Getting to BronyCon 2019 Part 1 - Your Preparations and Finances

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As some of you may have noticed in the brony community, the largest, de facto flagship convention of the fandom, entitled BronyCon, has recently announced that it will be closing its doors for the last time next year in 2019. BronyCon, the fandom’s historically largest and most remarkable convention by sheer size, longevity, and its impact towards the paradigm of the fandom itself, has stated that it will not continue in the motivation of parting with the convention at its height. It has also captured the attention of the international community far and wide to join their last sortie together next year.

Now, I’ve been seeing many people are trying to make a pact to join the final BronyCon, but they currently are completely wary or unfamiliar with the required financial and logistical discipline of attending such a convention at a distance from their homes - whether they are situated in North America or beyond. As much as I’d really love to see many, many more people doing the final run and give it a good sendoff, while also seeing the same people being active with any other convention in the world, we must all admit that it is a challenge for most of us to get there. In this blog post, I want to outline my knowledge and experiences in attending such conventions and traveling. The challenge differs for all of us - from international visitors to the domestic US audience, there are so many differences in how one approaches the goal of attending the convention.

This article is intended to give everyone (with higher relevance to the international audience) that I can think of a very frank and direct information on what to prepare and what to expect when you are out there, planning to attend the final BronyCon. This guide even works as a general guide on attending any other convention, or on how you may want to plan your leisurely vacations. Of course, most of the article is informed on the basic assumptions on financial capital considerations, and obviously some people may go and not consider much of the factors that I have written in. It is also not intended to dissuade you nor is it in anyway an endorsement or otherwise of BronyCon and any other conventions - it is a guide, frankly and openly, on what is and what isn’t possible, and how you’d have to weave your way with your financial disciplines to get to the final party. All of the information here is based only on my current, best understanding and should not be taken as absolute facts by itself - do your research as well and see if the things I say match up. This is an article of advice and opinions - they are not necessarily 100% truthful information.

Since this compilation of is going to be very extensive and thorough, I have to separate it into two parts. This part outlines the most important aspects of planning out your attendance, which is the financial and legal requirements of travel, should you need to deal with them. This article will be updated accordingly with new information when I think about it, and where relevant. The second part will be uploaded in the near future to give you information, tips, and what to expect when you are actually traveling.

If you’re interested, click on Read More to start.

Choose Your Own Adventure

Firstly, if any of the following describes your nationality/passport issuance country/citizenship, click on them to jump through information that is not relevant to you:

For everyone else, you should definitely read on - the next section is the most important ordeal in the entire article.

International Visitors

Take a look at this map.

US visa policy

And then, click on the corresponding anchor link below that defines who you are, or where you are on the map:

If you need to look up your country, use the map on this Wikipedia page.

Visas

The United States of America requires every single person who holds a foreign passport to apply for a visa to travel into the United States. A visa is an instrument that provides an authorization for you to enter a country for the purpose that you outlined and applied the visa for. US visas are issued for tourism or business purposes, studying purposes, temporary migrant (work or study) purposes, permanent residency, or other special cases.

There are several foreigners that do not require a visa to enter - those who are eligible for an ESTA or those that live in a select few countries. If you already have a visa that won’t expire by the time you plan to enter the United States, you can skip this part.

In general, international visitors who will need a visa must start preparing very well in advance their visit to the US for BronyCon, so I’d like to stress that it is very important for you to start planning as soon as you can possibly can.

Now this would be a very hard part for some people, while considerably easy for some others, depending on your background and your qualifications. I can also definitely say that this is the absolute most important part of considering travel to the United States, so if you are unfamiliar with it, please read carefully.

I am going to assume that all that you will do in the US is to fly in, attend the convention and perhaps go around the country to sightsee and take a well deserved vacation. In this case, you are applying for a particular class of visa, the B2 Class Tourism Visa visa. It is also called the B1/B2 visa because generally, tourism or work visit visas are combined under the same class. I might slip my tongue and say B1/B2 below, but make sure you know that you are applying for the B2 Tourist Visa solely.

