costs to get to BM?

prettyllama · Post by **prettyllama** » Mon Mar 28, 2005 12:29 am

hi, i'm a total newbie and i thought i've been reading all the guides on the site pretty thoroughly, but i haven't read anything about the costs of getting out there (other than ticket prices, of-course).

i'm a college student and i've always had Burning Man on my list of things to do before i die, and i'm antzy to do something amazing this summer. :)
but, -since- i'm a college student, i have a limited budget so i really need to figure out the costs of all this, as best i can.

i'd be coming from Maryland with -maybe- one person at this point.
this is all up-in-the-air spur-of-the-moment, because it's 4am, but i'm curious. :)

Zulegoona · Post by **Zulegoona** » Mon Mar 28, 2005 12:52 am

Maybe the best thing for you to do is check out the regional organizations or even groups on Yahoo, specific to your area to get in touch with people from around you. They would have a lot better Idea what it costs to come from your location there might also be ride share opportunities that would make things cheaper. It would be a good idea to look at your schools schedule to see if the event and transit time conflicts with classes.

LostMachine · Post by **LostMachine** » Mon Mar 28, 2005 3:55 am

What Zulegonna said is good. It will help to find other Burners to talk to before you get there.

My guess on your cost, not counting your ticket price, would be $400 to $1500.

You might be able to do it for less but don’t count on it.

There is a 3000 mile drive that will take 3 days minimum. If you are in a car you can split driving with one other person. Any more than two people in a car and you won’t have room for everything else.

There are things you’ll need like a tent, blankets, cooler, buy those as soon as you can so you don’t need to come up with all the money at once.

Save your shopping until you are near Reno. Buying cheap, food will run about $50 for the week (I spend closer to $100 on food and another $100 on booze). The 2 gallon water boxes work best. IMHO
While you are there you’ll need some money for Ice.

Plan on one or two nights in a hotel on the way back.

Maybe make two lists.

One of supplies you need to buy before you leave.

And another list laying out each day you are gone.
Day one might have: gas, lunch, dinner

Good luck and I hope you make it.

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Mon Mar 28, 2005 8:18 am

LostMachine's tips are pretty thorough......I drive out from Michigan, which is about 2100 miles, and it's seven tanks of gas each way at 30 MPG. If you drive something that has room to crash in you can save the trouble of scaring up a shelter, but bear in mind that it gets toasty out there during the day so bring a tarp to shade your ride. (I slept in my Element last year because of the cold.) You can do Burning Man on a shoestring, at least for the first year, but BEWARE OF TWOBIE FEVER!!! (You will want to do EVERYTHING, your second trip out....big camp, build a dome, costumes, mutant vehicle....)

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Mon Mar 28, 2005 8:31 am

I would also suggest having an emergency fund. Transmission falls out on road--ouch! Accident means that you are evacuated off playa and have to spend the night in a hotel--ouch! The usual disasters. Hooking up with an established camp or with others can cut down your costs, sharing shade and such, but then you may end up with personality conflicts and endless arguements over the dishes and cooking. Just like real life, only dustier. You've got five months. Rice and beans between now and then could make you rich beyond your wildest dreams. (IF you're already on rice and beans that advise is useless.)

HughMungus · Post by **HughMungus** » Sat Apr 02, 2005 11:05 am

Some people are going to disagree with me on this advice, but, if it's your first time and you have that far to go to get there, fly in and rent a car or SUV. Personally, I would not want to be worrying about what might happen on a long drive like that, especially on a limited budget (even though this year I am almost definitely driving out there). A plane ticket will cost you about $400 round trip and a vehicle rental will cost whatever it costs for the number of days you decide you want to be there. Then there's the cost of the ticket to get in, food, and whatever else.

If it's you +1, then your costs are even less for the rental.

Another cheaper option is to meetup with people here on this board who are offering rides from wherever. Then you could fly into San Francisco instead of Reno and get a free ride (or take the bus that runs from SF to B-man).

An even cheaper option is to meet people there in Maryland (on this board or otherwise) who are going who you can go with. One of the problems I'm having is that if I *do* drive this year, I want to be able to do it with co-drivers so we can drive straight through without having to stop to sleep. So if my friends can't drive with me, I might end-up finding strangers to go in the RV with me.

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Sat Apr 02, 2005 4:46 pm

I know of a teacher who bicycled naked from Reno in '97.

YMMV.

Tancorix · Post by **Tancorix** » Sat Apr 02, 2005 5:37 pm

After the event this year I met a Japanese man who was riding across America, he left SF, headed to LA then East to the Grand Canyon where someone told him about Burning Man. He rode all the way up there, stayed the whole week and was last seen riding East alongside the UPRR tracks heading towards Winnemucca. So that's one way to get to BM....I'm curious if anyone else met that rider and knows what happened to him?

sputnik · Post by **sputnik** » Sat Apr 02, 2005 6:26 pm

I've posted this elsewhere, but my numbers may have changed

Ticket - $230
Flight - $400
Food - $75
Booze - $75
Ride share from Reno - $60
Misc - $100

That's $940.

I've got a line on a cheaper ticket and I'm hoping for a cheaper flight, but with gas costs going up I doubt that will happen. I intend to not stay overnight in Reno either way if possible.

Tancorix · Post by **Tancorix** » Sat Apr 02, 2005 6:36 pm

Well after seeing Sputnik's post....

Ticket: $250
Gas: $430 (3600 mi roundtrip at $3 per gal, 25 mpg)
Food: $100
Booze: $50
Misc: $150

Subtotal: $980

Factor in seeing the mountains up close, driving through Glenwood Canyon on I-70, and exploring along the way while avoiding TSA screeners and sharp limits on what you can bring with you: priceless.

costs to get to BM?

costs to get to BM?

Re: costs to get to BM?