first con and i wish to prepare!
OK now i realise that its a LONG way away till the next anthrocon but the sooner i prepare the better, and besides my mind permits me to be thinking of this right now so yeah...
i really really hope its ok for me to post multiple questions here... if not i apologize.
ANY how one of the main reasons i have yet to go to an anthrocon is money i currently have a decent amount in my savings and am hoping to keep my job long enough to get a few more decent amounts in there. i don't necessarily want my first anthrocon to be "on a budget" but i don't want to go out there and spend a ridiculously unnecessary amount of money, i realize there is a part of the forum for keeping on a budget and suggestions to which i will check out. mainly what im getting at here is that i live in California. now i suck at geography but Pennsylvania is on the exact opposite side of the world to me so i mainly wish to know if there are any other people going there from California, and for instance mainly what would be a decent estimation for a general amount of money to take to spend... >.>
now i know at least ONE PERSON who goes constantly who will most likely be there next year and whom i will most likely hang out with, though i will leave him nameless i met him on a form and am probably going to be trying to meet up with most of them if any of them are going... man i really need to learn to get to the point... ANY how my problem is im not used to flying alone at all, i've never been on a plane alone and am a little nervous about doing so... i either would like to know if there are anyone else who would be taking flights from SFO (think thats right) because thats probably where im going most likely again nothing is set in stone right now.
i duknow if im nervous or not, but its my first anthrocon and for that matter first con in general... im a loner irl, and want to meet people thats my main reason for even wanting to go. also i want to do something crazy... like for instence maybe make a BIG name tag right? and have everyone on this forum try and find me XD <,< sorry if im typing aloud... ty for anyones help ^_^;
ooo funny funny guy XD lol ty and... MY FIRST COMMENT ON MY THREAD YAY! 
OK i have actually thought a bit about money expenses and am now going to voice my thoughts
ok, i have decided to dropa clean 500 dollars on all the main expences, so that is:
500$ round trip flight
500$ hotel
500$ food
now these are COMPLETE guestimations, it is entirely posible that one or all of these things are going to cost less then 500 just as much as they might cost more! im just putting a simple number on them to keep track untill i can actually price them so if that is true or the amount is less on them then that would leave 500 dollars RIGHT NOW for the rest including entrance and whatever else... now, im still saving so ill probably have a lot more then 2000 to use but any how. i should actually have 1000 more by the end of this week (im only counting my savings)
now i have decided that i would like to wear a costume for two of the days, not a fursute (as cost/labor seems to much for me) but a general costume of two of my charicters, both of them named Avaria XD the first is actually Avaria Demon i think i might dress up like him maybe second day, after that im going to be dressing up as Avaria... my fursona, or is it scalesona... he's a dragon, and his costume is definatly going to cost a lot more then Avaria's (the first one) mainly because i dont know what it is yet. you see Avaria dragon, is a cross dresser... now i myself dont really think im much for crossdressing... i think im not going to get into that much more now but basically i need to figure out an outfit that both me and him would wear (more so leaning towards him)... umm... right prices. so im thinking
1000 dollars towards random objects needed for costume, im pretty sure this is not going to be 1000 dollars so whatever is left over will go towards the trip itself. im planning on dressing as Avaria demon day 2 (day 1 of the thing i think im going to arive the day prior...) and Avaria Dragon day 3 (day 2). i really hope no one cares that i would be dressing up as my first charicter if anyone has concerns i have no problem with droping that idea right now ^_^;
soo yeah thats all i can think of right now thank you for posting ^_^
The acronym you need to remember is FRESH-T: Food, Registration, Emergencies, Stuff, Hotel and Transportation.
Food: Many con attendees manage on $20 a day. Unless you go to very fancy restaurants, you shouldn't spend more than $50 per day... and that's s high estimate.
Registration: Pre-register! It's less expensive and picking up your badge is faster.
Emergencies: Put aside some money and don't touch it! It's better to have that cushion just in case.
Stuff: this is the hardest to estimate. There's plenty of stuff to buy: art, books, costume pieces... It's impossible to guess what you'll see that you want.
