Portair - TOUR TIPS

In this Tour Tips segment, the indie folk artist, Portair, recommends advice for being a musician on the road. You can check out the tips below:

1: Eating healthy can be hard whilst traveling, so I try and plan ahead and see where the nearest whole foods/ health food stores are so I can pop in and get some veggies, protein, and healthy carbs. I also bought a portable blender with me on this current tour which has been amazing. I can swing by a store, grab a banana, a small protein packet, and some blueberries and make a quick little smoothie.

2: Try booking hotels that have a gym or fitness centre. This has been a huge help for me because it's also hard to get some proper exercise on tour. If the hotel has a gym, I will usually wake up and exercise first thing and then spend a good half hour stretching. All that time in vans and planes is brutal for the neck!!

3: Create a packing system that stays the same and try to be as organized as humanly possible. I'm prone to forgetting everything, all the time, forever, and I've really worked hard in recent years to figure out a system where everything has its place so I don't leave anything behind. I have cases and bags for absolutely everything, and I have a packing list. When you have musical equipment and cables galore, it can get a bit chaotic, especially right after a show.

4: Gear insurance! This is so important. There are too many horror stories of gear getting stolen or things going missing. Having some insurance is great for ease of mind if something goes wrong.

5: Stay with friends where possible. Touring is expensive, especially in this day and age where the world is falling apart. If I have friends in cities, I'll see if I can crash on a couch before booking a hotel. If you can do this a handful of times across a full tour, you can save thousands of dollars!

Keep up with Portair on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and his website.