At eight in the morning, incoherent and not fully aware of where I was, I reached over to hit snooze on my alarm clock. The room was dark, the bed was warm, and I was nowhere near ready to wake up. So, ten minutes later, another snooze. I repeated this cycle for the next hour until my alarm gave up. I don’t remember any of it, but I didn't get out of bed until eleven thirty, so I have to assume that’s how it all went down. My thought process when setting the alarm the night before went like this:
Get a solid eight hours of sleep.
Wake up well rested.
Get a head start on initiating a new morning routine.
I stood by, watching as our tour manager’s friendly demeanor turned cold.
"Yea, that's not going to work. There is no way I'm going to pay that."
The look on her face proved that she was serious and ready to stand her ground.
Together we had just checked in a tour party of ten people, along with more than thirty pieces of luggage and equipment at Jakarta, Indonesia’s Soekarno-Hatta airport. With well-worn passports and freshly printed boarding passes now in their possession, the band and crew dispersed to entertain themselves. And the tour manager and I headed to pay the checked luggage fee.
Read MoreBy August 2020, the world began to resemble a zombie apocalypse movie. In the parking lot of every tour bus company, weeds had forced themselves through cracks in the pavement. Without vehicles coming and going, there was nothing to stunt their growth.
Read MoreThe first hint of fresh paint and chlorine hit my nose before I even crossed the door’s threshold. The chlorine helped sanitize the pool; the paint offered a facelift to the walls of the building. Walking into school for the first time after a summer break was always a bit surreal.
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Something wasn't right. I was halfway through the burger before I got anyone's attention.
"Soy?" I asked, hoping this simple, one-word question would overcome the language barrier.
"No, beef." Being a vegetarian, this was not the reply I wanted to hear. However, based on the texture and taste, I wasn't surprised.
Read MoreFor those of us who travel extensively, it’s hard to believe that some people don’t like flying. Even when taking the hassle of airports out of the equation, they just prefer to be on solid ground.
Read MoreBeing on the road can take its toll on our bodies. Not enough sleep, working long hours, eating weird stuff, traveling through different temperatures and climates. I was once unlucky enough to get pneumonia on tour, in the winter, while touring through the freezing Mid-West.
Read MoreAs is true with most things in the production world, the key to a pleasant customs experience is to do your due diligence in advance. There are a few very important things to know before you head to the airport when using a carnet.
Read MoreInternational travel can be intimidating, even more so if it’s your first time out of the country. Band and crew rely on you for guidance every step of the way, and carrying a bunch of gear adds a fair amount of time and effort to everything you do.
Read MoreTravel by train in the US is not that common these days, especially when touring. When traveling abroad however it's not as rare, and you may find yourself using a train to get from city to city at some point.
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