Wait? I finally get to travel? - New Orleans Trip

I am actually going to get a vacation!

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Disco is actually going somewhere?

Yes, apparently I am.

Several weeks ago, when I learned that several of my colleagues from PAL (The discord server for the Minnow Support Project) were going to be meeting up in New Orleans, I decided that the timing meant I could try and make it.

I started looking at the feasibility of paying for this trip entirely with Steem. Now this would mean a power-down had to happen, and a sizeable bit of my account would go towards it, but I have a good reason to do this.

You see, I haven't really ever travelled before...

Not at least for this kind of event. I have travelled home for the holidays when I lived somewhere else. I have visited family across the country as a child, but that was more because I had to go with my family, not because I wanted to. What I have never really done is picked a place, gone there because I can, and just had some fun. It's never really been a thing I was able to manage without a lot more effort, and I haven't felt a need...

Until now...

I have wanted to meet the people going on this trip for a while now, several of them I have worked closely with and chatted to on Discord for more than a year. It was time to meet them. It really has been for a while, but I hadn't felt capable. This time, I looked at flight costs, how much my portion of lodging might run, how much any 'fun' might cost while I was there, etc. I realized that with a little bit of posting (which I haven't managed as much of as I probably shouyld have) and a power-down, I could afford it.

So, I started the power-down. Biting my nails at the various STEEM price fluctuations as I waited for enough to build up before I buy my airfare and such. I will be buying the round-trip ticket later this week for around $320-ish. Thankfully, I don't really need to check any bags, otherwise it would likely have cost me more. With my portion of the lodging coming to around $180-ish, I am figuring that the 'travel' portion of my costs are going to round up to a little over $500 USD. This is no small bit of cost for someone who has been enjoying a bit of unemployment for more than a year, but I feel it's worth it this time.

Some things I am looking forward to:

• Meeting some of my friends and fellow Moderators from PAL/MSP
• Getting to see something new in a place I have never been before
• Having some fun with the event happening in New Orleans that weekend (nobody realized until after we started planning this trip) - more on this in a bit.
• Doing something for me, no matter the cost it might have financially in the short-term.

As a bonus, this isn't just a normal holiday weekend!

After we started planning this trip, it came to our attention that this wouldn't be just any normal weekend. This will be the weekend of Southern Decadence.

Southern Decadence started forty-seven years ago as a simple going-away party. As a top gay Labor Day Weekend destination, it has evolved into one of our world's major annualevents. It is one of the largest annual celebrations and festivals in New Orleans, and has become known as the "Gay Mardi Gras." - http://www.southerndecadence.net/

I suspect that this will make for some excellent stories and memories to share with friends for years to come. Who knows? I might even earn some beads of my own. I mean... look at this picture, you know it's going to be interesting. This, by the way, was just about the only picture I could find that wasn't going to require censoring or a NSFW tag, google this event at your own risk. LOL

So, will there be a post after I get back?

I suspect I will have stories to tell, and secrets to keep. We shall see what I decide to post after, but I bet there will be something.

Stay tuned for more?

Thanks!

_{Proud Moderator and supporter of the Minnow Support Project - Brought to you by:}

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