RIVVRS – TOUR TIPS

In this Tour Tips segment, the singer-songwriter, RIVVRS, gives you his tips for being on tour. You can check out the feature, after the break.

#1. Download a gas price app
Before you take off for tour, download an app that lists gas prices. I recommend Gas Guru. It’s updated daily and it shows you a map off all the gas stations in your area, and which one is the cheapest. In bigger cities, and right off the freeway, gas prices tend to be inflated for convenience. It’s crazy how big of a difference you’ll see in prices when you open the app. It’ll save you a bunch of dough!

#2. Don’t pay for coffee or water
When you’re driving for 8 hours a day, coffee is inevitable and water is a necessity. Just don’t keep paying $2 every time you want a cup of coffee or a water bottle. I’ve done it before and it really adds up if you’re buying it every day. For water, bring a large, refillable water bottle with you. Any time you’re at a gas station, there’s likely a fountain drink dispenser. Fill up there. It’s free, unless the gas station attendant is in a bad mood. Otherwise, water from the tap is generally pretty clean across the country (ask a local).

For coffee, I recommend Starbucks. They offer refills for $.50 regardless of the size of the cup. I bought a Venti size cup at the start of the tour for $2.30 and used it for two months. Starbucks also has a free app you can download, and they actually give you FREE refills if you just order it through the app and use a Starbucks card. Otherwise, it’s 50 cents each time you get a refill at different locations. There were a few times they even replaced my old cup free of charge (I think it was obvious I had been using the cup for a few weeks).

Side note: Almost every hotel known to man has free coffee and water in their lobby. Holiday Inn, Motel 6. They’re everywhere. I don’t condone stealing, but hey if there’s some coffee in a lobby and there’s no sign, is it really stealing?

#3 – Be nice to everyone at the venues (don’t be a jerk!)
This goes for life in general, but when you’re on tour make sure you’re nice to everyone who works at the venues you’re playing. If you have a too cool for school attitude, or treat the staff like crap, you probably won’t be asked to play again in the future. Even if a show doesn’t have a good turnout, being nice to the sound guy and promoter goes a long way.

Side note: If there’s a local opener that night, at the very least introduce yourself. If you can catch their set, even better. I’ve been the opener a lot, and it kind of bums you out when the other bands don’t make you feel like you’re a part of the experience.

#4. Never pay full price for a hotel or AirBnB
Hotels are in constant competition with websites like AirBnB, so there are a lot of empty hotel rooms these days. I highly recommend websites like Hotwire and Priceline. Hotwire fills the empty rooms for a discount, but they don’t tell you which hotel you have until you pay for it. It’s definitely risky if you’re on their low price scale, but if you read the reviews and find a price you’re willing to pay, you’re going to find a solid hotel room for a steep discount. If you don’t want to take the risk, look up hotel prices online and call the hotels directly. Ask them if they’ll match the online price or beat it. Sometimes you’ll find luck.

On AirBnB, you can directly message the homeowner before sending a request to stay with them. If a place is listed as available on the dates you’ve selected, that means no one else has requested to stay there. This is to your advantage because it’s likely going to remain vacant. If you send an email to the host and ask to stay there for a reduced rate, they’re very likely to say yes.

#5. Balance
On long tours, it’s easy to get caught up in the late nights, bad food, and free drinks. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying the trip, just be sure to find some balance along the way. Pick a day every so often and be intentionally healthy. Don’t drink alcohol, order the salad, go for a jog, meditate, go to sleep early. Even if it’s not a part of your daily routine, having one day a week where you’re treating your body extra good will help you feel better in the long run.

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