Where do I start??? 2012 prep

[pipnissen]

Hey All,

My name is Pip and I am from Sydney, Australia. A couple of girlfiends & I are planning our first burn for 2012. I am at a loss as to where to begin in planning our accomodations and travel etc. Outfits, no problem ha ha.

We are super exited, I can't get BM out of my head and cannot wait to experience it.

Look forward to your advice!

[Savannah]

Hi Pip!

Ticket first. Easier said than done, right? If you didn't register during the holiday pre-sale (which gets billed on or near Dec 19), get ready to register for tickets during the two-week period from January 9 (at 12 noon PST) until January 22 (at 11:59pm PST), 2012 on http://tickets.burningman.com. On or before February 1st, you'll find out if you have been selected from that group. After that, it's an open sale of remaining tickets

More info in the link, and all over this site. (The more you read before you ask, the nicer people tend to be about helping you. "Radical Self-Reliance" is one of the ten principles of the Burn.)

Annnyway, never book anything you can't have refunded in full until you have purchased your event ticket(s). Last year, a few people missed the warnings about the imminent sellout and then were stuck with RV reservations and plane tickets but no actual event tickets. Rough!

You can start making a pack list by downloading and printing the 2011 survival guide here:
http://www.burningman.com/preparation/e ... index.html

They give you a starter list, which for you will probably be a shopping-in-the-states list. You can also google Burning Man pack lists. Stuff you will probably want to bring from Oz: coat, clothes, goggles, 2 pair comfortable shoes/boots, prescriptions, anything that you can fit and want to keep/take home again or are very picky about--that sort of thing.

[pipnissen]

Thanks Savannah! Appreciate it!

I knew there was a new ticketing system for next year, but didnt realise I had already missed first registration . Will have to get my skates on for January 9!

[Savannah]

There's an upside: the holiday pre-sale sells tickets for $420 each. If you register for the next group, you have a shot at paying just $240, $320, or $390 USD. So I decided to take my chances & wait, myself! I'm going to maximize my chances of one of those slightly cheaper tickets by indicating during registration that I am willing to pay any of those price levels.

[trilobyte]

Hi Pip, and welcome to ePlaya. The main sale is what you want to want to focus on, and you can register for that during a 2 week window starting January 9th (well, probably on the 10th in your time zone). No worries, if you're thinking about it and planning ahead this early, your chances are very very good.

As Savannah said, definitely check out the survival guide and first timer's guide on the main site, and then start browsing through what's posted here on the message boards. The preparation section will cover the majority of topics related to getting ready for the event. Some of the more popular categories have their own section, otherwise there's a general purpose Q&A section. The 2012 event section contains info that's more specific to next year's event, and also filled with cool and useful stuff. If you have a question and don't see it on the boards… ask.

[illy dilly]

Hey Pip welcome to eplaya!

There is a thread around here... someplace, I cant seem to find it right, its called "Which First Ticket or Flight" or something along those lines.

Its pretty much a general rule of thumb, *Event Ticket First*
But, with booking flights from the other side of the world, I'd imagine its never too soon to start planning. And keeping an eye out for some awesome cheap deals.
And, if you don't get a ticket, you can still come to the US and just check out the country.

[illy dilly]

Hi ________, and welcome to ePlaya. The main sale is what you want to want to focus on, and you can register for that during a 2 week window starting January 9th. No worries, if you're thinking about it and planning ahead this early, your chances are very very good.

Definitely check out the survival guide and first timer's guide on the main site, and then start browsing through what's posted here on the message boards. The preparation section will cover the majority of topics related to getting ready for the event. Some of the more popular categories have their own section, otherwise there's a general purpose Q&A section. The 2012 event section contains info that's more specific to next year's event, and also filled with cool and useful stuff. If you have a question and don't see it on the boards… ask.

Trilobyte, I'd copy/paste that into a text file and make a nice little short cut for it on your desk top. I have a feeling that you're going to be repeating it a lot in the next month or two.

[dragonpilot]

Hi Pip!

I've met numerous Aussies and others arriving from afar that have traveled to Burning Man...a few have traveled with me, even. So, of course you'll be traveling light coming from a long way off and flying in, etc. Some of your questions will have to do with transportation. Will you be renting a car? RV? Or relying on others for rides? Read up all you can about the pitfalls of renting (which agencies are Burner-friendly, which aren't), importance of making a reservations early, where you're flying into (SFO, RNO, etc).

If you have your own transportation you'll have ample opportunities to do your shopping for food, water, booze, etc. If relying on others you're on their schedule, but most ride offers include stops for groceries and supplies. Check the Rideshare link in this forum for info towards June-July time frame when the Rideshare board refreshes for 2012.

Will you be arriving early enough to spend some time touring the country? Or will you be departing for home well after the Burn? There's lots to do, but now's the time to git'er going! While there's plenty of time...

