Life on the road can be gruelling. Travelling from place to place, being away from friends and family, feeling discombobulated through time zone shifts and through it all, having to show up and do the work you’re there to do can be a demanding endeavour. It’s no surprise that getting through the shows becomes the main priority and the practices you might ordinarily employ to support your wellbeing take a backseat. But neglecting your physical and mental health needs through the duration of your tour can have compounding and enduring effects. It’s likely to impact the way you show up to your work, affect your performance, place an added strain on your relationships and leave you not feeling so crash hot overall. 

So, how can you recognise your self-care needs while on the road and do your best to meet some of them? It might take a little creativity, forethought and some logistical manoeuvring, but it is possible. Below is a list of domains that have strong and established links to supporting a healthy body and mind. Consider some of the questions below them and examples of how you might plan to prioritise your wellbeing needs in this area.

Diet

When and what should I be eating?

Do you shovel down junk and fast food whilst on tour? Do you regularly skip meals or eat a huge amount of food late at night? Whilst it can be tricky to meal prep, consider dietaries, and store ingredients, considering when and what you’re consuming allows you to make more conscious decisions around your food intake and pre-plan what you can. Perhaps you can carry some simple and healthy snacks to fuel you during transit times. Maybe you can give yourself a limit on ordering fast food or try and opt for healthier items? What requests and arrangements can you make with the people around you to support each other to eat healthier, or make mealtimes more communal and considered?

Should I make some rules around booze/drugs?

Does your booze and drug use get the better of you on tour? Do you find yourself nursing gnarly hangovers on a regular basis? Do you feel embarrassed about your inebriated antics or feel like your ability to perform is impacted by your drink and drug-use? If so, it could be helpful to set some boundaries around drink and drugs while on the road. This is particularly important if you have had challenges with substance use in the past. Could you challenge yourself to drink zero alcohol on tour? As Dale mentions in his article, there are plenty of 0% alc options on offer nowadays. Could you restrict drinking to certain days of the week, only after shows, or restrict the number of drinks you’ll go in for at a time? Having a mate on tour who knows your intentions in this area can make it a little easier to keep good on your goals.

Movement

How can I move in a way that supports me?

Does your workout regime go awol as soon as a tour kicks off? Do you find yourself feeling sluggish and unmotivated to exercise? Is the type of movement you like not an option while you’re away? Everyone has a different relationship to healthy movement and exercise. Considering your needs and preferences here can make it easier to prep and plan for prioritising them. If you enjoy yoga and find regular stretching helpful, can you do like Dale did and bring a yoga mat along? If you prefer to do classes with an instructor, can you find video or audio workouts you can follow along to? If you prefer training at a gym or specialty fitness studio, could you look into a fitness class pass (like Class Pass) that gives you access to fitness studios all around the world? Can you remember to bring workout gear and find time in your tour schedule to lock in days and times to commit to movement? Or if you’d like to make it a social affair, can you train alongside a tourmate or get a bunch of folks together for a group sport activity?

Sleep

How can I do my best to ensure my sleep needs are met?

Sleep can certainly cop a walloping on tour, given the early call times, shifting time zones, late night shows, sketchy hotel pillows and all the rest. While it might not always be practical and possible to lock in your 8-hrs every night, you need to try your best to make sure your sleep needs aren’t chronically neglected. This might mean speaking up to tour managers when scheduling is not taking your human needs for rest and recovery into account. Perhaps you can bring travel pillows or noise cancelling headphones to get some rest whilst in transit? Consider if you need to prepare or bring along sleep aids (such as eye masks, earplugs, guided meditations or medications) to help support your sleep needs.

Connection & Support

How do I maintain and honour my relationships? 

Do you find yourself feeling disconnected and isolated on tour? Would you like to prioritise checking in with friends and family while you’re away? It’s a great idea to chat with your friends and family beforehand about how your time on tour might impact them and how often you’d like to remain in touch. Fortunately, nowadays there is lots of ways to connect, even when there is a great deal of distance between you. Can you make consistent times throughout the week to Facetime? Can you get old school and write letters or send postcards? Can you send texts, photos and memes to help folks back home feel connected to your life and share in some special moments?

How do I get help and support if I need it?

It can be tough to know how and where to reach out if you need any additional support whilst away on tour. Hopefully, you have folks on tour that are there to support you and lend an empathetic ear if you need it. However, if you find yourself wanting to share something private or need some advice or guidance on something that feels a little too personal, you can call the Support Act Wellbeing Helpline. Our helpline is available to anyone and everyone working in the Australian music industry. Its free, completely confidential, and the service is run by compassionate and savvy mental health professionals who understand the ins and outs of working in volatile and demanding creative industries.

Learn more about the Helpline here.

Hopefully these questions offer a little more clarity when it comes to considering your wellbeing needs whilst on the road.

For more valuable resources about keeping healthy on tour, check these out…

Tamsin Embleton – Touring & Mental Health: The Touring Industry Manual

This manual helps artists, tour managers, production managers, crew and artist teams to identify and cope with the various psychological difficulties that can occur during or as a result of touring. Written by psychotherapists, performance coaches, vocal coaches, dieticians, psychologists and sleep, sexual health and addiction experts, this timely and important book provides practical guidance, resources, psycho-education, and real life stories and advice from musicians and prominent touring personnel.

Arts Wellbeing Collective – Tour Well Guide

Tour Well is a free pdf resource consisting of practical, evidence-based tips addressing common mental health and wellbeing challenges that you might encounter while on tour, so you can better prepare, take care of yourself, and help support your mates on tour.