“Journey dupes.” “Hush journeys.” “Sluggish journey.” The listing of buzzy new phrases and developments within the journey business is ever increasing. These days one other new idea is circulating the tourism media-sphere: gig-tripping.
As we method summer time 2024 and peak journey season picks up, anticipate to see extra globetrotters reveal themselves as gig-trippers. However what precisely is gig-tripping and the way does it work?
Beneath, journey consultants break down the advantages and drawbacks of this development.
What’s gig-tripping?
“Gig-tripping is a brand new development that sees followers planning journey ― usually internationally ― across the tour stops of their favourite artists,” stated Lisa Chen, CEO of ToursByLocals. “This could be as a result of they’ll’t get tickets for his or her dwelling present, to economize, or just to mix their love of journey and music into one journey.”
Though the idea of touring across the nation or world to see a musical act is hardly new, the gig-tripping expertise is totally different from extra acquainted iterations ― just like the Deadhead subculture of dwelling on the street to look at the Grateful Lifeless carry out as many occasions as potential. Gig-trippers, against this, are sometimes followers who plan a trip (or workcation) round one or two concert events in a particular location.
“In some circumstances, it’s cheaper to journey to a special location to see a well-liked artist,” defined Phil Dengler, a co-founder of the journey web site The Vacationer. “For instance, Taylor Swift tickets are sometimes very costly in some cities, so you may save a whole bunch if not 1000’s of {dollars} by flying to a metropolis with cheaper costs. I personally flew from Philadelphia to Charleston just a few years again to see the Black Keys. Live performance costs had been a lot decrease in Charleston, and it gave me an excuse to discover town for just a few days.”
Summer time guarantees to convey a slew of gig-tripping Swift followers from the U.S. to Europe, as many discovered higher ticket costs and availability in cities like Lyon, France, and Gelsenkirchen, Germany.
A 2023 survey from the journey platform GetYourGuide confirmed that 45% of People have been impressed to decide on a particular journey vacation spot by an occasion or expertise they heard could be taking place there, reminiscent of a live performance. Current survey knowledge from Skyscanner additionally discovered that 60% of People had been open to touring overseas to economize on music occasions, and 44% of U.S. vacationers had been keen to fly brief haul to see their favourite artists.
This curiosity in music-related tourism is maybe unsurprising in an age when popular culture journey developments like “set jetting” have taken maintain. Chen famous that ToursByLocals has seen a variety of success with excursions associated to films or TV reveals that had been filmed and/or happen in numerous journey locations.
“Given the recognition of gig-tripping and continued pleasure across the Eras tour internationally, we’ve really just lately launched a choice of London for Swifties Excursions with Swift-inspired excursions to a few of London’s greatest neighborhoods,” she stated.
Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Occasions through Getty Pictures
What are the advantages?
“Gig-tripping has a variety of perks,” stated Madison Pietrowski, the director of brand name for the U.S. at GetYourGuide. “Not solely do you get to see your favourite artist stay, however you’ll be immersed in a brand new metropolis, seemingly a serious vacationer vacation spot, and get to go to an iconic venue, just like the native sports activities stadium internet hosting the live performance.”
Certainly, Gelsenkirchen may not have been on many U.S. vacationers’ radars earlier than Taylor Swift introduced her European tour dates, however this summer time, extra People can be filling the German soccer membership Schalke 04′s spectacular stadium.
“The advantages of touring for a live performance are that vacationers are increasing their horizons of locations they’re focused on visiting, whether or not they’re touring internationally on account of the price of a home present, searching for a particular vitality associated to the venue or ‘shock tune,’ like we see with Taylor Swift’s Eras tour,” Chen stated. “Moreover, vacationers usually tend to meet and join with these with comparable pursuits.”
Followers usually arrange meet-ups, and native companies plan occasions round main concert events, so there are alternatives for out-of-towners to maximise the expertise. Many gig-trippers additionally plan unrelated cultural actions, reminiscent of guided excursions, native restaurant meals, visits to historic websites and much more off-the-beaten-path alternatives.
“Gig-tripping is actually touring for music concert events, however now we’re seeing individuals flip these journeys into full-fledged holidays to get the most important bang for his or her buck,” Pietrowski stated.
And that’s all on prime of the advantage of doubtlessly paying decrease costs on live performance tickets or attending to see an artist who didn’t schedule a tour cease in your hometown.
What are the downsides?
Regardless of the joy and distinctive alternatives that include gig-tripping, this method shouldn’t be with out its challenges.
“One of many downsides to gig-tripping may be the massive variety of guests the vacation spot can expertise throughout the time of the concert events,” Pietrowski famous.
Because of this, the prices of lodging and transportation to the realm can skyrocket on account of demand. The bigger crowds, particularly in locations that aren’t accustomed to as many guests, may be a problem as effectively.
“If you wish to keep away from the crowds, seek for actions that convey you to main sights throughout off-hours, or discover small excursions or courses with native guides that take you off the overwhelmed path,” Pietrowski prompt.
Take into account exploring past the fast environment of the live performance as effectively.
“When there’s a rush of vacationers to at least one vacation spot for a particular occasion, the realm can change into overpopulated, and the vacation spot as an entire can change into neglected, with vacationers lacking out on the native tradition and historical past, and as an alternative specializing in the precise occasion and mainstream vacationer sights,” Chen stated.
The rise of gig-tripping may also have an effect on unrelated vacationers who needed to go to a particular vacation spot however unknowingly booked their journey throughout a time when town could be overrun with an artist’s die-hard followers.
And, after all, gig-tripping shouldn’t be at all times the very best deal for the followers themselves.
“The downsides embrace larger total prices,” Dengler stated. “For instance, it doesn’t make sense to save lots of just a few hundred {dollars} on tickets in case you are dropping 1000’s of {dollars} on the flight and lodging. Earlier than gig-tripping, take the live performance value, airfare value and lodging value into consideration. Do the mathematics to see if it actually makes monetary sense.”