Hotel: In 2010, the room rates varied from approximately $135 to $147 per night, based on what hotel you stayed at. (See http://www.anthrocon.org/node/4819 for exact prices.) This amount can be made less if you're willing to share your room. That's something you'll have to decide for yourself.
Transportation: Orbitz won't even list airfares that far in the future. However, fares for May 2011 vary from $426 to $488 for a round trip from SFO to Pittsburgh. Uncle Kage also usually arranges a special deal for the van service from the airport to the hotel and back. You can prepay for this service as well. (Note: the earlier your make your airline reservations, the cheaper they'll be.)
So, your estimate on the airfare is close, the hotel estimate may be little low depending on how many nights you stay and the food estimate is very high. The best advice I can give is to buy what you can early (registration, airfare, etc.) because they'll be less expensive.
well with food again i realise im OVER PRICING IT by setting it at 500 but by realising that when that money leaks over to other things then awesome! i think i said it in my first post and would like to repeat here, i dont want to be on a budget but i dont want to spend a rediculous amount of money. so i might go to an expensive restaurant once.
ill probably do that with pre registration
hmm yeah didnt think of that one ^_^;
well i mean it depends on the average prices over there i duknow if everything is rediculously expensive but still...i'll probably use whatever i have left over for that.
hmm i did the calculations IN MY HEAD!(with a calculator) and found that even the most expensive was around 588 for four nights, im thinking thats about how long im going to be there, i dont know how earlie i can book this, if its always going to be those prices i wouldnt even mind shelling out that much cash. as for sharing a room NEVER NO ONE WILL EVER BE IN MY ROOM!!!! <,< XD jk i think ill talk to people i know first and if they have other plans (there are no better plans then me!) then i might offer room for one lucky person XD i duknow but seriously though.
this is where im hoping to save quite a bit of money is with the air fare. you see i know sombody that knows somebody that knows sombody that knows sombody... wait no i know someone who has a grandfather who used to pilot, last time we went to go to sjc la (dont ask its really nerdy, or childish, take your pick) i think the majority of air fare was like 300 dollars or something like that and he got one for 167 or something to that effect it was almost half at least. so hopefully he can help me here to. also ill look into trnasportation later
all in all i think my estimation isnt to far off overall it should be pretty decent. but if it costs more then this. there's what 10 months between now and then? i think i have time to save up
It's better to overestimate and underspend, yes. Allotting $50 a day for food and beverages should give you a decent amount of quality food and some left over.
Pre-Registration, while the prices for next year have not been officially set, will be under $50 for Attending level. Sponsor and Supersponsor levels will also be available.
In general, if you have another person whom you know and trust in attendance, sharing a room is a very good idea.. two people can easily share a single room or a double without difficulty. You are permitted up to four people in a standard room, to note.
Air travel is your assured best bet from California- while Greyhound or train travel are possible, they will not be rapid.
Indeed, it doesn't hurt to start saving now- your bank may well offer a 'Christmas Club', which is a special savings account. You can deposit a certain amount each week or month, and set the maturity date for two weeks before Anthrocon- plenty of time to withdraw your money and prepare.
Hotel reservations will open on February 2, 2011 per a statement by Uncle Kage.
As for your reduced fare 'friend of a friend' method, I'd suggest that you not depend on it. It sounds a lot like flying stand-by. It may mean that you fly on a 'seats-available' basis, and those don't happen very often these days with the way airlines overbook their flights. It might be worth the extra airfare to be sure you get to the con on Thursday afternoon/evening rather than Saturday morning...
Money is the most important part of your planning. Be ready to spend a few thousands.
A few thousands?
oh please tell me not too many thousands O_o
I am a teen from Louisiana and I from my estimation I thot about 1500 would be enough O_o
a 600 dollar round flight and 3 nights at hampton inn would be about 400 then 500 for food (tho I did plan on bringing maybe an exter hundred or so to spend in combination with leftover money to get the stuff I want to get just for fun XP)
So now I gotta know O-o
Am I drasticly underestimating the expensesses?
