This weekend, I am going to be going to SacAnime Winter 2015 and I am extremely excited! I will be leaving Thursday morning (New Years Day). Going to SacAnime was a bit spur of the moment. Earlier this year, people asked me if I was going to be attending con and I pretty much told them that there was no chance of that happening due to it being too far away.
I will be cosplaying as GGO Kirito on Day 1 and Aincrad Kirito on Day 2 & 3. If you want more info on SacAnime, click here to see the event details.
Why I Decided to Go
It was hard to justify going to this since I am also attending Anime Los Angeles (ALA) and Bakersfield Anime (BakAnime) later this month. I jokingly told my brother that if Bryce Papenbrook (English Voice Actor for Kirito) attended this con, that I would definitely go.
A few weeks later, I was checking on the website randomly and saw that he was announced as a guest. I texted my brother excitedly in shock and he immediately said “LEGGO!”
Being the impulsive person that I am, within minutes I had purchased my ticket.
After I bought it, my brother asked if I had thought through any of the logistics. He asked if we would be traveling by train, or car, etc. From where I live, driving to Sacramento would be a 6 hour drive. That did not sound appealing. I checked the Amtrak schedule and saw that there was not a convenient way to get from my city to Sacramento in one trip. Since I had already purchased my ticket, I was determined to find a way to make it work.
My brother and I initially decided on driving. We agreed that he could drive us to Sacramento and that I would drive us back. At that point, I didn’t really care about the long drive. I was just excited to be able to check out a new con, meet some Instagram friends for the first time, and of course meet Bryce Papenbrook.
After that was decided, we asked our parents if there were any family plans for New Years Day. (This was something I probably should have done BEFORE spontaneously purchasing tickets for SacAnime). We thankfully did not have anything planned so that was cool. My bosses are also really cool and gave me the day after New Years Day (a Friday) off as well.
Flying
My parents were surprised that we had agreed to drive to this con. They suggested that we fly instead and we quickly agreed to that. While this may cost us a bit more money, I am happy that we won’t be spending so much time on the road. I personally have a terrible sense of directions and also do not enjoy driving.
Packing Cosplay Props
Since we are flying, I recently started trying to figure out how I would get my cosplay props onto the plane. Southwest Airlines includes one free checked in bag per customer so I figured that that would be easy. My mom travels a lot and has a huge selection of large luggages in my garage.
Unfortunately, none of them were large enough for my weapon props and I started to freak out a little. I went onto the internet and discovered a forum post with someone with a similar issue. Their solution was using a ski bag.
I researched Southwest Airlines’ checkin baggage policy and it stated that any luggage being larger than 62″ would result in a $75 oversize charge.
Tomorrow I am going to be on the hunt for a ski bag that fits the criteria of what I need! If I am successful, then I will also be purchasing a lot of bubble wrap for my props.
Wish me luck!