The B2 visa is for people who are going to the US for:

  • Tourism
  • Vacation (holiday)
  • Visit with friends or relatives
  • Medical treatment
  • Participation in social events hosted by fraternal, social, or service organizations
  • Participation by amateurs in musical, sports, or similar events or contests, if not being paid for participating
  • Enrollment in a short recreational course of study, not for credit toward a degree (for example, a two-day cooking class while on vacation)

So a pony con is in the ball for it.

Assess If You’re (Likely) Eligible

I’ll be completely frank - as young adults, we are some of the least likely people to be given a visitor visa. Due to the high number of misuse of issued visas, the US government is infamously strict and final when it comes to visa decisions.

Your likeliness of getting a visitor visa is generally determined by at least one of the following conditions:

  • You are currently an active student of any institution, whether it is school or university, and have parental or guardian figures to support your travel
  • You have worked for at least 2 years (but most people say 3-5 years for better certainty) in your home country, or any country where you have the rights to do so permanently
  • You have heck-tons of cash, preferably in illiquid investments such as property, bonds and long term investments under your name
  • You will apply for the visa along with your parents, which in turn must satisfy the work commitment and/or financial resource requirements

If you cannot see yourself as any of the above points, then I really, really, really regret to inform you that it is highly unlikely that they’d give you a visitor visa. As far as the US Department of State is concerned - you are the stereotypical grounds of a potential illegal migrant since, in their terms, you cannot demonstrate adequate evidence that you are tied to your home country.

I’ve seen it myself. Three times. And it really did make me feel eternally upset. I urge you to only try when you are sure you can meet any of the above pointers to avoid disappointment. There’s no shortcut that you can take to get a B1/B2 visa, and I do not recommend lying to the United States of America.

Of course, if you somehow get a job or admitted to university in the United States at any time as we approach to BronyCon, you’d apply for a different visa since your primary purpose is either work and study - and you can definitely travel freely in the US once admitted in. But that’s an entirely different visa, and hence process, that I won’t discuss here. You are welcome, however, to skip ahead.

Applying for a Visa

The application for a visa is a long and ardorous process, and you should apply as soon as you are able to get all of the documentation that you need.

Before you start, please note that the following documents:

  • A finalized, non-refundable, non-exchangable flight ticket
  • Any finalized, fully paid fares such as lodging, transport, etc

SHOULD NOT be made before you apply for the visa. You have ABSOLUTELY NO GUARANTEES THAT YOU WILL BE GIVEN A VISA and you might find yourself losing a lot of money. If you really think you need to, make sure any reservation you make can be canceled in full.

To apply for a visa, you have to apply online at the State Department’s website and disclose all the information that is required on the application form.

The documents that you primarily need are, but not limited to:

  • Your passport information
  • Your proof of identity, such as
    • national ID, if any
    • birth certificate
    • household registries, if any
  • Photo, following the provided photograph requirements
  • Additional documentation that acts as proof of:
    • Purpose of your trip (e.g. itinerary, cancellable hotel bookings)
    • Intent to depart the United States (e.g. enrolment in school/university, letter of employment, financial and investment asset records, anything that demonstrates you must go home after your trip)
    • Your ability to pay for the costs of your trip (your bank statements, or your parents’)

As it says verbatim on the State Department’s website, evidence of your employment and/or your family ties may be sufficient to show the purpose of your trip and your intent to return to your home country. If you cannot cover all the costs for your trip, you may show evidence that another person will cover some or all costs for your trip.

Please note that these are just some suggestions of documents that you should bring, and isn’t likely all that you need. Please crosscheck with the visa application document requirements postulated by the online form from the State Department, as well as any other travel or immigration tips sources.

It’s really tricky since you are not advised to book tickets but you are required to demonstrate your intentions in the US and your intentions to leave - here’s where the itinerary, plans, and financial condition is most important. Therefore, very early on, you should definitely have an idea of your financial situation, how you will finance your visit, and how much money you’d have to support yourself during your visit. These are critical documentation that evaluates your financial decision and the seriousness of your plans.

After you apply for your visa, you must pay a flat fee of 160 US dollars to process the application in the means provided on the website, and schedule an interview to your nearest US consulate or embassy. Ensure that you follow all instructions, and bring all the documents that you disclosed for the visa application.