No, you're not drastically underestimating the expenses. I'm planning on budgeting myself for about $1500 for AC 2011.
Here's how I figured that out. Do Pre-Reg, that's $45 for just an attending membership. Plan the hotel money as if I was staying in the hotel room by myself, so if the going rates for '11 are ROUGHLY the same as they were this year, and I stay three nights, that's about $450. There's already $500. Flights can be anywhere from $300 - $500, so going on the more expensive side, there's another $500. Give myself about a total of $100 for food (about $25/day), and that leaves me with roughly $400 to spend on merchandise.
I do plan on having emergency money put away, maybe about $50, but that still gives me $350 to spend.
So, $1500 should be more than enough for the trip. But, all my costs were figured as if I was going by myself and staying in a hotel room by myself. If you do room sharing, that will bring the hotel costs down, giving you more money to spend. Also, if you go on the cheapest flight you can (the cheapest I found from where I'll be living come next AC was about $300. No, you can't get quotes for next year, I just did a "mock" one, to find quotes for flights to Pittsburgh next month), there gives you more money.
It's all about budgeting accordingly. From what I've read in past threads, people have gone to Anthrocon with less money than that (and they weren't from the area either), and they just budgeted themselves accordingly and did modest spending 
Unless you find a great last-minute fare, the prices for a flight in one month
are a lot higher than prices for a flight in 6 months- GENERALLY.
That's why I simulated AC airfare by using the end of March 2011 as a sample.
Money is the most important part of your planning. Be ready to spend a few thousands.
No, don't "be ready to spend a few thousands."
The poster who posted this has never been to AnthroCon.
The 2 biggest expenses are the hotel room and the travel.
If you find even 1 trustworthy, reliable person to split a room with-
and thus split the room PRICE with- then you can cut that expense in
half.
Try to follow the best airfares well in advance to get the best rate.
As Uncle Kage has pointed out, there's no guaranteed rule for getting
the best rate. I like to say reserving sooner is cheaper, but there's
sometimes special offers that appear later.
Watch sites like Travelocity, Expedia, Orbitz, and so on.
The next biggest expense is food. If you are careful, you can
average eating a lot for about $30 a day. (There's a few Chinese
all-you-can-eat buffets in the area if you're especially hungry.
Liang's Hunan is closer, the Golden Palace is better.
Furnandos has a nice sized meal-big sandwich, drink, chips- for
about $5-6.) If you want to eat more expensively, there's plenty of
upscale places and places that charge a bit more also.
(Yes, you can eat 3 meals in 1 day at Furnandos for under $20 if you
really, really want to.)
The convention registration is under $50 for the attending, for those
on a budget- preregister early for the lowest rate!
(Those not on a budget are recommended to become a Sponsor or Supersponsor
and help defray the convention costs.)
That leaves stuff bought at the convention. I can usually stay anywhere
between $40-80, depending on how much swag I want. This past con I got
a lot more than usual-then had to carry it home. If you're on a budget,
control your time in the Dealers Room and Artists' Alley.
I am a teen from Louisiana and I from my estimation I thot about 1500 would be enough O_o
a 600 dollar round flight and 3 nights at hampton inn would be about 400 then 500 for food (tho I did plan on bringing maybe an exter hundred or so to spend in combination with leftover money to get the stuff I want to get just for fun XP)
So now I gotta know O-o
Am I drasticly underestimating the expensesses?
No, you're not.
However, the expenses are what you make of them.
If you can get a cheaper flight, so much the better.
You can't reserve 12 months in advance, but as a comparison,
if you were booking for the end of MARCH now (arriving Thu, leaving Sun like AC),
Travelocity's showing flights from New Orleans Airport to Pittsburgh's
Airport via Continental Airlines for $190, with one plane transfer in between
(in Houston, TX.)
(Not counting the travel to and from the airports, of course)
I'm thinking you can get a similar rate for June when they're bookable.
Check the AC Travel Information for more about travel to and from
Pittsburgh's airport and the cheap ways to travel to and from it.
If you took any flight except the earliest, you'd arrive in Pittsburgh
after 4pm, well after check-in time for the hotels, so your room would
be ready. (If you checked out Sunday by 11am, you'd skip worrying about
paying for another day-but you may want to have them store your bags
at the hotel for a few hours-remember to tip the person who does this.)
I'd strongly recommend renting a room at the convention's hotels.
You'll get an excellent rate, the hotels are good, you'll be close to
the action, and the convention relies on being able to fill those rooms
in order to get the low convention rate.
Further, the Hampton's website's showing prices higher than the convention
rate. All the convention's hotels range from "right there" to "nearby".
The furthest is the Doubletree. I've stayed there, and it's not THAT far.
It's not a 4 minute walk (unless you're a trained runner), but it's short
enough that I wasn't laboring in the heat just walking. It's also got a 7-11
in the lobby, and the hotel has a minishuttle people used to ride to the DLCC
and back, apparently. (Especially the fursuiters.)
Hotels not in the convention block don't offer those sorts of amenities.
A few thousand? That's optional, not required.
I managed on :
$264 flight from BTR to PIT (Obitz.com)
$50 for extra baggage on plane
$144 hotel stay
$40 tips for housekeeping
$100 food (I'm cheap, and I eat that way. $20 a day is enough for me)
$90 Taxi ($45 each way to the airport including tip)
$50 incidentals
Total $738
I didn't include pre-reg because I'm staff, but even so that's money spent in Sept-Oct. the year before, so it would be out of the budget long before the actual trip.
I budgeted $900 for the trip, and managed not to spend it all.
Next year I'll probably spend it all and buy an art piece or 2.
As an aside to this, if you are rooming with others, make sure whomever is taking care of the room has the entire cost of the hotel room from everyone the week before the con. I arrived and found out that they expected full payment at check-in. I had to pay the remaining $500+ for the room out of my checking account since the other guys were paying me on arrival. This came as a surprise to me as I was able to pay at check-out in the past. I understand why they do this, but I hadn't heard about it before I got there.
Oh and I wanted to say to u ^^ I was born in LA california XP does that count?
I live all the way down in Louisiana (the other LA) and just cuz its funny I have to point out that I live on california ave XP so heheh still from an LA and california I guess XP
I am sidetracking myself O_o
anyways just wanted to say this is a first time con for me too and I think it would be handy if we could share info every now and then and help each other figure all this out..
even if it is a whole year away ^^;
@BlackJack: Sorry, my bad. Trying to predict the most realistic budget based on flights, accmomodation, food, toiletries, and any items Sir kaledracon might purchase at the convention.
as for Kaledracon: I beg your pardon if I was misleading. You're a teen fur? Hey, I caught the furry virus at age 9.
ALRIGHT PERPEMENT... i mean GOAL TIME!
alright so i think i have some ideas on goals:
1. money, i want to have enough money for everything including all the extra stuff. i also want to make sure i have enough money to be comfortable on my trip to anthrocon i dont want to be planning on what im going to spend, though im sure i wont be spending a huge amount but still.
2. COSTUME! im going to make a beastly... awesome costume for anthro con... originally i was thinking about dressing as my demon character for one day but i think im going to change it. so im going to dress as my Scale-sona for 2 of the days (if at all possible) the first of the two i want to try dressing as him streight but theres a problem there... he's a cross-dresser and i just dont feel comfortable doing that at my... current size... the problem is he also has other clothing thats ok but again a bit weird on me... i have to think about it maybe i can get openions but i duknow... second dress up will be for the fursuit parade, im going to be dressing as my character dressed as jace beleren ^_^ its going to be awesome! speaking of the parade
3. walk in the fursuit parade. why? CAUSE thats why
4. meet people. i think this one is most important to me honestly i really really want to meet other people that is the entire point of going right?
also... is it possible to disscuss just a regular costume in the fursuit part of the forum or not??? if not where should i bring that
Have fun.
Greetings, Avaria!
As you can see, the folks here on this forum are friendly, as are most Furry Fans in general; and you have received a lot of useful and interesting advice, particularly for attending AnthroCon - though much of it would also apply to any convention-attending experience.
If you live in Fremont, you have a choice of not one, not two, but three regional airports close by, from which you can try pricing different itineraries; there is San Francisco, but perhaps more conveniently, there is San Jose, and there is Oakland. From a convenience standpoint, Oakland might be the best bet, there is a BART station with shuttle to Oakland airport, and I believe that Fremont has a BART station as well?
But the fact that you live in Fremont - which for other readers of this forum, is located in the San Francisco Bay area, specifically in the East Bay, just a little north of San Jose - makes me wonder about how you have learned of Furry Fandom, and AnthroCon - and whether or not you are aware of the other large North-American Furry Convention, FURther CONfusion, or FC, as it's sometimes known; after all, it takes place every year in January, in San Jose - close enough so that if you drive, you can make day trips there, and not have to stay in the hotel, and get a feel and experience of a large Furry Con without the hotel and air-travel expenses.
This is not to discourage you from attending AnthroCon, if you wish, or any of the several other Furry conventions across the country; I myself attend both FC and AC when I can, and some Science Fiction/Fantasy conventions as well, which are in so many ways quite similar, except that the emphasis at Furry Cons is of course on Anthropomorphics - more fur, less rocket fuel and intergalactic battles, as it were. There are two SciFi Cons held in the bay area, as well - BayCon, and SiliCon.
I'm just curious - you are not the first person to ask about and plan to go to AnthroCon, but many like you wish to come, yet seem to know little about Furry Fandom or its history and traditions - not that any of that is necessary, but I'm just wondering.
So - how did you hear about AnthroCon? What do you think it is about? What do you hope to do here?
And as I'm sure others have mentioned - you don't have to have a fursuit or costume, it isn't a prerequisite to being a Furry Fan - though of course you are certainly welcome to join the fursuit crowd, and have fun! - but the vast majority of Furry Fans do not wear fursuits at all, ever - no matter how much they admire and love to take pictures of the 'suiters, posing and interacting and dancing and generally just bringing a little joy and magic to an otherwise mundane world.
i didnt doubt that i have a pretty even ideal of how humans act, and react accordingly
yes there dose so happen to be a bart station in fremont, i believe i can take that to most of the airports if i want to.
umm i think the thing did something wrong hopefully you can see my answers in the quotes ^_^;
But the fact that you live in Fremont - which for other readers of this forum, is located in the San Francisco Bay area, specifically in the East Bay, just a little north of San Jose - makes me wonder about how you have learned of Furry Fandom, and AnthroCon - and whether or not you are aware of the other large North-American Furry Convention, FURther CONfusion, or FC, as it's sometimes known; after all, it takes place every year in January, in San Jose - close enough so that if you drive, you can make day trips there, and not have to stay in the hotel, and get a feel and experience of a large Furry Con without the hotel and air-travel expenses.
Avaria: well, its a bit complicated i went from one thing to the next and landed on anthro art, from there i joined a few forums, and from there i learned of a little thing called anthro con, though im sure its not so little anymore, the problem was it was in PA really far from me at the time i learned of it, i finnaly have a job and finnaly have money so i think now is a decent time to plan on attending anthro con, main reason i want to? becacuse i want to meet people and im hoping a bunch of people i know, both personally and just from seeing their art, will be there so i can be like " OH EM GEE W T F LOL LAMO ROFLCOPTER!" and then run off giggling like a crazy school girl <,<
Avaria: i might think about going perhaps maybe, if i remember but main focus right now is anthro con but i appreciate you pointing it out.
I'm just curious - you are not the first person to ask about and plan to go to AnthroCon, but many like you wish to come, yet seem to know little about Furry Fandom or its history and traditions - not that any of that is necessary, but I'm just wondering.
Avaria: my contact to the furry fandom is limited solely to the internet... it almost seems like im the only anthro in fremont though i wouldnt say that for reasons of its probably not true. i probably know less then i would like to know but again i feel like ive been living under a rock for years so you cant blame me for not knowing, not that you would <,<
So - how did you hear about AnthroCon? What do you think it is about? What do you hope to do here?
