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Budgeting for PAX AUS
thegh0sts
Sydney, NSWRegistered User regular
Sydney, NSWRegistered User regular
Howdy fellow PAX attendees,
As this is the first PAX to be held in Australia and being a local I am wondering what might be a good amount/budget for a 3 day event such as this: including airfare, hotels, and cash to blow? Being from Sydney also it's very pricey here so I am not sure how much cheaper melbourne is.
Feel free to share your thoughts!
As this is the first PAX to be held in Australia and being a local I am wondering what might be a good amount/budget for a 3 day event such as this: including airfare, hotels, and cash to blow? Being from Sydney also it's very pricey here so I am not sure how much cheaper melbourne is.
Feel free to share your thoughts!
Next PAX: PAX AUS 2017
Previous PAXs: PAX Prime 2011, PAX AUS 2013
Previous PAXs: PAX Prime 2011, PAX AUS 2013
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If you want cheap accommodation, go to Melbourne YHA
Cash, including food, I'd say $250 + extra spending money
but in terms of numbers i was thinking of at least $1300-$1500 AUD for everything...probably a bit too much just for 3 days though.
Previous PAXs: PAX Prime 2011, PAX AUS 2013
For big events, good hotels tend to book out quickly.
Also, try to take advantage of sales (for flights and hotels) because then you'll have more spending money in the end.
Lastly; if you're not planning on driving down, make sure public transport is in your budget.
Previous PAXs: PAX Prime 2011, PAX AUS 2013
i was thinking around the same mark maybe about $1500 to cover everything and i think i am getting close to that amount.
Previous PAXs: PAX Prime 2011, PAX AUS 2013
I can see a group of us being called the Creepy Uncles/Aunts... it's catching on
http://www.enemy-agency.com
Previous PAXs: PAX Prime 2011, PAX AUS 2013
Definetely agree with booking accom as early as you can. So far it looks like places like the Riverside apartments and Quest Flemington are almost booked out. Needless to say there is a heap of accomodation in Melbourne though. There is a tram stop just outside the Melbourne Showgrounds, my advice would be to try and get somewhere near the number 57 tram route in Melbourne CBD (Flinders Street, Collins Street, Bourke Street etc). If the Melbourne Showgrounds train stop is operating (which I'm guessing it will be) then accom near Flinders Street, Southern Cross or North Melbourne stations would be best as these are on the same line as the Melbourne Showgrounds and trips will take 10-15 minutes.
At the moment when booking hotels, using sites such as wotif.com, lastminute.com etc will only allow you took book up until around May 2013. If you go direct to the accom's website you can obviously book much further ahead. Prices start from around $30 a night for hostels or between $100-$200 a night for hotel rooms or apartments etc.
Flights:
Generally a good idea to book flights as early as possible too so you can snap up the cheaper fares. At the moment Jetstar has $49 fares from Syd-Mel or $89 from Bris-Mel around PAX time
Public transport:
Public transport in Melbourne requires you to have a myki card - http://www.myki.com.au/
Other than that, spending money and food costs are up to you
No need to be worried. Because your worried about it, geddit? its the 35 year old single guy who thinks its totes mcgoates cool to hang with 16 year old female college students _all the time_ that gives off the creeper vibe.
We could get shirts made <creepy>Uncle</creepy>
37, married with a 4 yr old over here..... and not worried.
My approach is to act your age.... nothing worse than seeing an adult acting like a kid (...for me anyway).
Phew! I'm 36 so I dodged a bullet there
http://www.enemy-agency.com
I'd be the only person under 18, and surrounded by 30-40 year old guys. Maybe I'm the only one that found that normal...
:rotate: :rotate: :rotate:
i'll be 2 days out from 29 when the show ends....and i am getting worried about being creepy LOL
Previous PAXs: PAX Prime 2011, PAX AUS 2013
Missed it by | .. | that much
Previous PAXs: PAX Prime 2011, PAX AUS 2013
But on more on topic notes.. I shall add to this discussion in a moment with my wise financial experiences which consist on maxing my first credit card to go to a Gaming convention in the US.... XD
Previous PAXs: PAX Prime 2011, PAX AUS 2013
http://www.enemy-agency.com
As far as accommodation, there are plenty of hostels here, I'd use a hotel search site or classic google to find the best for budget/preference.
Food can be pretty pricey here if you plan to mostly eat out (which I would imagine to be the case), that said, Chinatown is your best friend for decent cheap eats.
I think it's also worth mentioning again for any international guests that take out can be a bit expensive here depending on where you're coming from, but again, google is your best friend.
I'm a Melbournian and a student, so I learned the hard way how to survive here on a budget :P
Previous PAXs: PAX Prime 2011, PAX AUS 2013
Trams/trains per day: $15 for 3 days, non-concession http://www.myki.com.au/Fares/Metro-fares
Bike share: $5 for a helmet + $8 for a week (plus any excess time costs). Melbourne has a bike share scheme that lets you borrow a bicycle and drop it off again at one of their stations. There is no station at the showgrounds but there are stations at train/tram stops so this could help you get in if you score accommodation in the city off a tram/train route. Helmets are compulsory. http://www.melbournebikeshare.com.au/pricing for more info
Loot stash/Dungeon corner: Budget $100 - $600
Book accommodation as soon as possible. It seems we are all a bit keen for this event. The cheap deals will be gone before you know it and with that goes your Gold pieces. Use the accommodation thread to team up with others to get house share deals. Budget from $300 for a 6 person share house for 4 nights up to $200+ per night if you book a last minute hotel room.
