Travel Tips

Going to Grandma's house for the holidays?  Are you taking your instrument?  You know she'd love to hear you play.  Well, here's some travel tips to make sure your instrument has as enjoyable a trip as you do.

If you're traveling by bus, train, or car, you only need to do the following:

1)  Pack your instrument carefully.  Your case should be able to withstand the weight of other bags and boxes on top of it, but you don't want your instrument to be knocked around.  So place it in a secure location, where it won't get jostled so much.

2)  Pack your instrument so it's accessible.  Leaving an instrument in the car is not a good idea.  So you want it to be easily accessible, so you can take it out if you stop at a hotel for the night.  Don't put it on the bottom if you'll be stopping overnight without completely unpacking the car.

3)  Keep track of your instrument at all times.  This sounds like a no-brainer, but instruments are expensive and it bears repeating.  Don't leave your instrument unattended.  If traveling by bus or train, insist it goes with you, rather than the rest of your luggage.

4)  Keep track of the weather.  As I discussed in my last post, the weather can have adverse effects on your instrument.  So try to keep it as stable as you can.  Don't leave it in the cold, and make sure you have something to control the humidity inside your case.  If you're traveling somewhere that has a dry winter from the Pacific NW, your instrument won't be happy in the drier environment.

5)  As soon as possible, take your instrument out and inspect it.  Check your bridge; it should be almost straight up and down.  Look for cracks or open seams.  If you're not sure what to look for, ask your teacher before you go.  Finally, tune your instrument if you can.  It may take a couple days for your instrument to adjust to the new environment, and during that time it will require frequent tuning.

If you're traveling by plane, you'll need to do all of the above, as well as:

6)  Before boarding the plane, take your instrument out and look it over.  Then tune each string down about a quarter step.  If you loosen the strings too much, your bridge and soundpost could fall over.  So just about a quarter step; if you're not sure how to do this, make sure you ask your teacher.

7)  Insist that your instrument is a carry-on bag.  Don't let them put it in as checked baggage.  This may mean that it's your only carry-on, but it's necessary.  Your instrument may not survive if you put it in checked baggage, despite your best precautions.

You know how your ears pop when you fly?  That's because the pressure is changing, which is why you have to loosen your strings before you board.  And you're in the pressure-controlled cabin; the change is much, much worse in the baggage cabin.

8)  In between flights, take your instrument out and check it over.  Check your bridge and soundpost, look for cracks and open seams, and check the tuning.  It should still be about a quarter step flat.

9)  After you arrive at your destination, take your instrument out again and recheck it.  Now is the time to retune it, too.  It may take a couple days for your instrument to adjust, so tune before each time you play, even if you wouldn't ordinarily.  Also look over your instrument daily for your entire trip.  You want to make sure seams or old cracks don't open up.

Don't let this list scare you out of taking your instrument with you.  Grandma and Grandpa would really love to hear you play, and the precautions when traveling are really not much more than your daily precautions with your instrument.  So pack along some fun music you can play for your family, and enjoy your trip!

Happy Playing!