GOASIAPLUS October 2018

TRAVEL
taste has taken her across the world to see her favourite
bands. She has gone beyond Asia, experiencing singers
like Amanda Palmer in Australia and The Wombats in
Prague.
“I started in the US with the band The Hush Sound
and William Becketts about 6 years ago,” she explained,
already citing her interest for musicians that are not
necessarily commercially popular on the radio or even
heard of on this side of the world.
This was the same instance when I interviewed
analyst Zhi Hui who have an admiration towards
Japanese bands or J-Pop. After missing a concert once
by Japanese rock band One OK Rock, she jumped on
the chance when they decided to perform in Singapore.
With proper planning and a set budget, she made her
dreams come true and got to finally see them live. Her
latest jaunt took her to Sarawak to catch the Rainforest
Festival with her mother.
“It was scary at first but you learn and adapt,”
she said, recalling an incident where she was stuck at
immigration while attempting to enter Singapore by bus.
TRAVEL TIPS FOR CONCERT TRAVELLING
TICKETS FIRST - Tickets can sold out in a blink of
an eye so before you purchase any flights or hotels,
secure your ticket first. Another tip is to buy the
tickets from reputable places. Tricia and Zhi Hui
would usually buy from the artist’s own website or
third-party sites that were promoted by the artist
itself through their social media platforms.
VENUE PROXIMITY - For easy accessibility and
timeliness of arrival to your concert venue, best
get an accommodation that is close to the public
transport. In countries like Singapore or Japan,
the train system is vast and efficient. Utilise the
trains and bus systems to the extent and also take
the opportunity to explore the livelier parts of the
city. But for cities like Jakarta that are notorious
for their traffic jams, it is wiser to find a place
closer to the venue.
SAFETY FIRST - If you are travelling alone and
especially if you are a female, try to stick to busier
neighbourhoods where there is more traffic of
people. You will be closer to eateries, malls and
convenience stores making it more accessible for
you if you need a midnight snack. Give all-female
boarding a try like what many capsule hotels are
doing, providing all female dorms.
THE RISE OF PACKAGED DEALS
Though people like Tricia and Zhi Hui prefer to
buy their concert tickets, flight accommodation
and hotel themselves, there has been a rise in
websites that offer the ultimate musical travel
experience that is already packaged for your
convenience.
RECOMMENDED TRAVEL SITES
GIGLIFEASIA
Purchase concert tickets with added hotel
accommodation in the deal, as offered by
GigLifeAsia. You can even choose your package
based on your hotel budget as GigLifeAsia
offers a luxury, boutique and budget options.
Some even offer complimentary transport to the
venue! They feature events all across Asia from
Singapore all the way up north to Japan and the
Philippines.
www.giglifeasia.com
EVENT TRAVEL
For a musical adventure in England, this website
offers packaged deals that sometimes include
meet and greet passes to see your favourite
stars up close. The deals are curated for concerts
by big name artists like Bruno Mars, Paul
McCartney and Michael Buble. This has more of
a VIP experience if you purchase through them;
as many additional perks like access to food and
the bar before the concert are available.
www.eventtravel.com
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