Travel Extravaganza: Part 1

As featured in: Performing Songwriter Issue #68, March/April 2003

By Beverly Bartsch, Fett, Bill Parsons, and Abby White

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Driving from Chicago to L.A. takes about 32 hours. Flying will get you there in approximately four and a half. Either way, as a touring musician you’ve got to worry about hauling around your equipment, watching your budget, and staying healthy and centered for each performance--so we’ve put together a list of tips to consider before you embark on your journey. And whether you’re just a music fan or a traveling musician eager to check out what’s going on in other cities, we’ve provided a “Music Map” highlighting some noteworthy artists across the country.

Services: Getting There, Staying There and Getting Back

Whether you’re planning a new tour or stepping out for your 20th, there are some things you might not be thinking about; questions you might not be asking; questions that could save you time, money and heartache. In the May issue we will go into each of these points in depth--here’s a preview to get you started.

Booking the date:
Establish place and time of performance. What are the terms of the engagement? Flat fee? Percentage of the door? Is the promoter willing to pay for transportation? How will you be paid? By check, cash or money order? When do you get paid? Will any food be provided at the gig? Do you get to keep all of the merchandise sales or does the venue take a percentage?

Where to stay:
If the hotel is left up to you, there are many websites that offer deep discounts on hotel stays: www.hotels.com, www.travelocity.com, www.expedia.com, www.orbitz.com and www.allhotels.com, not to mention all the major chains websites. A travel agent can also be a valuable resource. Also, be sure to sign up for frequent guest programs.

Getting there:
Bus: A tour bus is a great way to travel--if you have enough people to cover the cost of the transportation. A good rule of thumb these days is $1,000 per day for the cost of the bus, the driver, the fuel/tolls and the cleaning. A tour bus typically sleeps 10-12 people in bunks.
Planes: Again, the Internet is a great resource, you can price out the trip and compare the costs and time of flying with busing or driving. Also remember to try that travel agent.
Automobiles: Your car or a rental car? Well, our guess is that you already know how many friends you can stuff comfortably into your car and still remain friends at the end of the trip. Websites abound for rental cars, and check with the travel agent.

Insurance:
Are you covered? Adequately? You need insurance, and you probably have some already available to you--let’s make sure you’re taking advantage of it.

Are you a homeowner? If so, have you added your gear to your homeowner’s policy? Mobile equipment (your keyboard, computer, guitar, stuff like that) can be required to have a separate policy. Do you use your car for traveling to gigs? If so, you might have issues with car insurance. Talk to your insurance agent--they need to understand what you do and tailor the insurance needs to fit. Ask what is or is not covered under your policy. Then make the decision to accept or decline rental agency coverage.

Staying Healthy:

One of the most important aspects of touring is staying healthy and centered for your performances-- and one of the best ways to do that is by reducing stress. Below are a few tips that all revolve around planning ahead.

Think twice before scheduling a tour that lasts longer than three weeks. Sure, it can be done. But for most people, traveling is inherently stressful--especially if you’re slugging it out on your own. So, unless you’ve perfected your road routine, wait until you’ve got some tour support and a few miles under your belt before heading out for a month or more at a time.

Try not to drive more than four hours each day. Of course, there are some areas of the country where this won’t be possible, and there are definitely some opportunities worth busting your butt for. But the road--and the constant pressure to “get there on time"--can wear you down, so give yourself a leg up by building an itinerary that limits your daily drive time.

Schedule days off--especially on tours that last longer than two weeks. To be sure, there is a trade-off here, since every day you’re on the road not working costs you money. But this can be a case of “penny wise and pound foolish.” If you can afford it, give yourself some down time.

Know where you’re going to stay each night before you leave. Getting yourself and all your belongings from gig to gig every day over a couple of weeks is enough of a challenge without having to run all over town trying to find affordable last-minute accommodations. Moreover, while crashing with friends, presenters and willing fans can really help the wallet, consider spending at least a few nights on your own in a hotel. Even the most social artists can get drained by the need to be “on” all the time, and many find they benefit by the occasional tactical retreat to their own quarters.

Consider taking a little piece of home out on the road with you. A photo, a particular alarm clock or a favorite pillow--really anything that’s easy to carry around and keeps you “centered” as you travel across unfamiliar terrain. Some artists even develop rituals to help them stay grounded on the road, e.g. journaling, meditation, lighting candles, drinking special tea, regular exercise-- whatever works for you.

