First Ticket: AirpLane or Event?

[engineer2012]

Hi there,
Airplane tickets can already be purchased for August and September 2012. Does anyone has any problems (sold out?) with buying plane tickets in January or February (Europe to Reno), so after the purchase of an event ticket? Should I wait? Same for a RV or a Budget moving truck. Order or wait till early 2012?

And yes, one way or the other, I will be attenting in 2012, that's a promise!

[junglesmacks]

Buy your ticket FIRST.

Repeat after me: BUY YOUR TICKET FIRST


Airline prices will most likely go down after the holidays anyway.

[AntiM]

Buy your ticket FIRST.

Repeat after me: BUY YOUR TICKET FIRST


Airline prices will most likely go down after the holidays anyway.

+ 1000

[engineer2012]

I'll buy my ticket first

I'll buy my ticket first

I'll buy my ticket first

I'll buy my ticket first

I'll buy my ticket first

I'll buy my ticket first

I'll buy my ticket first

I'll buy my ticket first etc

Thanx
I'll buy my ticket first

I'll buy my ticket first

I'll buy my ticket first

I'll buy my ticket first

I'll buy my ticket first

[junglesmacks]

Good boy



Don't make us dig through all the threads from Euro burners stuck with plane tickets in hand with RV rentals to boot but no event tickets and crying up a storm..

[lemur]

#1 ticket to burning man
#2 supplies to survive the week
#3 transportation from reno to black rock city
#4 transit to reno

[junglesmacks]

#1 ticket to burning man
#2 supplies to survive the week
#3 transportation from reno to black rock city
#4 transit to reno

Eh.. I would personally put it at this:

#1 ticket to burning man
#2 transit to reno
#3 supplies to survive the week
#4 transportation from reno to black rock city


Reno to BRC is cake.. you could stand in a Walmart parking lot with your thumb up your ass and there will always be at least an RV full of French ravers in speedos to give you a ride..


Just ask Simon. He still wets the bed at night over it..

[Dr Helix]

IF YOU NEED A REMINDER OF THIS, JUST LOOK AT THE OLD THREADS OF THOSE WHO BOUGHT THEIR PLANE TICKETS FIRST THEN GOT SHUT OUT OF BURNING MAN WHEN IT SOLD OUT. MADDENING.

[trilobyte]

Like the others have said, I'd recommend event ticket first. Reno's not such a popular destination that you run a great risk of flights fully booking between now and spring (or whenever you plan on making that purchase).

[graidawg]

read the survival guide and first timers guide
then burning man ticket
read the survival guide and first timers guide
then my ticket, because i am so deserving etc. hey i wanted get one beg in on this thread, while LF is away in patagonia or wherever, someone should right?
read the survival guide and first timers guide
then monitor the prices to reno. like i have been since sept 12th. bay bridge sue pointed out they usually go down about 3 months prior to the flight (they did last year too, though i already had a ticket)
read the survival guide and first timers guide
next plan your food and camping needs for the week, if you are rv'ing it book one. if its a bit expensive try and HALF fill it - you cannot sleep 6 people in a 6 berth rv unlees they are vert good friends, and dont want to be by tuesday.
read the survival guide and first timers guide
next if you aren't rv'ing it try sort a ride or rental car too BRC.
read the survival guide and first timers guide
buy things you intend to take - Americans dont have cordial so i reccomend taking ribena or elderflower cordial or any interesting flavors you may know of.
read the survival guide and first timers guide
decide if you want to join a theme camp, it can make life easier
between here
.
.
.
.
.
and here they may be few steps i have missed but i went for the first time last year and mydearfriend did almost all of the legwork for me because she is great.
fly to reno.
(edited to add) buy food water and camping supplies
get to brc by chosen method of transport
get your ticket from will call and clutch it eagerly
give your ticket to gate, they will return most of it promise.
go to greeters
WELCOME HOME
have a great time make new friends and try not to die, that spoils it for other people.

i think that covers the obvious questions and answers.

[Canoe]

But get your ticket early and be prepared to move very shortly after that to book an RV.
Smaller RVs sellout quicker (usually).

In addition to RV/Rental advice friendly rental places on burningman.com, search RV threads here on specific RV booking advice. Some have already booked their RV for 2012. Shouldn't be as critical for a truck (vs. RV), but again, search for Burner friendly truck rentals and when you should book by.

Premium fees renting RVs out of Reno (in some cases, $6,000 a week instead of $3,000 a week). Less but still possible for a premium from nearby cities. Significant savings can be had (regular fees) if you go as far away as Phoenix, but you have to be prepared for your time, gas cost, (possible mileage cost, rumor is some will rent unlimited), rental fees for the extra driving time, and wear & tear on the driver.

[Raymaker]

coming from London I have to wait quite late to book my flight, waiting for Fall prices to kick in

[VultureChow]

So far this has reinforced what I was already planning... Event Ticket, Airline, Car, supplies.

