I started to think about going to SteemFest 4 during SteemFest 3.
It's always like that, right? The event is being great and people start to think they should repeat. And then... the emotional goodbye.
I was in SF2 in Lisbon and SF3 in Krakow. Both events were very nice and it makes me regret I was not present in the first one in Amsterdam. Obviously, I want to participate in this year's event also.
When I first knew the location I got mixed feelings.
- On the one hand Thailand is a country I really want to visit, for several reasons. I think I'll love it all, cities, islands... What better context to go there?! SteemFest is great to meet new people, attend to interesting talks, learn about different topics and have fun. Doing all this in a place I want to know is even better!
- On the other hand, th€r€ ar€ som€ issu€s to consid€r! It's a bit far way what makes it costly. I was lucky so far... Lisbon and Poland are not bad locations for SteemFest to happen for someone living in Portugal :) Now it's my turn to make a bigger effort in case I decide to go. The thing is I just came back from two weeks in Japan. And that trip, that was superb, put my budget under some pressure.
Budgeting
After attending SF2 I became aware I had to manage to be able to have some spare money (and time) in November. From that moment on I start behaving like if I have two week vacation somewhere. That means I must have the work under control and some money available.
The immediate costs are flights, accommodation and SF ticket
Plane tickets - I can get them around 700€... if I don't take too long.
Accommodation - The Prince Palace Hotel, where some of the action will take place is affordable but I'll consider some cheaper options as long as they're close. 30€/night seems possible.
SteemFest ticket - This is a hard one. First of all, I'd like to buy a regular ticket since I'm now a dolphin but I'm still a skinny dolphin and I if I buy the regular I'll spend so much steem I won't be a dolphin any more. Not even close. Another issue is the current Steem value... I think I'll end up buying the ticket with fiat. Thailand is known for its very affordable prices and that made me think the tickets would be cheaper. I guess I was wrong but I have no idea of what some costs are (venues, etc.) and what level of support the organization has (sponsors, etc.). One thing is certain, previous events were wonderful and the attendees were very well taken care of.
About SF tickets... there's something worth remember. During the event or in the end people always think perhaps it was cheap! "How did @roelandp and the crew organized all this? It looked expensive at first but now I feel it was cheap." people say.
Conclusion - I'll probably go and I'll probably pay for everything using fiat I saved (not all but partially) because I knew SF4 was going to happen somehow, somewhere.
That's all about SteemFest itself.
However, it's such a long trip that I'll probably stay for a little longer. What brings me to the last topic:
Koh Chang - The Steem Island
I have no reason to skip this part and I definitely want to be part of it!
The budget is not completely finished for these extra days but looking at the options available in the SteemFest website, going there is not expensive at all and a quick search in the internet shows us some cool bungalows in the beach or really near that have fair prices. If the food is as good and affordable as some Steemians keep saying, there's no question I'll be there :) I'll have to keep in touch with the steemians planning to go there to have more solid plans myself.
In a few days I'll know for sure if I'll go. I'll let you know.
Steem on and budget!
RMach