You just booked your first tour, and you are excited. Maybe it's just a few cities without leaving the state or maybe you get to open for a big name covering 10+ venues. Assuming you don't have access to the tour bus or private jet, you'll be getting from town to town on your own and you want to do it in style — but also on a budget.
There are plenty of ways to get your bandmates and your gear from A to B, but how you want to look is entirely up to you. Here are just a few ways to put together the perfect road trip when you're on tour:
There is no economic value to going on tour in a Volkswagen Bus, but it gives you the chance to live out one of your band dreams. They stopped making them in 1967, so they're old and expensive to maintain, and they're tough to get your hands on as they've become collectors' items. But let's just say you know someone that already owns one and this could be one of the most fun vehicles you hit the road with. Sure, it's pretentious enough to make Mumford and Sons cringe, but what do you care? Your band is still trying to make a name and these buses stand out, especially if you touch it up with a sweet, two-tone paint job.
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If the Volkswagen Bus sits on one end of the spectrum, then the Chevrolet Express sits on the other. Practical, reliable and boring are three accurate words to describe the passenger van. There is no cool factor with the Express, but it is dependable, cheap and easy to rent. Without looking it up, you can picture exactly what it looks like by the phrase “church van.” Told you it wasn't cool, but it does have all the room you'll ever need to get people and equipment down the road. And unlike the Volkswagen Bus, it probably won't break down on the way.
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Picture your favorite road trip vehicle. It's probably your favorite truck or SUV to just cruise the road with, right? Now take it and attach a trailer for all your gear, and you have a fun way to go from show to show. For a road trip machine, there isn't a better road tank than the Jeep Wrangler. Sure, you don't have to cross mountains or go off road to play a show in Santa Fe, but the fun factor of the Jeep is dialed up to 11. And, while the first two choices are either rentals or new purchases, option three should be a Jeep you already own. Now, all you need is the trailer.
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