Top 10 Travel Tips for Your Encore Tour The more you know before you go— the more you will enjoy! Read up on your travel destinations before departure. You will get so much more out of the experience when you have a better understanding of what you are looking at. The Encore Tours/AClS Travel App can help. Practice Walking—yes, we’re serious! You are travelling to see the world and you will be out and about and walking miles a day—wear comfortable shoes! Be present! Take a break from your phone and avoid only experiencing your travels from behind a viewfinder. LOOK UP! Learn a few key phrases even if you are not studying the language. A “thank you/gracias/danke schon” and a smile will get you very far! Have a money plan. Bring some cash and make sure your bank is aware that you are traveling. Employ a ‘no news is good news’ policy with friends and family back home. If that won’t work, be sure to review communication options and come to a mutual understanding of if, how, and how much you will stay in touch. Remember, Wifi will not always be available. Check the weather before you go. Sandals in Paris in January? Not a good idea (no matter how chic)! Pack carry-on. Airlines can’t lose what’s not given to them. But regardless of whether or not you check a bag, be sure to keep all of your “must haves” on you, including your passport, medication, prescriptions, money. electronics and one extra set of clothing. Be flexible and open-minded. Things will be different than you are used to, but that’s part of the fun. Have fun! Your trip is sure to be educational, inspirational and life-changing, but also a whole lot of fun! For additional travel tips for musicians, read our article “Travel Tips for Musicians.”
November 2, 2026 Encore Tours Venue Spotlight: Vienna’s St. Stephen’s Cathedral Explore St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna: its history, its deep ties to Haydn and Mozart, and what it’s like for your ensemble to perform there. Backstage Blog
October 27, 2026 Encore Tours 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. Backstage Blog
October 21, 2026 Encore Tours Meet Encore Tours at the 2026 Midwest Clinic Encore Tours is heading to The 80th Midwest Clinic International Band and Orchestra Conference, taking place December 16–18, 2026, at McCormick Place West in Chicago. Backstage Blog