The life of a touring musician can be incredibly rewarding. But even seasoned veterans have to deal with unexpected challenges that arise while on the road. To make the most of your experience, you need to be organized and prepared for potential issues. The tour life may look glamorous on Instagram, but it also comes with flight delays, lost luggage, long drives and endless miles of road construction.
A little preparation can help keep you relaxed when these things occur. There are even some hacks that can reduce the amount of tour-related stress for everyone involved. We’ve compiled a few of these tips for you to use on your next tour. They will help keep you ready to deliver an electric performance to your fans every night.
1. Budget in a Travel Day
Many artists try to save money by booking their tour dates back to back. While this might seem like a good way to cut costs, this could have the opposite effect. The first issue that will happen is burnout. The energy of you and your tour mates will noticeably decline over time because you aren’t getting any rest. Down time is important for the body to refuel and to keep everyone in good spirits as you travel from city to city.
The main reason to add a travel day is to create a buffer against any potential challenges. Maybe your flight is delayed or there was heavy road construction which requires your van to take a detour. If you have a show scheduled these issues can eat directly into your soundcheck, setup time, or even worse, force you to cancel altogether. While it might not be possible to add a travel day after every show, planning this during the initial stages will lead to much less stress. If you can, try to add a travel or rest day after every five shows.
The main reason to add a travel day is to create a buffer against any potential challenges. Maybe your flight is delayed or there was heavy road construction which requires your van to take a detour. If you have a show scheduled these issues can eat directly into your soundcheck, setup time, or even worse, force you to cancel altogether. While it might not be possible to add a travel day after every show, planning this during the initial stages will lead to much less stress. If you can, try to add a travel or rest day after every five shows.
2. Make Sure Your Instrument is Protected
Your instrument is likely one of your most prized possessions, but not everyone sees it that way. Sure when you use a tour van you have a bit more control over who touches your instrument. But during load-in and load-out at a venue, there might be people you don’t know who carry or move your guitar. And if you fly, unless you purchase an extra seat, you will have to check your instrument as baggage and it will be placed under the plane with the rest of the luggage. It will also be handled by baggage handlers and transport equipment, sometimes roughly and without any care.
A hard guitar case can help prevent your instrument from becoming damaged or broken, which is the last thing you want while on tour. The extra investment in a hard guitar case will save you years of agony. If you travel by air then you need a custom flight case that is both durable, recognizable and easy to carry. Remember every airline has policies and you might arrive at the airport and have to check your instrument last minute. Solid protection will help to ensure your gear gets where you’re going safely.
3. Have Someone In Charge of Food
Eating is just one of those things that people forget to do when on tour. Everyone arrives at soundcheck grumpy and unfocused and confused as to why. If you have enough people traveling with you, assign someone to be in charge of food. You can rotate this responsibility but whoever is handling food needs to be aware of dietary restrictions and allergies. Always try to at least pack snacks and dried foods that won’t go bad in case you don’t have time to stop for food or for when you’re in an area that doesn’t have any healthy options. When you’re on tour you need consistent energy from one day to the next.
4. Get Musicians Insurance
No one likes to think about these things, but tour theft is a serious issue. Vans can be broken into, your baggage can be taken on the train, or your gear can be stolen at a venue. The sad reality is it happens a lot and the only thing you can do (other than having a security team) is to take out musician’s insurance. There are many affordable policies for musicians to protect their gear when traveling. You might think this is something you can skip, but taking out insurance will save you lots of financial heartbreak in the event something does happen while you’re on the road.
At Calton Cases, we make beautiful custom hard cases for guitars, basses, mandolins, banjos, violins, and more. We may just be one part of the equation for a successful tour, but you can’t perform with a broken instrument. We take safeguarding your gear seriously so you don’t have to worry about that part. Contact us today or visit our website to view the wide selection of options to protect your instrument on the road.
“As a touring musician traveling over 200 dates per year, I count on my Calton Case to keep my Collings D2H and my Gibson J45 safe. Whether I am flying or driving to gigs, I always feel comfortable and safe with my guitars in Calton Cases. After having several guitars damaged by airlines and the rigors of touring, I believe Calton Cases are totally worth the investment. Not to mention, I get compliments on the looks and design of the case all the time!”
Brandon Reeves