(I'd like to apologize in advance if this is posted in the wrong place. If so, please direct me to the correct subreddit.)Being someone who’s been watching anime since I was a keiki, I’ve always wanted to just share my interest with others, or enjoy talking with people that liked the same shows as me. I’m fortunate to have family that doesn’t shun or think me foolish, but it’s also not so easy to get them to watch any anime with me. Only within the last few years was I introduced to conventions for one of my favorite ways to entertain myself, and being an old man of 23, I don’t really have any friends to do stuff like that. For a few years, I’ve wanted to go, but when looking up “going to your first con” every single one said to bring friends. I then changed my search to “going alone” and only one other article gave a short story of someone going alone, while everyone else stated “it’s no fun by your lonesome” and the like.Today, I share my experience going to my very first con ever by myself; all the pros, cons, tips, and things I would do differently next time.If you are going to a con alone, look up some basic do’s and don’ts to get an idea of what to expect. I will not cover any of that information, but it’s pretty easy to look up. Now that you are ready for a con I would:Start with one that’s in your state and small; it will be cost effective and you get a more personal feel when meeting people or even the panelist themselves. Going alone to a huge con can be very intimidating and expensive if done on a whim. Also, book at the closest hotel to the con. If it’s in a hotel, do your best to stay there; it will be so much better and less stressful.Next, it is HIGHLY, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that you are comfortable with yourself and around strangers. This is very important if you want to have a good time without the luxury of your friends to be with. Talk with people before or after a panel to see if you can tag along with them, talk, compliment cosplayers, talk, ask someone about that awesome “Goku gains” shirt, TALK! If you’re really adamant about going alone, but aren’t much of a talker… it will be hard to enjoy, trust me, that’s exactly what happened to me on the first day. Karaoke area (if available) is a good place to meet people as well if you’re on the shy side, so give it a shot :).Another important recommendation from me is to at least be the age of 18. Being any younger would most likely worry your parents and you won’t be able to get into the 18+ panels, which are a lot of fun when it comes to the comedy, how ‘bout that Spike Spencer panel ;) (I can’t say much for the “other” more explicit panels like touching butts and stuff) Plus if you’re 21 you can go down to the bar, have a drink to loosen up, then go and enjoy everything!!! BRING ENOUGH MONEY!!! There’s no one there you know that can have their money mooched off of, so make sure your funds are in check.Here’s some tips to make things smoother on a lone trek:• When looking for a con, be ready to spend quite a bit on the hotel unless you can convince a stranger to share a room with you.• Look for restaurants within walking distance to avoid driving around on an empty stomach. Plus the walk is quite soothing after sitting in panels all day.• Jump to different panels if you’re not interested in one, but make sure to sit in the back so you aren’t disturbing those that truly want to be there.• Not interested in any of those panels? Go check out the Artist’s Alley and Dealer’s Room; AA is cool to see local talent and possibly make a friend. DR is cool to see most things geek culture.• Finished that? Go eat and drink! I should mention to always drink your fluids as to not pass out of dehydration. The con I went to had a ton of areas with icy water, but I’m unsure if all will be that way.• Rest up for evening events if they tickle your fancy.• STAND IN LINE FOR THE COSPLAY CONTEST!!! It may seem long, but if you show up later the staff might not let you in because of capacity.• Want to save money? Buy your own food and drinks at the grocery store, or bring whatever you got from home. Check to see if the hotel you’re staying in has a fridge; otherwise bring a cooler.• Bring a backpack with you if you are interested in buying things. ‘Nough said• Do your best to be sociable. Someone there is going to be interested in whatever anime you like and it’s only through talking will you find out who, so get out there :)• If you are the type of person to lose valuables all the time write a list of things you bring before you leave the house.• Don’t expect to fall in love. I totally stole that from a thing I watched, but it’s very true. People at cons what to have fun around others that share a passion for anime, and most aren’t looking to meet a potential mating partner… of course that’s where the talking part comes back into focus.• DON’T BE A CREEP!!! ‘Nough saidIf I missed anything or you have any questions feel free to ask!Lastly, here are some things I will do next time I attend one by myself:On the first day, I was really nervous and when I’m nervous I look like I want to bite people’s heads off, so I want to be more conscious of how my facial expressions effect image. I want to do a cosplay next time as well. Putting on a costume to become a certain character sounds very scary, but it’s quite the contrary. It’s a great ice breaker if you want to be approached as opposed to approaching, you can be the character that everyone knows then introduce yourself for a more comfortable situation, entering the cosplay contest if that’s your cup of tea, potentially be drafted to be part of a panel. (Ex. There was a panel where the host was injured and couldn’t attend, so some awesome ladies stepped in and took it over doing an awesome job! Grampa was a great host :D)Karaoke area will be the place I go to for meeting some cool people. Sleeping so I don’t miss the panels I want to see.Talk to people more because again I was so nervous. I was a very awkward from 8th grade until I graduated because I was self-conscious of how I looked. After being the ugly duckling and making a life-style change for the past 5 years I didn’t really focus on my mindset until recently… anyway that was weird… talk more, yeah talk more…That’s it. If for some reason you’re interested in what I did at the con I went to let me know and I’ll share that. Hope this helps you all that want to go, but have no soul to bring. http://ift.tt/1MlO2qu
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