I habitually bring my laptop everywhere I go. Yes, there are people who bring full desktops, usually either because they want to play LAN games with their own settings, or to show off cool casemods.
NOTE: In my opinion, playing games on your PC at PAX is a waste of precious board-gaming and panel time.
For me, it's a choice between PAX Aus or a Windows Surface Pro. Sorry, but I'll have to go for the Surface.
Similar situation but rather PAX Aus or Prime with my brother. Going for the latter in the hope that more will have gone to Aus and we can get tickets this year.
For me, it's a choice between PAX Aus or a Windows Surface Pro. Sorry, but I'll have to go for the Surface.
Bullshit! You can buy a surface after(and it'll be cheaper then, too) but this is the Inaugural PAX AUS, you can't miss that in favor of a tablet that you can buy later for cheaper anyway.
I find it funny how all you guys were so excited about PAX Aus and you didn't even look at flight prices until the passes went on sale. I know I travel a lot, and understand the cost of flights, but there is a reason why PAX is happening in Australia:
It's cheaper to take a PAX to Australia than it is to fly all the Australian PAX fans to either Seattle or Boston. Think about that. If it was easy or cheap or convenient to get from the USA (either coast) to Australia, PAX wouldn't have to go there, as it would be just as cheap and easy for Australian PAX people.
This is the reason bands go on tour, so that all their fans don't have to travel from all over the world to see them in their home town.
Do you think you're more hardcore than Australian gamers about PAX? I don't. Money and time will be far better spent on going to PAX East AND Prime in one year. That will cost far less than a single trip to Australia.
I like this website, though price isn't always the most important thing for me when booking flights, so I don't know if they have the cheapest offers: Rome2Rio
I have my 3 day pass on its way (for me its just a short tram ride to get there) - time to see if this precious PAX time you guys keep talking about is really that cool
I've been to Prime twice, and Luke brings up an excellent point that I should focus on making a return Prime trip rather than toying with the idea of going to PAX Aus. I wonder how big of a discount PA will be able to negotiate. I've flown from NYC to Hawaii, Guam, and Japan, and those flights ranged from $600-$1000, so I thought it was reasonable to assume this would not be $2,000.
I've been to Prime twice, and Luke brings up an excellent point that I should focus on making a return Prime trip rather than toying with the idea of going to PAX Aus. I wonder how big of a discount PA will be able to negotiate. I've flown from NYC to Hawaii, Guam, and Japan, and those flights ranged from $600-$1000, so I thought it was reasonable to assume this would not be $2,000.
Australia is much further away than Japan because you are also going so far South in addition to the usual distance west.
As the crow flies NYC to Melbourne is 10358.258. miles. NYC to Tokyo is 6741.877 miles
The cheapest tickets I see to AUS are ~$1400 one way from NYC. That's about $400 to get to LAX and $1000 to go down under. So $2800 for the whole thing.
I've been to Prime twice, and Luke brings up an excellent point that I should focus on making a return Prime trip rather than toying with the idea of going to PAX Aus. I wonder how big of a discount PA will be able to negotiate. I've flown from NYC to Hawaii, Guam, and Japan, and those flights ranged from $600-$1000, so I thought it was reasonable to assume this would not be $2,000.
It really shouldn't be. We're talking about off-peak season for Australia, a fair distance out, and we're not THAT far from Guam, though it's not exactly a weekend trip.
The cheapest tickets I see to AUS are ~$1400 one way from NYC. That's about $400 to get to LAX and $1000 to go down under. So $2800 for the whole thing.
So, you CAN get tickets for less than $2000. That was quick.
EDIT: Apparently we have some confusion on round trip vs one way as well...
It's definitely not cheap to get to and from Australia, but you can trivially get the price down to ~$2000 from NYC for a round trip - I don't know why Scott is getting $2800.
Finding prices lower than $2000 would take extra effort, so if you need it to be $1000 you should pretty much give up (although there have been sales to bring prices that low in the past).
However, I think you could get a price as low as $1500 for the round trip with a good bit of luck or effort.
It's definitely not cheap to get to and from Australia, but you can trivially get the price down to ~$2000 from NYC for a round trip - I don't know why Scott is getting $2800.
Finding prices lower than $2000 would take extra effort, so if you need it to be $1000 you should pretty much give up (although there have been sales to bring prices that low in the past).
However, I think you could get a price as low as $1500 for the round trip with a good bit of luck or effort.
I don't have a set price per se, I'm just keeping an eye on things and gauging where my time and money is best spent. I only have a small chance of making it to PAX Aus anyway due to many other factors, so really I'm just playing around in case the stars align and I can push a hard case for making the trip.
The ~$1,400 that Scott mentioned was 1-way. I was able to stir up a $2,000 round trip, although it did involve 2 stops. I think we've beat this horse to the ground now Let's keep an eye out and see how the prices change, group deals pop up, etc.
