K-Bops in K-Pop

Hey everyone! I know it’s been a while since I posted but I’ve been busy working on a personal passion project (and getting ready for KCON). Still, I know that a lot of people write off KCON because they think that it is well outside their budget. Whether you’re a student or just tight on money, you can still make KCON work.

Save, Save, Save

I don’t like to have debts. It’s the way my mom raised me and it’s what drives me to make sure all my debts are paid off. So the idea of paying for a trip with a credit card makes me uncomfortable. That’s why I use an app called Qapital. It’s a savings app that allows you to connect your bank account to create savings goals such as a vacation, a new TV, or whatever else you want. You can set it up with a variety of “Rules” such as taking adding a set dollar amount to your savings every Monday or rounding up to a dollar on every purchase and placing the extra in your savings. I’ve been using it for over a year and I love it. All of your money is FDIC insured for up to $250,000.

It’s not the only app out there and you should, of course, use whatever works best for you, but if you are interested in setting up an account with Qapital, you can use my referral code r45b96cc and you’ll get $10! They’re constantly doing referral promotions so you’re able to get more money for your savings goals.

Whatever you decide to do, it’s good to have a cushion in place before KCON tickets start getting released so you already have a nice chunk of funds in place.

Book Your Hotel Early

The worst mistake that people make is to wait until they have actual tickets to KCON to book their hotel. The fact is that almost everyone books their hotel early, which means that as demand increases the prices are going to rise. If you get in early, once you know for sure that you are trying to go, you’ll get a way better price. Plus! Depending on the website, you can make a booking for free and cancel if something comes up. That’s what I did for KCON and I ended up getting an amazing deal for a really great hotel.

Don’t Go for the Closest Hotel

I know it’s easy to fall victim to this because no one wants to walk miles to get to a venue or to take public transportation in a city you’re not familiar with, but the fact of the matter is that hotels close to concert venues and convention venues are expensive. This is especially true for New York and I’m sure it’s the same way for all KCONs. The best way to avoid paying crazy prices for a hotel that’s a two minute walk from the venue is to simply choose a hotel a little further.

For instance, I booked a hotel in Newark, right next to Penn Station, because I knew that we could take a two-minute walk to the train station, hop on a train into the city, and walk the rest of the way to the venue. It’s a little bit of a longer commute but the hotel I got is really well rated and it’s in an area that me and my friend are familiar with.

Make Google Flights Your Best Friend

Google has a lot of amazing tools but Google Flights is one of my favorites. It’s not a perfect system but it can keep you updated about flight prices as they increase or decrease by emailing you daily. I did this once I decided that I was going to KCON and it allowed me to keep an eye on prices until I was finally ready to buy. I wasn’t entirely comfortable buying plane tickets before I knew for certain that I had tickets to KCON, but once I did I was able to get a really good price by utilizing Google Flights and Kayak to find the site with the best deals.

Make Compromises with Yourself

Listen, we all want the most expensive ticket to KCON so that we can go to every single audience and go to a Hi-Touch and hang out at the after party, etc. But the reality of it is that those tickets cost literally thousands of dollars. If you’re on a budget like me, that’s just not realistic. Even if I had a couple grand lying around, I still have a million other things to spend it on than KCON. So be honest with yourself about what your hard limit is. Are you willing to give up the convention for a better concert ticket? Are you absolutely certain you want a Hi-Touch? Are you comfortable sitting in the way back during the concert if it means you get to go to both days of the convention? Ask yourself these questions and see what makes sense for you.

If It’s Not Right, Wait

This is a tough one, but it’s the best advice I can give you. Don’t overstretch yourself and try to fit KCON in if it just doesn’t make sense. By putting it off a year, you can give yourself twelve more months to save up and get an even better ticket or a nicer hotel. Don’t think that it is the end of the world if you can’t go this year. I was constantly heartbroken seeing that BTS and many of my other faves were going to KCON and I just didn’t have the means to go. Thankfully, because I waited, I was able to see BTS in concert with incredible tickets (I was like fifteen feet away from them) and I’m able to go to KCON now.

Do you have any savings tips? Are you going to KCON this year? How did you make it work for your budget? Let me know in the comments!