Leave more than enough time to reach your destination. No matter what Mapquest or the legend on your road atlas says, it will take longer. There are always traffic accidents, road construction, weather systems, rush hours and, of course, the possibility of car trouble. And nothing spells stress like L-A-T-E. Furthermore, remember those pesky time zones! I know one artist who drove from Memphis, Tenn., to Raleigh, N.C., believing he had arrived 10 minutes early--only to find out that he was (argh!), 50 minutes late.

Pack a basic first aid kit and familiarize yourself with the travel terms of your health insurance policy. Your first aid kit could include supplements for immune support if you believe in that sort of thing, e.g. vitamin C, zinc lozenges, echinacea, elderberry syrup and astragalus, as well as conventional remedies you have found to be helpful for the conditions you are likely to face on the road, e.g. colds, headache, sinus or chest congestion, sore throat, and muscle soreness.

Exercise On the Road:

Unless you’re J.Lo or Madonna, you probably don’t have a personal trainer accompanying you on the road to haul you out of bed at 6 a.m. for a 7-mile jog. However, that’s no excuse to let your body turn to jelly while you’re on the road. Take a little time to plan ahead, and follow these tips to keep yourself fit and healthy.

Exercise facilities. Before you leave, look into joining a national gym such as the YMCA. The cost is reasonable--around $50/month depending on your age and type of membership--and you’ll have access (some gyms charge a small guest fee for own-of-town members) to over 2,000 gyms across the country. See www.ymca.net If you’re staying in a hotel, call ahead of time to see if they have exercise facilities. If you’re staying with a friend who doesn’t own a treadmill, bike or other equipment, they can probably inform you of a safe place in town where you can run or walk.

Videos. There are tons of great exercise videotapes and DVDs available for all fitness levels. A great website is www.peterpan.com, which has a variety of VHS tapes/DVDs from cardio kickboxing to precision yoga.

Visit the outdoors. Maybe your hotel doesn’t have a VCR and you don’t own one of those portable DVD players. Or maybe you just don’t like dancing around in front of your TV set. If so, visit www.traillink.com to find pedestrian-friendly walking/running paths all over the United States and take it outside.

Improvise. If it’s too cold or too hot to exercise outside, you can still work up a sweat indoors. Run up and down the stairs in your hotel or bring along one of the many portable workout kits, which can contain everything from yoga/Pilates mats, free weights, inflatable exercise balls (great for abdominal exercises and stretching your road-weary back) and other resistance training.

Keep moving. When you’re not in the bus/car/plane, move around as much as you can. Walk whenever possible, and always remember to stretch, especially if you plan on jumping around onstage all night.

Check with a doctor.You already know this, but remember that it’s best to consult a physician before starting any exercise program. A steady rock-star diet of cigarettes and beer is not the best fuel for a vigorous workout.

Eating Healthy:

It would be nice if you had a dietician with you to scream “Don’t eat that!” every time you hit McDonald’s--but since you probably don’t, here are a few tips to help you make better eating decisions while you’re living on the road.

Bring healthy snacks with you so you won’t be tempted to stuff yourself with whatever you can find at the gas station in the middle of the night.

Visit fast food chains’ websites. They list nutritional information for everything from fries to salad dressing. You’d be amazed at what you can rack up after a super value meal, and if you do a little research you can maintain your diet while your friends are getting their week’s worth of saturated fat.

Drink lots of water. Besides preventing dehydration, it will also make you feel less hungry.

Don’t wait too long between meals. That’s what those healthy snacks you packed are
for! Once your blood sugar drops, you’re more likely to reach for something sugary and high-calorie.

Bring along a guidebook for healthy eating on the road. Check out Dar Williams’ The Tofu Tollbooth (www.tofutollbooth.com) or Vegetarian Restaurants and Natural Food Stores in the U.S.: A Comprehensive Guide to over 2,500 Vegetarian Eateries by John Howley, available on amazon.com.

Gear:

Our technology editor, Fett, just spent a weekend with veteran touring performers JoAnn & Monte (www.joannandmonte.com). While they’re quite popular in their home state of Alaska, they also spend about six months each year touring the Lower 48, so he asked them about their current setup. Like a lot of musicians, they’ve cut both the quantity and size of their traveling gear with the recent advent of newer, stricter traveling constraints.

