The Energon Pub

captain craig wrote:I have a travel partner already, did have two but marriage and kids have stalled him the last 2 years. The one cost that is not splitable is airfare. Anywhere east of the Mississippi River you are looking at $400 ball park lowend. With 5 months to go and the prior 6 months not being favorable for savings it does make this a very valid excuse. Hotels and Rental cars are splitable but your pt.3 is strictly travel and in many cases for Pasadena that means airfare which is not a shared cost.

I live in PA which is about as far away as you can get, I checked a few days ago and low end to the Burbank airport was like $384. Low end to the OC Airport was actually like $240 dollars but is only worth it if you have a rental car really. But if you have a few people flying out from one aiport, it could be a denefinite cost saver,

captain craig wrote:As I said I have one buddy and at most another who go. That is 3 to a room. At age 32 I like the hobby but I'm also an adult not a 19yr old college Freshman. Sleeping 7 to a room that holds 4 with guys in the tub is just not acceptable anymore. Sorry. I have standards and I'd suspect a larger percentage do as well.

My wife and I have had our own room for the past 2 years but will look to share this year to cut costs. But it's possible to share a room and not sleep in a tub.

Delicon wrote:

captain craig wrote: I have a travel partner already, did have two but marriage and kids have stalled him the last 2 years. The one cost that is not splitable is airfare. Anywhere east of the Mississippi River you are looking at $400 ball park lowend. With 5 months to go and the prior 6 months not being favorable for savings it does make this a very valid excuse. Hotels and Rental cars are splitable but your pt.3 is strictly travel and in many cases for Pasadena that means airfare which is not a shared cost.

I live in PA which is about as far away as you can get, I checked a few days ago and low end to the Burbank airport was like $384. Low end to the OC Airport was actually like $240 dollars but is only worth it if you have a rental car really. But if you have a few people flying out from one aiport, it could be a denefinite cost saver.

Oddly enough my friend lives in Douglasville, PA and he has not seen a cost under $400. But still your $384 is splitting hairs, its an expensive extra cost per person. Its not a shared cost like cars or hotels. So tell me how you arrive at the "if you have a few people flying out from one airport that its a cost saver". You don't get group rates on airfare. It's a per person cost. No sharing or splitting of the rate.

captain craig wrote:

Delicon wrote:

captain craig wrote: I have a travel partner already, did have two but marriage and kids have stalled him the last 2 years. The one cost that is not splitable is airfare. Anywhere east of the Mississippi River you are looking at $400 ball park lowend. With 5 months to go and the prior 6 months not being favorable for savings it does make this a very valid excuse. Hotels and Rental cars are splitable but your pt.3 is strictly travel and in many cases for Pasadena that means airfare which is not a shared cost.

I live in PA which is about as far away as you can get, I checked a few days ago and low end to the Burbank airport was like $384. Low end to the OC Airport was actually like $240 dollars but is only worth it if you have a rental car really. But if you have a few people flying out from one aiport, it could be a denefinite cost saver.

Oddly enough my friend lives in Douglasville, PA and he has not seen a cost under $400. But still your $384 is splitting hairs, its an expensive extra cost per person. Its not a shared cost like cars or hotels. So tell me how you arrive at the "if you have a few people flying out from one airport that its a cost saver". You don't get group rates on airfare. It's a per person cost. No sharing or splitting of the rate.

Oh, I can see where you got confused on that. I looked on hotwire, and the cheapest it gave me was the $384 or whatever but that was to the Burbank airport. There is also an airport in OC that they recommended on the site, not sure exactly how far but I know it is farther than Burbank. That was $240. Problem is, it might be a bit far to take a reasonably priced taxi. I have yet to get a rental car when I was at a Botcon. But for that low airfare, if I had a few other people coming into that airp[ort at the same time, I might consider springing for one and basically sharing the cost that way (have the other people toss in a few bucks for that)

But yeah, I didn't explain that real well.

about 16 miles not too bad for a taxi, probably about $40-$60.

Side note: The whole thing with the convention hotel selling out months ahead of time is another reason why I don't make big travel plans to conventions... it'd mean either taking a taxi between the different hotel and the convention, which is expensive, or getting driven everywhere, which would bug me unless someone I knew well was coming along. (And neither of my two good TF-liking friends has the money for a major vacation either.)

Name_Violation wrote:about 16 miles not too bad for a taxi, probably about $40-$60.

Yeah, it gives a lot of folks a cheaper option (at least when using Hotwire)

Jeysie wrote:Side note: The whole thing with the convention hotel selling out months ahead of time is another reason why I don't make big travel plans to conventions... it'd mean either taking a taxi between the different hotel and the convention, which is expensive, or getting driven everywhere, which would bug me unless someone I knew well was coming along. (And neither of my two good TF-liking friends has the money for a major vacation either.)

They always provide more and they are never that far away. At Botcon 07 I bilieve they had as many as FOUR "official" hotels.

Last year there were 2, you could get reservations pretty late (I think we actually waited until a month remained) and they were directl;y across the street from each other.

FunPub is very anal about not picking a city unless it has like a thousand rooms within an 1/8 mile of the Con. Literally.

Yeah, the second (and third, if needed) hotels are always right next to the convention center, usually right next door or across the street, so there is no long walking or driving involved.

Looks like I'm going...

What to do for a party this year...what...to...do...

Counterpunch wrote:Looks like I'm going...

What to do for a party this year...what...to...do...

Just bring your smiling face, of course!

Glad to hear you're coming. Katie and I booked our hotel room yesterday, and now we're beginning the search for affordable plane tickets.

i want to go but I'm a cheap bastard. Is ther more than just buy this booths and a few teasers? WHat IS there at botcon? I'm cheap but also have a bad habit of impulse buying so I want to know what to expect

Delicon wrote:FunPub is very anal about not picking a city unless it has like a thousand rooms within an 1/8 mile of the Con. Literally.

Aah. Although there still isn't much of a likelihood of me ever going to a convention that isn't held in the Northeast. I just never have the money to spend more than a few hundred dollars on a single trip. (And since there is almost never any major geeky events here, except sometimes in Albany, it means I almost never get to go to anything...)

Name_Violation wrote:i want to go but I'm a cheap bastard. Is ther more than just buy this booths and a few teasers? WHat IS there at botcon? I'm cheap but also have a bad habit of impulse buying so I want to know what to expect

Oh man, is there more to do?! Absolutely! In addition to the dealer room and the panels (announcements/q&a with Hasbro, IDW, various voice actors, etc etc etc), there's all the great times to be had wandering aimlessly around a TF-themed environment with a band of crazy Seibertronians. Great laughs and new friends over dinner and many many drinks! Haven't got a lot of cash to buy figures? Take joy in what your new friends are buying! Many of us will let you examine/transform a figure you've been dying to see. BotCon is a three-day party with some of the greatest people you'll ever meet. Where else can you sit back and have a beer with Simon Furman and Denton Tipton? Or smoke a cigarette with Peter Cullen?

I need a US Visa. Alternatively, one of the female members' hand in marriage.





IN B4 "OK, TAKE TAMMUZ"