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[Teabags]

Spot on.

Few things to add:

-Have sheets/curtains to put round the van windows. People who nick stuff will try looking in first.
-If the van has a bed, use it. Rule of thumb with us is the drivers get the bed (so they're always guaranteed a good sleep) and someone ALWAYS sleeps in the van.
-Hanging smelly socks out the window on the motorway for ten minutes, then turning them inside out and leaving them hanging for another ten minutes will make them nice and fresh and fluffy again. Nobody likes the cunt with the stinky feet, and they like themselves even less.

[stuartmaxwell]

we are quite possibly getting a van in the next few weeks.

good times.

i have to agree with ben on his points.

[aberdoom]

get a mechanic to join your band too
eh bags

[kirkt]

Originally Posted by Lester Burnham

It's the only way I'd ever tour.

PS: Never EVER make the mistake of setting foot onto the megabus.

The Planeteers had to cancel a show in Glasgow after missing and then getting banned from the megabus on a day when none of us could afford to take the train.

[Sam L4]

Modern day touring. Try doing an 18 date UK tour with train prices these days. A ABDN to GLAS return is like 38 quid or summit.

[shaun]

Originally Posted by betamax

Or the modern way:
Be really selective about the type/number venues you play and plan them to be within a couple of hours by train of each other. eg London / Bristol / Brighton
Fly down to London on Easyjet for £19 pounds each, using it as a temporary base to operate from.
Hire or borrow amps locally to the gig (get the hire firm to deliver them)
Sack any superfluous band members (or just the ones that smell) to make travelling and overnighting even cheaper.
Never drive vans or carry amps.

sounds like the most exciting tour ever.

[betamax]

Originally Posted by bladeola

Absolute aids!

Maybe for your electronic stuff you can do that but we Fill our van with our backline and merch so it kinda is essential for us to drive. Part of the fun is the time spent in teh van together travelling anyway...

the suggestion here is to not take your vast backline, hire it or borrow it

but hey if you like it that much in the ''back of the van'' theres nothing more to be said *ahem*

[betamax]

Originally Posted by Sam L4

Modern day touring. Try doing an 18 date UK tour with train prices these days. A ABDN to GLAS return is like 38 quid or summit.

Obviously aberdeen to glasgow is a car job (maybe two cars) - i wouldnt even hire a van - use the dums at the venue and leave your giant marshall stack at home, it will be no good at the Barfly/13th note anyway - plus parking the van legally in glasgow is a challenge

again the suggestion here was to not play 18 dates

when using your valuable time and money travelling to play gigs my helpful recommendation is that it makes more sense to pick and choose only the gigs that have maximum and tangible benefit to your band in terms of either exposure to the exactly right audience or in terms of money....IE touring does not end up as a very expensive hobby *this does not apply to bands from Cults and Milltimber however - obviously time and money is no object*

plus .....if there are still 18 venues in the UK that offer that to small self funded bands then go for it, but I doubt there are (but theres defo 18 pay-to-play toilets - but why play them)

brain sez - do 4 target gigs all within a key area (eg London) that really focus on your type of music/audience and stick within a sensible budget
ego sez - i want to pretend im on a world tour (and my mum will bale me out when Im skint/jobless anyway)

each to their own, but having tried both (in fact lots of methods of touring) I know which ones work best for us anyway in terms of not going bankrupt / being opportunistic

the self funded toilet tour is fun for a while (about a week usually) but most people learn to loathe it

if you are a pro band however then that is totally different, but thats wasnt the nature of the original discussion topic

[Tam o' Shantie]

Originally Posted by betamax

Or the modern way:
Fly down to London on Easyjet for £19 pounds each, using it as a temporary base to operate from.

How futuristic. However, I'm not sure exactly where you get that price from, it's costing me £70 quid to get down there and back in May. And what exactly do you use as a 'temporary base'? Hotels cost money, and not everyone has friends or contacts in London that'll be able to help out with anywhere else to stay. Also, what about places other than London? How is a band supposed to play Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle, Leeds, Manchester etc. using your method?

Edit: As delay in replies being approved has made me look like a bit of a tool, I now see where you're coming from with the 3/4 date localised tour idea. To be honest, I think that's a method I'd prefer to use too (though nothing's more fun than a couple of weeks in the back of a van, it's easier when you're 17 and working in bullshit jobs with no commitments).

[stuartmaxwell]

Originally Posted by betamax

the suggestion here is to not take your vast backline, hire it or borrow it

backline is expensive an a pain in the arse to hire/return etc. plus, your own good backline is the secret member of your band