I have been asked by a bunch of West Coasters about going to WBB. How much does it cost?
For a basic explanation and brake down,
Air fair, round trip from Seattle to Philadelphia. $400.00
Car rental for a week and gas $300.00
7 days at the Shalimar. $450.00
FedEx cost for buggy and stuff round trip. $250.00
$1400.00 for 1 person, bring a friend, add $400.00 to the total.
Add in a bit of sight seeing and other things and a trip for 2 is 2 grand.

Not a bad cost for a great event and great people at a great spot and a huge beach.
You could work a bit on shopping for a better price for air fair and rental car, along with room and board and lower the total cost. This is a vacation for me and I am going to have a great time while spending my hard earned money.

Not everyone can do this a couple times a year but it is possible to do at least once in your life. I have spent more and gone half the distance to events in the past.
Add another $1000.00 and you could include Jibe in your trip. Unless they schedule the 2 events at the same time

Nice post .... Good idea to let people know about it.
.... Many rooms in Shalimar have 4 beds for same price.... so sometimes you may find roommate if you plan ahead. Some rooms have mini kitchen, so you can cook your meals in hotel to save money .
... For cheaper car rental look at RelayRides ...... it is like Uber for car rentals ....
.... If you flying to Philadelphia , stay there for a day and you can see some nice sites .....
... for shipping , use your friend's commercial account to save big .... I think up to about 40%

That's pretty much what I had always speculated flying to one of the events would be. I had always thought I would stuff the kites in luggage since mine don't take up much room and ship the pl buggy. I was guessing shipping on a little buggy would be somewhere around 50-75 each way. Does that sound about right?

Quote: Originally posted by ssayre

That's pretty much what I had always speculated flying to one of the events would be. I had always thought I would stuff the kites in luggage since mine don't take up much room and ship the pl buggy. I was guessing shipping on a little buggy would be somewhere around 50-75 each way. Does that sound about right?

hey...i have 3 bugs and only 1 butt...all i require is a few your local IPA's......think about that

There are so many buggies out there, one is alway available for a ride. I wouldn't worry about shipping one.

I usually bring two,and also have only one butt.

I shipped my Libre Hardcore with suspension front end and no wheels/tires. Paid it both ways. The buggy weight was 76lbs. Going to borrow wheels/tire from Rich. Also sent a box of stuff to give away.
My kites will be in a golf bag and checked in at the airport for $25.00 both ways. A pl bug weight is half my bug and would cost about $70.00 one way from Seattle.

TOTALLY WORTH IT!

Getting out east sort of felt like going to a family gathering for the 1st time. All these people I knew by ( PKF ) name that felt like Cousins or something that I sort of knew but never met.

Thanks to my Eastern Cousins I only had to travel with an extra bag for Coyotes and kites. ( + safety gear )

Also thanks to my main man Cheesey, I got a great deal on a hotel just outside of NYC and was able to knock it ( + Atlantic City ) off my bucket list. :cool2:

Airfare to Newark was reasonable. Same with the rental car. I didn't do the math but the trip wasn't a big hit to the fun budget. It was a trip I'll truly never forget so ....... PRICELESS!

Unfortunately the Canadian dollar has tanked in value. I have JIBE sitting right near the top of my bucket list but think I will have to pass on it for now?

I just shipped that GT Rapide to an undisclosed location on the east coast and it was $80 (one way of course). That was a heavy race buggy, but without wheels and tires. It shipped Fedex ground.

off topic, but i shipped a landboard not too long ago for somewhere around $23. I was surprised it wasn't more than that since I've always read shipping can be expensive with those. Shipped to east coast. I didn't think that was bad at all. $80 doesn't sound bad for fedex ground. They were charging me $20 to ship normal fb kites until I wised up and starting using usps

Quote: Originally posted by ssayre

off topic, but i shipped a landboard not too long ago for somewhere around $23. I was surprised it wasn't more than that since I've always read shipping can be expensive with those. Shipped to east coast. I didn't think that was bad at all. $80 doesn't sound bad for fedex ground. They were charging me $20 to ship normal fb kites until I wised up and starting using usps

When I ship a Flexboard the cost is $40.00 with USPS. Best price for the board of this size, and insured for the cost of replacement. As with all things and shipping, it's the insurance that cost so much.
If I shipped my quiver of Centuries with insurance would cost me $1300.00, with shipping being only $38.00.
This is one of the reasons why the guys in Europe sell their bugs here when they come over here for an event.

I never get insurance over and above the $50 that comes with priority. I just figure it's a gamble worth taking on the items I'm shipping between 150-400. I figured I'd just pony up if something goes wrong but so far so good. I can see it being necessary on the pricey stuff hence making insurance more expensive. Kind of a snowball effect. I'll stick to the cheap stuff.

The buggy I shipped was insured for $1000. FedEx is very competitive if you set up a free account with them. There is a discount for having the shipper acct and for setting up the shipment online. They have never botched a shipment to or from me. USPS has lost one and damaged one so I only use them for intl.

Update,
Ok, as things wind down and the last of the time away is coming to an end I have crunched the budget and have a few new developments.
Had a problem with the car rental company that wasn't forseen, double the original cost.
Eating out and helping with the pizza/sub sandwich fund, the desire to purchase one of those solo wheels or the Electric hoverboards everyone has for the no wind days.
The trip to the corner adult beverage store for cold medicine.:barf:

The next trip to WBB will be more than likely in the truck. With the cost of fuel, and room and food I can beat the cost by more than 40%.
Granted it will take an extra week with a bit of sight seeing along the way and the fact my truck gets close to 24mpg with the Diesel engine. I hate plane rides with a passion, enough said about that. Also the TSA went though my bag of kites and removed the 12.5 and 8m from their bags and just crammed half the kite, lines and handle into a rats nest in the bag for later frustration. They were nice enough to leave a notice of inspection, not that it wasn't noticed.
Bottom line is that it is not an event that will break the bank. Well worth the trip to be part of a group of buggyers that just want to play in the sand.
I am planning the next trip already.