You must then go to the US embassy or consulate at the day you selected with all the documents you used to apply for the visa. You will then surrender them past security, get your biometrics taken, and attend an interview. The interview is basically a chat between you and a consular officer that will be the one who accepts or denies your application. Only speak when questioned, and reply with what is necessary and try not to waffle too far. Stay truthful to your intents and documents and do not lie. You will be informed if you are approved or denied on the spot. If you are approved, they’ll tell you when you can pick up your passport and documents. If that happens, congratulations! You can go down to the rest of the article now.

If you must be rejected, they will give you a reason why and you cannot reprocess the application for reconsideration on the spot. You should evaluate why you are denied, and see if you can do anything to mitigate it in the short run. If the reason you are rejected is due to insufficient ties to your home country (the most damning, and common, of them all), then I regret to inform you that your journey ends there, except if you really forgot to disclose all of your assets, work engagement, and whatnot, and can provide a more definitive proof of your ties to your country. This would usually take a few years for most people to get enough documentation, but if you truly forgotten you can try again.

The hard part is, this is entirely abstract and up to the assumption of the consular interviewing you. However, if you choose to retry with all the documents, make sure you don’t lie from your statements you made in the first interview (e.g., disclosing a work record even though you clearly say you have not been employed) - they have everything noted down and lying will only make things worse for your future travel plans to the United States.

If you somehow blurted out an intention of staying in the US for an extended period of time (e.g. saying “I might tour around for like a year” or “I might stay over with a friend for a while”) be prepared to be rejected - that is clearly against a tourist visa condition!

You cannot get your 160 USD application fee back once you are rejected.

All of the information I postulate here is peppered with my knowledge and advice on how you should prepare a visa application. The actual verbatim is of course at the State Department’s website

Unecessary Documents

If you think you might be able to get some sympathy or leeway from the US embassy or consulate, I’m sorry to inform that they have explicitly stated the following:

Letters of invitation from conventions or friends, or Affidavit of Support, do not provide you with better chances of getting a United States visitor visa. While these are completely valid documentation for some other countries, it is not one that is accepted as evidence by the United States. As it says - your own qualifications and capabilities, as well as your answers to the visa interview questions, are the primary basis of your application outcome for a visitor visa.

I’m really, really sorry if this is very hard to take in, but I need to write this down to make sure you know exactly how hard it is to get to the United States even to visit, to avoid disappointment and to raise awareness on just how distorted the world is.

Don’t Think Of It As A Lottery

The United States will have a record of every visa attempt, the information disclosed alongside your visa application, and the outcome. Retrying again and again will cost you a lot of money and will not improve your chances, unless if your circumstances have demonstratedly changed (you’ve held a job for longer, you got more money, you gained more investment property and liquid capital, etc.) Otherwise, you’d just be harming your own name.

Oh, and don’t try to lie your way to the United States. Please.

Validity of your Visa

Your visa expiry date is printed on itself. It usually lasts as long as your country’s passports last, even if it would expire after your passport does. It is usually available for multiple entries (denoted by the M symbol under the Entry field) so you can go back to the US again and again as a tourist under that visa - you only need to apply once, and it’ll be good for as many visits as you can cram in the validity of your visa, so you can go to other cons in the next few years as well with it without dealing with the whole application process again.

A visa that is still valid, but resides on your old, expired passport, is still valid for entry to the United States, as long as it’s not damaged by your local immigration office when the passport is canceled. Just make sure you carry both your current, valid passport and your expired passport with the visa when you travel to the US.

ESTA Eligible Countries

If your country is highlighted in green, congratulations - you just skipped the bulk of information that is presented in this article that isn’t relevant to you. Congratulations, all you need to visit the US is a simple electronic authorization called the ESTA.

Technically speaking, an ESTA is kind of like a lighter B visa, that is provided to passport holders of countries that has the fewest rejected US tourism/business visa application rate. Needless to say, most of them are usually first world countries, so if your passport is issued from some of the most developed economies, then you are most likely entitled to an ESTA. ESTAs allow you to enter and remain in the US for 90 days at a time for holiday/business visit/vacation purposes.

