Can’t Wait For BEA Part 2 – Packing Suggestions!

As I’m typing this post… we here at Fic Fare leave for BEA in only 11 days, 2 hours and 41 minutes… not that we’re counting down or anything!! EEEEEP! We’ll be hanging with our blogging BFF’s from SwoonyBoys Podcast is no time at all! 

But we want to share some of our best ideas and tips with those of you who haven’t been before!  We won’t go into huge detail, but I found the lovely Shae at Shae Has Left The Room has some amazing and comprehensive posts that you will definitely find helpful!

Today we’re going to talk about the things that should be on your packing list!

POWER STRIP – There are four of us staying in one room… that alone should indicate that we won’t have enough plugs for all our stuff – Last year I brought a power strip for us and it was the best thing ever. We had all out things charged and ready to go each day and there was no fighting for plugs! 

SPECIAL BOOKS – last year I brought a handful of books by authors I knew were going to be there and I wanted to hunt track down and get a signature from.  This year, I think I only have a couple copies I plan on bringing with me.  (*cough* The Sky Is Everywhere *cough*)

SNACKS/WATER BOTTLE !! pack them in your bag so you don’t have to spend a million dollars on the food that is sold in the convention center. I’m not even lying when I tell you it is pricey.  

PORTABLE PHONE CHARGER– I just bought another one because I upgraded my phone and some of them can be a bit pricey, but the convention center is like a blackhole and your phone will seriously die on you if you don’t have one.  Honestly we were only using ours last year to meet up with our group once we were all separated but it still managed to drain my battery.  

A ROLLING SUITCASE – This is the best thing ever.  You are allowed to check a bag at the front of the convention center and between signings and book drops etc you can run out to your bag and drop things off so you’re not stuck lugging 100 lbs of books around the entire day. 

BUSINESS CARDS – I can’t stress how much you should have these.  It’s the easiest way to get publishers your information BUT it’s also an amazing way to connect with other bloggers! You’re going to have so much going on that it’s easy to forget who you talked to or what their blog address is. By providing a business card you can reconnect once you get home.   I ordered mine through Vistaprint and it’s super easy, inexpensive and very quick!