But MOST important...GET THE TICKET! Everything else is secondary...

[tamarakay]

Man, I just have to travel from Texas and it about made me crazy with the planning and scheming. All you guys that come from overseas just amaze me.
Welcome to the Eplaya!

[funkyjigsaw]

Heya Pip!

It's a daunting task - planning for BM from overseas. Last year was my first burn and came on my own from the UK. I flew into San Francisco and rented a car. Stayed a few nights in San Fran first to shop and prepare, then drove over to Reno for Saturday night, then out to BRC on the Sunday.
A few tips :
- You have PLENTY of time!
- Do TONS and TONS of research for yourself. Radical self-reliance!
- Ticket first.
- Flights second.
- Then you need to decide how you are getting to BRC. If there are 3 of you, renting a car may be the most convenient and economical. Unless you go the RV route of course.
- Book hotels at the beginning and end if you need to. Reno gets mobbed in the few days post-burn, so it's worth reserving rooms (they are dirt cheap).
- Think about whether you want to join a camp. There are lots of types of camp to join. I joined (and ended up helping organize) the Orphan Camps. No fees, hyper-relaxed, total freedom to do your own thing. The advantage of joining a camp is that you may get shade provided.
- Which brings me onto the next BIG issue, which is shade. If you are camping alone, you HAVE to think ahead about what you are gonna do about shade to sit/lie in during the heat of the day.
- Make two lists : (1) The things you are bringing from and back to Australia. (2) The things you are buying in the US, and probably have to gift away or throw away when you return to Oz. Work hard on these lists!! Don't buy anything until next summer, but spend a lot of time trawling eplaya and google for suggested lists. I'll let you have my lists if you want, just message me.

Ciao! J x

[Elderberry]

Hey there, welcome to eplaya!

[Drawingablank]

Hi, welcome.

[AntiM]

Welcome Home.

[maryanimal]

Hey Pip! Welcome to eplaya! This year was my first year. I kept a journal of things I needed to bring, what I could get before I got to the playa. Glean as much info from the folks in here! You'll do fine!

[dr.placebo]

The good news is that it can be done, there are more than a few burners from Oz. So, welcome home!

Here are a few things that are worth noting, although if you've spent time in the outback you will not find them all that daunting.

1. Temps range from a high of 40 C (104 F) down to 0 C (32 F). The extremes are unusual, but 35 C down to 5 C in the space of 12 hours is not all that unusual.
2. Wind can be dead calm, or get bursts up to 100 kmph (60 mph). [shade structure must be durable]
3. It's incredibly dry and alkaline, with very fine abrasive dust (no sand). [goggles, masks, and robes advised]
4. In the unusual event of rain, the mud formed will be tenacious.
5. The altitude is about 1200 m (4000 ft).

Above all, stay hydrated.

That said, I actually love the harsh environment. Challenging and beautiful.

[Igneouss]

Welcome!
Planning for this event is not easy, but it's not hard either.
As said above: ticket then flight.
- transport from airport to BRC and back. Rental car? Read up on that issue. It works but be aware that some agnecies do not like BM.
- Everything else: two courses of action...
1) get on here and tribe etc and meet some theme camps. Get invited to join. Depending on the camp this may solve numerous planning problems. For example, if they have a meal plan, showers, communal water supply...etc. Down side is that the more they supply the more it will cost in dues. Also you will need to pitch in and work.
2) DIY. Make a list of what you need. Read the survival guide for a start. Then organize the list with survival neccessities first and luxuries/toys last. Start planning and work your way up the list. Carefully consider purchasing and packing in your vehicle. Keep it simple as much as possible. Understand that you will not be able to bring/do everything (hence the order of the list).

Mantra: Take care of basic survival needs like food and water and shelter. Everything else will work out.

Cheers!

[pipnissen]

Thank you all so much for your advice! My friends and I have all registered for our tix and now we wait and start to prepare lists etc. I need to work out if there are any camps we can join! Research, research!!!
Can't wait to be there (fingers crossed we get tix!!!)
Pip*

[funkyjigsaw]

Thank you all so much for your advice! My friends and I have all registered for our tix and now we wait and start to prepare lists etc. I need to work out if there are any camps we can join! Research, research!!!
Can't wait to be there (fingers crossed we get tix!!!)
Pip*

Hi Pip!
There are Orphan camps which give a nice mix of independence and being part of a party group. On facebook, check out Orphan/Endorphin & Orphan Too

[trigs]

Hi Pip! I'm coming alone from Florida - which is nearly as difficult in terms of planning from afar! I spend a year as a Sydneysider (Glebe), so if you need any help with "In the US, how do you...?" let me know. You guys should form a Drop Bear Camp and serve Tim Tams and tea after people have finished anointing themselves with toothpaste (or was it Vegemite?). That would be awesome!