Top Tips for Planning a Trip to a Convention or Festival

There are lots of opportunities all over the world to attend conventions or festivals. These gatherings are a chance for fans to come together to celebrate their favourite things, or for industry experts to reveal the next steps and innovations they are working on. From music and film to literature and gaming, not to mention industry-specific conventions, there really is a convention for everyone. Here are some of the things you need to know when planning your trip!

Travel Insurance

It can be a good idea to pick up some sort of travel insurance to protect your trip. You can never know quite what you might run into when travelling, even for something as fun as a convention. Having the right travel insurance policy on your side can give you peace of mind, no matter where you might be headed. Make sure you pick up insurance that covers Coronavirus disruptions too if you are going to be heading to a convention or festival in the next few months.

Accommodation

If this is a convention or festival that takes place every year in the same place, you can expect accommodation to book up quickly. You need to make sure that you are going to have a place to stay after all, and you might want to be very close to the convention centre or venue. Book your accommodation well in advance, so you can both get somewhere to stay and can potentially avoid a hike in prices closer to the time of the event.

Timetable

As soon as the timetable of events is released for the convention, you need to make sure that you check it out and make a list of the panels that you want to attend. You will need to leave yourself enough time to get between the panels – especially if they are on opposite sides of the convention centre. Remember that most conventions and festivals also have open spaces with stalls and merchandise to buy, so you will want to leave time to fully explore these too. Make sure you give yourself enough time to see everything that you want to try!

Cosplay

If you are heading to a fantasy or science fiction convention, why not consider cosplaying for the day? It might be easier than you think to put together a costume from one of your favourite TV shows or films. In these environments, you might look more out of place if you are not in costume for the day! You could put in several hours of work to create an accurate and highly detailed costume, or you could whip something up in a flash. It is entirely up to you!

The Basics

Attending a festival or convention can mean that you spend a lot of time out and about and away from your accommodation and on your feet. You need to make sure that you have basics on you so you can get through the day successfully. This includes water and snacks (as it can be difficult to know where you will be able to pick up refreshments inside) and comfortable shoes that will protect your feet. Even if you are cosplaying there should be a way to make your shoes a little more comfortable!

These are just five of the things that you need to think about when attending a convention. Make sure that you properly plan this trip, just as you would with other vacations. Hopefully, you should be able to plan a brilliant trip to a convention that you will provide you with some brilliant memories you will always treasure!