The EM Poll

Never Eat in the Hotel

Mar 14, 2008 1:48 PM, By Andy Bassford

           

TIPS AND TRICKS FOR SAVING YOUR MONEY AND YOUR SANITY WHILE TOURING

For musicians who haven't been on the road, touring sounds like an idyllic lifestyle. You're out there seeing the country, playing music, and getting paid for it. What could be better? Don't be misled, however. Although touring can be fulfilling, it's hardly a fantasyland. If you're not careful, you can find yourself coming home from your journey exhausted, stressed out, and with a lot less money than you thought you'd have.

I know this only too well. I've been a road musician for more than 20 years, doing just about every kind of tour imaginable: album promotions for major labels, package tours, club tours, and self-booked van adventures. As soon as I realized that I'd be touring regularly, I decided to figure out how to make the process more efficient and manageable. Here are some things I learned along the way that I wish someone had told me when I started out.

In Your Suitcase

When most musicians are planning what they'll bring with them on tour, their thoughts tend to focus on gear. Although instruments, cables, amps, and speakers are clearly key items, you've also got to deal with carrying clothing (including stage wear) and other personal effects. Efficiency is important, especially if you're touring in a van and dealing with limited space.

Travel light. Carry as few things as possible. You'll likely accumulate stuff along the way; your bags will get heavier as the tour goes along. Ten days' worth of clothes is usually plenty, because that's probably the maximum length of time you'll go between days off. Try not to have more baggage than you can carry yourself in one trip. That helps when you're racing to catch a plane, bus, or train. If you can carry everything, you won't need a bellhop or skycap, which increases your mobility and saves on tips.

Unpack for success. When you get to your hotel room, immediately unpack what you're going to wear for that night's performance and hang it up to get the wrinkles out. If the wrinkles are really bad, hang the clothes in the bathroom, turn the shower on, and close the door. Travel irons are great, but I've gotten by without one for years. If you really need it, you can ask housekeeping for an iron and an ironing board, but chances are somebody else in the band has already called them.

Check this out. When checking out of the hotel, it's a good idea to have a standardized checkout routine. Work out a system for yourself and stick to it as closely as possible. After a while on the road, it's easy to start forgetting the obvious. I lost a Walkman, two pairs of really good stage pants, shoes, and a number of other treasures before I developed my system. Don't forget to go back and check the room one last time just before you close the door. You'll never be sorry you looked.

At the Hotel

You'll spend a healthy portion of your time in your room. Cushy as the room might seem (especially if you've been sleeping in the van), it's important to remember that many of the extras that hotels offer can really eat into your budget. You can obtain most services more cheaply elsewhere, so it pays to look around a bit.

Never eat in the hotel restaurant. Unless the meal is included in the room price, you'll almost always find comparable or better eating for less money within walking distance.

Forget room service. Few things in life yield less value for your money than room service. In my opinion, the only valid reasons to order room service are romantic ones. If you want to eat in your room, buy takeout or order out. Nine times out of ten it will be better and cheaper.

Don't let the minibar max you out. In-room minibars are hard to resist, with snacks, soda, candy, and booze all temptingly arranged to entice your consumption. Do yourself a favor and don't touch this stuff — it's overpriced and can add a lot to your bill.

Wash it yourself. Don't have the hotel do your laundry; find a laundromat and do it yourself. If you need dry-cleaning services, look in the phone book, find a place near the hotel, and walk your stuff over. Chances are it's the same place the hotel uses — doubling the price for you. In an emergency, you can wash light articles of clothing in the sink or bathtub. If you don't have detergent, use shampoo or hand soap. Dry your items using a combination of room lamp and travel iron.

Don't make calls from your room. Most hotels charge a fee for local telephone calls, and there's often a surcharge for collect, calling-card, and phone-card calls. If you're not careful, you can run up a huge bill. Don't even think about dialing a long-distance call directly from the room, or you'll get totally socked. It is best to use the pay phone in the lobby for all your outgoing calls. With no calls on your bill, you'll save time and arguments when you check out.

Let your fingers do the walking. Once I've checked into a hotel, the first thing I do (after making sure the plumbing works and the bedding looks decent) is open the phone book. Although most people use it simply to find phone numbers, it contains information for finding nearly everything you might need on the road. In the front of the book, you'll usually find maps, mass transit information (including fares), and a description of the locality. Find your hotel on the map first, then find the venue. Once you see how close together they are, you can plan your day. Estimate how long it will take to get to the venue; from there you can figure out how much time you have for errands or other adventures before sound check.

Find the right music store. When you need a music store, look in the Yellow Pages, write down addresses, and find them on the map. For generic items such as cables or picks, try the stores with the biggest display ads and the most brand names in their copy. That indicates that they have a large inventory (and probably decent prices). Such stores are more likely to be in tune with the needs of a touring musician than those whose ads make prominent mention of school-instrument rentals.

Don't leave the hotel without it. When leaving the hotel, take a matchbook, a business card, or a piece of stationery with you — anything with the hotel's address and phone number on it. It's not hard to get lost while walking around in an unfamiliar city or town. Having the hotel address at hand means you can always call for directions or show the item to a cab driver if you get stuck. This is an especially good idea in countries where you don't speak the language.