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"SHOTGUN!"
"BLITZ!"
"Seriously?  That's a thing?"
 
For those who don't know, Blitz is generally when someone bigger than the person who called shotgun to sit in the front seat shoves the original 'shot-gunner' out of the way and gets the front seat.  I'm not here today to talk about shot-gun in a car, I'm going to use my experience with traveling to give some tips for traveling.  Whether it will be your first big event out of town, or, you are a seasoned veteran, hopefully some of these tips will help you on your literal Road to the World Championship Qualifier.

Firstly, allow me to demonstrate where my experience has come from.  In the last 18 months or so I have traveled for Magic: The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh!, concerts, and Anime conventions:
Asheville, NC - Shinedown on "The Sound of Madness" tour
Asheville, NC - Skrillex/2 Fresh/5th Planet show
Asheville, NC - Starcity Games Invitational Qualifier
Asheville, NC - Starcity Games Invitational Qualifier
Atlanta, GA - Starcity Games Standard Open 5k
Atlanta, GA - Starcity Games Standard Open 5k
Atlanta, GA - Yu-Gi-Oh! Championship Series Atlanta
Atlanta, GA - Yu-Gi-Oh! Regional
Belmont, NC - Starcity Games Invitational Qualifer
Belmont, NC - Starcity Games Invitational Qualifer
Belmont, NC - Starcity Games Invitational Qualifer
Belmont, NC - Starcity Games Invitational Qualifer
Burlington, NC - Yu-Gi-Oh! Regional
Charlotte, NC - Blue October concert
Charlotte, NC - Blue October unplugged concert
Charlotte, NC - Gruesome Twosome Tour
Charlotte, NC - Starcity Games Standard Open 5k
Charlotte, NC - Starcity Games Standard Open 5k
Charlotte, NC - Starcity Games Standard Open 5k ft the Invitational
Charlotte, NC - Yu-Gi-Oh! Regional
Charlotte, NC - Yu-Gi-Oh! Regional
Charlotte, NC - Yu-Gi-Oh! Championship Series Charlotte*****
Greeneville, TN - Locals with some friends while passsing though to PA XD
Greensboro, NC - Yu-Gi-Oh! Regional
Greenville, SC - Yu-Gi-Oh! 1k
Hickory, NC - Hickory Con 2011
Hickory, NC - Tri-State Championship Qualifier
Hickory, NC - Yu-Gi-Oh! Win a Flatscreen Tourny
Knoxville, TN - Yu-Gi-Oh! Regional
Knoxville, TN - Starcity Games Invitational Qualifier
Lhugoff, SC - The 2011's State Championships
Panama City Beach, FL - Local Tournament while out of town
Piedmont, SC - Yu-Gi-Oh! Regional
Piedmont, SC - Yu-Gi-Oh! Regional
Pinnacle, NC - Smilefest Reunion 2011
Pittsburg, PA - Grand Prix Pittsburg
Pittsburg, PA - Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship Qualifier
Raleigh, NC - Animazement! 2012
Raleigh, NC - Starcity Games Invitational Qualifier
Richmond, VA - Starcity Games Standard Open 5k
Rockingham, NC - Carolina Rebellion festival
Weaverville, NC - Starcitygames Invitational Qualifier

I mean to post that not to show off, more as a resume to list my qualifications.  So, here is a list of tips to make sure are 'checked off' while on the road:*

1.  Travel light

You don't need to take your entire collection with you.  The stress of carrying around 5 binders of commons is not worth the one trade you'll get out of them for your 1st edition Pumpking.  People who travel with you will also be annoyed at the amount of room your crap takes up.
 

2.  Have enough dough

Nobody likes that guy who says "I don't have the gas money now, but I'll sell some stuff when we get there, okay?"  Generally, gas and hotel need to be paid for up front by someone, and nobody likes the insecurity of someone not having the money yet.  If you can't afford the trip, don't go, it's pretty simple.  Don't overspend while you're at the event either.  I know it looks like the deal of a lifetime, but, you'll be ok without more cardboard.  I will literally not take certain people to events anymore because it's come time to leave at the end of the event and someone bought the deal of the century, but doesn't quite have gas/hotel money.  For most people, myself included, that shit doesn't fly.
 
3.  Don't start crap

This is something you would think goes without saying, but, it just isn't.  At YCS Atlanta, there was someone who had their binder stolen (surprise!).  Later that evening, as the doors were closing, someone came forward and confessed to stealing the cards, but wasn't going to give them back.  The original person proceeded to have 3-4 people chase after the thief, just to get maced by the thief.  The cops were called and arrests were made and everything, but, I can't help but imagine the thief only returned to start crap and show off.  Don't do it.  You don't know who a person is with, and, more often than not, you can get your ass kicked.
 
4.  Leave anything worth money in the trunk of the car.

If you drive up, leave everything valuable in the trunk of the car.  Generally speaking, on a roadtrip, foodwrappers will be everywhere and it will just look like a messy car on the side of the road and nobody will want to break in.  One time the group car was broken into and a laptop and lots of cards were stolen right out of the car.  I imagine that these things were left somewhat in open view, or else a passerby wouldn't have chosen it, of all cars, to break into.  If in a hatchback styled car like a Subaru Outback or a pickup truck, cover up valuables with wadded up clothing.  Again, it'll just look like a dirty car.  Most thieves don't pawn off skittles wrappers, dirty t-shirts, and Mtn Dew bottles.
 