Sustenance: Budget $450 (You say WHAT??)
{I got there with this formula (2FDd x Sd)1.5 where FDd = (b+l+d), Sd=Stay days} :-) but seriously it breaks down as follows and is just a light-hearted attempt to know the un-knowable
Estimate what you would spend on food and drinks on a day out ($10 cooked breakfast + $10 cheap lunch + $30 dinner with no drinks = $50), double it (for drinks, snacks and "OMG what is that? I have to try that!" ($100), then multiply that by how long you are there (3 days = $300), then add half again ("Wow, this coffee is good but soooo expensive +$150). I don't know quite why this formula works but it has always stood me in good stead when travelling. I guess because there is always new food and drink to try in a new place (and Melbourne is the gourmet capital of Aus).
Loot: Whatever is left in the account. ie I have no clue and no willpower for loot-avoidance so let's just say $500 minimum.
Total budget: $1100 - $1600 for a 3 day stay (not including flights).
Adjust this for your stamina (how long you are staying), constitution (real me DO eat quiche), wisdom (yes, I need to book now), intelligence (silly DB forgot how essential 'this' is to a gamer) and charisma modifiers (can I swing a great deal at the last minute?) and there you have it!
That was easy wasn't it? Well, at least it seems to fit in with what the others are saying.
Hope it helps :-)
Creepy is as creepy does...
Smart people are Smart.
Yeah, biggest thing to blow your budget out is food and ESPECIALLY drinks. Even more so if you're planning on hitting the town a bit. The best solution is indeed... DOUBLE IT!
I'm there for a week and planning on getting out and actually going to a few finer dining places, so I'm budgeting around... $800 on food and drink.. I know that sounds ridiculous for a week to some people. But honestly. If I decide to go out and hit a wine bar or two over the week... BOOM the funds are depleted.
$800 sounds perfectly reasonable to me... especially if you like living it up when you travel....We do.
We don't travel much any more, so when we do... good hotels and restaurants are a must.
I am aiming for $3500 to $4500 for 4 nights everything included (currently have a wife, child and another on the way)... want to have a really good time.
If you decide to mix your own, be aware that you'll typically pay $25-35 for a cheap bottle of vodka (smirnoff red and below) or $30-$35 for a bottle of scotch (JW red or Teachers). Oddly enough, because the tax is in the form of an excise on ethanol, premium brands are less affected (they pay the same absolute amount in tax as cheaper brands, so proportionally less). As for beer, you'll typically pay $25-40 for a case of 24 bottles of local, non-premium beer, or $40-80 for imported or premium beer. There are exceptions (Oetinger, etc), but those are the typical prices.
As for food, your best bet for decent cheap food is chinatown (the east end of little Bourke st), or head out into the suburbs.
Although this sounds terrible; if you're looking for a particular cuisine, find a suburb where immigrants from that nationality initially settled. Box Hill, Springvale, even Oakleigh (though less so these days) can provide authentic cuisine at a more reasonable price. This does involve doing a fair bit more research though.
Melbourne has a lot of high quality restaurants. Do your research, but for at least one special night consider splashing out on somewhere like the Flower Drum (probably $500-1k) or Rockpool (probably $500). Heck, if you're willing to put down that kind of money (not including airfares), you should honestly be looking at Melbournes best restaurants, and going to at least one of them. The two I've mentioned will likely be on the list, but there may be others, and it's up to you to decide. Melbourne is the culinary capital of Australia, so if you're willing to spend the money, you may as well enjoy it.
Avatar is from www.xkcd.com
Vue du Monde is the biggie for this trip. Expecting around $400 depending on what I chose to drink :P
Basically I strongly advise against Tiger. The price difference between them and Jetstar is not worth it. If you must then do them on the way back taht way you won't be too upset if you get delayed!
It's also worth considering that Tiger are very strict in terms of check in times. Don't expect them to let you board if you are even a minute late.
Another warning for people flying on the cheaper airlines: Jetstar fly out of two airports in Melbourne. Tullamarine is the main airport, handles all of the international flights and almost all of the domestic carriers, and has a 15-20 minute shuttlebus to Southern Cross Station (one of the main train stations in Melbourne and the one that handles interstate trains). Avalon is only used by Jetstar and is halfway out to Geelong and has much more limited transport links (I haven't been there in a while, but I don't remember seeing any). The Avalon flights are about half the price, though. If you are flying Jetstar, just make sure to check which airport you'll be flying into.
Avatar is from www.xkcd.com
Vue de Monde is amazing as is Bistro Vue.
I also highly reccomend Spice Temple, European, Chin Chin, Mamasita, Movida and Papa Goose