Guest post by The Geeky Panda
Anyone can pretty much agree that traveling to a convention can be a hassle, especially when the convention is being hosted during wintertime, or when the location of the convention center presents unique scenarios that you wouldn't normally find at others.
Weather can play a huge role with logistical planning for a convention. You cannot account for Mother Nature staying the course and trusting the Weather Channel. You cannot accurately predict the weather at all, and there were several situations (especially during Winter), when the weather played a huge role.
For instance let's talk about Katsucon 2010. The convention is always during winter, around February. For that year, the New England area got hit with a huge snow storm that wreaked havoc. It created unsafe travel conditions, flight cancelations, event some convention goers got into motor vehicle accidents while en route to the convention center. The only thing we can really do is try to adapt our plans accordingly.
Even this year at Anime NYC, on Thursday, the day before the convention, the weather prediction called for only 1-2inches of snow. Sadly we had around 3-4inches which New York City was not prepared for with not only traffic jams and accidents, but also trees falling onto the streets due to snow and hail. One of the people in our group was supposed to arrive on Thursday but was unable to make it due to flights being cancelled to NYC. Even when it doesn't seem like it could get bad, it gets worse.
Another situation can be as simple as logistic issues or poor planning for your travel or hotel Experience. Even the hotel itself where you are staying at can create issues. For instance, hotels sometimes have a tendency to overbook rooms on accident. I myself had a situation where I reserved my hotel room for Anime Boston months in advance to get it out of the way. I called up one week before the convention to confirm the reservation again only to find out that they lost the reservation to my room. I was in full freakout mode, scrambling trying to salvage the situation. Luckily the hotel did get a room for me few days later.
Sometimes there will be instances of your flight being cancelled for one reason or another, or your vehicle needing repairs or breaking down, or a friend that was supposed to give you a ride becoming unable. It can get both very annoying and expensive very fast. The best recommendation is to ensure you have a reliable way to get to the convention, whether be driving yourself in a working/safe vehicle, ordering tickets online early to ensure cheapest prices for travel on bus, train, or plane, or knowing your friend or family member will be able to pull it off too.
There can be a variety of issues that can pop up when planning for and traveling to a convention. Sometimes nature pulls a fast one or comes in hard, making traveling almost impossible. Sometimes the hotel you reserved your room at lost or oversold the reservations for the convention dates. Or maybe it’s just trying to get a reliable ride there. This can cost a lot of time, money, and many migraines to try to sort it all out. Try to have a plan and stick with it, but also be adaptable to the tides. At times you cannot be afraid to modify your plans based on the current scenario unfolding. Over time you will understand and adapt to it like the con-goer pros. Don't fret, just be ready for anything.