Animal Years – TOUR TIPS

In this Tour Tips segment, the rock band, Animal Years, give you their tips for being on tour. You can check out the feature, after the break.

1. Bring tents and camping gear! There are so many amazing national parks and campgrounds across the country, so if the weather is nice you can spend a night under the stars and get inspired instead of spending money on a hotel. Pro tip: upgrade your sleeping mats to air mattresses for a little glamping experience.

2. Bring a reusable water bottle. Venues and festivals can be extremely wasteful providing large amounts of plastic water bottles for talent and crew. Save the environment and money by asking the bartender to refill your water bottle instead.

3. Be as healthy as possible. When you’re forced to drive 5-10 hours to get to your next show sometimes it’s hard to find nutritious food along the way. Look for things like Panera Bread and Chipotle instead of fast food when possible.

4. Stock your van with the essentials. Buy a cooler for perishable snacks and beers. Sometimes the venues won’t have snacks and food ready right when you arrive for load in so it’s best to have some grub on hand so no one gets hangry. Also good to grab a dash cam, hand sanitizer, satellite radio, a tire inflator, battery jumper, storage bins hangers and a shoe rack, and plenty of Febreeze.

5. Ask friends and fans at the venue about what to do in town. Steer clear of the internet, and trust the people who actually live there to stay away from tourist traps and experience some locals only hangs.

Keep up with the band on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

(Photo credit: Joseph Mikos)