The Internet Won’t Stop Talking About “Gig-Tripping,” So I Gave In And Tried It — Here’s A Brutally Honest Recap Of My Experience
If you think flying 5+ hours just for a weekend of concerts isn’t worth it, just wait till you hear my take.
Hey friends! My name’s Abby, and if there are two things you should know about me, they are: I love music, and I’m no stranger to travel. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a proud Canadian — but it’s undoubtedly awesome to see different parts of the world.
So really, I shouldn’t have been surprised when I got an email inviting me to the Ohana Festival in California to try my hand at “gig-tripping,” which has been all over my social media explore pages lately. Despite my love of music, I’d never been to a music festival before, so this was kind of a sign from the universe.
But before I recap my experience and give you my brutally honest thoughts, let me explain what gig-tripping is, for those who aren’t on the same side of TikTok as me: Gig-tripping is essentially planning a whole vacation around a concert or music event. So if you’ve ever flown out somewhere just for a music festival, congrats, you’re a certified gig-tripper.
In my case, I flew from Toronto to the San Diego–Orange County area — 5+ hours — for three days of concerts. I also brought along my cousin-slash-bestie Michelle, who lives on the other side of Canada. So was it worth it? Let’s get into my thoughts.
1. First, as a highly anxious individual who feels the need to organize every moment of a trip, I know how stressful planning a trip can be. I’ve been hesitant to go gig-tripping in the past because I thought there would be so much to prepare. But I swear, our experience at Ohana was easier to plan than perhaps any other trip I’ve been on. Many hotels actually have packages that include a ticket to the event itself (we stayed at Club Wyndham Oceanside Pier, which has packages specific to gig-tripping). So consider looking for a package to make your life easier!
2. This should be obvious, but if you’re considering going gig-tripping, make sure you’re a big fan of the artists or style of music. The Ohana Festival was full of alternative artists (my fave genre). In addition to headliners Hozier, Green Day, and Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder, I also got to see my all-time fave band, Cage the Elephant. That hour of Cage alone was worth flying in for, simply because I’m such a massive fan. My dad-rock-loving heart was living for this lineup.
3. In addition to the big artists, though, music festivals are an awesome way to discover new faves, which is a priceless experience. Each day, we arrived a couple hours before our faves took the stage, and caught some incredible performances we never would’ve thought to see otherwise. Notably, I fell in love with Royel Otis, who I’m now hyperfixated on thanks to the Ohana Festival.
4. Now, as a first-time music festival-goer, I gotta admit, I feared the crowds and long days would be too overwhelming. But I’m here to put those rumours to rest: There’s genuinely so much freedom to do whatever you want, and it didn’t feel hectic at all. The grounds were so spacious, and there are two stages, which added extra fun around the planning process. (Yes, I’m Type A, ICYMI.)
5. Speaking of experiences, let’s chat about food. I’m not gonna lie, the options inside the festival were definitely pricey…and that’s not even taking exchange rates into consideration (crying in CAD). But they had *so* many yummy options. I’m talking pizza to açai bowls (!!!) to chicken fingers to countless sweet treats. So is it worth saving a few extra bucks to get your fuel? Abso-frickin-lutely.
6. As for drinks, I hate to be a party pooper, but neither Michelle nor I are big drinkers. I assumed that meant we’d miss out on a classic part of the festival experience, but I was totally wrong! There were tons of drink options for us sober-or-sober-curious folk. I got a delish iced tea, which was better than any alcoholic bevvy I’ve ever tried. Plus, tea = caffeine = more energy.
7. For music festivals in general, but especially for gig-tripping, this piece of advice is critical: Make sure you choose your companion(s) wisely. You not only need to think about who has a similar music taste as you — and would wanna prioritize the same artists in the festival — but also who you travel best with. Two of us was the perfect number, and it made so much sense to meet up with a long-distance bestie. Plus, lucky for me, Michelle is also a massive Cage the Elephant fan, so she and I were both eager to get a good spot and wait in the crowd for their performance.
8. But other than getting quality time and unforgettable memories with a bestie who lives far away, gig-tripping also gave us the opportunity to meet some new Californian friends. Personally, I love making new connections while travelling, and Ohana was such an easy way to do that — music festivals are such social, positive environments, and it was a blast bonding over a shared love of the same artists. Extroverted Abby was thriving. Besides, hey, you never know when you’ll get the chance to see them again!
9. This one is kinda logistical, so forgive me, but this has to be said: DO YOUR RESEARCH ON THE FESTIVAL RULES, well in advance! You’re travelling hours for a festival, so make sure you know what you can take. We were allowed to bring in empty water bottles, and made frequent use of the water filling stations — but a lot of people we spoke to had no clue about that part, so they were hot and dehydrated the entire time. Also, note the bag policy; it’s worth buying a completely separate bag just for the trip (luckily, I had one from my trip to Reno Tahoe earlier this year).
10. And along those lines, make use of ride-sharing apps, whether you like them or not. Depending on your destination, they very well might be your best option for getting to the venue. Either way, plan your commute from the hotel to the festival well in advance. The prices do stack up here — it was likely the most expensive part of the trip. But it was still overall worth it to me. (Just don’t leave your AirPods in the Uber like I did. True story.)
11. As for the “trip” part of gig-tripping: Although it’s absolutely worth flying in just for the festival, and that can remain your primary purpose, I highly recommend going at least a day in advance so you can experience the new destination before the festival starts. We weren’t at all familiar with the California coast, and we had the best time exploring the area. We also caught a Thursday street market we would’ve otherwise missed (where I had the best cake I’ve ever eaten in my life, no lie). Going a day early let us get acclimated to the area, and provided a buffer for the jet lag to subside.
12. Speaking of, can I just have a moment to talk about how cool California is?! The culture was so different from anything we’d seen before (for one, our jaws were on the floor at all the surfers), and we got to really immerse ourselves, since we stayed in a non-touristy city, which I HIGHLY recommend. Sorry to my snowbird grandparents who spend half the year in Florida, but the Oceanside beach totally beats Boca — and I never would’ve known that if it wasn’t for this gig-tripping experience.
13. And now, ready for the final perk of gig-tripping that I totally didn’t expect? We had, like, WAY more time during the festival days than I expected. Since the performances only really start in the mid-afternoon (at least at Ohana Festival), you’ve got many hours each day to do whatever you want. Gig-tripping simply gives you an activity for your evenings, and during the day, you still have time to explore and chill (emphasis on the latter). We hung by the pool, walked on the pier, shopped at the mall, dined at local restaurants… The list goes on!
That last reason alone has converted me from a skeptic to a full-on gig-tripping advocate. For me, gig-tripping now tops the list of most fun AND sensical travel experiences. Because, like I said, it’s a two-for-one! So if you’re a music lover, do yourself a favour and add gig-tripping to your bucket list (and credit me as your inspo, please).
And when people ask you why you’re flying across the continent just for a few concerts, I’m giving you permission to roll your eyes and say, “It’s actually a double-whammy, and you’re not cool enough to get it.”
Have you ever been gig-tripping before? Would you try it? Tell me in the comments below!
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Editor’s Note: BuzzFeed was provided this trip free of charge; however, we were under no obligation to give a positive review.