Re: Nuggets of Wisdom for Loop Touring

[Daryl Shawn <highhorse@mhorse.com>]

Great stuff, Rick, thanks.

Hotels and food on the road is what really kills the budget. I go to 
great lengths to find people to crash with (and to be a good guest which 
is my nature anyway), and then usually buy some groceries at a 
supermarket to make a big breakfast and pack a lunch before hitting the 
road in the morning. Jars of Nutella and peanut butter, a loaf of bread, 
and some cans of tuna will last in the car for a while, and can serve to 
plug the belly between crash pads.

Speaking for the States, I rent cars all the time. A single taxi fare in 
an urban area often costs as much as a day or even two days' rental, and 
terminals are never close to gigs, so I've chosen to avoid the bus/train 
route, though I don't like the environmental impact of a single-person 
passenger vehicle. I pick up hitchhikers (can't help it...used to be 
one) and they'll often kick in a bit for gas which helps. When renting 
cars, make sure to check all the major sites (Hertz, Dollar, Alamo are 
usually the best, though Budget and National can be good too) and visit 
their separate "specials" or "hot deals" page. If you just plug in your 
dates, you won't get their best sales, you need to see their specials 
page and get a code.

When flying, I bring my heaviest gear on board with me. Airlines are 
still pretty lax about carry-on luggage, and though they say one 
"luggage" piece plus one bag or similar, I always bring a huge laptop 
bag stuffed with cables, plus two different shoulder bags with my 
four-tracks and a dictaphone and punch-in pedals, plus my travel guitar 
in its gigbag w/adapters and pedals in the pocket, and usually a plastic 
bag full of food and extra cords, too. Security will usually be confused 
by my tape decks and all the cables, but they never put everything all 
together to weigh it, and nobody seems charged with the responsibility 
of counting individual pieces, especially when they're oddly shaped.

When I do have to stay in hotels, I always drive an hour or more outside 
of the big cities, the hotels along the highway are far cheaper than 
ones in town. For my summer tour, which is my most ambitious one so far 
(aiming for 50 dates), I'm considering packing a cheap tent and spending 
the evening in a state park campground for a couple of nights in places 
where I don't have contacts, rather than dropping $60-80 for a hotel. 
Security of gear and self is always top priority of course, which might 
outweigh the savings...we'll see.

Oh yeah - and pack the minimum amount of clothing, all black to hide the 
dirt! seriously, I never pack more than a weeks' worth, people 
frequently offer to throw my few things in with a load of their family's 
wash. And small-town laundromats are cheap.

Daryl Shawn
www.swanwelder.com
www.chinapaintingmusic.com


> Any other nuggets of wisdom that people have found regarding things to
> make touring less expensive?