The ~$1,400 that Scott mentioned was 1-way. I was able to stir up a $2,000 round trip, although it did involve 2 stops. I think we've beat this horse to the ground now Let's keep an eye out and see how the prices change, group deals pop up, etc.
I didn't even think about that. Why in the fuck would he bother telling us about it, if it's just a one-way? That's silly.
Also, if you're booking tickets this far out, you're doing it wrong. Wait a little longer for the flight scheduling for at least early next year to come out, and they only come out about six months in advance.
Also, don't forget to consider package deals. Right now, I can fly to LA return for about a grand and a bit, but if I take a week-long hotel deal with it, it drops the price to about 850 bucks.
Also, consider flying to LA on a cheaper local carrier, and then having your ticket to Melbourne be from LA as the departure point. It might save you some cash.
Lastly, consider flying into other Australian major cities. Right now, I can book a flight to melbourne for $80 and change, plus fees of fuck all because it's domestic. So if you can get a flight that's 200 bucks cheaper by flying to Brisbane and then catching a flight with Jetstar to Melbourne, you're coming out roughly a hundred ahead.
Be smart about it, people, consider all of your options.
I've been to Prime twice, and Luke brings up an excellent point that I should focus on making a return Prime trip rather than toying with the idea of going to PAX Aus. I wonder how big of a discount PA will be able to negotiate. I've flown from NYC to Hawaii, Guam, and Japan, and those flights ranged from $600-$1000, so I thought it was reasonable to assume this would not be $2,000.
I've sailed on the QM2 (the fastest cruise liner in the world at the moment) from Guam to Australia (roughly Brisbane) and also from Hamburg to New York. Guam to Australia took just as long. The Pacific Ocean is BIG! HUGE! I got on a ship in Hawaii, sailed south, and there was fuck-all for six days. In six days you can sail across the Atlantic. Six days in the Pacific gets you between two islands archipelagos, both notable for being in the middle of nowhere.
All your assumptions about the cost and time of travel based on the northern hemisphere? It's a good idea to chuck them out when considering travel down to Australia. Flying from LA isn't as bad. The main hub of flight connections from Europe and Asia isn't even in Australia, you always connect through Singapore. This is because Australia is so big you don't want to fly there first, and then make a connection to the city you really want to visit, instead you've got to fly right there.
When I last looked at tickets (right when Guy told me they were doing a 3rd PAX), tickets to Brisbane and Sydney were about $1400-1600. That's why I'm a little surprised about the $2000+ prices right now.
During that time period, yeah, it does tend to be - it's Victoria's ski season during that part of the year, so they tend to get people flocking in for that, also people just going to see the snow, which is a hell of a novelty here - a popular senior trip, in fact, for High Schools. There's also winterblues and Melbourne Open House, and the Melbourne Jazz Festival around then. Last of all, Melbourne is usually the most expensive Australian city to fly to - The further north you go, the cheaper it tends to be.
Once again, my advice, consider flying into other cities, and then flying down to Melbourne from there - Brisbane and Sydney are probably your best bets. Do try to fly into Tullarmarine, though, rather than Avalon. If you fly into Avalon, the cab fare is about a hundred bucks, because Avalon's out in the middle of fuck off nowhere, and there's fuck all to do in Avalon. If I can, I'll be trying to pick y'all up, but I can't promise it at this point. I'll hire a car if I have to, but I'll try to borrow one instead. I'll let you know closer to the date. There is a shuttle and bus available, but they're both kinda ass.
Perhaps Melbourne is just a bit more expensive?
In fact, yes. Aside from being the eighth most expensive city in the world to live in(about half again as expensive as New York, in fact), hotels, restaurants, entertainment, everything costs an absolute mint.
For me, it's a choice between PAX Aus or a Windows Surface Pro. Sorry, but I'll have to go for the Surface.
Bullshit! You can buy a surface after(and it'll be cheaper then, too) but this is the Inaugural PAX AUS, you can't miss that in favor of a tablet that you can buy later for cheaper anyway.
$1300 for airfare plus, lets say, $500 for hotel, another $300 for expenses.
Sorry man, I can't ask to put away nearly $2500 out of my January tuition disbursement to go to PAX AUS. I give most of my tuition money to my parents to help pay the bills and they DO need it. Even spending (assumed, not known) $1200 on the tablet would be dicey, but I need to replace my laptop that I use to take notes and stuff at school. It can't even scroll a word document without lagging at this point. And getting the Surface Pro would mean, with a USB Digital Audio Interface, I could do my audio engineering work on site.
PAX is amazingly fun, and being able to hang with you at the brand new PAX would be awesome, but I make $70 a month and school is only going to get more intense next semester. Not only can I not float this, but the tablet is just more of a value right now.
Given it's reasoning (keep the middle of the road free of lingering traffic, at all costs), I can understand how why you'd implement something such as a hook turn. It's funky as all hell, of course, but I get it.
