I’ve had some of my very best travel experiences while gig-tripping. During the summer I love to attend music festivals in Croatia, Italy, France and even Thailand, where last year I went to the Wonderfruit and Fly To The Moon festivals.
As well as the good music, going gig-tripping — one of the most significant trends to have come out of World Travel Market this year — provides a fresh perspective on a country. It’s a great way to meet locals, and see the way they eat, drink, socialise and party, and how their culture differs from the UK. Unlike museums, art exhibitions or guided tours, there is an obvious way to connect with locals at gigs and festivals abroad. That, in my opinion, is the secret to an incredible travel experience.
At Bilbao BBK in Spain I watched astonished as the entire festival seemed full to the brim as the clock struck 6am. At UK events only a few stragglers would still be partying at that hour but in Spain it is totally normal to be out all night long and for the celebration to stretch long into the following morning. It was the same in Thailand, where the festival culture is for locals to arrive at an event just before sunset and leave just after sunrise, taking a break in the very small hours to lay on the grass and chat if they’re tired before the big sun-up Instagram moment.
At gigs and festivals there is also all the great food and drink options you’d find in city centres, so you can tick off that element too. You can also hear local artists make political statements and talk about life in the location, another surefire way of connecting intimately with a place.
And all of this has been said without even mentioning the majesty of the environments of gigs abroad, that take place at stadiums and venues showing off amazing history and evoking a sense of place. I’m glad gig-tripping is finally getting the platform it deserves.