Ashley Allen – TOUR TIPS

This new set of Tour Tips was written by the NYC based pop singer, Ashley Allen. You can check out her tips for being on the road, after the break.

1. Pack light – Being a girl and going on tour can be a lot more difficult than being a boy on tour. First off, we love makeup, shoes, and dressing up… 3 things that can take up a lot of room. Even though it seems like a simple solution to bring more then one suitcase, I learned that it is better to try and fit everything you need into one. Carrying two suitcases will hold you down. Plus you’ll want to go shopping on tour and by the time you make your way back home you’ll have another suitcase worth of stuff.

2. Show Jetlag Who’s Boss – When going on tour there’s a good chance that you’ll be going far from home. A lot of the time you’ll have to settle into another time zone. Also, there is a good chance you’ll be traveling the same day as your show or the next so you’ll have to adjust yourself to the time zone quick and fast. It’s important to figure out the time of your destination and force yourself to stay awake if it is daytime and sleep if it is nighttime. Trust me, mastering the art of battling jetlag will make the beginnings of tour a lot easier.

3. Hydrate – This tip is mostly intended for singers although in general it is important for everyone to stay hydrated. Being a singer and constantly being relied on for your vocals, water is essential to your tour diet. Alcohol and caffeine will always be around on tour and it’s up to us as singers to drink responsibly. But in all fairness, drinking only water is probably not going to happen so just make sure to double up on the h2o intake if and when you sip on something else.

4. Listen to music that inspires you – All musicians are musicians for the simple reason that we all love music. However, that doesn’t mean that we are all inspired by the same people/artists. When getting ready for a show or traveling from place to place, take some time for yourself, put your headphones on, and listen to the music that takes you to that special place way before you were on tour. It’s important to appreciate and remember the past and get ready for the future. Being on tour is exciting and anything can happen, but never loose sight of what inspired you get to where you are now.

5. Always have a backup – Even though it would be nice to believe that everything runs smoothly on tour, that isn’t always the case. Sometimes things go wrong and that is why it is always important to have a plan b or a backup plan. For instance, if you are doing a show with track… make sure you have more then one CD burnt and an iPod, or sometimes what you are wearing can wear and tear so make sure to bring more then one change of clothing. It never hurt anyone being over prepared especially on tour.

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Did you enjoy these tips for touring? Let us know in the comments below!