It’s safe to say that this past year has been incredible. The amount of EDM shows I have covered, the amount of traveling I’ve done, it is extraordinary. But, nothing is great without a little bit of compromise. What I mean is, not everything I do is sponsored. What does that entail to me? Out of pocket costs. Yes, I know, hard to believe, but I don’t always get paid when I shoot on assignment. Sometimes I do, and it is gratifying, other times I don’t because I seek the experience.

Now, with all of the out of state work I have been doing, costs can add up – quick, whether it’s gas, flights, hotel, food, etc etc. So the question is, HOW do you save money and still get to do what you love? Easy – plan your attack, learn from others, be prepared for a plan B.

Traveling – Let me guess, by default, you want to stay at a hotel right? WRONG!!!! Theres an app and a site called AIRBNB. This thing is revolutionary. You literally stay at peoples homes, on their couch, spare bedroom for half the cost of a hotel. Hotel $129 per night, AirBNB $47 per night. Are you flying in somewhere? Always book a place between the airport and the gig, now you can get a rental car or cab it, plus a place to sleep, cheaper than 1 night at a hotel. On top of that, you’re supporting people just like you and I versus some rich overpriced mega chain hotel. You love me now don’t you?

Travel Part 2 – A lot of the shows I cover have friends that attend too. See where they’re staying, do they have a spare room, a floor to sleep on? Offer money to crash at someones place, cheaper than a hotel and you might get some home cooked meals out of it too. When I went to EDC Orlando, I slept on my friends hotel room floor and gave XX dollars, a fraction of what it would’ve cost me for a cab/rental car/or my own hotel room/or  airbnb room.  He literally saved the day, all I did was pay attention to social media and saw that he was going to the show. I asked and offered what I could afford. It was a done deal.

Travel Part 3 – Obviously, I can’t drive to every gig, most approvals to major shows are done 1-2 weeks beforehand. Which means, last minute flight bookings, which can be stupid expensive. Luckily, if you’re not a jerk and people like you or trust you, you might have a friend or two on social media that works for an airline company. There is no shame in asking for help. I posted multiple times through my outlets asking for help, and some of the most amazing people offered their buddy passes to help me get to my destinations. Now that $550 flight just turned into $180. Are you starting to see how much money is being saved now?

Travel Part 4 – Carpooling. Easy, if you can drive to your destination, do it. Are friends going to the same place?, ask them to chip in for gas, odds are, you might all be staying together anyways.

Do you have some tips and tricks on how to travel on a budget too? I would love to hear your input. Let me know how you save when traveling.

Take care!

-Tavit

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