If one's intent though is to buy an event ticket the day they become available, is there truly a possibility of not getting one? Does the fact that 2011 sold out mean that there will be a rush on tickets or that organized scalpers will finally jump on this event too? Or am I worrying for nothing. Does the fact that it took months for it to sell out mean that the gap between supply and demand isn't too wide?

[Sic Pup]

FWIW Bing Travel has an airline price predictor that purports to tell you the best time to purchase your airfare basis historical data.

[Nipple]

1) Parent/Guardian
2) Ticket
3) Airplane Ticket/Transportation
4) Supplies

[Savannah]

So far this has reinforced what I was already planning... Event Ticket, Airline, Car, supplies.

If one's intent though is to buy an event ticket the day they become available, is there truly a possibility of not getting one? Does the fact that 2011 sold out mean that there will be a rush on tickets or that organized scalpers will finally jump on this event too? Or am I worrying for nothing. Does the fact that it took months for it to sell out mean that the gap between supply and demand isn't too wide?

Save your ticket money, update the browser on your ticket-buying computer, and keep watching the main Burning Man webpage for the sell date. There are probably some greater anti-scalping measures being developed as we speak. (One that already existed: not allowing more than 4 tickets to any one credit card, etc.)

Oh, and join the Jack Rabbit Speaks newsletter. Ticket news is reliably sent there, and it really helped a number of people stay ahead of the sell-out last year.

http://www.burningman.com/blackrockcity ... lists.html

[MOOP_Czar]

Buy tickets first.

Wait and get flight in.

If worse comes to worse, you can sell your tickets.

For what you paid for them.

[theCryptofishist]

If one's intent though is to buy an event ticket the day they become available, is there truly a possibility of not getting one? Does the fact that 2011 sold out mean that there will be a rush on tickets or that organized scalpers will finally jump on this event too? Or am I worrying for nothing. Does the fact that it took months for it to sell out mean that the gap between supply and demand isn't too wide?

I think that you are worrying for nothing. With 50,000 people getting on to the playa, it would have to really be bizarre if there weren't tickets 24 hours after they went on sale. If the price tier matters to you, then earlier is better--we think. We don't know what the new procedures will be. The questions you are asking indicate to me that you have a much better appreciation of reality than many who were caught without tickets, despite being burners of many years standing.

[trilobyte]

I wouldn't worry about event tickets selling out on the first day. Last year, event tickets took more than 6 months to sell out. Even if the BLM does not increase the capacity, and there is a run on tickets, you're still likely looking at 3-4 months from on-sale to sellout. What will likely happen (based on previous years) is that on the first day, the servers will be jammed, it will take a lot longer than people want it to, and the first several tiers of tickets will sell through.

[engineer2012]

Thanx all for the comments.
I am aiming for a BM ticket (two actually) a week after they go on sale. First days are hectic, as I followed last year (actually this year January).
Then, after the confirmation e-mail, I shall purchase an airline ticket. Transport from Reno to BRC I have to figure out what I want. Thinking of a small Budget moving truck.
thanks again and I almost can't wait for the first exiting moment: ticket purchase BM2012

[pizzamancer]

If you get a deal on an airline ticket, get it. Saving $300-$400 on a flight is a big deal. My guess is that although you can purchase a ticket to the US this far out, it will by no means be priced well. There is a sweet spot, about 4-5 months out when all of the travel agencies are making reservations, where you can probably get a better deal. Just be ready to buy your ticket to Burning Man the week they go on sale. For a few years in a row, the first day the servers went down, so give it a shot, but don't get your hopes up. They aren't going to sell out the first day.

[jcliff]

Sage advice so far.....ticket first is a must. I've heard that 6 weeks ahead of travel is the best time to book a flight, but I haven't seen that with Burning Man. I only fly domestically, but last year I booked my flight in January expecting that I would kick myself as I watched prices drop....nope, I got in at the lowest price. I realize now that I could have booked as late as April for the same price, but my choice of flight times deminished as times went on.

If you are booking RV rental, then absolutely sooner is better. Several of the Reno companies give substantial discounts if you are paid in full by January. A friend of mine did the box truck thing this year and I was jealous of his digs. You should also check out the Reno Craigslist ads in the months leading up to the Burn because I've heard that local RV owners rent out their rigs for much less than the local companies charge.

[Canoe]

I read somewhere that airport peaks are for Xmas travel, but that Reno has two peaks, one Xmas and the other Burning Man, with Burning Man having similar passenger volume as Xmas. Therefore, few discounts into Reno during Burning Man.

[48_love]

Plus ... the Airline Ticket Lottery!!

/DOOOOOOM

[BBadger]

I laughed at all those morons last year who cried and whined that they had bought airline tickets/RVs rentals/etc. and found that the event sold out. No airline discount will be worth the chance that the entire trip will be useless, especially when the destination will be going to a shithole like Reno ("the most boring little city in the world").

So yeah, make sure you have your BM ticket guaranteed before you pay for the airline ticket and all the other stuff. You'll still find deals in that half year between.

[lemur]

those lavishly done taxidermy animals in the reno terminal dont stuff themselves..