Gig travel logistics: vans, hotels, timing, borders

The gig is at 20:00, 240 km away, and the band leaves at 15:30 because somebody's map app said three hours. Then there is roadworks, a closed venue entrance, and a soundcheck that turns into a line check while the client watches. Travel is where good bands lose their reputation, and it is almost entirely predictable.

Timing: the buffer rules

Map estimates are for a car with no gear, no stops and no traffic. A band in a loaded van needs more. Rules that hold up over hundreds of gigs:

• Add 25% to the map estimate for any journey over an hour, 40% for anything crossing a city at rush hour or on a Friday afternoon.
• Add 20 minutes per stop. A fuel stop for six people is never 5 minutes.
• Add 30 minutes at the venue for finding the entrance, the parking, and the person with the key.
• Aim to arrive 30 minutes before load-in, not at load-in. Being early costs a coffee; being late costs the soundcheck.

Worked example: map says 2 h 40. Add 25% (40 min), one stop (20 min), venue buffer (30 min), early arrival (30 min). Departure is 4 h 40 before load-in. If load-in is 16:00, you leave at 11:20, not at 13:00.

Write the departure time in the gig confirmation with the phrase "wheels rolling at", and mean it: the van leaves at that time with whoever is in it. That rule, applied twice, ends lateness.

Driver rules

• The driver drinks nothing. Not one beer after the show, not one glass at the wedding. Decide who drives before the day, and rotate fairly across the season. Some bands pay the driver an extra 30 to 50 EUR per gig for the sacrifice; it is cheap.
• No driving over 2 hours after a show without a break, and no journeys over 3 hours after midnight. A hotel at 90 EUR is cheaper than the alternative.
• Two drivers on any return journey over 2 hours. Swap halfway.
• The van is insured for every named driver. Check before the season, not in the car park.
• Phone in a holder, navigation set before departure. The navigator sits in the front and handles calls.

If your country has rules on driver rest times for larger vehicles, they apply to a band in a 3.5-tonne van exactly as they apply to a courier. Check the local rules for your vehicle class; the general principle is a break of 45 minutes every 4.5 hours.

Parking and access

Half of all venue delays are parking. Ask the venue three questions in the advance call, a week before:

1. Where does the van unload? Is the loading bay a real bay, or a bus stop that is fine "usually"?
2. Where does the van park after unloading, and does it cost anything?
3. Who opens the door at load-in, and what is their mobile number?

For city-centre weddings and hotels, budget 20 to 40 EUR for parking and put it in the quote as an expense, or accept that the bass player will pay it and forget to claim it. Write the parking answers on the gig sheet so the driver does not need to phone anyone.

Hotels: when to book one

The decision rule: if the gig ends after 23:00 and the drive home is over 2 hours, book. If the gig is more than 250 km away, book regardless. Everything else, go home.

Practicalities that save money and sleep:

• Book 2 people per room; put it in the band agreement so nobody expects singles.
• Choose the hotel by van parking first, breakfast second, distance from the venue third. A hotel 15 minutes away with a lit car park is better than one next door with street parking.
• Bring the gear into the rooms or leave it in a locked, alarmed van in a hotel car park with cameras, never on the street. Ask the venue whether the gear can stay overnight and be collected in the morning; many will say yes.
• Add the hotel cost to the quote as a line ("accommodation for 5, one night") rather than absorbing it. Clients accept it when it is explained by the distance.

Crossing borders with gear

Within the EU, the practical issues are small: carry proof of ownership for expensive instruments (a photo of the serial number and the invoice, on your phone) in case of a customs check, and make sure the van insurance covers the countries you enter.

Outside the EU, or into and out of the UK and Switzerland, gear can require a customs document (an ATA carnet in most countries) listing every item with serial numbers and values. Without it, you may pay import duty on your own instruments or have them held. A carnet costs a few hundred euros, takes a week or two to arrange, and must be stamped on every entry and exit. Add three days to the planning and 45 minutes to each crossing. Also check work-permit and tax rules for the country: a fee paid to a foreign band is often subject to withholding tax that the promoter deducts at source, and some countries require a permit even for one show. Ask the promoter to confirm in writing what they will deduct and what paperwork they need from you. None of this is legal advice; the rules change and differ by country.

Instrument-specific: some woods, shells and ivories fall under CITES rules, and older instruments containing them can be stopped. If you own a vintage instrument with rosewood, tortoiseshell or ivory parts, look into the passport or certificate for it before a non-EU trip.

Per-diems and expenses

A per-diem is a fixed daily amount for food when the band is away, paid instead of collecting receipts. It removes 90% of the arguments about who paid for lunch.

• Typical amounts: 25 to 40 EUR per person per travel day, 15 to 20 when a meal is provided by the client.
• Fuel, tolls, parking and hotels are band expenses, paid from the gig fee before the split. See splitting money in a band.
• One person pays with a band card and keeps the receipts in a single envelope per gig. The envelope is photographed at home. That is the whole bookkeeping system.
• Set a mileage rate if members use their own cars: 0.25 to 0.35 EUR per km is the common range in Europe.

Decide these numbers once, before the season, and write them into the agreement. Renegotiating them in a service station at 02:00 is not a good use of anyone's evening.

The travel section of a gig sheet

Every gig sheet should have a travel block that answers, without a phone call:

• Departure point and "wheels rolling" time.
• Route note if the obvious route is wrong (city centre closed, ferry required).
• Venue address, loading bay and parking, with the door contact's mobile number.
• Hotel name, address, booking reference, check-in time.
• Return plan: who drives, whether the van stays overnight.

Do this today

1. Write the buffer formula into your gig template so departure time is computed the same way every time.
2. Make the driver list for the season and check the van insurance covers each name.
3. Set per-diem and mileage rates and write them down.
4. Check whether any gig this year crosses a non-EU border, and if so, start the carnet and permit questions now.

Where expert.band helps

The gig in expert.band carries the times, the address with a map link and a free-text description, so the travel block lives with the gig and prints on the gig sheet alongside the line-up and the setlist. The packing checklist shows what is loaded and who is bringing what, which is the difference between a two-minute departure and a return trip for the merch box.