Travel Extravaganza: Part 2

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

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

Part 1 | 2 | 3

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.

Part 1 | 2 | 3