An ESTA only allows you to enter the US for the same reasons that is entitled under a B Class visa. In our terms, it would be for tourism purpose and attending a social convention. If you are going to enter the US for any other reason, such as work or full time studying, you’ll need to apply for their corresponding visas.

In most cases, however, you do not need to submit anything else (e.g. bank statements, letter of employment, etc) and just disclose information of your passport.

To get an ESTA, all you have to do is simply plug in your details to the DHS’ ESTA application website. ESTAs cost 14 USD each application, and you’d most likely be accepted unless if you answer “yes” to the most questionable things they ask you. Once granted, you’re all set - just use the passport that you have registered with the ESTA system to fly in to the United States.

In the event that your ESTA application is somehow denied, then I regret to inform you that you need to apply for a tourist visa.

Existing Holders, Repeat Visitors, and Temporary Migrants/Residents

I will not say much about existing visa holders or ESTA holders, other than to remind you to ensure your visa and ESTA is still valid on the day that you are planning to arrive in the United States. You do not need to make sure your visa won’t expire during your planned stay in the US, but that’s a gray zone that would fall entirely in the hands of the US Customs and Border Protection, so if you only have limited financial resources to do this, don’t risk it and renew your ESTA or visa if it is indeed bound to expire when you are in the US for the con.

To the visa holders, I know there are different classes other than B1/B2 that grants multiple reasons of residing in the US, whether you are a student, temporary worker, special field of work (journalist visa being one of them), ensure that you have all the necessary documentation to back your visa when you enter. If you have held these visas before, or currently holding one, you know better than me how it works.

To the B1/B2 visa holders, your primary purpose is indeed attending a convention, but since you’re not normally paid to do so, you should state that you are having a vacation in the US when you are briefly questioned at the border. Articulate nicely your intentions and you’ll be fine.

Please note that, if you hold a B1/B2 class visa or an ESTA, and somehow you’re being paid to attend a con or anything, you are technically and by law not permitted to be paid to be a guest in a convention. You may need another visa if you are paid to attend. Otherwise, you should not mention that you are being paid, but rather prove that you will be able to cover the costs of the travel yourself without reliance of anyone paying it for you onshore. For more information, please visit the State Department’s website.

Also, I’d like to remind you that a visa that is still valid, but resides on your old, expired passport, is still valid for entry to the United States, as long as it’s not damaged by your local immigration office when the passport is canceled. Just make sure you carry both your current, valid passport and your expired passport with the visa when you travel to the US.

As for the ESTA, you need a new one for every two years, for every new regular or emergency passport you’ll use to travel, and every change of identity (e.g. change of name, gender, or nationality to other ESTA eligible countries.)

If you have any questions, you’re best off to look it up in the State Department’s website, or talk to me directly and see if I can help you with these ordeals in any way.

Financial Discipline

If you got here as a US citizen, green card holder, or a citizen of Canada, Bermuda, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau, or someone who’s familiar with temporary, nonmigrant travel to the United States, congratulations, you skipped the hardest part of the entire ordeal!

However, do me a favor, and hug and congratulate anyone who has a passport from countries that are highlighted in gray from that map. Hug them, welcome them warmly, and keep them company - they have come a damn long way to get to BronyCon, and are indeed the true MVPs with how difficult it can be for some people.

obligatory

Now let’s get down to business - we’re confident in sorting the international travel requirements and documentation, so let’s go to the next most important part - actually having the money to go there.

I’d like to reiterate that some financial schedules that I advise here may not be sufficient to the purchasing power of everyone, and is written as a guide only. Additionally, I understand that some of you may already have better financial scheduling or purchasing power, which would pretty much render this section redundant or even unecessary.

For this section, I’d like to assume that most of you are interested in saving up in a discipline that would require you to deposit money at regular and scheduled basis, outlined for every group of expenditures up until your travels to the United States. There may be some figures that I would include in the next section, but please do not let the numbers be daunting - they are only there for illustrative purposes.

In general, the best practice is to look up and estimate how much it would cost to do the trip right now before you make a final decision of interest in going, so that you won’t be disappointed or shocked by just how much you need to get there. If you have enough time and money in your hands, you might also want to schedule a general vacation around the US, which would be entirely up to you to add up yourself.

