> your employer should also have a budget for conf travel. In my case, my employer paid my travel/lodging fees and I did not have to pay anything out-of-pocket

> your employer should also have a budget for conf travel. In my case, my employer paid my travel/lodging fees and I did not have to pay anything out-of-pocket (or take PTO or anything). However, if I were (for example) between jobs -- or if my employer refused to pay for travel/lodging to conferences -- I'd still strongly recommend the buy. In my experience, larger or more corporate conferences tend to pay more (including travel, lodging, and sometimes cash compensation), but the smaller, more "community-oriented" conferences do not.