If you’re an emerging, unsigned musician, touring abroad requires hard work, money, and, more often than not, the art of persuasion. It’s going to take real stamina and passion, especially if you’re inexperienced and strapped for cash. But most importantly, it’s an adventure and could well turn out to be the best trip of your life.

Some bands choose to focus on gaining traction and popularity in their home country before touring abroad, but this isn’t always the case. Whatever your band’s current situation, here are some tips for playing live abroad.

Tips for bands touring abroad

1. Tour with a bigger artist

Going on an international tour with a more well-known artist is a great way to gain experience playing abroad. It also makes planning much easier, as all your venues are likely already booked.

Once you’ve gained enough notoriety, try approaching more established bands for support spots. Stay on the lookout for opportunities to support artists in your local scene, check online for new band opportunities , and build relationships with other musicians to ensure your name is top of mind when people search for support acts.

For example, Liverpool’s upcoming band, The Night Cafe, recently announced they’ll be touring the world with The Wombats, also from Liverpool! This shows the importance of being connected to your local scene.

2 . Plan your route

First, make sure everyone in your group has up-to-date passports and the appropriate visas. Seriously. Mistakes like these can end a tour before it even begins.

Ideally, you should book venues based on the easiest and most economical route to save time and travel costs. There’s no point in zigzagging across a continent if you can make a seamless loop and reduce the number of kilometers traveled.

You’ll also need to secure transportation. A tour bus or van is the most obvious choice, giving you the freedom to travel on your own schedule. Just make sure it’s big enough to fit all your gear and reliable enough to last the distance. Interrail transportation across Europe is surprisingly easy and affordable, and it’s worth considering if you don’t have too much gear in tow.

Unless you plan on living on a tour bus, which can be brutal, plan your accommodations at each stop on your tour.

When it comes to funding these essentials, you can use the fees you receive from the shows you play or even hit the streets of each city to have fun. Just make sure you’re aware of the busking laws and check with your local authorities to avoid any problems.

If there aren’t too many of you, you could also consider using a couch surfing app, a concept that allows guests to meet hosts who have an extra couch to sleep on.

3. Book the events

If you’re looking to book gigs at unfamiliar venues, research the local scene, find promoters, venues, and other bands in the area, and contact them to see if there are any openings.

Whether you’re simply sending out links to your track, or connecting and networking with other bands through social media to see if they need support, there are plenty of ways to infiltrate a new music scene.

Don’t forget to personalize your pitch for each promoter or venue. Highlight your act’s unique selling point and convincingly explain why they should book you. You can even use Google Translate to pitch in their native language.

4. Consider locations outside the city

Why not think outside the box when choosing your foreign tour venues? Landing a gig in a lesser-known destination can be much easier than trying to land one in a bustling capital city. Follow our tips on how to approach venues for more information.

Additionally, locals will likely be more excited about a new band coming to town in a less populated area. Even more so than big city residents who see new bands play every day. On the other hand, you need to make sure there’s a real music scene in the venues you plan to play. You don’t want to end up playing in front of three people in a dodgy pub.

Big cities don’t always mean bigger crowds for upcoming bands

5. Use social media to communicate and promote

You’ll need to create promotional graphics for your social media, create individual event pages for each tour date, and invite people from that area.

You can also promote a Facebook post promoting the concert and use Facebook’s promotion tools to target a specific area.