Given it's reasoning (keep the middle of the road free of lingering traffic, at all costs), I can understand how why you'd implement something such as a hook turn. It's funky as all hell, of course, but I get it.
It's mostly because of the trams, which are pretty ace I'll admit. But still, man, I dislike hook turns.
Hook Turn vs No left turn in New Jersey? tough one there
Fair point, actually.
What. The. Fuck.
Roughly my reaction the first time I had it explained to me.
Comments
Sorry, but I'll have to go for the Surface.
Do people really lug their computers to the PAX East / West conventions? (Re: BYOC tickets)
Yes, there are people who bring full desktops, usually either because they want to play LAN games with their own settings, or to show off cool casemods.
NOTE: In my opinion, playing games on your PC at PAX is a waste of precious board-gaming and panel time.
It's cheaper to take a PAX to Australia than it is to fly all the Australian PAX fans to either Seattle or Boston. Think about that. If it was easy or cheap or convenient to get from the USA (either coast) to Australia, PAX wouldn't have to go there, as it would be just as cheap and easy for Australian PAX people.
This is the reason bands go on tour, so that all their fans don't have to travel from all over the world to see them in their home town.
Do you think you're more hardcore than Australian gamers about PAX? I don't. Money and time will be far better spent on going to PAX East AND Prime in one year. That will cost far less than a single trip to Australia.
As the crow flies
NYC to Melbourne is 10358.258. miles.
NYC to Tokyo is 6741.877 miles
The cheapest tickets I see to AUS are ~$1400 one way from NYC. That's about $400 to get to LAX and $1000 to go down under. So $2800 for the whole thing.
It's definitely not cheap to get to and from Australia, but you can trivially get the price down to ~$2000 from NYC for a round trip - I don't know why Scott is getting $2800.
Finding prices lower than $2000 would take extra effort, so if you need it to be $1000 you should pretty much give up (although there have been sales to bring prices that low in the past).
However, I think you could get a price as low as $1500 for the round trip with a good bit of luck or effort.
The ~$1,400 that Scott mentioned was 1-way. I was able to stir up a $2,000 round trip, although it did involve 2 stops. I think we've beat this horse to the ground now
Also, if you're booking tickets this far out, you're doing it wrong. Wait a little longer for the flight scheduling for at least early next year to come out, and they only come out about six months in advance.
Also, don't forget to consider package deals. Right now, I can fly to LA return for about a grand and a bit, but if I take a week-long hotel deal with it, it drops the price to about 850 bucks.
Also, consider flying to LA on a cheaper local carrier, and then having your ticket to Melbourne be from LA as the departure point. It might save you some cash.
Lastly, consider flying into other Australian major cities. Right now, I can book a flight to melbourne for $80 and change, plus fees of fuck all because it's domestic. So if you can get a flight that's 200 bucks cheaper by flying to Brisbane and then catching a flight with Jetstar to Melbourne, you're coming out roughly a hundred ahead.
Be smart about it, people, consider all of your options.
All your assumptions about the cost and time of travel based on the northern hemisphere? It's a good idea to chuck them out when considering travel down to Australia. Flying from LA isn't as bad. The main hub of flight connections from Europe and Asia isn't even in Australia, you always connect through Singapore. This is because Australia is so big you don't want to fly there first, and then make a connection to the city you really want to visit, instead you've got to fly right there.
2,000 dollars is about right from NYC.
Once again, my advice, consider flying into other cities, and then flying down to Melbourne from there - Brisbane and Sydney are probably your best bets. Do try to fly into Tullarmarine, though, rather than Avalon. If you fly into Avalon, the cab fare is about a hundred bucks, because Avalon's out in the middle of fuck off nowhere, and there's fuck all to do in Avalon. If I can, I'll be trying to pick y'all up, but I can't promise it at this point. I'll hire a car if I have to, but I'll try to borrow one instead. I'll let you know closer to the date. There is a shuttle and bus available, but they're both kinda ass. In fact, yes. Aside from being the eighth most expensive city in the world to live in(about half again as expensive as New York, in fact), hotels, restaurants, entertainment, everything costs an absolute mint.
Sorry man, I can't ask to put away nearly $2500 out of my January tuition disbursement to go to PAX AUS. I give most of my tuition money to my parents to help pay the bills and they DO need it. Even spending (assumed, not known) $1200 on the tablet would be dicey, but I need to replace my laptop that I use to take notes and stuff at school. It can't even scroll a word document without lagging at this point. And getting the Surface Pro would mean, with a USB Digital Audio Interface, I could do my audio engineering work on site.
PAX is amazingly fun, and being able to hang with you at the brand new PAX would be awesome, but I make $70 a month and school is only going to get more intense next semester. Not only can I not float this, but the tablet is just more of a value right now.
Michigan has that shit down.
I should find a quiet spot to let you guys have a bit of a drive, too. I don't want to miss your first time driving on the left hand side.