A little known fact about TA Moore. I have that plastic t-shirt folding thing that Sheldon uses on Big Bang Theory…and I LOVE it. Best impulse purchase I have ever made while mooching on Amazon at 1 am.

(The worst? Ummm…Storm of the Century DVD. I watched it once and was amazed by how good it was, and as it turns out I was possibly also delirious because it’s not great.)

For authors a good con depends entirely on organisation, and hyperbole.

Seriously though, as I go to more cons and become more used to doing them I’ve started to develop these little organisation macros that let me streamline everything. I’ve got my plastic folding thing that makes fitting my clothes in around the assorted bumph I have to pack easier. There’s a stack of vacuum bags stuffed in the back of my wardrobe that are only for cons – do not touch them for duvets! Or pillows! So I never have to run to Ikea for more. All my swag is sorted into respective boxes so I can see at a glance how much I have and when I need to order more.

Of course, it varies from person to person. I have to get an Easyjet flight to go anywhere, so I have to worry about packing my stuff in a case and what it weighs (I have a little fish weighing scale thing that lives in my suitcase and has never SEEN a fish). Other people might drive or take a train, so they have different things to worry about….like lifting their case on and off the train with everything in it.

However, I am no responsible for what they do. All I can show you is my list of things to do and the ways I’ve found to make it a bit easier.

1: I pack at least a week ahead of time. It gives me time to remember what I’ve forgotten to put in, and I don’t have to worry about it in the run up to d-day.

2: Knickers are optional, power leads for my iphone/ipad and computer are not. Most things you can grab in Tesco or make a Home Bargains run (adjust for outside the UK), but weight what items will really slow you down if you realise you don’t have them at 10pm and prioritise.

3: Honestly, I love that plastic foldy thing. It’s blue, it’s flappy, and all my stuff is the same size and shape.

4: Comfortable shoes. I have boots that I wear to everything because I can walk and/or stand for ages in them. Do not wear new shoes.

5: Take a first aid kit. Plasters, painkillers, pepto-bismol, and tissues. If I am going straight to an event from an airport/train I don’t want to be barfy, drippy, or have blood in my shoes (my feet are very soft).

6: DO NOT pack away your holiday/con makeup and threw it in the suitcase on autopilot. Make-up is tricksy stuff. I just got my tinted moisturiser out the other day and it just gross and separated overnight. I’ve also had lipsticks break and my foundation powder break in the compact. This is all stuff you want to know BEFORE you get to the event.

7: Have portable batteries. Charge portable batteries. Thank me later!

8: Earphones. You won’t use them as the con, but trust me if you are on a train or in the airport after a weekend of Con stuff? You’ll want something to drown out the rest of the world for a while.

9: Bottle of water. You’ll be talking, you’ll be standing for a long time, you might not have time to go and get a drink. Just stick a bottle in your bag if you need it.

10: Print out your travel stuff. It’s on your phone and that’s great, I love having all my stuff on my phone! However, it does give you the fear as you watch the battery go down. Can you really afford that chapter in your book, or do you need to hold off until you’re on the train?

11: A cart or rolling suitcase dedicated to books/swag is your friend.You don’t want to be running through a strange city carrying a big, heavy, and possibly unsealed box of stuff. You definitely don’t want to drop it!

12: For those amongst us who have dietary issues? Make yourself a snack for the plane and for the event. People always have the best intentions when they say there will be something you can eat, but things happen. You want to have something to eat in a pinch if it happens to your meal today. I once had a venue swear up and down this one meal was gluten free, and then sneak up to me two minutes before lunch with the news it wasn’t. I hadn’t realised this then and I got to sit and let my stumble grumble at people for an hour.