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| 35mm film selfie in lobby of Aachen, DE hotel (last day of tour) |
It's been precisely two weeks since I returned from my first professional go-around of Europe, which took place under the auspices of the Jochen Rückert New Quartet: 10 concerts, 1 masterclass (and one night off), +12 hour travel days on either end. Using Q1'26-era Claude AI to evaluate the travel schedule, approx. 30 hours by train, 20 hours by plane (counting the trans-Atlantic inbound/outbound leg), and a relatively insignificant amount of time in cars and walking in just under two weeks.
I deliberately packed very light—perhaps too light, as one promoter memorably misidentified my luggage as the "beauty box" for the one female member of the band (Alex Ridout, trumpet). Some quick notes for my future self and maybe other musicians in preparing for their initial outings to foreign countries to play music in return for money, spiritual fulfillment, and glory:
Packing & Gear
- Long flight? Might be a good idea to wear compression socks, although I didn't have any and the jury's out if it's really necessary for most people (depends on various risk factors), but can't hurt
- Will definitely use a slightly larger luggage bag so that I can keep only the bare essentials in my backpack (computer, passport, headphones); survived by doing "bop laundry" (aka in the hotel sink, only viable in hotel rooms with relatively deep sinkbowls)
- Should have brought a small travel umbrella for the few days where there was actual rain and walking involved, especially just to be able to take a walk after dropping bags at the hotel
- Really regretted not bringing my small USB leak light, as well as packing my spring hook and small screwdriver just in case; my G# key adjustment screw seemed to turn slightly in transit, so I noticed the leak the second gig but didn't have a good way to do my adjustment aside from trial and error
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| lived out of this for 12 days, but would bring a bigger bag next time |
Coffee & Daily Provisions
- I was very glad that I brought coffee beans, my hand grinder, and an Aeropress; every hotel had hot water, and some had water kettles in the room, and the coffee I made was better than any coffee I tried (in my opinion, although I didn't seek out particularly nice coffee shops)
- I'll likely try to bring a plastic V60 instead of the Aeropress next time only because I prefer the taste of V60 coffee, and I don't think it there's any meaningful difference in weight/space for packing
- Next time, I will definitely bring some small cleaning supplies (small sponge, soap, a chopstick) to clean the coffee bottle, which saw daily use
- Also, plastic sandwich bags for the hotel breakfast sandwich (aka lunch on the train)
- Confirm breakfast closing time before going to bed, or else
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| my daily ritual of solace, a taste of domesticity (here in Brussels, BE) |
Seated Travel & Downtime
- The train seat and folding tray effectively became my office every day, so I next time I'd plan what to get done on the train in advance (also assuming poor/nonexistent wifi)
- As expected, the longest train rides had the worst wifi and the shortest often had the best
- I didn't realize Criterion Channel doesn't work in Europe until I was there (oops!)
- I'd also put a premium on bringing some physical media (not heavy, of course), just to have a break from screens (although staring out the window can do the trick)
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| my office on the infamous Deutsche Bahn |
Miscellaneous
- Figure out when to exercise (i.e. how and when it fits in the itinerary, because certainly it might not always be possible or realistic given the schedule), as I was really shocked by the boost in energy the same night after just jogging 10-15 minutes between arriving at a hotel and going to soundcheck
- Similarly, plan when to practice if at all possible (because if you play every night, inevitably your own playing will feel stale and you'll crave some new inputs, which can't happen without some dedicated practice time)
- Plan when to buy souvenirs and gifts early on so it doesn't sneak up on you at the end
More to come!
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| another film selfie on a train in Europe somewhere |
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Enjoyed this bio blurb for the Aachen, DE gig listing, which I did not write and imagine belongs to the bandleader:
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