The summer of gig-tripping: How the travel trend has taken off with Taylor Swift fans
If you've noticed an influx of friends, influencers, or colleagues posting travels abroad at concerts -- especially from the hot ticket of Taylor Swift's Eras Tour -- you're not alone.
The trend known as gig tripping -- booking travel to see an artist internationally -- has always been around, but has skyrocketed recently as a way for fans to enjoy shows, in most cases for cheaper prices, with the added perk of exploring a new city and culture.
As Swift's Eras Tour continues dominating across Europe, driving an unprecedented boom in travel bookings to tour cities, concertgoers have shifted from spending on U.S. events to instead catch her abroad.
In a Skyscanner trends report, the travel agency found that 44% of U.S. travelers would fly short haul to see their favorite artist live, with 18% saying they’d fly long haul. While 50% of U.S. travelers between the ages of 25 to 34 said they have plans to attend a show at home in 2024, 60% said they would consider a singalong overseas instead if it would help them save money.
The travel trend is particularly picking up because it can be a more cost-effective experience overall, with many fans finding cheaper tickets and opting for affordable travel accommodations by booking with airline miles or opting for a no-frills airline with lower fare prices.
26-year-old Swiftie Megan Levi, who's been listening to Taylor Swift since she was a teenager and previously attended Swift's concerts in Dallas, Texas, in 2014 and 2015, opted to find a more affordable option than the U.S. by browsing the European leg of the Eras Tour.
"This year I couldn't get any tickets, couldn't get a presale code and thought, 'why is it so hard?' I was scrolling through international dates and Portugal was available for 350 euros on the floor," Levi told "Good Morning America," which is just over $375 usd, compared to a nosebleed seat in America that she said was priced at $1,000 resale.
"I decided to go by myself and I made into this whole Euro trip," she said. "I flew to Porto for $200 then went to Lisbon to see Taylor and stayed in hostels the whole time -- I paid $38 a night," she said. "I walked into the hostel and it was like all Swifties and we're all there for the same reason, so it was very easy to make friends and you didn't feel like you're alone cause it was so easy to connect."
"I planned everything around Taylor Swift," Levi said of her concert-centric travel plans, which began in Portugal and continued on to Madrid, Paris, and Italy, where she met up with friends.
European cities like Paris, Portugal, London and more have boasted massive crowds for what Expedia calls the "Taylor tourism effect," reporting their booking interest traffic has increased 65% for cities that are part of the singer's 2024 tour. Searches for Warsaw, Poland, have also increased by 1130%, per Expedia, with bookings tied to her August concert dates.
Economists estimated Swift's concerts in Singapore added around $222 to $296 million to the country's first-quarter GDP, according to Bloomberg.
Another U.S.-based fan Katherine McCall, who lives in New York City, told "GMA" this tour was the perfect opportunity to create lifelong core memories with family.
"We always wanted to do a family euro trip and when we realized we could tie in a Taylor Swift concert with it, it was a no brainer," she said. "It was so much easier and cheaper to get tickets abroad too. We chose Portugal because none of us had been there before and the concert date happened to be over Memorial Day weekend, so it was easy for us to extend time off work and enjoy more time traveling."
McCall's brother, who lives in San Francisco, gifted her ticket as a Christmas gift, but she said it was approximately half the cost of that of a U.S. city for the same floor seats.
"Also beers at the venue were $5 -- that would never happen in the U.S.," she said of the added savings. "It was an amazing experience and it was such a great excuse to travel and bond over live music together as a family. My sister-in-law cried tears of joy the whole show."
Her advice for fellow travelers interested in gig-tripping, "book your accommodations near the venue and allow plenty of time for commuting since you’ll be in a new place."
And it's not just concerts, gig tripping can also be popular for major sporting events like the European Football Championship or the Paris Olympics, with cities seeing notable direct impacts and spikes in hotel, car, train and other travel-related bookings.
ABC News' Will Ganss hopped across the pond for Swift's London performance at Wembley Stadium for his first-ever gig tripping experience, which he documented for "GMA" and shared some additional insights for any Swifties in search of a similar experience.
"If you can, secure your ticket to the concert before your vacation begins," he advised. "I waited to try to score the best deal on seats, and it was stressful -- I was constantly refreshing StubHub and ViaGogo attempting to score last minute cheap tickets. I ended up paying an amazing price, but it came at the expense of some relaxation, for sure."
Plus, he said that much like Levi, who made fellow American friends in the hostel, "The Swiftie from Minnesota who sold me her extra ticket is now someone I would consider a friend for life!"
"We had such an amazing night at the concert. In fact, my whole row were American Swifties, as were so many people on the tube to and from the show," Ganss recalled. "It was cool bonding over a shared love for music thousands of miles from home."
Ganss added that there's "a special blend of experiencing a brand new city, culture, and cuisine with the added bonus of a shared love of Taylor Swift's music in a foreign place. It feels familiar, yet fun and exciting and new."
