This blog used to be called CookTravelEat. It started as a venue for us to share our stories of a thirty-day backpack trip through Western Europe. Over time, we became The Nola Nerd Couple. However, with Star Wars Celebration coming up, I kept thinking of our travel blogs. Mainly, because preparing for Star Wars Celebration has many parallels to preparing for our trips to Europe. So here are our five ways to prepare for Star Wars Celebration.

Don’t Try to Do Everything

You can’t see all of London in a few days. You can’t see everything in a few weeks. You have to approach it as if you are going to go back. Now, Star Wars Celebration is only five days. You definitely won’t be able to see everything. Don’t kill yourself trying.

Pick what is important to you and make an itinerary. If you are an autograph person, plan to do that most of the day. If you love panels, then plan on doing that. Prioritize what is important to you, and hope you can get around to doing the other things at the next Celebration (or maybe another convention – we recently got Claudia Grey and Timothy Zahn to sign some books for us at Pensacon).

Of course, some things are going to be non-negotiable for you. When we went to Rome, we had to see the Vatican. When you are at Celebration, pick the things you have to do and build your day around it.

Veer From Your Itinerary

Yes, it is great to make a schedule and to stick to it as much as possible. However, don’t miss the “moments” because you will too busy being organized. We hadn’t planned on staying in Florence for two days when we arrived. Once we were in the city, we changed that real quick.

The same thing can happen at Celebration. In 2012, we went to a panel on the spur of the moment that was to be about Star Wars Detours. It had Seth Green and Donald Faison, so we decided to go that morning instead of getting an autograph of someone we had already met a few times before. We arrived in line, and got first-row balcony seats. Both of them were entertaining. But then, out of the shadows, George Lucas came on stage. He wasn’t scheduled to attend. That was a fantastic moment.

Protect Your Cash and Cards

We always exchange money before we travel abroad. Sure we could do it there, but we usually get off the plane, drop our bags, and then sightseeing. Having cash makes it easy. However, for a thirty-day trip, that’s a lot of money. We both wore the money belts in our pants (this is not a fanny pack). We would put our reserve money here and our passports. If we needed extra money, we would go to the restroom and get it. This way we didn’t have wads of cash in our wallet in case of pickpocketing.

Also, before we traveled, we called our credit/debit card companies and told them about our plans. This way they wouldn’t freeze our accounts when they say purchases from overseas.

We recommend doing both for Celebration. We like paying for things in cash because sometimes you can get a better deal. Also, going the cash route, often makes you stick to your budget. We also encourage you to call your banks if you are going to use cards. They will freeze your account if all of a sudden they see large amounts of money being charged in Chicago. This precaution is even more vital if you have been holding off using a credit card in advance of Celebration.

Bring an Empty Piece of Luggage.

We are huge fans of Rick Steves. If you are going to Europe, read his books and thank us later. He suggested instead of huge suitcases that you will have lug around, use backpacks. Well, what do you do with souvenirs? You either pack (or buy) another bag or ship them home.

We recommend bringing another piece of luggage or buying a bag at Celebration. You are going to buy stuff, so this makes it easier. Of course, you can ship, and that might be the easier (albeit more expensive option), but we always have another bag with us to make sure we can bring home all of our goodies.

Take Breaks During the Day

When we were in Europe we had a rule of not doing business with any American companies. The exception was Starbucks. We aren’t huge fans of Starbucks (I can’t tell you the last time we went there), but it had AC and WiFi. It allowed us to take a break.

Same goes for Celebration. Going from one autograph line to a panel to a photo-op to a podcast to a meetup is exhausting. Stop and get water and some food. Get

a second bottle of water and bring it with you. Con exhaustion is real. Sit down, make a friend. Check in with people at home. Tell people on social media how much fun

Preparing for Star Wars Celebration Your Own Way

Of course, this is just some of our advice. My wife has done every stateside celebration since IV. I’ve been to all the ones in America since 2012. We haven’t done it with our little one yet, even though we have done other cons. We also tend to meet up with friends and family that live far away at Celebration so we don’t always do a lot of after hours activities.

However, if you have a question ask us! Between us and our friends, we can also find an answer. Of course using the hashtag #starwarscelebration on twitter can give you tons of feedback.

Just remember, it’s never too early to start preparing for Star Wars Celebration.

About Star Wars Celebration

Star Wars Celebration will occur April 11-15, 2019 at the McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois. Star Wars Celebration is the ultimate Star Wars fandom event. Celebrity guests, authors, and crew members from the saga will be interacting with guests through panels, photo ops, or autograph opportunities. There will be Q&A sessions with various members of the saga. Also, plenty of fan lead discussions and cosplay contests will take place

. Also, there will be tons of rare Star Wars merchandise available.

Hope to see you there and may the force be with you!

How are you preparing for Star Wars Celebration? Do you have any tips and tricks? Let’s discuss in the comments!

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