Attending MicroCon 27: North America:
Grand Duke Travis: The Steady Hand Guiding Micronations from Basements to Penthouses
There’s a reason people keep coming back to Grand Duke Travis of Westarctica. It’s not the Antarctic claims, the fancy title, or the medals pinned to his chest—it’s the man himself. Warmth, sincerity, kindness. The kind of presence that doesn’t just acknowledge you in the room, but makes you feel like you’ve been part of the story all along. For those of us in Slowjamastan, he was one of the first to say, “Welcome. You belong here.” And that’s a gift you don’t forget.
By now, Travis is no stranger to fire. In August, a longtime Honorary Consul in India was arrested on fraud charges, accused of flying Westarctica’s flag for all the wrong reasons. No victims. No money trail. Just headlines spun into something bigger than reality.
“It was pretty traumatic for Westarcticans to think that our country’s name had been appropriated to harm anyone,” he says. “We do our best to vet our diplomats, but it can be difficult to separate the facts from the fantastical headlines.”
While the scandal made noise, Travis made order. His team moved fast—press releases, interviews, damage control.
“I was pretty happy when the New York Times replied to the release by asking me for an interview,” he says with the coolness of someone who’s been through this before. And when the dust settled, lessons were learned. “We implemented quarterly check-ins for all our diplomatic staff and increased the rigor of our background checks. It was kind of a trial by fire for our new Foreign Minister—but he stepped up.”
This is who Travis is: the guy who takes the hit, steadies the ship, and keeps moving forward.
Which brings us to MicroCon. The cathedral for the odd, the dreamers, the defiant. Travis doesn’t just attend—he’s part of the committee that decides who gets to host. “We receive many, many applications,” he explains. “But if someone can’t even string together coherent sentences on their application, it’s unlikely they’ll be able to successfully host a MicroCon.” Behind the laugh is a truth: he’s protecting something bigger than himself.
He knows what it takes. He hosted MicroCon 2022 in Las Vegas, a production that cost him sleep, sweat, and even his marriage.
“On the day of the actual event, I had a few hardy Westarcticans to help with the setup and crowd control,” he recalls. “That made a huge difference. The more people you have to help, the more smoothly things unfold. During the weekend, I could only see the mistakes. But afterward, everyone told me how much fun they had. Despite my own insecurities, the attendees enjoyed themselves—while the host did not!”
MicroCon 2027 won’t be Vegas. It won’t be a basement library either. It’ll be San Diego—ocean views, a penthouse-level production, literally and metaphorically.
“As President Baugh [of Molossia] said repeatedly at the last MicroCon: I can’t believe we started in a basement library and now it’s grown into this,” Travis says. “We’ve literally gone from the basement to the penthouse in ten short years.”
And he won’t just be in San Diego—he’ll also head to Aigues-Mortes, carrying the banner of Westarctica to the European edition. Because that’s what Travis does: he shows up. For the big guys. For the small guys. For everyone.
Talk to him for five minutes and you realize it isn’t about the pomp. Travis is the guy reminding you to look at the guest list, learn a few names, and make the most of the faces in the room.
“MicroCon is an opportunity to forge relationships with other micronations that will move you and the community forward,” he says. “That’s what it’s all about.”
That’s the throughline: humanity. Micronations are fragile, absurd, brilliant things. But with people like Travis anchoring the stage, they become something else—tribes bound by sincerity, even when the rest of the world laughs.
And if you’re Slowjamastan, or any other upstart planting your flag, you’ll find Grand Duke Travis there first. Smiling, hand out, saying: “Welcome. You belong here.”
Pertinent Details
• MicroCon 27: North America – August 6th – 8th, 2027, in San Diego, California
• MicroCon 27: EU – September 2th – 26th, 2027, in Aigues-Mortes, France
• Early Bird and student discount programs available for a limited time
• All ages welcome
• Sign-up for the free MicroCon 27 newsletter HERE.
Join our WhatsApp MicroCon 27 group HERE
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