NEST

Budgeting

Kink events cost money. You are the only one who knows your financial situation and what is feasible. Financial responsibilities come first! Please do not come to NEST without the means to get you through the weekend or expecting others to foot (no pun intended) your bill(s).

Expense Breakdown

Hotel

Although the specifics change each year, room costs are usually around $130 per night for a 2 bed room. You can have up to 4 people in a room (as long as you don’t mind sharing beds), so finding roommates can be a great way to lower your costs.

The best place to try to find roommates is the NEST Discord. You can post in the general channels (as long as you are not specific about hotel location or information), or you can wait until the registered attendees area of the Discord is open, and ask around there. Try to be specific about the kind of room experience you’re looking for. Here’s an example:

“Hi! I’m Jenna! I am a 34 year old female. I am extremely loud, annoying, and I don’t know how to clean up after myself. I go to bed late and wake up early and am a blanket hog. ISO two people (any age/any gender) who won’t mind the chaos that follows me around. PM me if, for whatever reason, this sounds like a good fit!”

It’s best to wait for someone who will be a good match, rather than going straight for the first person who responds. Gathering weekends can be extremely overwhelming, and you want your room to be a calming place to retreat and refresh. A negative roommate situation can really affect your weekend.

A REMINDER THAT SHOULD NOT NEED TO BE SAID BUT WILL BE: Roommates are for rooming purposes only; rooming with someone does not mean that play is expected in any way, shape, or form.

Transportation

NEST is held in the general Philadelphia area, with the Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) being the closest airport. Amtrak also has a large station downtown. Your transportation budget is entirely based on where you are and what you’ll use to get there. Some general tips:

  • Set up an alert for flights through something like Google Flights or Hopper. The best time to buy tickets tends to be 6-8 weeks out from the event.
  • Utilize the Discord to see if there’s anyone in your general area that’s driving, if you can carpool!
    • But also make sure you remember gas, tolls, car rentals, etc, as part of the price; sometimes it isn’t worth it over just flying
  • Also utilize the Discord for ride-sharing to and from the airport/train station; there is often people coming in/going out around the same time you are, and sharing taxis/rideshares is a great way to bring prices down.

Remember: Sh** happens. If you are relying on someone else driving you, you should have a backup plan.

Registration

You can view the actual cost of the event, as well as any price discounts, on the Registration page.

Food & Drink

NEST caters dinner on Friday evening (pizza!) and Saturday evening (sandwiches!). In addition, we try to keep snacks and plenty of water around. There are also plenty of restaurants nearby the hotel for dine-in or delivery, but this can add up. It is usually pretty easy to find people doing grocery store runs, so feel free to stock up. Some general tips:

  • Get plenty of protein. Lunchmeat for sandwiches, protein bars, cured meats, plant-based protein options; this will make sure you recover well from your intense sessions!
  • Stay. Hydrated. Drink plenty of water, but also consider some electrolyte-replenishing drinks (Gatorade, LiquidIV, etc).
  • Likewise, don’t make energy drinks your only liquid intake; drink👏real👏water👏too.👏
  • Don’t rely exclusively on snack food through the weekend, you’ll have a bad time.