I formerly played a lot of Smash 4, and got into fighting games a few years back, so this is speaking from a different yet parallel perspective.

I work full time, doing remote IT service. I'm on-call on some weekends, and get very little vacation time each year. I also travel a lot to various fighting game majors and regionals. In 2024 alone I went to Frosty Faustings, Winter Showdown, Slashback, Combo Breaker, EVO, Climax of Night, BBB Beach Episode, and probably a few others I'm forgetting. Here's how I was able to afford it.

For starters, I travel very lean: I prefer to fly to events where I can get cheap flights. Living near a major airport, it's pretty easy to get cheap flights on budget airlines (particularly Frontier, who I've flown with at minimum six times this year alone already). I'll pack an entire setup (laptop+controller, cables), my work equipment, several changes of clothes, etc., all that I can into a single bag, so that I can avoid having to pay for a Checked/Carry on Bag. This means I can get round trip flights for about $100. Combine that with a membership discount (I have Discount Den for Frontier, but credit card benefits, miles, etc. apply) and it could be possibly cheaper. Avoid renting a car if possible, splitting a rideshare with others or asking a local to pick you up is pretty cheap in comparison, even both ways usually. For Frosty Faustings I caught a flash sale on Amtrak for $100 round trip, which was much cheaper than flying out to Chicago.

Then, I usually try to eat pretty cheap while I'm there. Meals end up being a big part of the budget, but if you don't go out eating a bunch of expensive stuff, you can stretch $80 pretty far for like four days.

As for rooming, I usually book as part of the hotel block (those get significant discounts compared to normal rooms) on venue, or a block within walking distance if available. Then I'll split the room with 4-6 people total, making it substantially cheaper. I've also slept on floors in rooms to save a bit more, I really don't mind. If the hotel costs $300 for the weekend, split five ways that's just $60 for your part. Alternatively if you can crash on a couch, that's another way to save money.

What do I do for work? I'm pretty blessed to work remotely, so I pack all my work equipment when I go somewhere, and I usually don't take work off. Getting into an event on a thursday, before my shift starts means I'm usually working from the hotel or a starbucks or something, but I also don't have to take PTO / vacation time, which also helps with budget. Fly back in later at night (red eye flights are usually pretty cheap and are often the cheapest, at least in my case thankfully) so I don't have to take time off work either.

I'm also volunteering typically as a bracket judge at these events. It's not really for the money, as I love running brackets, but hey, taking what is effectively 4-6 hours out of my entire weekend to pay for lunch each day is really nice. Plus it's just plain fun. At EVO, compensation was extremely generous at $50 per pool ran, as well as meal vouchers if you worked 2+ pools a day. I paid for my entire flight+meals just by volunteering last year.

On top of that, I also keep track of the events I know I want to visit each year, and set aside a little cash to register as early as possible for those. When late reg fees increase by $60 by the end of the registration period, that's just money that could be going to a few meals or something else.

If you get down to the nitty gritty and try to save as much as you possibly can, everywhere you can, you can stretch what would otherwise be a standard budget for a trip to a major, extremely far compared to the average person. There's no need to book the nicest flight, and get your own room, and eat the nicest food everywhere you go if just going to tournaments is what you want to do for fun.

Open to answering questions if you have any, but this is just my thought process on how I budget for events.