on a the ‘Agenda’ tab, then click date or time to learn more about what is happening at the Clubhouse. Please note if the event is marked ‘private’ it does require separate registration to attend. Details are included in each post.

It’s official. I’m so excited I may very well explode.

Given the amazing activities that lie ahead for the gaggle of geeks who will be setting up camp at La Social Media Club House in Paris next week, it’s no wonder.

During this morning’s Social Media Hour, Chris Heuer and Dana Oshiro joined me to talk about some of the fun we have planned. (Today’s episode also featured Eliane Fiolet and Renee Blodgett, two of the Traveling Geeks - another posse of pals also en route to Paris for next week’s LeWeb conference.

While much of our time is rather jammed already, no doubt new adventures and surprises will arise along the way, but for now, here’s the basic gist of what will keep us busy while we traipse around the City of Lights.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 6
The Club House gang arrives in Paris.
All day long - Five of our six housemates will roll into town. (All but Stephanie Booth, who arrives on Tuesday.) We’ll set up shop, find the local patisserie and such.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 7
Morning adventures
8:00am - We’ll head out to find the perfect pain au chocolat and, of course, coffee. Lots of coffee. Then it’s back to the house to get ready for day 1!

An anti-tourist outing
11:00am – Departing the house we’ll meet up with the fabulous Patrice Lamothe who has kindly offered to show us around part of Paris. We’ll spend most of our time exploring the nooks and crannies of some neighborhoods where tourists generally don’t stray. Of course this will be hungry making so there will be more eating.

Meeting some of our people
5:00pm – It’s off to La Cantine – a splendid co-working location in Paris where, courtesy of Social Media Club, we’ll have a cocktail reception and spend time with the team from Viadeo.

Regroup and Refuel
7:30pm – After much exploration and conversation it’s back to the Social Media Club House to rest a bit, sort out some content from the day, and possibly head out for some evening adventures.

Recap, rewind and look ahead
11:00pm - The first of our daily, live stream recap shows. We’ll settle in over wine and tea, talk about the day’s events and look forward to day 2

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8
Morning adventures, part deux
8:00am – Another trip to snare some morning sustenance including coffee. Lots of coffee.

Coffee and Conversation
9:00am – 11:00am – Over a leisurely breakfast we’ll welcome some local entrepreneurs to the Club House to learn more about their work and the state of innovation in Paris. Confirmed guest will be Fabrice Epelboin with a surprise or two potentially in store.

Who needs Santa Claus?
11:30a - It’s easy to find the big department stores and major shopping districts in Paris, but to really explore behind the scenes, we’ve enlisted the help of Juliette Dumas, the woman behind Briller en Ville – kind of like Daily Candy, but more sassy and for Paris. We’ll grab a little lunch and explore the hidden gems and hottest spots the Parisians love.

LIVE, from PARIS, it’s … SOCIAL MEDIA HOUR!
4:00pm – I’m bringing my weekly talk show to the City of Lights at a special time (4pm in Paris, so 7am Pacific/10am Eastern). Our guests will include: Osama Bedier and Naveed Anwar from PayPal; JP Rangaswami and Gary Shainberg from British Telecom; Shervin Pishevar from SGN; Former Googler turned investor Chris Sacca and most of the Club House posse (Chris, Kristie, Robert and Dana)

Bloggers, Bloggers and More Bloggers!
5:30pm – The Club House clan along with our PayPal(s) are honored to be guests at the exclusive gathering for the Official Blogger program of LeWeb. We give thanks to our fellow Club Houser, Stephanie Booth, along with the event organizers Frédéric de Villamil and Damien Douani, for including us!

Nightlife and hitting the town
8:00pm – There are several parties related to LeWeb, along with an Ignite gathering. Keep an eye on Twitter for updates from the house, or any one of our housemates for specifics.

Recap, rewind and look ahead
11:00pm - Our second, daily, live stream recap show. We’ll settle in over wine and tea, talk about the day’s events and look forward to day 2

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9
LeWeb 2009
8:00am – 10:00pm From day break until well past sunset we’ll be all about covering this event – one of, if not the, top tech gatherings in Europe. During the days we’ll cover the event proceedings – streaming video, recording interviews, Tweeting and live blogging. Once the conference stage goes dark, we’ll head to the array of events, providing perspective and color commentary from each venue.

Recap, rewind and look ahead
11:00pm - Our third, daily, live stream recap show, and the first to review the conference itself. We’ll settle in over wine and tea, talk about the day’s events and look forward to day 2

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10
LeWeb 2009
8:00am – 10:00pm See what it says we’ll do on Wednesday? We’re going to do that all over again.

Recap, rewind and … collapse
11:00pm - Our final, daily, live stream recap show and the last formal programming that will come from Social Media Club House!