Dragoncon advice

[Myz_Lilith]

Could anyone who went last year possibly suggest how much money I might actually need to bring with me for the full 4 days (well, 4 + 1 either side)?

I need to order dollars / travellers cheques in the next week or so, and I was just trying to get a vague idea of what food / drinks etc might cost. I'm guessing it's going to be relatively cheap because of the exchange rate, but didn't know if everything ends up stupidly expensive cos prices get yoinked up for the convention... And were people eating and drinking in the hotel and charging to rooms, or going out and spending actual cash money, or bringing stuff in with them? (Hotels always confuse me as I'm usually a self-catering kind of girl, so the idea you get "free" drinks just for telling the barman your room number always seems really naughty )

I know nobody's got a crystal ball for what's likely to happen this year, and it's not the end of the world if I get it wrong, as I can withdraw money over there and change it if I end up with too much - but if anyone can suggest a ballpark figure - or a "well, a burger cost X last year, and a beer cost Y, and a decent beer cost Z..." then it'd be much appreciated...

(I know there's stalls and stuff as well, but if I can just budget for the basics then I can work out if I can afford to get new boots beforehand!)

[Tarryk]

It's a tough call, and I can't remember much from my expenditures last year mostly because I was literally scraping from the bottom of the barrel to get by.

I'm thinking you can "survive" on about 10 bucks a day, you'd be comfy with 25 bucks a day, 30-50 if you plan on drinking a bit, double or triple that if you plan on actually buying anything or lining up shots at the bar.

And if you ever hear of any tricks to get free drinks, let me be the first to say: DON'T. Pay for your drinks. Nothing is free, don't find that out the hard way.

(edit: Unless, of course, someone in GSP or FC or someone you know OFFERS you a drink, that's acceptably free, hehe)

[Myz_Lilith]

Oooh, that sounds good... I love lopsided exchange rates Thanks!

Unfortunately the drinks I meant are never really free, they just feel that way when you're billing them to your room because nobody is asking you for money - it's when you come to check out and get the final bill that the heart attack comes. Bar tabs are dangerous, dangerous things...

Apart from one time, at a friend's 30th birthday party, when in a spirit (*boom tish*) of drunken generousity I put a round of single malts on my room tab... and it never showed up on the bill the next day, much to my then-sober relief. I never knew whether that was because the barman was feeling all birthday-generous (the place was probably well in profit regardless - we had drunk a large proportion of the bar dry by then), whether it was becausew I'd not only picked out his favourite whisky, but had also threatened to do unspeakable things to anyone who even dreamt of going anywhere near it with a mixer, or if it was because we kept the poor guy up until silly o'clock and he just forgot. And obvoiously I couldn't ask, just in case it was just a mistake...

Anyway, apparently I have to buy lots of drinks for other people. I'm bringing a portfolio with me, and whatever comic scripts I can get in a halfway decent state by then, but I've been advised that nobody is that likely to look at them at a Con. Instead, you go to the bar, find the people you want to see your work (if they're not in the bar by 11am on the first day, they're not ~real~professionals and aren't worth talking to )and buy them lots and lots of drinks. Then 2 weeks later you email them and say "remember me?" and hope you got the balance right between buying enough drinks that they loved you and not so many that they have a week long blank spot in their memory... I have it on very good authority that this ~always~ works from the blog of an author that was about to set off to a Comic Convention, so it must be true...

[Chaimera]

id would say about $200 or so for fodd/drink/emergency cash, give or take of course, but thats what im hoping to be around, but i sometimes drink like a fish, so i dunno, i forgot to eat alot last year but i survived

[Nicodar]

I advise you to never accept a drink from a guy name Louie. *nods*

[davekillem]

I'll buy you a drink if it helps. I pledge to buy anyone from AO I meet a drink!

Don't know if you have an atm/debit card, but I find when I travel overseas that is the best way to go if extra credz, I mean money, is needed. Then you get the best rates. I think you can survive cheaply though. Probably convention goodies and alcohol are going to be what you would spend your money on. I'd think $500 will do you good, $250 will suffice, and $100 if you are willing to eat Big Macs and drink from the local water fountains.

On the other hand, if you aren't gonna be able to bring any kind of liquids, then bring cash for shampoo, toothpaste, and anything else you might have to chuck at customs for fear of making that toothpaste esplodin shoe.


Cyas,

Davekillem

[Myz_Lilith]

We are actually allowed to bring in toothpaste now, just as long as it's safely locked away in the hold with the snakes... the evil plots by local US drugstores to make us buy all our shampoo over there have been foiled!

The absolute best news is that hand luggage restriction have now been lifted somewhat and I can now TAKE BOOKS ON BOARD!!! *whoop!* If course, should any group, anywhere, do anything to spoil that situation in the next two weeks, and part me from my precious reading materials, they SHALL face the full force of my wrath...

Still not allowed duty free yet, but two weeks is a long time in the crazy world of blowing up aeroplanes so I'm still hopeful...

[Boinky]

Why would they restrict books? Worried the terrorists will come on the plane and then read a book How to hijack a plane in 30 easy steps, but only after you are on the plane and haven't read the book yet?

And I wasn't at DragonCon, but just as a general rule at conventions of this nature ( I was just recently at the Wizard World convention in Chicago) If you are going to be buying food/drink at the convention itself expect to be robbed. ex. paying $6.50 for a small sandwich and maybe $2.50 for a tiny paper cup of soda. But DragonCon people could tell you more specifics there. Much cheaper if you can leave the convention area and eat somewhere else even if it's a fast food place.

And of course where the hotel comes into play I don't think most hotels really have restriction or could even prevent you from getting food/drink/booze elsewhere and taking it up to your room as well so probably don't have to get room service if ya want to avoid the extra costs on your bill at the end. Always good to have enough booze too so when you get drunk you don't clean out $90 worth of tiny alcohol bottles from the mini-fridge.

[Nicodar]

Why would they restrict books? Worried the terrorists will come on the plane and then read a book How to hijack a plane in 30 easy steps, but only after you are on the plane and haven't read the book yet?

Books on motherf'in' plane!

[Chaimera]

the main hotel that the con is in is connected to a mall type thing that has a decent food court, and it will more than likely be open most of the time that the con is goin on, so cheap food is easy to find