5.  Travel with people you can trust

One of the worst situations I've had while traveling is something going missing while at the hotel, and someone else in the hotel 'trading for it' as soon as we get to the convention center.  Needless to say that person doesn't travel with anyone I know anymore.  Obviously one needs to keep a close eye on their belongings, but, if you can't sleep in the same room with someone, generally speaking, you can't travel with them either.
 
6.  Stick together

One way to stay out of bad situations, don't be alone whenever possible.  Obviously if you are playing in a big event, this isn't always doable, but, between rounds and while just hanging out, try to be with at least one person that you traveled with, if not everybody.  Some people prefer to be alone, but, generally speaking, thieves and hustlers aren't going to go after a group of four people.
 
7.  Enjoy the city

This sounds silly, but I can mark all of my best trips as the ones where I took a break at some point, and just walked around the city I was in.  So far, I'd have to say the Pittsburg, PA has been my favorite, but, the familiarity of Charlotte holds a special place with me.  You can find all kinds of awesome resturaunts that you've never heard of before, and, trust me, "mom n' pop joints" do have the best food, even if their menu is a whiteboard and the food takes half an hour to come out.  I'm not saying go on a grand tour, but, if you have the capitol and ability, go a day early, it's great.  It also helps you mentally prepare for the tournament by resting your brain from the mental strain of tournament play.
 
8.  Get good directions

This sounds obvious and silly, but, getting lost in Atlanta is no joke.  It is about a 4 hour trip from where I live to Atlanta.  Going to YCS Atlanta (to get to the hotel the night before) took approximately 8 hours because we got lost in the city.  The same happened in Pittsburg the first time I went, that weekend had 3 big events going on:

1. Yu-Gi-Oh! Nationals
2. American Idol Tryouts
3. Filming for Batman: The Dark Knight Rises

There were detours everywhere.  Again, thankfully we went the night before and weren't late, but, it was pretty difficult finding everything.
 
9.  Leave early when possible

When going to an event, try to go the night before.  I understand some people's work schedules won't allow it, but, I listed to examples above this where I wouldn't have made the tourny if I had left the morning of the event, instead of the night before.  It's the worst feeling driving around an unknown city, trying to find a venue, knowing that when you get there, you'll just be able to play side events all day.
 
10.  Have an emergency $20**

Seriously.  Do it.  I cannot list all of the times that this has helped me. Lemme break this down for you in case you don't get it:

What do you use this $20 for?
-Food
-A pay phone
-Parking
-Unexpected Fees
-A token to relate to a mugger, explaining you only have $20 and you need it to get home.***

All of the above are things that I've used the E-20 for.  Generally save it for last, and try to keep it for emergency situations.  On the other hand:

What do you NOT use this $20 for?
-The deal of a century
-Cards
-Replacing money you chose to spend on stupid stuff
-Sleeves
-Tournament Entry
-Ferry Tours

Again, this money is for EMERGENCIES.  I know that 20 bucks doesn't go as far as it used to, but, it is something and it does a lot more than you probably give credit for.

11.  Verify any reservations before leaving your home.

I've arrived to a hotel before, only to be told that they don't know what reservation I'm talking about, and I must have the wrong hotel.  Sometimes even a confirmation number won't do the trick.  I've also had a reservation of a rental car cancelled when I arrived at the airport to pick it up.  It's generally a bad situation that can be prevented if you call ahead.  It's amazing what you can do if you complain to the right people.****
 
12.  Detours are the best

Does anyone actually believe this?
 

14.  Most hotels don't have a 13th floor.

Neither does this list.  Seriously though.  Next time you go to a tall hotel, chances are, it goes straight from 12 to 14 on the elevator.
 
 
I hope that these tips were able to help you for reading this far, I know it what quite a bit of information, and some of it was more obvious than the rest of it.  I could go on and on about different experiences I've had "on the road", but, that would make an incredibly long article.  If you want some of the stories, or just wanna talk to me about this article or the game, feel free to contact me on any of the various social media sites.

email: andro_sphinx@yahoo.com
facebook: facebook.com/shakezilluh
pojo forums: themcshakealchemis (no t)
youtube: themcshakealchemist (with a t)
twitter: paper_gangsta_
 
Thanks a ton for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!

Never stop learning,
Sean Handy
The McShake Alchemist
 
*I'm aware I have said some of these points previously, it is more for preperation and importance that I stress the points again.
**For real, this has helped me so many times that it isn't funny.
***If they still insist on taking the money, just give it to them, but, a lot of times, you'll see a mugger and it's just someone in a bad situation.  If you can help them relate with you, then they generally will stop.  Generally if you offer to take them to lunch with your money they'll consider that good enough.  It's amazing what McDoubles can do today.
****This generally encompasses every website that is associated with the company.  If the hotel has 5 companies breathing down their neck, they're generally much more courtious
*****I ON'T EVEN NEED DIRECTIONS TO GET HERE ANYMORE