I've been going to fandom conventions for ten years now and I love them.
there really isn't anything like spending a few days with other fans of
the things you love. Fandom can be a beautiful thing and Harry Potter
conventions are my favorite! I'm heading to leakycon in Dublin this week and I
can't wait! However, it can definitely be overwhelming to try to pack for an event
like this especially if you've never been to one before and even though I
pretty much know what I'm gonna need, I still put it off to the last minute and
then it gets stressful. You're on your feet a lot, meeting tons of new people,
and the things you bring or don't bring can make or break the whole experience
sometimes. Today, I wanted to show you some of my must-haves for packing for an
event like this. And stick around until the end because I have a giveaway for
those of you who are seeing this video early. Let's get started! So. The first
thing that I absolutely cannot forget to bring with me on a trip are chargers.
This is the most important thing because if I forget them, I have to buy new ones
wherever I am. I also like to have a portable charger and an extra USB cable
that I can bring along with me because my phone battery does not make it
through a full day at a con. And I just started keeping my chargers in this
little packing cube. I got a set of these in a bunch of different sizes and this
was the smallest one. I'm just filling this with things I cannot lose and
hopefully that will help me keep organized. Another thing that is really
helpful is to bring a power strip because a lot of times, hotels only have
a couple outlets and if you need to be charging like, a ton of things every
night, you're not gonna have enough space especially if you have roommates. Also if
you carry it around with you, you usually end up making friends because everybody
wants to recharge their devices at things like this and if there are more
outlets, people will like you. If you're going out of the country like I am, you
probably need some kind of adapter so definitely research that before you go.
Another thing that I always bring with me when I'm traveling is my camera and a
little tripod for it. Whether you have a youtube channel or not, I feel like
it's important to document trips like this and I like to have a camera that's
nicer than just my phone camera. I'm hoping to make a bunch of videos while
I'm there and I hope that I remember to take photos - that's something I'm not as
good with. I really wanted to bring my nice new camera but I'm kind of scared
that something bad is going to happen to it so I'm bringing the old one. It's much
smaller and much easier to travel with. I'm eventually hoping to
save up and get a camera that's as nice as my new one but in this form factor,
that way when I go on trips and play shows, I can have a nice camera that I
can bring with me that will actually fit in my bag. The next thing that I've been
bringing with me whenever I travel is my travelers notebook! I love this thing and
the whole point of it is to document your travels. I've been using it for more
than just that, but I'm really excited to fill this up with memories from Ireland.
I'm gonna try really hard to write in it while I'm there because so far, I've been
doing all my documenting when I get home from trips, but I really want to be
working on this on the plane and whenever I'm waiting on a line somewhere
but this does have pockets so I can take anything that I want to save and put in
here like ticket stubs and things like that. Just tuck them in there and then
whenever I have a chance to work on it I'm gonna try and do a little bit of
journaling about my trip. I put a bunch of different washi tapes on this card
and I'm tucking it in the pocket on here so I don't have to bring like a whole
bunch of supplies with me. I'm also bringing one black pen and one gold pen
just so I have a couple options to choose from when I'm on the road. And
that's that. Another thing that I have a lot of trouble without when I'm
traveling especially for conventions is bringing layers to change into. I usually
find that even if I know what the weather is going to be like, the air
conditioning is kind of unpredictable in big convention centers. Sometimes it's
really really warm and other times it is freezing cold so I usually find that I
need to carry some kind of hoodie or sweater with me. I usually find that this
makes me a lot more comfortable so this is my wizard activist hoodie. I bought it
at the Harry Potter Alliance booth. They do sell these online if you want one. I
love it. The next category of items that I like to bring to events like this is
nerdy clothes and accessories. Aside from the fact that I just, you know, want to be
in the spirit of whatever event I'm attending, it is a great conversation
starter if you're looking to make new friends who like the same things you do.
