In this edition of Behind the Agents Desk, Troy Gilmore presents a few tips on how to make travel easier and smoother for a touring DJ. As an agent for over ten years Troy has worked with many artists with varying degrees of aggressive tour schedules. From artists that perform over 120 shows a year all over the globe to artists that perform once or twice a month. The one thing that seems to be important to DJ’s at all levels is making travel as easy and as smooth as possible with minimal delay and hassle.
Below he’s listed just a few tips that can help alleviate the stress of hectic travel issues:
- Carry On Bags vs. Checking A Bag: Traveling with the least amount of luggage that you will need is essential to making your tour smooth and fluid. I typically suggest an artist should travel with just a carry on bag if they can get away with it. Having just a carry on bag frees up time having to wait at a luggage carousel as well as additional delays. If the artists checked bag gets lost while they are in the midst of a multi-city tour it could be impossible to get the bag in time for the airline connections. If you are an artist that frequently travels, it’s always easier to have your luggage with you at all times.
- Non-Stop Flights – Always suggest that an artist make every effort to book non-stop travel rather than flights with layovers. Layovers increase the risk of the artist being late to the gig or not making it at all due to weather or connection issues… Aircraft delays, flight cancellations and any number of other issues can occur at any time, so its best to get to the tour city with the least amount of stops. Sometimes its un-avoidable, but always try and get non-stop flights whenever possible.
- Prepare for Weather – Always make sure and check weather conditions of the destination cities prior to departure on your tour. Numerous times I’ve had artists that were incorrectly dressed or prepared for the weather conditions at the location upon arrival, which had an adverse effect on the actual performance.
- Document Check – Another extremely important tip for touring artists it to always review all travel documentation ticketing the night prior to departure. There have been many instances where artists haven’t been prepared with the prior ticketing information, travel docs, work visa’s and more prior to travel. This can really make things difficult for an artist once they arrive at the airport. Organization is key to any artist’s success and having your documentation in order is essential. The better prepared you are the easier your travel experience will be.
Hopefully, these travel tips will help with your future tour experience.
Troy Gilmore
Vice-President
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