by\u00a0Randy Chertkow and Jason Feehan<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>of\u00a0Disc Makers Blog<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Making profit in any business can be boiled down to a simple formula:\u00a0the money you make minus the money you spend equals the money you keep.<\/em>\u00a0When it comes to touring, one way to boost your take is to keep your hotel costs as low as possible. Although accommodation costs are a\u00a0business write-off<\/a>, there are ways you can go on a tour without paying for a single hotel.<\/p>\n Thanks to the Internet and the sharing economy, there are accommodation-sharing resources that will help you find places to stay for free. Each of these services work by matching travelers with hosts in a particular area because some hosts are just looking for interesting people to meet. As a touring musician, you\u2019re already interesting and\u00a0have stories and music to share<\/a>.<\/p>\n Try exploring the following sharing services:<\/p>\n Of course, when you stay at any stranger\u2019s home, safety comes to mind. So to assist both sides in the matching service, build trust, and promote safety, these sharing sites have age limits (you must be over 18 for many of the services) as well require you to fill out a detailed profile. Travelers and hosts then review each others\u2019 profiles so they can get an idea about who they are, what they\u2019re like, and what they do. These services allow references or ratings (much like ride-sharing services do) and have a way to report abuse to keep anyone abusing the system out of the pool.<\/p>\n Matching is as simple as researching the hosts in a particular area and messaging them through the service as to their availability. If you plan out the trip ahead of time, you can invite your hosts to your shows and\u00a0put them on your guest list<\/a>\u00a0to give them something in return.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re willing to play smaller shows on the way to each stop on your tour, consider performing house concerts. House concerts are private shows performed at a person\u2019s residence, usually to a small audience and for a small cover.<\/p>\n These types of shows grew out of the folk-music community, where intimate settings are especially appropriate. However, many musicians and bands have added these small shows to supplement their standard tours (since they can make them money) and have a place to crash for the night (and sometimes a breakfast!).<\/p>\n Although performing a house concert doesn\u2019t automatically include a place to stay for the night, you can certainly ask and the host may even offer. If you plan your tour right, you could be doing private shows on every stop on your tour, getting free lodging the whole time.<\/p>\n To explore this option, try the following:<\/p>\n As you\u2019re just starting to plan your tour, let your fans know via social networking or your mailing list that you\u2019re willing to play house concerts. This alone may open a ton of opportunities.<\/p>\n Whenever a fan tweets, messages, or sends you an email asking you to play in their city, contact them to see if their place is available for a house concert or if they know someone in the areas who would host. It\u2019s also worth reaching out to these requests because sometimes these fans will help you book gigs in their hometown by connecting and dealing with local venues.<\/p>\n Normally you\u2019ll negotiate a flat fee or a guaranteed minimum payment of the door for performing (since what you get paid shouldn\u2019t have to depend on your host\u2019s ability to bring in people). It\u2019s in negotiating the fee that you can also suggest making lodging a part of the arrangement (or discounting your fee if they host you).<\/p>\n You\u2019ll need to travel with all the necessary equipment to produce\u00a0your house concerts <\/a>or come up with a solution to rent it locally.<\/p>\n Naturally, as with the first option, there are safety considerations when playing a house concert and staying at a stranger\u2019s house. There are also legal considerations, like zoning and noise ordinances, so keep in mind that sometimes house concerts can get shut down. You can learn more about avoiding these legal hurdles as well as booking and performing tips from sites like\u00a0Concerts In Your Home<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Russ and Julie\u2019s House Concerts<\/a>.<\/p>\n There\u2019s one more alternative for avoiding hotels: sleeping in your car or van. While it\u2019s not for everyone, it turns out there are entire communities dedicated to telling you how to set up your vehicle for sleep, including the\u00a0Vandwellers<\/a>\u00a0subreddit, which has an\u00a0FAQ<\/a>\u00a0on the topic.<\/p>\n Some of these communities and concepts are about long-term living, but there are other strategies that are perfectly useful for a touring musician who just needs to sleep in their vehicle for a night or two which they call \u201cPart-Time Vandwellers.\u201d<\/p>\n If you need to crash for the night in your vehicle, consider these tips:<\/p>\n There are places that allow you to park and camp for free. Use websites like\u00a0Free Campsites<\/a>\u00a0to plan your tour around places they recommend you can park. If you have a small tent and the weather is agreeable, you can sleep outside and enjoy the outdoors rather than being cooped up in the backseat of your car or the floor of your van.<\/p>\n For those nights where you find yourself in the city and there\u2019s no free campsite available, you may have to stealth camp: park and stay in your vehicle on the street or somewhere that\u2019s not an approved campground. The biggest challenge for staying the night in your car in the city is to find a place to park where no one, including local authorities, will bother you. For this, the van dwelling community advises the parking lots of 24-hour stores, mall lots, and other places like hotel parking lots where cars are expected to be parked all night. Parking the night at a 24-hour store has the added advantage of having a bathroom nearby as well.<\/p>\n When you\u2019re on the road and living out of your vehicle, getting a good bathroom or shower becomes a challenge. For this, the vandwelling community suggests chains like\u00a024hr Fitness<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0Planet Fitness<\/a>\u00a0as inexpensive options. They have parking lots, showers, and other amenities. And, of course, you can also use them to get in a workout along your tour.<\/p>\n If you plan on sleeping in your vehicle while touring, it\u2019s a good idea to stop at the camping or convenience store to load up on items that will make vehicle living easier. This includes things like sleeping bags, ear plugs, hand-wipes, bottled water, pillows, etc.<\/p>\n And, since the sun rises early, but you likely don\u2019t, preparing your vehicle with reflective sun shields and shades become an important part of your planning, especially if you\u2019re sleeping in your vehicle. For a van, long-term options include outfitting the back with insulation like\u00a0Reflectix<\/a>, which can make it much more comfortable for sleeping.<\/p>\n While some of the van dwelling communities make it sound like an idyllic life, sleeping in your car or van isn\u2019t necessarily the best sleeping option out there, especially for your posture, back, and general health. Then again, touring can be temporary and sometimes it\u2019s your best option. Plus, it\u2019s easy on your pocketbook and will help you keep more of the money you make on a tour.<\/p>\n \u2014\u2003\u2014\u2003\u2014<\/p>\n Of course, there are other techniques you can use to get free lodging as you tour that you shouldn\u2019t forget as you plan to get on the road. Naturally, you can always play in places where you know friends and family. You can also team up with local artists in each city you visit and open for them or plan an evening. They may give you a place to crash or know where you can go.<\/p>\n![\"avoiding](\"https:\/\/blog.discmakers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/AvoidingHotels_Feature.jpg\")
<\/figure>\nStaying in people\u2019s homes (including fans)<\/h3>\n
\n
Having fans pay you to stay with them<\/h3>\n
1. Announce you\u2019re looking to book house concerts<\/h4>\n
2. Contact fans asking you to play their city or town<\/h4>\n
3. Agree on payment and ask your host if you can stay at their place<\/h4>\n
4. Make sure you have the right equipment to put on your own show<\/h4>\n
Staying in your vehicle<\/h3>\n
1. Find free campsites<\/h4>\n
2. Try stealth camping<\/h4>\n
3. Join a national fitness club chain for showers and facilities<\/h4>\n
4. Outfit your vehicle for comfort<\/h4>\n