I would recommend you to schedule your financial expenditures according to which usually would be bought first before the other. This is not a strict pattern of affairs, but it gives you a very nice idea of how you are going to control the spending of your savings.

To give you an illustrative example of how they work out, here’s an example from Project SEAPonyCon 2017 that illustrates an example saving schedule. The few things that you need to plan for are, but not limited to:

  • An estimate of your preferred flight dates and carrier (to give an idea of cost and how you should pack)
  • Accomodation
  • Spending on food, beverages, and sanitary necessities
  • Land transport
  • Admission to the convention itself
  • Any collateral or spending money that you’d like.

If you require a visa or ESTA, I recommend preparing to pay up for that first and foremost before anything else. However, as I said before, the financial schedule/savings goal can give you a good background to reason your financial requirements and strength to apply.

In this case, we have already selected a sample option of hotels, flights, and collateral that we researched back then for an example. Therefore, prices are illustrative only - you should use it as a general idea of how to illustrate the schedule.

Basically, you’d have to set targets of how much to save up until a certain time period where you’d make a major booking. Since flights are usually the most expensive and volatile component, you should always seek to book that first. The rest can fall in wherever it is appropriate to you and your financial capabilities.

The people behind the Twitter Account Operation BronyCon Finale also made something similar that allows you to tabulate an estimate amount of money that you’d need, and give you a better overview of the financial requirements. Pair it up with the financial scheduling that I have suggested above and you’ll have a very effective set of tools to aid your financial discipline.

If BronyCon isn’t the only thing you’re seeing in the US, then you should research the costs of your entire itinerary and collate it to the same financial saving schedule. And, of course, if you have the money for the entire trip already saved up somewhere, you can book them at any order as you wish, but we’d generally recommend getting the flights set in stone first.

More details on tips and tricks of booking flights, accomodation, and your collaterals can be found in the following sections.

If you need a visa…

As stated above in the visa section of this write-up, always remember to never actually commit to non-refundable, large expenses such as accomodation and hotels as you are not guaranteed a visa even if you already have any of these booked and finalized. Therefore, a visa would be the first thing that you need to budget for - all 160 USD for one application.

Other than that, you also need to demonstrate that you have the money to maintain yourself during your stay in the United States. This is part of your visa application, so you’d want to have a good budget estimate estimate very well in advance, even before you apply for your visa, as documentation that you can support your travels in the US, backed with your bank statement(s) if possible.

Enclose your itinerary, financial plans, as well as pay slips or bank account statements. If your parents or other family members will be assisting you to pay for this trip (whether entirely or partially or whatnot), enclose their bank statements, any identification that links you to your parents (birth certificates, household registers, and whatnot) as proof of relationship and/or next of kin.

To my best knowledge, the United States does not consider sponsorship from overseas, non family members, as valid proof of financial ability for a tourist visa. You may need to apply for another visa class if somehow a convention is sponsoring you (a.k.a. you’re a paid performer). If you enclose sponsorship on a tourist visa, this may cause further questioning of your intentions of returning from the US and hence a bigger potential to be rejected.

Flights are certainly the first few things that you’d like to figure out, as they are potentially the most expensive portion of your budget when traveling internationally, and would also be the first one that you’d spend your money on, so it’s crucial for you to have a good estimate from the very beginning.

It’s best to even start searching and looking up fares now, before anything, across different flight search engines.

There are many, many flight search engines out there, from Google Flights, Skyscanner, Expedia, Kayak, Rome2Rio, to many smaller search engines that are known locally such as Traveloka, Webjet, and local tour agencies. From what I notice, these engines either quote their own price (acting as agencies) or reroute to even more obscure sites, and search engines can have varying prices, so you’d want some time to sit down and crosscheck prices and get an estimate.

From my experience, it is usually far more expensive for the international crowd to fly into Baltimore directly, as some Asian and Middle Eastern carriers do not offer a Baltimore service, and would warrant a change at a European airport at some time. While some airlines do this, it might be cheaper to do a flight into a bigger American international airport (such as Los Angeles LAX, San Francisco SFO, Dallas DFW and New York JFK/EWR) and transfer into a domestic flight that you may get cheaper if booked separtely. If you are arriving in a New York airport, you also have a choice of taking the Amtrak to Baltimore. Just make sure to allow plenty of time to transfer (at least 3 hours from your international flight scheduled arrival time to the scheduled departure of your connecting flight to allow for time in customs, and similarly with your transfer from your domestic arrival flight to your international connection.) There’s more details about the train ride from NYC in the land transport section of this article.

