Hero Con? Yes or No

Howdy all, title may be a bit misleading. I'll try to keep this form being to long


I'm thinking about going to the Hero Con but my mom has a few worries about me going alone. I'm 19(Male) and this will be my 1st Con and plan to take the Bus(3days 4 transfers) since i don't want to fly. So i need info and help form people who are going to help put and end to Mothers worries(and mine).

1.Do I need to get there on the 23rd to make sure.

2.Is I'm not sure if ill have the money to make it in time.

3. $82(for Con Tickets?) $90($180[for 2nights]for room) about $200(for Bus)=around $462?

4.Is there Things that would be a good idea to bring?

-NogardT

PS: Things I plan to bring so far.

1.Change Outfits(Shirts,Jeans,Socks,Etc).
2.Camera.

Wow, kudos to you for making that kind of trip. Personally, I would've just splurged on the airfare, but that's me.

I've never been to Hero-Con, but am an old-hat when it comes to conventions in general.

Will you need to get there on the 23rd? Probably not. If you get there early on the 24th, you'll likely be okay.

Money is something you should make sure of before hand. You don't want to plonk down the change for all this then find out you can't really afford it. Make the necessary budget changes now.

Don't forget money for food, souvenirs/merch, food, travel aside from bus (taxi to/from bus depot to hotel?), food and anything else. Seriously though, food is the one thing everyone seems to forget about when budgeting out conventions. It's very important that you eat something.

Also remember to pack:
Toiletries (Soap, Shampoo, Deodorant)
Medications
Items you may want signed

Still waiting for his Official BackAlleyBrawler No-Prize

If you arrive the night before the first day of the Con, then last year there was early registration open. This was much better to do than standing in line the next morning, so I'd recommend it.

Don't forget to bring your sense of adventure! If you're going to make the trip don't let you're own shyness stop you from getting in amongst all the other con-goers (who are all in the same boat), and making some new friends.

You might want to have a close look at the list of activities once announced so that you can pick out which ones you'd like to take part in. Last year there was some overlap of panels so you had to be quite choosy, this year I think they've learnt from that, hence the expanded 2 day affair.

Have fun!

Is this your first long distance trip on your own?

Its been years since I was a youth, so I may be way off-mark nowadays, but are there any youth hostels in the area you could use as an alternative? Used to be you could stay dirt cheap at them. There are often conditions though.

don't see a listing for food money there. You probably have that covered, but I'm just noting it because I've been on trips where others forget to bring enough, or forget that prices are higher in a destination.

Wouldn't hurt to have a little emergency money on you for the unexpected. Like washing your only other outfit in the hotel laundry when that guy bumps into you spilling his drink.

As Rush_Bolt noted, keep a few medicines handy. I used to work business conventions and was surprised when I became very sick once. I now carry a small supply of medicines like Advil, Imodium, Dayquil capsules, etc. cause its hard looking for a pharmacy when you're suddenly sick with the common flu (like I was). Hand sanitizer would also be useful. Do make certain though that you know any government regulation for carrying medicines (or anything else for that matter) on public transportation.

ditto on the hand sanitizer.

books or something for the bus.

cell phone with charger.

adventurous spirit!

Okay, first realize that Hero Con is a fan convention for a MMO. It's going to be relatively small as these things go. That's one of the attractions, really. A certain amount of "intimacy" in comparison to attending Pax, GenCon, or San Diego Comic Con with 10,000 of your closest friends. It'll be fun and there'll be plenty of people around, but it won't be an "overwhelm your senses" affair that one of the bigger cons would be.

If you plan to spend six(!) days riding Greyhound, I hope you're going because you live and breathe City of Heroes. Otherwise, I'd save the money and the travel preparations for one of the major cons.

If you prefer ground transport, have you considered Amtrak?

Whatever money you think you'll need, add half that much again. There will be something you'll forget and there will be expenses you didn't anticipate. As a for instance, if you're hanging with a group of people and someone has a car and suggests "Let's go to X for dinner", you'll have to say no if you're on a shoestring budget.

Make sure you have transportation to the hotel arranged or at least figured out.

