Road Trip: Packing for FGS 2013

Skyline of Ft. Wayne, Indiana

In a month I will leave for FGS in Ft. Wayne.  Yes, a miracle happened and I was able to pull off the trip registering on the last day for the early bird discount.  Even better, I am squeezing in a visit to my extended family before the conference.  Yay!  

Potential family finds and a genealogy conference, what more could I wish for.  Oh, and I am dragging my parents along for the ride.  Yep, mom and dad will be attending the conference as well.  This is going to get crazy!

Is a month out too soon to start thinking about packing?  I have attended a couple conferences on other topics, but, like I have said before, never a large genealogy conference.  There has to be something I just can’t live without right?  On the other hand large conferences are pretty much the same so I should be able to rely on past experiences. 

I have spent the last few hours trying to figure out how much I should stuff into my car.  Oh…did I mention I was driving from Virginia? Yeah, 14 hours-ish on the road, meeting mom and dad in Indiana for family visiting, and then off to Fort Wayne.  Wish me luck.  Or even better buy me a drink at the hotel when I get in.

­­­So…let’s dive into what I think I should bring.  I will rely on you all to tell me if I am being a little too ambitious.  Oh, and I will limit it to conference stuff only.  I won’t bore you with what I am packing in the truck for on the road entertainment.

See you in Fort Wayne!

 

General Needs:

Sturdy large bag: Bigger than a purse but smaller than a duffel bag is what I like to bring.  Something sturdy enough to put shopping in as well as carry everything I think I will need to have a happy conference.

Comfy shoes:  I am all for being stylish but now that I am mumble mumble years old I can appreciate comfortable footwear.  Some sort of loafer or sneakers will be in my bag for the trip.

Layers: Dressing in layers is always a must.  While it might be sweltering outside you can bet that there will be at least one room that is a freezer inside.  A light sweater or jacket will be with me.

Snacks: Having a few snacks on hand when you can’t get out for a real meal is a must have. Protein bar, some nuts, a piece of fruit, or anything that will give a boost of energy, but is small, is great to have.  I also tend to carry some hard candy or gum just in case I need it after lunch. 

Water:  While my morning coffee is important I have become addicted to carrying a water bottle with me.  Now that you can get bottles with built in filters I will have one of these in my bag as well.  I can have water with me at any time and no worries about where the recycling bin is.

Electronics: Cords, cables, iPod, head phones, and etc.  A techie girl has to have her toys in tow!

Conference Needs:

Schedule:  I have already highlighted and dog-eared the FGS conference schedule that I picked up from my local society meeting months ago.  However, my organization streak has not stopped there because now that I am actually going my spread sheets are out.  I will have as much of my time planed out and arranged as possible before I get there.

Business Cards:  A few months back I had a bunch of business cards made up with my contact information printed on them.  They have come in handy at meetings and presentations or when I meet someone else in the genealogy world and I want to keep in touch.  I hope that I can pass them out to new friends here too!

iPad: Do I need to say more?

Notebook/Binder:  Yes, sometimes an old fashioned paper and a notebook/binder is the answer.  I can keep my schedule (in plastic page protectors), important papers, contact numbers, itineraries, maps, and what not in one place. 

Writing tools: Stylus for the iPad, pens, pencils, highlighters, colored pencils, you name it I will have at least one of it on me for making the written word happen. 

Mailing labels:  I use filled out mailing labels to save my hands and time in filling out things at conferences.   They can be used to label your handouts, enter a contest, in a pinch as a business card, and many other things.  It would surprise you what you can use a mailing label for.  I put my full contact information on it as well as my social media contacts. 

Research Needs:

Laptop:  I can’t leave home without it.

Thumb drives: For those lucky times when you can copy files directly onto drives instead of having to cart loads of paper home.

Strategy: A prioritized list of what I want to look for.  I plan on visiting the Allen County Public Library (or sending my parents on an excursion) several times during our time in Fort Wayne.  This means I need to spend the next month looking through their online catalogue and creating a game plane to make the most of my time there.

Folders: For those papers that I pick up.  I can keep them separate by topic or family, whatever I need.

Cash: for the copy cards in case I really do need to make photocopies.

Camera: I never go anywhere, particularly a research opportunity, without my camera.  Included in my bag are the cords to transfer images, extra batteries, and camera lens cleaner.