Two years gone. Now or never.

[k_tarun]

Hello fellas

I was first introduced to the burning man community at a regional event called freakeasy in Chicago (May 2015). Been in love with the whole concept since then. I remember walking in to freakeasy thinking it was party. I felt enlightened. I started imagining a world of radical acceptance and changed my outlook forever.
I was living in SoCal then. I wanted to attend 2016 burning man but couldnt coz I moved back to India. I did attend a few events near LA but never really got to befriend anyone enough to ask to join their camp.

Me and my buddy from India wanna go this year. We are both doctors (MD) and photographers and are looking for advice.

Here are our options

Tickets:
1. $1200 Limited tickets
2. $850 stubhub tickets
3. $425 OMG tickets or STEP tickets (No Guarantee)

Survival:
1. Fly out to SF rent an RV and drive to BRC. Obviously, more the friends we are able to gather the cheaper and easier it gets. Also a bigger RV. Pretty sure this is beyond our budget.

2. Rough it up. I don't know how the both of us would survive or carry 10 days worth food and water. Seems impossible. I have basic camping skills and my buddy has never camped in his life.

3. Find a camp. There are no camps from India. Not a lot of activity on ePlaya yet and pretty sure there are a million people looking for camps to join. We would be able to help out at the burn but not before coz we will be flying in for the burn and back after. This I assume will make us less desirable as camp mates.

Also I know there are medical services available at BRC but we would be more than happy to help anyone to our capacity. I also checked if we could volunteer at the playa but they are not accepting apps from 1st timers.

Thank you for you time.

[lucky420]

Hola and hello...

Buy the 1200 tickets if you can afford them, don't stub hub lots of scammers there.

If you're going to rent an RV out of SF do it now!

Waters not that hard but does sound intimidating. Buy 1 or 2 of those orange water coolers (Coleman) they hold 10 gallons each. Fill with water and ice before you leave. Keep adding ice during the eVent, it will get melty and create more water. You. Can buy a few suitcases of water to bring along, suitcases are 2-2.5 gal of water in a cardboard box (5 gal total).

You don't need to join a camp but if you really want to keep an eye on this board for camps seeking campers.

Now go read the first timers survival guide and then read it again. Lots of answers to that which you seek can be found there. Reddit also has a BM subreddit too.

Seriously if you really want to go, buy the 1200 tix.

[AntiM]

Welcome Aboard.

I agree with Lucky, go for the guaranteed limited tickets. Stubhub tickets actually do not exist in the seller's hand, they take your money and scrounge around for cheap tickets to sell to you at a markup. Do not buy into that game.

RVs may not be available even now. Have you ever camped in one, or driven one? A tent is much easier, or something smaller than an RV. Also, SF is always the best choice to find an RV at this late date. Research other entry cities, such as Las Vegas, or Salt Lake City, UT, or Boise ID. If arriving in SF, look at options such as the Burner Express Bus.

Read not just the survival guide, but all the tips for newcomers. You can do this.

[k_tarun]

1200$ is very steep. How do I know where I am on the STEP wait list?

Water is only an issue if I don't get an RV and NO we have never rented or camped in an RV. I just thought that RV will make things easier because we've barely camped and BRC seems like the a tough place for rookie campers.

[lucky420]

You won't know where you're at on STEP until you get an email saying you can buy tickets. I would not really on STEP.

Renting an RV has its own special set of problems mainly cleaning it after the event. You will be charged a huge cleaning fee if you don't bring it back clean and that dust gets everywhere. It is as fine as baby powder...

Yes the desesrt can be a tough place to camp. I don't camp in an RV and thousands of us don't.

[k_tarun]

I am considering RV mainly because, I don't live in the US (from India). We'd have to buy a lot of camping things like tent, sleeping bags, etc. And we'd have to sell them before we.

[Ratty]

Burning Man is expensive. It would be cheaper to buy a tent, stove, sleeping bag etc, and donate it to charity afterwards. Renting an RV at this late date would be hard to find and expensive. Read the survival guide. Figure out what you need to buy. Find out out where you can fly in and rent a car.

[LeonardPotato]

Check out r v share.com as an option for an RV. People renting their RVs instead of going through a rental agency.
Could be a good place to start.

[Zubeneschamali]

Yeah, what Ratty said, you don't need an RV. I'd say nix the tent and rent a van. Throw an air mattress down and a couple of bags and you got shelter.

Better get out your calculator, because $1,200 isn't going to be the most expensive part of this trip.

[Elderberry]

Hey there, welcome to ePlaya!

[Savannah]

Yeah, what Ratty said, you don't need an RV. I'd say nix the tent and rent a van. Throw an air mattress down and a couple of bags and you got shelter.

Better get out your calculator, because $1,200 isn't going to be the most expensive part of this trip.

Agreed, 2-seater Cargo vans are a great choice, and can haul everything 2 people need including 2 cheap bikes.

k_tarun, you may also want to consider Green Tortoise Adventure Travel (google it). That's probably the best way for 2 international virgins to get into the event. You will still need your own tents, but they can help with the transport, food and water issue (everyone takes turns cooking).

Welcome!