Avaria: i think the only question i havent awnswered yet is the middle one, but ill go ahead and awnswer the other two in case someone missed those awnseres, ok so first question: internet second question: unless im mistaken conventions are made for the same reason forums are, mainly to meet people, which technically awnswers the third question: to meet people.
And as I'm sure others have mentioned - you don't have to have a fursuit or costume, it isn't a prerequisite to being a Furry Fan - though of course you are certainly welcome to join the fursuit crowd, and have fun! - but the vast majority of Furry Fans do not wear fursuits at all, ever - no matter how much they admire and love to take pictures of the 'suiters, posing and interacting and dancing and generally just bringing a little joy and magic to an otherwise mundane world.
Avaria: no i know i dont have to, i just kind of wish to. im having a few troubles coming up with what to wear, and weather or not i have the nerve to wear it Y_Y but ill try my best thats all i can offer after all
unless im mistaken conventions are made for the same reason forums are, mainly to meet people, which technically awnswers the third question: to meet people.
That is a good answer! Other reasons, need you none.
...i think now is a decent time to plan on attending anthro con, main reason i want to? becacuse i want to meet people and im hoping a bunch of people i know, both personally and just from seeing their art, will be there so i can be like " OH EM GEE W T F LOL LAMO ROFLCOPTER!" and then run off giggling like a crazy school girl <,<
And you can do all of those things, and more! But if I might suggest again - considering where you live, and hence the minimal expense to you, you might wish to also consider going to FC in San Jose, just to get an idea of what your experience at AnthroCon will be like.
AnthroCon (or AC) and FURther CONfusion (or FC) are very roughly equivalent in size and in "Furry Energy", though at this point, AC is larger; I cannot say that the experiences are exactly alike - for they are not - but many of the same artists and publishers and dealers in All THings Furry go to both conventions, and Furry Fans often go to see what is new, 6 months after the last "big convention"...not to disparage other regional conventions, held at different seasons of the year, like RainFURest in Seattle, or Midwest Fur-Fest in Chicago, or Mephit Fur-Meet in Memphis (I think), or the one in Orlando, FL.
Think of AC and FC as being "friendly rivals", like the Giants and the Dodgers, or the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Redskins, or Stanford and Berkeley. Each one has a different culture and staff approach to throwing a convention; the AC product is more consistent from year to year, showing incremental improvement like the early Volkswagen, while FC can vary quite widely from barely so-so to amazingly fantastic, depending on who is doing what that year on staff (the staff arrangement is meant to be that way for FC - it is partially intended to be a training ground for future Fannish Convention Staffers) and the chosen theme for that year.
i might think about going perhaps maybe, if i remember but main focus right now is anthro con but i appreciate you pointing it out.
Not a problem! And I certainly do NOT wish to discourage you from going to AnthroCon, but considering your proximity, your only additional expense would be for basic registration and parking, and whatever swag you wish to buy.
Click here to see what I mean:
http://www.furtherconfusion.org/fc2011/
And if you wish to talk to local folks about fursuits and fursuiting opportunities, give the folks at "Critters By the Bay" a look and a shout:
http://www.crittersbythebay.com/
And remember this - you happen to be centrally located to one of the densest concentrations of Furry Fans on earth, in the San Francisco Bay area - and particularly, the south bay.
Good Luck!
You can take the 28X "Airport Flyer". It's a bus that goes from the PIT airport to a stop only a short walking distance to the Westin. The Airport Flyer is public transportation. It costs $2.75 one-way.
I look it from PIT to the Westin at last month's AC.
If you have a suitcase and a briefcase, for example, you shouldn't have a problem. But if you have a lot of stuff like a fursuit and/or other big items, you may want to get a taxi.
Here's more information about it: http://www.anthrocon.org/travel-air .
Anthrocon has many attendees from California; it is typically our fifth most populous state by attendance. As for flying alone.. it's a lot like flying with your family, only they're not there.