SCA Travel: Building a Modern Budget

While this topic has been talked about considerably, I have not seen a full breakdown from someone to go over what really goes into attending an event. To do these calculations, I'm going to take a look at an "average" event. One day, no feast, no extra costs. Best case scenario assumes a hybrid vehicle.

Average Attendance Cost

Distance: 180 miles

Milage (avg 35 mpg): 5 gallons @ $4.09 = $21

Gate Fee: $20/person

Lunch: $10-12/person

Dinner: $20-30/person

Two people attending this event will cost about $150, give or take, depending on food choices.

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This is rather expensive for someone on a fixed budget. You can cut down costs on food by preparing your own or sharing in a day board. You can reach out to friends to carpool and share in the price of gas. Of course, you also don't have to go out to dinner. You can wait until you get home or stop for fast food which will lower your cost considerably. This isn't always possible depending on how far the event is from your home, but it does reduce costs considerably.

Additional Factors

Driving the F-150 (avg 17 mpg): 11 gall @ $4.09 = $43

Dog Sitter: $55

With these factors considered, this event now costs $227 for two people.

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When taking a look with the additional factors included, a single day event can cost a lot more. If we are bringing all the gear or additional people and all their gear, we need to take the larger, less efficient vehicle. If we're both attending an event and know we're going to be gone more than 12 hours we also need to add in a dog sitter. If our friends are not going to the event we can ask them to pop in, but there are a number of events that all of us attend, so that is not an option.

Overall, my event attendance has gone down primarily due to cost. Other factors do plan in, such as other obligations, and distance to the event site. Atlantia is a much larger Kingdom geographically than Caid. Atlantia is about a 12 hr drive top to bottom and a majority of events are about 3 hours away. Compare this to Caid, where a majority of events were within 2 hours and only the farthest events were a 4 hour drive.

Now it's time for the big one. A longer war. The standard event fees apply, but now you also have to factor in dog boarding, extra food, shopping, and whatever camping equipment you might need for two weeks. Having been to Pennsic, I know how humid it is and how necessary a canvas tent is. You can camp in a modern tent, but it's much more comfortable in canvas. Canvas tents are a big outlay by themselves, but they last and can be repaired. It is worth saving up for one, even if it takes you a few years to do so. This of course also assumes that you have a vehicle to carry it in.

When I got my first bit of canvas, it was a large 10x20 day shade that went over my modern tent providing shade and helping to keep the temperate down. This had 7' poles. I drove a VW Jetta at the time. Those poles fit in between the passenger seat and the door with the seats folded down. A large vehicle isn't absolutely necessary if your Tetris skills are good enough! I could not have fit a second person in that car though. Not a chance.

Longer Events: Pennsic

Dog Sitter: $600

Gas (F-150 @ 11 mpg w trailer): $320

Hotel Room: $120

Gate Fee: $230 + $180 = $410

Flight: $110

Camp Fees: $120

Meal Plan (dinner only, SMTR of War Week): $75

Other meals/Snacks: $150

Ice: $30

Gate Book: $5

Shirts: $70

And we're at $2,000 for two weeks for Andrei and one week for Christina.

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This is on the low side for we typically spend. We're going to spend more. I know I've got bolts to pick up this year ($100), and Andrei has a bit of a shopping list. This does not include any alcohol that may be purchased or any additional things we happen to pick up at merchants. Nor does it include any of the pre-Pennsic replenishment stock for camp needs such as refreshing the first aid kit, batteries for lanterns, updating our bedding, tire repair on the trailer, and anything that might come up.

Overall, $3,000 is not bad for a two week vacation. Compared to what it would cost to do something similar in a hotel and eating at restaurants most nights, it's a good deal even.

Be on the lookout for nearby activities and cheap or free events. University of Atlantia is always free. Even if you can't afford to go in person, Sunday is online. There are lots of weekly classes and meetups both in person in online. If there's an event that you really want to attend, check with others from the local group and carpool. Please share gas money with your ride! Even if they're going to the same place, it's polite to help out, especially with prices as they are right now. Same goes for sharing a hotel room.

The SCA can be affordable. It's not as easy as it once was, but it's possible. Be active at a local level, online, and events when you can.