For their PA, they use the JBL EON portable PA, which includes the mic inputs and a basic mixer right on the back of the powered speakers. Monte says that the EON system “sounds great whether you’re playing in a small room for 40 people or a concert hall for 400--it really has enough output to easily handle either situation.” JoAnn and Monte pack all their stands and other such accessories in a golf bag. For instruments, Monte carries a mandolin and JoAnn carries an Ibanez AG75 Jazz Box, a tiny travel guitar. JoAnn notes that, “Despite its size, with the great built-in electronics in this guitar, you can really make it sound great in any environment. You don’t have to sacrifice anything by having a compact guitar that’s easy to travel with.”

The equipment that JoAnn and Monte use is typical of a trend of gear that’s designed with the traveling musician in mind. In addition to Ibanez, some great acoustic and electric travel guitars are available from Martin, Taylor, Wechter, Fender, Fernandes, Tacoma, Ovation, Travel Guitar and Takamine. Most models sound surprisingly good and are surprisingly low-priced. Many of the acoustics come with built-in electronics. Of course nowadays there are also lots of great practice amps to take on the road, such as the battery-powered TX15 Taxi combo amp from Crate.

Not to be outdone, other instrument companies are also offering small-scale models, like the Oxygen 8 and Ozone keyboard/ controllers from M-Audio and the microKORG from Korg. Pearl offers a compact, lightweight five-piece Rhythm Traveler drum kit. Weber makes the Sweet Pea traveling mandolin.

For the traveling musician who doesn’t want to leave the studio behind while on the road, most of today’s memory card-based
digital recorders, like the Korg PXR4, TASCAM Pocketstudio 5 and Fostex MR-8 (reviewed in this issue), are battery-powered and pack an amazing amount of features and sound quality into tiny, travel-friendly packages. For the complete lowdown on travel PA gear, see our Tech Feature on page 64 of this issue.

Flying with gear:

Anyone who’s been to an airport recently knows that the rules have changed--security is tighter than ever, and rightfully so. As a traveling musician, you have to worry about more than the typical concerns of removing sharp objects from your purse or having your pocketknife confiscated--you’re transporting thousands of dollars of your own equipment. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) launched a media campaign in late 2002 in order to better inform travelers of any changes in the checked baggage screening process. To read about these enhanced security measures in greater detail, see www.tsatraveltips.us

New security measures require that ALL checked baggage undergo at least one form of screening, which means that the security screeners might have to “forcibly open locked baggage” in order to complete this screening process. Unless you want the locks broken off your guitar case, you probably want to leave it unlocked. The TSA ensures that screeners exercise caution and great care during the process, making sure that the contents are returned to your bag if it is opened. In addition, if TSA screeners open your bag for inspection, they will place a notice in your bag to alert you that they have done so. They will not relock your bag if it is opened for screening, although they will close it with a “security seal.” While they emphasize the fact that their highly trained screeners are careful, if you are missing something from your bag, the TSA will assess claims on an individual basis.

At their website, the TSA also provides a list of prohibited items, including the obvious weapons and explosives. If you bring any of these to a security checkpoint, the item will most likely be confiscated, and you could be criminally or civilly prosecuted depending on the circumstances. For example, nail clippers aren’t prohibited, but other equipment that you may store in your case (such as wire clippers or scissors) may be, so be prepared or you’re probably going to get held up along the way.

Also, be aware that you do have to call the airport ahead of time to get permission to bring a bunch of equipment on the flight. You can get authorization prior to your flight, so you won’t end up delaying everything at the airport. Travel agents and airlines can also make arrangements for you if you need to go through customs with all your gear.

With all the recent cutbacks in carryon baggage, you need truly roadworthy cases to contain all your traveling gear so it ends up in one piece when you arrive at your destination. There’s a new case on the market called Case Extreme from Lamb Productions that goes for about $160 and only weighs a couple of pounds. Companies like Anvil and SKB (which is offering a new wheeled case that costs about $175 and comes with a $1,500 warranty for any damage your instrument incurs while in the case) have been making sturdy road cases of all types for years. Roland makes custom road cases for much of its product line. Calton Case makes the finest custom road cases for guitars in the business, and we recently learned from the folks at Calton that, despite popular belief to the contrary, there is no such thing as an “ATA-rated case.” They explained that the Air Transport Association does not have a process for testing and certifying equipment like guitar cases. Instead, it issues recommended guidelines for travel-worthy cases. So the next time someone tries to tell you their case is ATA-rated, don’t believe them!

Please pass along your own travel tips by e-mailing travel@performingsongwriter.com, and we’ll post them online at our website: www.performingsongwriter.com

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