https://blainepardoe.wordpress.com/2016/07/20/my-annual-2016-gen-con-survival-tips/
Enjoy!
Blaine Pardoe
well done sir
I would add
Sunglasses. Having a pair for the walk back to my hotel saves me from getting a headache.
Extra socks. Change them often. Your Feet will thank you
Drink Water, lots of it. Not Tea, colas, energy drinks, beer , ect....Water. Im not saying you cant have any of the other drinks, in 40 years of going to cons, I have seen more folks get sick over not hydrating is legion. Drink Water.....have a water bottle....
Saturday is the un-official Hawaiian Shirt day :)
To avoid con crud take something like Airborne or such, start at least three days before the con. Just saw on the new where a norovirus has hit the Republican Convention (insert joke here) (I sh#t you not)!
Business cards with your contact information on them, faster to pass out and no misinformation.
Foot powder.
that reminds me. gotta pack some Battletech books to get signed.... then to begin the great "Buck" hunt of Gen Con 2016. I'll put a lure on the pokestop that is the Mechwarrior pods
Urbion, I choose you!
.... it's not very effective...
Urbion is evolving into..... jagerion.
.... it's still not very effective...
jagerion is evolving into... Impion.
... finally effective.
https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2008/08/makers-airborne-settle-ftc-charges-deceptive-advertising
...“There is no credible evidence that Airborne products, taken as directed, will reduce the severity or duration of colds, or provide any tangible benefit for people who are exposed to germs in crowded places,” said Lydia Parnes, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection....
But the placebo effect can be both real and an effective treatment. Even when you have read things like the above.
To not get Norovirus, make sure to wash your hands often, or carry Purell or WetWipes or something. Airborne does nothing, but washing your hands, drinking enough water, eating well (not junk) and getting some sleep would go a long way to keeping one healthy.
What is this sleep you speak of?
let me stress this: Drink enough water, eat well (not eat lots, but eat well). You are at the con for 4-6 days. your body probably can't handle fast food for all meals for the entire time. have proper food.
I highly suggest picking up some fruit at the grocery store and eat that in the mornings/snacks. Bananas, Apples, Oranges are all good choices and travel well.
You are right but Airborne seems to work for me. :) Vitamins like C does a lot to keep you healthy, it boost your immune system, it is no cure, nor does it prevent you from getting sick, it just lowers the chances.
Washing your hands is important. There is an old saying...The hand you shake may have had a penis in it a few moments ago...
The fact is that medical professionals are starting to recognize the placebo effect as a legitimate treatment option. If Product X works for me, even though I have seen data that it doesn't work better than a placebo--it still works. (and M&Ms won't) Why not use it?
As someone who has chronically low Vitamin B12 (mild pernicious anemia) and Vitamin D, proven by bloodwork, I'll be bringing some of the Jaimeson powdered multivitamin packets as they are much smaller than having to bring whole bottles of multis on the plane (or worse, the B12 bottle and the Vitamin D bottle). I'd rather not have to spend $20 on multivitamins I have to throw out before I fly home, so these clearly labeled packets are a compromise.
Also hand sanitizer. Water based, unscented hand sanitizer. Because I don't want to have to wash my hands a thousand times a day and I have bad balance, so not using things like handrails is a non-option for me.
And drink lots. Dehydration is a real thing, and that peevish irritability and headache you're getting are likely the first signs.
Incidentally, your tips for 2015 were one of my first reads as a newbie and it gave me a few ideas. Thanks.