When you already find a particular flight, I also recommend you to crosscheck with the actual airline’s website itself. In my personal experience, I sometimes find the difference to be negligible if you’re lucky enough, and you’d sometimes score more perks when booking direct with the airline (i.e. different ticket class that would grant you more points, if you’re so inclined in hoarding as many points as possible), so always keep that in mind.

Keep in mind that prices of airline tickets do change over time, and the general consensus is that things are usually cheaper when you book way in advance. In general, however, I usually hear that the best time to book for an international flight is between six to three months before the departure date to get the most definite prices, so it gives you some room to save up.

When you check out the flight prices to place into your financial/savings schedule, I recommend you to over-estimate how much you will spend on flights to avoid disappointment when the flight prices fluctuate. What I would do is prepare to pay for the next ticket type from the one I want. That is, you use the quote of the pricier ticket of the same travel class to use as your estimate. These are usually fares that would allow you to change flights, cancel bookings for less (or for free), or earn more miles. So when you find something on a search engine, either use their facilities or consult the airliner’s website.

Let’s have Garuda Indonesia as an illustrative example of what it is. Let’s say you’re out getting an estimate of the total cost of your trip, so instead of taking the cheapest price (they call it Eco Promo), take the estimate from the next one (Eco Affordable) so that if the price changes you won’t be caught short when it fluctuates by the time you’re ready to pay for it.

You can usually tell the higher ticket type of any airline by the perks they benefit. In this case, you get extra miles from a flight under an Eco Affordable fare rather than an Eco Promo fare.

A general rule of thumb is to be prepared to pay at most around 200 USD more than the price that they quoted you, given that you’ll book it within six to three months from traveling.

When To Fly In

I strongly recommend flying in at the latest a full day (that is, 24 hours) before the convention starts, and flying out the day after, if you must do so. Ensure that you pick up arrival times that makes sense with your final connection to Baltimore (keep on reading about details of connecting to other modes of transport.) This will allow you plenty of time to travel to your hotel and make all the necessary connections, while giving you an opportunity to settle and rest up before the big day(s).

From personal experience, flying out at the same day as the con may warrant even more enhanced post con depression (that feeling when you leave a grand party that you loved a lot and will cherish forever.)

Baggage

When you are inclined to book with a budget carrier, you’ll also need to think ahead about the baggage that you’d want to check in. Full-service international airliners usually provide generous complimentary baggage space for travel to the US, but the game pans differently with budget airliners, so think ahead about how much merchandise, posters, and personal apparels such as clothing, existing pony swag, and cosplay/fursuits you want to pack, as you wouldn’t want to be caught with too much luggage at check-in (budget airlines can triple their baggage fees on check-in!). If you are interested in flying budget, it would probably be wise to invest in a portable baggage scale to have better confidence.

Accomodation

As it is with flights, accomodation tends to be cheaper the further from your date of stay you book. This time, I do not have good heuristics of the best time to book, but knowing the fact that the entire harbor area will be filled by a few thousand bronies, I’d advise you to book as soon as you can commit to one. If this is your first time in BronyCon, and/or you’d love to make the most of the convention experience, I strongly suggest you to get a hotel that is in proximity of the convention center. This way, you can maximize time in the convention while also have the comfort of knowing your belongings and bed isn’t too far away. This is also logistically viable if you are looking to do errands that require you to move cargo (merchandise purchases, giant plushies, fursuits, change, etc) without taking too much time.

While the prices of the hotels around the Baltimore area may look daunting at first, this is actually the easiest to overcome, given that you have a group of people that would be interested to share the room with you! By taking in as many people as you (and the others) would feel comfortable with, you can slash your spending on accomodation in the inner harbor area hotels by a significant number.

With special regard to BronyCon, they usually partner with the harbor area hotels for discounted special rates when you book directly with the hotel’s websites. When I was at BronyCon 2016, I took advantage of this offer and it really had better rates than some of the search engines that I looked up for, so give that a shot before you venture anywhere else!

