Road Trips to Conventions in a Group

This is about basic courtesy and etiquette when on a mass road trip to any geek event. I’ve been road tripping with geeks for 20 years now and hope that I have enough experience to be considered knowledgeable on the subject. The advice is universally applicable to all fandoms.

1. Pre-trip plans and the ugly issue of money.

Don’t plan trips you can’t afford. Yes, it sucks to watch your friends do fun things and be stuck at home with nothing but the soft glow of the computer monitor for company. I’ve been there, I know. Unfortunately, unless we want to be homeless, starve or live in squalor, we have to be responsible adults. If you are seriously debating between paying a bill and going to the convention, pay the damn bill. There will always be another convention.

Don’t commit to a convention that you are real iffy about being able to attend, only to drop out of the trip at the last minute. You should know at least one month in advance if you can go on the trip. If you commit to a trip, your friends will be budgeting based on you paying your share of fuel and lodgings. Dropping out closer to the trip than one month out is inconsiderate of your friends and their need to budget. Sometimes, all it takes is one last minute drop out to make the trip impossible for the entire group. Instead of committing to the iffy trip, hoard the money for a later convention.

This one shouldn’t even have to be said, but here it is. If your friends have been kind enough to help with your finances on the trip, don’t abuse it. Don’t use the slack to overspend your own money and then ask your friends to help beyond what they committed to before the trip. When they are covering your meals, don’t order anything more expensive than what they order for themselves. This is not the time to go for the surf-n-turf. A burger is just as filling.

2. Packing the vehicle.

Don’t pack enough for a major wilderness expedition. You are not leaving known civilization. You are going to a convention, in a hotel, with restaurants and convenience stores nearby. Most trips have a travel leader or coordinator. This individual will look at available space in the vehicle and determine how much luggage each person is allowed. Stick to this amount of stuff and don’t try to wheedle more space. Munchies DO count against your allotted space. If you need a special item for the trip, look at dropping the unnecessary stuff to make room for it. Nobody needs more costumes than days of the trip or enough munchies to feed twice the number of people in the vehicle. If too much is packed, there are things crammed in all crannies and even under foot. This makes everyone in the vehicle uncomfortable.

Don’t pack a lot of open containers and loose items. This does nothing but create chaos and a mess. Nobody wants your crumbs or leaky drink sitting on their electronics or guitar. Make sure all of your drinks and munchies seal tight and are in bags that zip, snap or Velcro closed. Keeping your munchies contained will help you to find the things you want later. If you have a half eaten package of cookies or bag of chips and want to bring it, put them in a Ziploc bag. This will keep them from becoming a mess inside their bag. Any munchies or drinks taken on the trip should have minimal odor. What may smell great to you may be nauseating to your companions.

If you have a small item (book, e-reader, notepad, iPod, knitting, etc.) that you intend on using while on the road, keep it with you. Your heavier luggage will always be packed at the bottom of the pile and forcing a complete re-pack of all of the luggage mid-trip is rude. Don’t insist on your things being on top. The vehicle owner and travel leader/coordinator will pack the luggage into the vehicle for most efficient usage of space, not ease of access to packed things.

Hygiene, hygiene, hygiene… Make sure you, your luggage and your clothing is clean. You will be in very close proximity for a very log time. If you smoke, air out and fabreeze everything you bring. Not everyone wants to smell your habit and they don’t want their things to smell like your habit. If you have pets, use a lint roller on everything you bring. Some people are allergic enough to your beloved family member to react even to the fuzz on your luggage. Shower regularly and please for the love of all that is holy, don’t wear the same stinky costume for the entire trip. Its awesomeness is greatly reduced by its odiferousness.

Last but not least, the only baggage that should come on a trip is the luggage. Leave your foul moods and drama at home. If you find yourself unexpectedly in a foul mood, behave. Don’t snap at your friends or be passive aggressive with them. You don’t have to be all smiles, but be polite and keep your drama to yourself.

3. On the road.

The travel leader/coordinator should set a specific rendezvous time for leaving. Be on time! I can’t stress this more. Don’t force your friends to cat herd. Travel times are very important. Leaving on time can make a huge difference in the total amount of time on the road. It can make the difference between whether you hit rush hour or you don’t.

While on the road, gas and pee stops should not become expeditions. Every truck stop has a variety of the same chochkies with the label slightly changed. You really don’t need to examine every single one in every single truck stop. A 12-hour drive can quickly become an 18-hour one based on the length of the pit stops.

All of the trash in the vehicle should be dumped at each stop. There is no need to hoard the trash for the final destination. Saving trash of any kind in the vehicle is unsanitary. If you are concerned with saving bottles, use a re-usable container rather than saving pop or water bottles. One reusable water bottle and one reusable hot drink container is not only more sanitary, but it’s more economical and takes up less space.

4. At the convention.

When sharing a room with others, you should endeavor to be neat and tidy. Even if your things aren’t kept in your luggage, they should stay within a designated area. This prevents your roommates from tripping on things and prevents you from leaving things behind. It’s also easier for you to find the things you want, when you want them. That quick dash to the room for a specific book or prop really is just a quick dash.

If the group plans to do something together, the travel leader/coordinator should establish a meeting place and time. Everyone should be at the designated location on time. If you are not going to participate in the group activity, notify the travel leader/coordinator. Again, we’re back to the cat herding issue.

When there isn’t a planned group activity, entertain yourself. Most conventions have plenty to do. If you find yourself with a con babe or stud, don’t spring your newfound partner on your roommates. Nobody wants to randomly walk in on or wake up to his or her roommate having sex. Period. If you are going to imbibe in an adult beverage or two, notify your roommates in advance. This will allow them to keep an eye out for you and your safety. Along with this, don’t get so intoxicated that you are getting sick in the room.

Don’t buy any excessively large or a large number of souvenirs without consulting with your companions. If the item too big, or there too many, for the vehicle be prepared to ship it. If you can’t afford to ship it, don’t buy it. You can’t expect your friends to sacrifice their comfort or ability to get their own souvenirs for your need to have a huge item or to take all 50 of those impossible to find in your hometown items with you. In general, your souvenirs should fit in the original luggage that you brought with you.

When preparing to leave the convention, pack the night before you hit the road. This prevents last minute scrambling and makes it easier to verify that you have all of your stuff. When you pack ahead, the morning checkout process becomes easy and you get on the road on time.

5. In closing.

HAVE FUN! If you find yourself not having fun more often than not on such trips, maybe it’s something you should look at not doing in the future.