This adorable Newt Scamander t-shirt which was designed by Nan Lawson, who's
one of my favorite artists. I was gonna buy a print and then I realized that she
had t-shirts. I also got this adorable badger shirt. I really really like this.
This is one of the coolest Hufflepuff shirts I've ever seen and I knew I had
to wear it for this con. Both of these shirts actually came from a website
called Teepublic and I actually have a little page on there where I've
collected all of my favorite designs that they
sell so if you want to check out these shirts or some of the others that I've
hand-picked, I'm gonna put a link in the video description where you can find
that. I'm also completely obsessed with the shirt I'm wearing. It was designed by
Jordan Dené and i actually bought it at a harry potter convention so. It says
"anything's possible if you've got enough nerve". Another thing that I like to bring
to conventions that I honestly forget most often is business cards. Even if you
don't have like an online store or anything like that, pretty much everybody
has social media links and when you go to a convention, you meet a lot of new
people and you may want to stay in touch with those people so I definitely
recommend either having business cards printed or just writing down on a few
cards what your social media usernames are or your email address, that way if
you make a new friend, you can keep in touch with them after you get home from
the event. I recently had new ones printed. For a long time, mine were out of
date because I changed all my usernames so I had a couple events where I just
printed some makeshift business cards with my own printer at home and cut them
up and took them with me. I didn't put them in my bag but comfortable shoes are
a must. Mine are actually starting to fall apart and I haven't decided what
kind I want to replace them with. I've kind of been having this sneaker crisis
where I know that I want some really good, comfortable shoes but I also want
them to look nice and I haven't found what those shoes are
yet. Because I don't know about you but I end up doing a ton of walking at events
like this. It's just amazing how much more enjoyable an event can be if your
feet aren't constantly hurting. Deodorant! I get really self-conscious, sometimes
people get really close to me, I probably should keep this in my purse honestly
because I don't know how often I'll be getting back to my hotel room to freshen
up. So yeah, bring this. I also recently found
a travel size pack of multivitamins which is so smart cause really, at
conventions, I'm up and around a lot, I'm not getting a lot of sleep, and honestly
sometimes I don't have a chance to get a good healthy meal so this will
definitely keep me going and help me stay healthy. You can also bring airborne
or an equivalent because a lot of people get sick at conventions and you're close
to a lot of people and nobody's getting sleep so if you want to try and keep
from getting sick, that's definitely something you should start before you
leave. I also recently started bringing a water bottle with me to conventions and
this has been really good for me because it's obviously important to stay
hydrated but I also perform on stage and I need water for that and there isn't
always water backstage. Sometimes it's like a cup this big and I end up kicking
it over while I'm playing so having something with a top
that I can just put next to my microphone stand is very important for
me and it's better to bring my own than to hope that it'll be there. You can also
bring snacks! They're good for the airplane but also I don't know what the
food situation is going to be like at this convention and I want to make sure
that if I have like a quick switch between two panels during lunch time, I
have a chance to get something in my stomach. Remember to take care of
yourselves when you're traveling and bringing a lot of stuff like this is
very important. And aside from the usual necessities, (when I was coming up with my
list for this video I asked my partner Matt what he likes to bring on trips and
he said clothes.) those are some things that I always try to pack when I'm
headed to a convention. So about this bag - a few months ago I made a video where I
featured a bag from a company called Maika that I bought that I really
liked and they found it and they liked it so much that they sent me some free
bags including this one! They also were super generous and they sent me a second
one and I'm gonna give it away to one of you! If you'd like to win it just make
sure you're subscribed to my youtube channel and leave me a comment down
below telling me what your favorite fandom is or you could tell me what you
absolutely have to pack when you go on a trip. I'll put additional rules and
details in the video description below. I actually have a few conventions coming
up so you can always check laurenfairweather.com/shows to see
where I'll be next! I hope to have the opportunity to geek out with you at one
in the future. Thanks for watching and I'll see you soon!
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