Budget for meals. If this is the same hotel as last year (I haven't really checked, as I'm not attending) there is NO cheap fast food in the area. You'll be eating hotel restaurant or room service food and paying their prices. Whatever you think you'll need to spend, assume you'll need more and be happy if you don't.

Six days worth of entertainment. A laptop to blog about your trip. A cell phone. An open mind. A friendly attitude. Patience. A cautious demeanor.

Some Axe deodorant and/or cologne. The 800 number to call for rescue when all of the women at the con start chasing you around the hotel thanks to the Axe Effect.

Primarily, clothes, toiletries, and money. Preferably in credit card form in case you lose it or it's stolen. Travel is all about being prepared for the contingencies and then relaxing when you never have to exercise any of those contingencies. Make sure that you know the customer service phone number of said credit card and that your Mother has copies of your itinerary and also the card number/phone numbers for your bank/card issuer.

Remember that meals include tips and that it's good form to tip your cab driver if he gives you good service. 15% is the standard tip nowadays and really 20% is becoming the norm for "excellent service".

Accept that you'll probably get homesick and depressed by the third day. It'll pass. A phone call home and good night's sleep is a great curative for that.

For most attendees, Hero Con will be the culmination of their trip. For you, it will only be the half-way point. Plan accordingly.

I'm going to say this so it's said. It sounds like a fun idea to go to the con at the last minute, but you should realize one important thing. A lot of the "fun" of a con happens after hours, either in the hotel or in nearby clubs or bars. That means adult beverages and such, and it's bad enough getting busted for underage drinking in your hometown, much less several states away.

You shouldn't be considering drinking, and you should be prepared for the fact that you may get left alone because you can't go along with the older folks. I'm not trying to be a downer about it, but I don't want you to be shocked that it's not as much fun as you thought and you got left out on some of the activities.

On top of all this, travelling on a bus for days, going to rooms with lots of people, living rough staying up late, is a big pile of risk for the H1N1 this year. Some devs already got sick from going to PAX, and it's likely more people will get hit at Hero Con. There's a reason why people in your age group are at the top of the list for the vaccine when/if it comes.

To be honest, even when I was your age, I would have considered doing this, then decided against it. It does sound like a lot of fun, but it also sounds too last minute and too risky.

Consider keeping tabs on the planning for another con next summer, or the next Hero Con. You'd have a LOT more fun if you planned ahead, saved up some money, and found a friend or two to go with you, or meet there at the con.

If you do go, I wish you the best of luck. If you decide against it, don't be sad, there will be other fun things to do.

Well after reading all the replys i guess it might be best for me to wait till next year to go.

but at least by then ill have the money saved up NP and to be mentaly ready for it too.

TY all for your wise advice to this 19yo.

-NogardT

I went to last years HeroCon and I am attending this years HeroCon. I agree with those saying hold off until next year to give you time to save up money for travel/hotel/food/activities/swag. Start saving now.

Also, if you've followed the HeroCon thread up in Announcements, there are those that are offering room-sharing/ride-sharing. There had been plans for a caravan from your neck of the woods although I don't think it panned out. Hopefully the economy will continue its upswing (slow that it may be, but up none the less,) that may actually happen next year.

You'll likely not have to worry about transportation once you get here, plenty of attendees are offering to pick up people at the airports, bus terminal wouldn't be any different.

Most of the non-Con activities saw people car-pooling, so a "Ooo yes me too" will get you a ride. The activities that happened last year, bowling, Friday night Justice dinner (PuG table FTW!), bacon waffle breakfast, In 'n Out Burger etc, were open to all regardless of age. There may have been other smaller groups out at the bars, but for the most part they were 'anyone can go' activities.

And keep your eyes on the Announcements section of the forums, especially around June-July. This year we got the dates later than we were expecting, we chalk it up to several issues being released, and the Con being moved to a new venue.

I look forward to seeing everyone there!

~Red

Lots of good advice on here from lots of folks, and yes, I agree with just about all of it. A local con, you could get away with last-minute attendance decisions, but something like this... better to plan, save up, and really be able to enjoy it.

And trust me, as soon as HC 09 is over, it's a safe bet we'll all be starting the countdown til HC 10.

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite