Music Tour Planning Mistakes: 7 Horror Stories to Avoid

Every music director has heard one. The tour where the price went up after families had already paid. The concert where the ensemble outnumbered the audience. The coach with no room for the tubas.

In the spirit of Halloween, here are seven performance tour horror stories, in the order they tend to strike, plus the one question to ask on every proposal so they never happen to you.

1. “Wait, Airfare Wasn’t Included?”

The proposal looked like a great deal. You shared the price with families, started recruiting, and began picturing the trip. Then you found out airfare wasn’t in the number, or that the real flight cost wouldn’t be set until months later.

Ask: Is airfare included, and is the quoted fare locked in?

With Encore: Quoted airfare and fuel costs are locked in. We secure group contract fares with major carriers and confirm flights early, so one of the biggest variables is off the table. See how our group flights work.

2. “But We Already Told Families the Price.”

There may be no conversation a director wants to have less than telling families the trip now costs more. On international tours, the usual culprit is currency. Hotels, coaches, meals, and venues are often contracted in euros or pounds, and if the dollar weakens before final payment, a tour without currency protection can climb by hundreds of dollars per traveler.

Ask: What happens to our price if exchange rates move?

With Encore: Our Price Guarantee locks in your tour price from the proposal stage, including protection against currency swings, as long as you meet your group size. It’s a commitment that’s rare in performance travel. Learn how the Price Guarantee works.

3. “They Said We’d Be Staying in Paris…”

Technically, you are. The hotel is just an hour from everything on your itinerary, which means earlier wake-ups, later nights, and a lot of your time in the destination spent getting to it. Saving money on a hotel isn’t much of a bargain if it costs you the trip.

Ask: How far is the hotel from our venues and sightseeing, and how long are the daily transfers?

With Encore: We build itineraries around well-located hotels, so your time goes to the destination, not the commute.

4. “We’ve Seen the Whole Country… From the Bus.”

It’s tempting to fit in one more city, one more landmark, one more excursion. But if every day means an early start, hours on the road, a rushed stop, and another departure, your group comes home having technically visited a lot of places without really experiencing any of them.

Ask: How many hotel changes are there, and how much unscheduled time is built in?

With Encore: Every itinerary is fully customized, so the pace is set around your group’s goals, not a template.

5. “Nobody Thought About the Instruments?”

A coach that works perfectly for 40 sightseers is a different story when those travelers show up with cellos, tubas, percussion, and garment bags. Then there’s instrument storage, venue access, rehearsal space, and getting everything on and off stage.

These details aren’t glamorous. But when they’re missed, they’re the only thing anyone remembers.

Ask: Who handles instruments on flights, on the coach, and at each venue?

With Encore: We work directly with airlines on routing and getting your instruments through travel and customs safely, and your Tour Manager coordinates venue logistics and rehearsals on the ground.

6. “We Have to Be Where in 20 Minutes?”

On paper, it all fit. The museum visit ends at 3:00. Soundcheck is at 4:00. Dinner follows the concert.

What the schedule didn’t account for: traffic, loading instruments, getting 50 people back through the hotel and into concert attire, and then across town.

Ask: Who is with our group on the ground when the schedule meets reality?

With Encore: Your Encore Tour Manager travels with you from start to finish, handling check-ins, transfers, venue logistics, and rehearsal timing, with U.S.-based staff reachable 24 hours a day.

7. “Where’s the Audience?”

This is the one every director dreads most. Your musicians rehearsed for months and traveled thousands of miles. They unload, warm up backstage, and walk out to perform. And almost no one is there to hear them.

Putting a concert on the itinerary isn’t the same as creating a performance worth the work your students put in.

Ask: Where will we perform, how was the venue chosen, and who will be in the seats?

With Encore: Our team of music educators, musicians, and travel experts selects venues that fit your ensemble and your repertoire. Directors notice the difference:

“Having traveled with other companies over the past 30 years, I can say that Encore provided higher quality hotels, better food, outstanding tour guides, better venues and an audience for our concerts.”

Gerry D., Choir Director

Your Tour Proposal Checklist

Comparing proposals? Bring these seven questions to every tour company you’re considering, including us.

1. Is airfare included, and is the quoted fare locked in?
2. What happens to our price if exchange rates move?
3. How far is the hotel from our venues and sightseeing?
4. How many hotel changes are there, and how much unscheduled time is built in?
5. Who handles instruments on flights, on the coach, and at each venue?
6. Who is with our group on the ground every day?
7. Where will we perform, and who will be in the audience?

Leave the Scares to Halloween

There will always be a surprise or two when you travel. That’s part of the adventure. Your price, your performances, and your logistics shouldn’t be among them.

That’s the difference between a performance travel company and a group travel company. For decades, Encore has specialized in performance travel, helping choirs, orchestras, and bands experience the world through music while we handle the details that make it possible.

Save the horror stories for Halloween. Your performance tour should be a story your musicians can’t wait to tell. Get a quote or schedule a call with a tour consultant to start planning.