An Unorthodox Travel Destination: Following a Concert Tour
In a generation of unique travel destinations, my personal favorite — following a concert tour — seems to push boundaries on what a vacation actually is.
By: Ashley Duong
One of my favorite jokes I like to make with my friends is that I’m a fangirl first and a person second. Ever since I could remember, I’ve always been a fangirl. This personality trait manifested through boy band posters covering my childhood bedroom, trips to my local mall’s “Hot Topic,” and going to as many concerts as I could. Personally, I never outgrew this phase. My old habits seep into my current everyday life, but the most prominent habit that I have yet to break is seeing my favorite artists live.
I’ve never seen more than one show for a singular tour until last summer for “The 5SOS Show.” My childhood best friend and I have been 5 Seconds of Summer fangirls since middle school, and this was the perfect opportunity to tap back into those “glory days.” We saw their Connecticut show, then traveled to Boston for their next show two days later.
Looking back, I can easily say that this was one of my favorite “vacations” I took last summer. It’s quite unorthodox since vacations usually elicit thoughts of beaches, plane trips, and itineraries filled with back-to-back tourist destinations. How can driving three hours half-asleep, a breakfast of fries and granola bars, and lining up for a concert at 6:30 a.m. be considered a vacation?
Yet, this seemingly mundane itinerary solidified its place on my list of favorite trips. It’s strange to consider this a vacation because it goes against all preconceived notions of traveling. While, at times, it was pretty stressful, I loved it because it was so distinctly me. As a diehard fangirl, seeing my favorite band’s show twice on the same tour was unbelievably gratifying, and it filled all the budget-friendly dinners, early mornings, and long car rides with electric excitement.
While being a music lover makes following a concert tour a perfect type of vacation for me, this one example shows how traveling can be customizable to fit who you are. Are you into sports? Consider planning a weekend to see back-to-back games. You’re a foodie? Plan a day trip to your nearest city and hit all the restaurants you’ve been wanting to try. Traveling, at the end of the day, is meant for ourselves, and we get to redefine what vacations look like. And for me, my ideal vacation destination will always be a concert venue.