"atomheart" posted these thoughts to rmp (1/20/97):

I'm no expert, but I toured with the Summer 93, 94 & 95 Dead tours and the recent Phish US summer tour (and a bit of the fall tour). Here's my ten-points plan:

1. You will need a minumum of $3000 if you plan to tour alone. About $750-$900 of that is for tickets, the rest is for food & lodging. Do not eat at restaurants if possible. You never know when you'll need that extra money. Go to local supermarkets and stock up with coolers. Select foods that are high-energy brain foods and as little caffiene and sugar as possible. This will keep you chugging along for the duration of the tour, rather than becoming lethargic. Be sure to drink plenty of liquids (juices, not sodas) and eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. I know this sounds like your parents, but sitting for long periods of time in a car can reek havoc on your system. If you are travelling with one other person, you will each need $2000, with two you will each need $1750, and with three you will each need $1500.
2. Send in your mail-orders on time and exactly as told to do so. If you get bumped, have a credit card as a back-up so you can get on the horn to TicketMaster.
3. Keep your tickets, receipts for those tickets, and your money pool in the same place and in your locked glove-box at all times. Do not flash them around. If you go to a motel, have them put into the safe.
   
4. Have your vehicle tuned up, have a safety check done, put Dura-Lube or some other kind of engine and fuel line treatment added, get an oil change, a new oil filter, new air filter, and a cooling system flush. JOIN THE AMERICAN AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION!!! Get a trip-tix from AAA for everywhere you need to get to and follow it. Make sure your insurance company will cover you wherever you are. Check the pressure in your spare tire. For the road have a first aid kit; a safety kit with flares, markers, etc; a flashlight; a tire-pressure gauge tool; a bottle of windshield wiper fluid; six quarts of oil; a blanket to kneel on if you have to change a tire; a clean, empty gasoline container; and a set of jumper cables. I personally (highly) recommend you pick up a pair of Blue Blocker type sunglasses and wear them when driving during the day. They will greatly help your ability to concentrate on the road. Don't cut corners here, your car is your livelyhood on the road.
5. When driving, switch drivers every 3-4 hours no matter how the person driving feels. There is no need to strain yourself. Especially when you have two days to get from Sacremento, CA to Highgate, VT, as we Deadheads had to do in '95. Drive in caravans with other touring folks when possible (provides safety in numbers). Follow the traffic laws carefully in the South, especially Mississippi, Georgia, and Louisianna, and especially if you are from the North. Also be careful in Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Illinois. It is recommended that you avoid the states of Louisianna and Texas. Do not enter New Jersey with any kinds of illegal drugs if you've got stickers on your car. If driving through the desert, take at least five to ten gallons of water with you and be careful you are not overheating your tires. When driving in the mountains, don't ride your brakes, they'll heat up and warp your rotors.
6. Get gas whenever your gauge hits 3/4 tank. The leading cause of breakdowns in the US is lack of fuel. Watch for parts of the highway which have no modern facilities for many miles (such as Highway 50 in Nevada and whatever road goes between Needles and Barstow) as get gas before you hit them. Pay attention to your trip-tik, it knows everything you need to know.
7. Prepare to camp out much of the time. Feel free to camp in free rest areas and state parks. The less they cost the better. Get a motel once in a while to clean yourself up and go to a laundrymat for your clothes. It doesn't have to be the Hilton. Any place will do, even the "We Bare All" Motel and nudie bar in Warner Robins, GA.
8. For fun, take a camera along and photograph all the silly things you see. Like the sign just south of the Ohio/Kentucky boarder which point us to "Big Bone Lick State Park". The mid-west and desert southwest can be horribly boring and empty. Keep yourself occupied. Take lots of pictures of each other and the folks you meet on tour. Sitting around with a fatty and reminiscing about tours is a good time for rainy days. Pictures help.
9. Be courteous to all wherever you go. When we Deadheads were in Highgate for the last two summers they were around, the town welcomed us with open arms. In return, we were as nice as possible and got invitied back. Keep that in mind if you enjoy being able to see Phish in many different places. Watch the police security in the Northeast, especially in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and New Jersey. They have had a rocky past with rock concerts and can be on edge at times. Basically, obey the law and be nice, it will come back to you.
10. Enjoy yourself wholeheartedly at each show, but if enjoying the show with alcohol or drugs, please take them with you instead of buying them at the venue, and always keep a designated driver. You wouldn't want to try to get out of say, Vegas, on acid.

"It's clearly a budget. It's got a lot of numbers in it.."
— George W. Bush, quoted in Reuters, May 5, 2000

Also, <Entropy126@aol.com> posted these mileage calculations from the U.S. Summer 1997 tour, as an example of how much is required if you're considering doing a leg or (heavens) all of a tour:

	>Virginia Beach ---> Raleigh              -  190 miles
	>Raleigh ---> Atlanta                     -  400
	>Atlanta ---> Dallas                      -  790
	>Dallas ---> Austin                       -  190
	>Austin ---> Phoenix                      -  1060
	>Phoenix ---> Ventura, CA                 -  435
	>Ventura, CA ---> Mountain View, CA       -  325
	>Mountain View, CA ---> Seattle           -  1040
	>Seattle ---> Maryland Heights, MO        -  2135
	>Maryland Heights, MO ---> Tinley Park, IL-  285
	>Tinley Park, IL ---> East Troy, WI       -  110
	>East Troy, WI ---> Noblesville, IN       -  280
	>Noblesville, IN ---> Burgettstown, PA    -  550
	>Burgettstown, PA ---> Darien Center, NY  -  260
	>Darien Center, NY ---> Limestone, ME     -  760
	>
	>Total Driving Distance:  8430 miles

"We care not what it is, this life
That we follow, this phantom unknown;
To swim, it's exceedingly pleasant,
So swim away, making a foam."
-- Herman Melville