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 When you're starting off you'll no doubt be taken to gigs by your mum and dad progressing to a scrappy white transit van and that will be your transport. The next step up is the...
SPLITTER - which is a half mini bus, half van, generally converted from a van with two extra rows of seats and compartment behind for your equipment. They are generally 9 seats - this is because unless you passed your test many moons ago or have a PSV(bus license) 9 seats is the legal limit. They are the backbone of low level touring in Europe, you can build your own or rent them from many companies. The biggest in the UK is Tiger Tours, Wembley who are very nice, speak to Keiran or Michael. They have a range of splitter vans at varying prices. Aloha, based in East London, are also good with competitive rates, speak to Roger. Outside of London Stardes, based in Sheffield, have very good well maintained vehicles and will deliver and collect. Speak to Sue Steinberg and don't forget to mention FTTS.
All the above companies have properly maintained vans and proper insurance cover. There are many other companies out there but these are ones that we have used and recommend. Prices start at around £80 per day. Most companies will ask for a £500 deposit which is redeemable IF the van comes back undamaged. In terms of comfort and luxury (none), you get what you pay for. All these companies will have negotiable rates when times are quiet but do get booked up. For instance if you want to book a van for Glastonbury the week before you're not going to get one.
SAFETY NOTE: Mostly splitter buses are based on Mercedes Sprinter Van which are pretty fast - so please think carefully of driving fast with a van full of people and equipment as it will not stop like your mum's Ford Fiesta. Where possible ask for one with a double wheel back axle as if you get a puncture you still have three more tyres to travel on.
 TOUR BUS - when you've grown out of your splitter you will have the luxury of travelling to your gigs in a sleeper bus. When you first have one you will probably be travelling with your crew and your backline either in the luggage bays or a trailer. When you get bigger your crew will have a separate bus and your equipment will go in a truck.
There are lots of bus hire companies with vehicles and drivers of varying quality. In the UK prices range from £500 per day inc. fuel and bus hire. The UK deals are that you will pay an invoice for bus hire, drivers wages, fuel, ferries etc directly to the bus company - you give them your itinerary, they work out the rest. You will have to pay the driver a daily allowance, around £45 per day cash in lieu of a hotel room, you will also have to provide their food. UK bus drivers will generally not want a hotel room as would rather have the money, but its always nice to ask.
Phoenix are generally the best tour bus company in the UK. There are many but be careful as standards and drivers vary and if a bus is incredibly cheap and available on Glastonbury weekend there is probably something wrong! Bad buses and horrible drivers do cause lots of bad feeling so beware. It's often worth getting a quote from European companies even if the tour is only the UK as in our experience they can be cheaper and offer a better service. We can recommend Sami-Shine, France or Redcar, Germany or Coach Service also in Germany who are expensive but good.
BUS DRIVER REGULATIONS
Regulations governing bus drivers in europe have become much much stricter since 2006 with strictly enforced breaks and rest periods for drivers, particularly in continental Europe you may need two drivers for the bus for some parts of the tour depending on your routing - the bus company, if they're any good will let you know when you need double drivers.
ROUTING - outside of our trusted sat nav's we like via michelin www.viamichelin and tend to print off routes for drivers as a contingency.
FERRIES - most of the ferries we use will be ones to go across the channel to Europe. Normally its cheapest to go the shortest route even if it means a longer drive - so no matter where you are in Europe its cheapest to go Dover Calais. Always check out available discounts when booking, they sometimes have discounts for odd things like AA Membership etc. If you have a splitter book it as a private mini bus, do not go through freight/commerical as this is way more expensive. There is not much to choose between the rival ferry companies so go with whoever offers the best deal at the time. If you don't want to go on the ferry you can always use the tunnel. If you are traveling on the longer crossings, to Ireland, Normandy etc, always check sailing times as they are subject to seasonal and weather cancellations. Not much stops the short crossings. Best to book in advance, on-line or by phone, however if you just turn up for the short crossings you will probably get on at some point as there are loads of crossings. Please bear in mind holiday periods are extremely busy and usually booked up in advance.
The main place you will encounter ferries in Europe is Scandinavia - the same advice applies and remember ALWAYS check sailing times and weather and make sure you have a contingency plan. ALWAYS allow enough time for crossings, cancellations, acts of God!
If you have a sleeper bus they will probably have included the cost of the ferries in their quote. You can sometimes save some money by saying you will book the ferries yourself.
A favourite place for you to be stopped by customs and have passports and visas checked is coming into Dover from Europe, so if you have Americans or other nationalities expect to get stopped and be grateful if you don't - 2nd best to 'illegals' is pop groups.
FLIGHTS - these days most of the time its cheapest to go on-line and book the flights yourself. You can use a travel agent. Principle advantage of using an agent is they are bonded (ABTA) so if the airline goes broke you are covered. Also some airlines will only handle group bookings by established travel agents eg, Swiss (who used to be Swiss Air before they went broke!)
If you've got long haul expensive flights to sort out it is sometimes worth checking with the likes of STA Travel, Trailfinders etc They will often have seats held at a certain price.
BUDGET AIRLINES - can be great, but when booking be aware of the extra charges, sadly there is no standard here, so double check and shop around. Sometimes it might be worth re-routing to keep in budget - you might end up flying from London to Milan via Dublin. So when using budget airlines be creative with your routings as they often fly from surprising places like Norwich, Coventry etc, which can be really useful.
EXCESS BAGGAGE - if you have lots of equipment try and negotiate with the airline, sometimes they allow musical instruments on free or at advantageous rates - use your charm and guile. Obviously things have tightened up considerably in this area, long gone are the days when you could slip the baggage handler £20 to get a whole band's back line on a flight to NY for free! NEVER try and make tight connections - something WILL go wrong, baggage WILL be lost etc.
BIG corporate travel agents inc. BCD, Alltour,
CHARTERING AIRLINES - you may think you're not Led Zepplin with the Starship so forget it, BUT with even middling bands it can be cost effective, particularly doing European Festivals.
TRAINS - the best way to book trains in Europe is to book direct from the local train station or on-line (Rail Europe). It is usually best to book direct with the rail network of the country you are in. Trains are crap in the UK but in most of continental Europe they are really good and can be reasonably inexpensive. Touring Europe by train can work well if you have limited equipment - you can get cabs, arrange for the promoter to meet you etc.
see Visa section for border crossings etc. For Carnets (your equipment passport) see Equipment
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