I strongly recommend you to use booking services or fares that allow you to cancel your booking for absolutely free. While it would usually cost a bit more per night for the luxury, it gives you the easiest flexibility for changes and security for your accomodation. Additionally, it gives you flexibility of where to go, and to hold a room from very well in advance with cheaper rates. If anything happens you can always rebook in the future at another hotel or for another room and cancel the booking for absolutely nil. However, always ensure you take note of the last cancellation date of the room before they would start charging a penalty into your card, so that you’re well aware of the time window you have for any changes. If you need a visa, you can even enclose your cancellable hotel bookings as proof of intent to travel.

Land Transport

If you are flying in straight to Baltimore (Baltimore Washington International, BWI/KBWI), there are buses and light rail services that gets you to the doorstep of the convention center and its surrounding hotels. If you are flying in to a New York City area airport (JFK, LGA, EWR et al), your choices would either be driving or taking the Amtrak. Ensure you budget enough for your drive, or perhaps save costs by finding a friend (that you have communicated with and is comfortable) to drive you from the city.

If you are thinking of taking the train from New York City, please ensure you budget your time wisely as well, especially if you are flying international. Due to the extensive process of immigration and customs, you may spend more time at the airport than intended. If you land in Newark (EWR), the Amtrak trains to Baltimore is right outside the airport. If you are arriving in LGA or JFK, you will then need to catch a taxi to the city (which is usually above 100 USD flat fare), take a train, or use other land transport options to connect to New York Penn Station for your Amtrak trains. Ensure you leave plenty of room for this, especially when traveling internationally. Personally, I would suggest international travelers arriving at JFK or LGA at the very least four hours from scheduled time of landing to your train departure time when arriving or departing the United States, and two hours if you are arriving at Newark Airport.

If you are driving into Baltimore, you should check out the distance between your location and Baltimore Convention Center, and budget up fuel. I personally recommend you to budget up for three trips (that is, a round-trip from home to BronyCon and back, and fuel for one full trip either way) as a contingency if anything happens on the road or if you take a leisurely detour on your car. Also don’t forget to factor in the parking fees and tolls, if such applies. Driving would usually take the most time and energy, so you need to rest up along the way. Budget some time from your departure from home and back, as well as the rest stops along the way. If you are driving solo, please do not forget to rest up!

There are different costs that are associated with any of these modes of travel, so make sure that you have established your research, and your financial schedule, accordingly. However, these are some things that you can leave out until you have made your primary flight schedule arrangements.

Food, Expendables, etc.

This is the part where you should start assuming just how much you want to spend, and how luxurious you want your experience in the convention to be. Truth be told, I can’t really tell you much about this (as this is your own preference), but in the following installation of this article, I will outline in more detail of how you can get this sorted out before you go.

In general, however, you should probably check out the average food prices of the US (if you are unfamiliar with it) by consoling your friends, and budget a bit above that by multiplying an average cost for three meals a day. With your expendables, that is honestly entirely up to you, so think about just how much you would loot from the vendors hall, which usually has standard prices you can look up pretty easily from past vending sessions. Also always keep in mind just how much you can carry on your transport back home!

What’s Next

Now that I have explained to you the core fundamentals of what you should expect, I will follow up to this blog post in the near future with more advice on the traveling procedures, best practices, tips and tricks itself. Therefore, you can now start your research and planning immediately, as the sooner you get your figures aligned, the better it is for you.

In summary, you have

  • Checked if you need a visa or ESTA, and if you can satisfy the requirements to do so
  • Figured out the budget that you want, the planning of your stay
  • Figured out a financial schedule of how to attain the required funds to make bookings, and the expendables that you would want to save up to

I wish you all the best with your planning and any necessary procedures required to save up for your trip, and I hope you’ll get to the final BronyCon party. If you’re not doing so, simply take out BronyCon out of the context, and I believe that the notes written here can be applied where relevant on any other travels and adventures that you would do.

I shall keep you posted on the next segment of this write-up. If you have any questions, just shout me out on Twitter!

Further Reading

Written on August 5, 2018