The Complications of Travel.

Traveling to conventions is part of what we do as webcomickers.  We find a show, apply to exhibit, and make the necessary arrangements to get there if we’re accepted.  You learn to anticipate factors like distance, time, and cost when determining if traveling to any given location will be worth it.  I’ve been doing this for almost two decades now, so I’m pretty practiced at it… or at least I thought I was.

This weekend I’ll be heading to DiNK Denver.  It will be my first time in Denver, so I’m pretty excited!  I always like visiting new cities and meeting new convention crowds, so I was excited when we were accepted to exhibit there!  Having had good experiences at new conventions and new cities, I thought nothing of the logistics of going to Colorado from Massachusetts.  I’d traveled to distant cities like Atlanta and Dallas with little problem, and I know people who live near Denver, so I assumed my travel plans would be routine.

Life has a way of sucker-punching you when you make assumptions.

The cost of a flight from Boston to Denver hit me with a right hand.  The distance from the airport to the convention center hit me with a left hand.  The reality of available flight times got me with an uppercut, especially when I discovered what time I’ll actually be arriving home after the show.  The weight limit of my suitcase, determining how many books I can bring with me, got me with a good one on the ear.  I haven’t felt the equivalent of a knockout punch yet, and I hope I don’t, but the realities of my upcoming trip certainly caught me with my guard down.

This is not to say I’m dreading my weekend.  DiNK Denver looks to be a unique, exciting convention and I’m certain I’m going to have fun there.  I have friends who will be exhibiting at the show and who live near the city, so it will be nice to see folks I know.  I’ve heard lots of good things about the city of Denver over the years, and I’m excited for the opportunity to finally visit it.  There are lots of positives to this weekend, and I know the trip will be worth it, one way or another.

Sometimes you have to get caught with your guard down to learn a valuable lesson.  After years of travel to numerous cities and few complications, my guard was way down, so reality gave me the wake-up call I apparently needed.