How to Plan for Convention 2004

Quick Links and Info on budgeting to attend the convention.

You know you wanna, you said your gonna, and now here we are planning for the 3rd annual Writing.Com convention. This year the convention will run from the 29th of July which is a Thursday to the 1st of August which is a Sunday. It will be held in Bethlehem, PA. In order to attend what things need to be looked at and saved up for?

Registration: This is a given either you register or you don’t, but if you want to go you will have to do it sooner or later. The sooner you do it however, the cheaper your budget will be, and you can even register free until the 15th of September!

Convention Fee: If you have money in the bank, you can pay it at the time of registration. But if not then you do have the option to register late while you save up the money, but then of course you can add on another $25-$75 to your bill as well. The best option here would be to accept the terms of the payment plan. Not only will you get 8 months to pay the cost, but you will save $25-$75 registration fee.

Based on registering before September 15th your payment schedule could be:

QUAD: $77.75 for 8 months ($590)
TRIPLE: $80.87 for 8 months ($615)
DOUBLE: $87.12 for 8 months ($665)
SINGLE: $105.87 for 8 months ($815)
CONVENTION ONLY: Financing N/A

Now the payment plan is an excellent way to go, your payment is always due on the first day of the month starting in Oct ’03 and ending in May ’04. Your payment is always the same amount so it makes it easy for budgeting. Just think you have yourself set to putting away that amount of money a month, so once your fees are paid in May, that leaves June, July and August to save extra for transportation and spending.

Traveling Cost: Of course this will be determined by where you live, but you do have a few options, car, train, bus, and plane. You want to be there before 5pm on Thursday and you don’t want to leave before 2pm on Sunday unless of course your travel arrangements can’t be worked around those times.

This is where you will be staying:
Gateway Convention Center Holiday Inn, 300 Gateway Drive, Bethlehem, PA 18017

Check with your local bus and train stations for rates and schedules.

Check with http://www.travelocity.com for airfare rates, or your local travel agent.
Lehigh Valley International (ABE) Distance: 3 MI/ 4.83 KM E
Complimentary Airport Shuttle
Alt. Transportation: Lehigh Valley Taxi Taxi Fee: $12.50 (USD)
Philadelphia International Air (PHL)
Distance: 50 MI/ 80.46 KM N
Alt. Transportation: Transbridge Bus Lines
Newark International Airport (EWR)
Distance: 70 MI/ 112.65 KM W

If you are traveling by car: check with http://www.mapquest.com for driving directions, and expected traveling time. Remember you will need money for gas and tolls.

Of course, the final say is yours, and your pocket book, but if I had my way, you would all come to experience this wondrous feeling that you attain sitting in a room with all the members that you talk to each day. Nothing is more thrilling than to see the face behind that great story or poem that you read, not to mention meeting the

The StoryMaster and The StoryMistress
they really are down to earth awesome people.
You know you Wannabe there