By Dr. Anush S. Pillai, DO, FAAFP | Reviewed by CME Travel Academy Faculty
6 min read · Reviewed October 2026
Most physicians picture CME as a hotel ballroom, a lanyard, and a forgettable slide deck. It does not have to be that way. The travel and learn model flips the script: you earn your credits in focused morning sessions, then step outside into one of the great cities in the country with your afternoon wide open. At CME Travel Academy, that means 12 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ including 1 hour of Ethics delivered over two mornings, so the trip you were already hoping to take can also check the box your license requires. Here is what that really looks like, and how to make the most of it.
In this article
The Morning Is for Learning, the Afternoon Is Yours
Our conferences run from 7:30 AM to 1:30 PM on both days, with a hot breakfast included. By lunchtime you are finished. There are no evening sessions, no mandatory dinners, and no vendor talk at 4 PM. Day one of the New York City CME conference covers hypertension, COPD, asthma, heart failure, obesity, and depression. Day two moves through chronic coronary disease, type 2 diabetes, chronic kidney disease, dementia, ethics, and a rapid review of every topic. It is the chronic disease content you see in clinic every day, taught so you can use it on Monday morning.
You also leave with one-page point-of-care references for the office, and faculty Q&A with Dr. Vimal George and Dr. Anush Pillai keeps the cases practical rather than theoretical.
A Day in the Life: Tuesday in Midtown
Picture it. You finish the last session at 1:30 PM, walk out of the conference hotel, and the whole city is in front of you. Top of the Rock is about an eight minute walk, and a sunset slot is hard to beat. Central Park is roughly twelve minutes away, with Bethesda Terrace and Bow Bridge along the way. Prefer something quieter? Take the Statue of Liberty ferry from Battery Park, wander Chelsea Market, or walk through Greenwich Village for dinner. In mid-October you might even catch a postseason baseball game.
Then you sleep well, because you are not cramming. You are on a real trip with a head start on your CME. The same rhythm holds in every city we visit: Las Vegas afternoons mean the pool, the Strip, and a show, while New Orleans afternoons mean beignets and live music in the French Quarter.
Learning That Actually Sticks
Travel makes learning memorable, but memory still needs a plan. Decades of research on distributed practice, including the widely cited Cepeda meta-analysis in Psychological Bulletin, show that reviewing material over spaced intervals beats cramming. We built that into the program. Every conference includes a 12-month spaced-repetition curriculum, so short review prompts reach you long after you have unpacked your suitcase. You can read how it works in our post on the spaced repetition CME curriculum.
Sessions are recorded too, so if you want to revisit the heart failure segment from a hotel pool or a flight home, you can. Prefer to learn at your own pace first? Our online on-demand CME courses are a good companion.
Upcoming CME Conference
New York City, late spring 2027
12 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Cover hypertension, COPD, heart failure, diabetes, and more. Morning sessions. Afternoons free. $995, with military and resident discounts.
Making the Trip Count
A travel and learn trip works best when you plan it as a trip. Bring a spouse, a partner, or a colleague; the mornings are yours and the afternoons can be shared. Many attendees bring a whole practice team, and our custom CME options exist for exactly that. Registration discounts help too: military clinicians save $100, resident physicians save $200, and a referral earns you $100 off while the colleague you refer saves $50.
Keep in mind that educational travel expenses may be deductible for some clinicians. The IRS explains the rules for business travel expenses, and they differ for self-employed and employed clinicians, so check with your tax advisor before you book. Timing matters as well. If your license cycle ends soon, finishing 12 credits in two mornings beats chasing them across a dozen evenings.
Credits You Can Trust
Fun does not mean lightweight. Every conference offers 12 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ including 1 hour of Ethics, and the program is accepted for AAFP Prescribed credit and AOA Category 2. Nurse practitioners and physician assistants are covered as well. You can review the full credit statement, see a sample CME certificate, and read how the AAFP handles CME and events to confirm the credit fits your board or license requirements.
Choose Your Destination
These events are open for registration right now. Pick the city that makes you want to pack.
✓ New York City, late spring 2027. Manhattan venue TBA. 2027 dates coming soon. Join the waitlist to hear first.
✓ Las Vegas, December 18-19, 2026 and April 2-3, 2027. Caesars Palace on the Strip. $995, or $895 during the Fall Sale for the December dates, which ends October 31.
✓ New Orleans, February 19-20, 2027. Residence Inn by Marriott in the French Quarter area. $995 per clinician.
✓ CME Live: Your Location. Can’t travel? Attend by livestream for the same credit, as a 5-hour evening option ($695) or the full 12-hour conference ($995).
Looking further ahead, you can join the waitlist for Walt Disney World and San Diego in 2027. For a longer look at the whole model, see our guide to CME and vacation.
Travel and Learn FAQ
How many credits can I earn at a CME Travel Academy conference?
You can earn 12 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™, including 1 hour of Ethics, over two mornings. The program is also accepted for AAFP Prescribed credit and AOA Category 2.
Are the sessions all day?
No. Sessions run from 7:30 AM to 1:30 PM on both days, with breakfast included, so your afternoons are free to explore the destination.
Can I attend without traveling?
Yes. CME Live: Your Location lets you join by livestream for the same credit, with a 5-hour evening option and a 12-hour conference option.
Is CME travel tax deductible?
It may be for some clinicians, depending on whether you are self-employed or employed and on your circumstances. Review the IRS guidance on business travel expenses and confirm with your tax advisor.
Your Next Great Trip Is Also Your CME
The best CME is the kind you finish, enjoy, and remember. New York City returns in late spring 2027, Las Vegas follows on December 18-19, and New Orleans arrives February 19-20. Choose a city, block two mornings, and give your afternoons back to yourself. Browse every upcoming CME conference, explore primary care CME, and let us handle the learning that sticks.
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