Travel

All About ‘Gig-Tripping’ and Why It Will Be A Big Trend In 2025

Published

2d ago

Nov 10, 2024 / 9889 Views

Evan Walker

Taylor Swift’s performance at the Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh impressively generated hype enough to create seismic activity, concertgoers who stayed to gig-trip and explore the storied Scottish capital demonstrated a comparable, if not greater, eagerness. The post-pandemic era of gig tourism is in full swing. Wondering what gig-tripping is? Read on to know.

The thriving Travel economy has started luring attendees with the promise of transcendence through itineraries that include art and culture soirées in a city, followed by restaurants offering “special deals”, and featuring a 7-course experience of glitz and glamour. Enter social media, sucking users into a whirlwind of FOMO and aestheticised gig-tripping content that’s guaranteed to convince you.

Today’s gig-trippers are Travelling far and wide to enjoy the music of their favourite artists, not just to see that particular concert but also to learn about new destinations. While some gig-trippers spend a week before or after to invest in the place, others multitask and make the most of their mornings and nights before the show to soak in the local culture. Here’s all you (will ever) need to know about the ‘gig-tripping’ trend and some key strategies from pro gig-trippers.

Also, read our deep dive on why cruise weddings are the next big thing.

What is gig-tripping?

Gig-tripping means planning domestic or international travel with the tour stops or concert locations of your favourite artists as the anchor of your itinerary. Ultimately, you are maximising the flight ticket and hotel you paid for to attend the concert and explore the town/city without having to make a separate trip. Despite it costing you more to extend the stay and pay for additional travel, it is still considerably cheaper and time-saving.

According to a report by Skyscanner, 44 percent of US travellers would fly short haul to see their favourite artist live, with 18 percent saying they’d fly long haul. Another 34 percent said they plan to attend a gig, music concert or festival at home in 2024. This rises to 50 percent of 25-to-34-year-olds. As many as 60 percent also said they would consider a concert overseas in 2024 if it would help them save money compared to 34 percent of UK travellers.

How do I plan a gig trip?

Music Tourism — Image credit: Nicole Geri /Unsplash

Read the fine print: Starting your booking process in advance — both for the concert and, more importantly, the destination — is one of the most essential steps to plan the ‘tripping’ part of your travel. But another step that might supersede this is to ensure you purchase concert or festival tickets through a reputable source in advance, advises music publicist Bob Bradley. “On occasion, shows and festivals are cancelled and you want to check the terms of your purchase to make sure you can get a refund or have purchase protection.”

To arrive on the day of the concert is to arrive too late: Ritika Vaswani, a Delhi-based professional, has an impressive resume as a concertgoer and recommends people start planning earlier than they think they should. A headstart (probably a day or two) will do three important things — it’ll give you a chance to explore some attractions early on, taking a bit of the pressure off your itinerary. Secondly, you can take on easier and less tiring adventures after the concert to avoid fatigue. Third, it’ll help you lock in on both the ticket and Travel prices before they start costing way more than they are worth. “I learned this lesson the hard way when Munich hostel prices skyrocketed after I booked my Taylor Swift concert ticket,” she added.

Buy concert earplugs: “I love music and attending festivals, so I want to be extra careful with my ears and enjoy music for as long as I can. The reason why I have custom-made ones is because they have a ‘music filter’, which moderates the sound equally across all frequencies,” says DJ and photographer Chris Oberman. These become increasingly important if you are planning to attend multiple concerts in a short span and you can find several variations in the market to choose from. You can consider the Loop Experience 2 set, Decibullz Professional High Fidelity Earplugs, Earpeace Sport Pro and more.

Swap the Uber for a city bike: “Don’t rely on Ubers/Taxis when 40,000 people are trying to exit the venue. Consider renting bicycles at the local bike shop to make transportation a breeze (and fun!),” says Jordan Levin, Senior Agent and EVP of Marketing at BookingEntertainment.com. This can have the double advantage of helping you explore the city simultaneously as you can take the time to stroll through parks, pick up some local food and experience the surroundings.

Scan the stadium food for local options: And if you can’t spot any, plan a post-concert mukbang to try out everything the locals (and the internet) are suggesting.

Sign up for a gig-tripping package: In June, Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lane launched a dedicated “gig-tripping package”, for visitors planning to attend the eight Eras Tour shows at Wembley Stadium. Similarly, tour operators in several big cities announce themed packages that you can look out for to get convenient access to both the event tickets and a private or group Travel experience.