Tips and Tricks or How to Save Money on Your FISM Trip 2015

[KateMedvedeva]

The FISM convention hardly can be considered inexpensive, but this time the congress in Italy is promising to be an event that can’t be missed. Henry Ford once said: “Old men are always advising young men to save money. That is a bad advice. Don’t save every nickel. Invest in yourself.”
Of course you should pay for the pleasures… the 6 days registration will cost you 600 Euro, if you wish to be sure that you get the best seats in the theatre then you should purchase a VIP registration – 800 Euro. So I have two news for you: a good one and a bad one. Let’s begin with a bad one: the number of participants is fixed, as soon as all registration will be sold, you won’t have a chance to attend a convention. The good news: registrations are still on sale.

1) One registration is for free.
There is a discount for big groups of magicians. If there are 15 of you then one registration will be for free. It means that instead of 600 Euro you will pay only 560 Euro.

2) The registration fee for children (under 18) is 515 Euro.

3) Hotels.
You will be offered special prices for hotels if you book a room on FISM website.
http://booking.ventanagroup.it/for/FISM21015

I talked to the agency that provides hotel booking, they promised to give an extra discount
for a big group, there should be at least 15 people (15 hotel rooms).

4) Apartment or House Rental.
If you’re traveling with friends or family and don’t need maid service, and other
hotel amenities, this is the ideal accommodation option. Furnished apartment rentals have
become enormously popular in recent years because they’re easy to book via the Internet
and they often cost half the price of a hotel on a per-person basis. Plus, you get a kitchen,
allowing you to cook and reduce food costs.
Of course there are some “+” and “-“. Remember the Devil is in details. When it comes to
signing a contract there are no such things as small or unimportant.

I remember a story that my friends-magicians told me about their adventures in Blackpool.
They rented an apartment, almost everything was perfect: a location, a price… except one thing that overshadowed their stay: an electric meter… it seemed to be more an electricity vending machine… as long as they tossed coins they had electricity…
Why am I telling you that? Be sure that you check and discuss all the details with an owner… bed linens, plates and dishes, a payment for an air conditioning system. (July can be quite a hot month in Italy).
http://www.airbnb.ru
http://www.casevacanza.it/casa-vacanze-rimini

Please don’t take it as an official advice. You do it at your own risk. The FISM organizers or the author of this article are not liable for your choices.

5) Airplane and Train tickets.
If you wish to save money on your airfare, then fly midweek instead of the weekend; fly with stops instead of direct.
Trains: book your tickets in advance and purchase online. You can save up to 70 % of tickets cost.

I would like to point your attention to several things:
First of all, there is a direct train from Rome to Rimini (once per day, in the afternoon). The
trip lasts about 3 h 30 min.
Most of the trains need a change at Falconara or Bologna: in that case the trip lasts from 4
to 5 hours, depending from the train.
In both cases trains leave from Rome Termini (central station).

Secondly, on Italian websites (when you choose English language) dates are written in a
different way, at first they write the month/ then a day/ and a year. The 5th of July 2015 they
would put down as 07.05.2015. So I should advise you to use the calendar on the website
when you book a trip.

In the third place, the Summer – Autumn Schedule will be announced only in May. So you
have plenty of to time to plan your trip.


6) How to get to a convention centre.
Palacongressi
Address: Via della Fiera, 52 Rimini (RN) – Italy

All the hotels are situated quite in a distance, about 1,5 – 5 kilometers away from the Palacongressi, most of the hotels are located closer to the sea. So you can walk or ride a bicycle (some of the hotels provide free bicycles) or you can take a bus. Those who were in Rimini suggested to buy bus tickets in Tobacci shops, of course bus drivers sell tickets too but a ticket will cost a little bit more.

To take a taxi isn’t the best way to cut down expenses... but if you don’t want to overpay you should take in consideration a few things:
* A lonely woman may have a 10% discount (night time)
* When you order a cab in Italy, you always pay for a distance that a taxi rides to a client, so you should call a taxi which is located as closer to you as possible.

Here is a list of taxi companies and their addresses:
TAXI RIMINI RADIOTAXI
Address: pl. Battisti – 47921 Rimini (RN)
Tel.: + (39 0541) 50 020

Nolo Driver Di Masciantonio Paola (Airport)
Аddress: 61, Via Lugano – 47924 Rimini (RN)
Тel: + (39 0541) 340 446

Taxi drivers prefer to keep the change, so always have small bills with you.

7) Food.
*In Italy there is a 2 price level system, it works in small snackbars and open-air cafes, it seems cunning but in fact it is simple: if you take food with you, you pay a price on a tag, but if you decide to sit down at a table and eat an ice cream or a piece of pizza there, the amount of a check will be at least 1.5 times greater.
* It is cheaper to buy food in large stores such as LIDL, DICO, EUROSPIN.

8) Phone calls.
10 cents (Euro) for a minute is a small price to pay for an International phone call.
Now it is possible with a WIND operator (buying a SIM card you need to say magic words: “call your country”).
http://www.wind.it/eng/privati/callyour ... 462c429c59

9) If you plan to add a few days to your FISM trip, to enjoy the sun and the sea, it is better to do it after the congress because there will be Summertime New Year's Eve "Pink Night" in Rinini (July 3-5, 2015).

If you have any ideas or suggestions on how to save more on the trip, please write in the comments here: http://www.fismitaly2015.com/blog-eng/item/116-tips-and-tricks-or-how-to-save-money-on-your-fism-trip

See you next Sunday.
Kate Medvedeva
http://www.fismitaly2015.com/kate-medvedeva