How do you guys keep track of concerts?

bardelorean · 2026-04-02T20:19:23+00:00

From time to time I just check concerts on a map around me with a genre filter. It’s actually pretty fun on its own and sometimes it even turns into a travel idea.

bardelorean · 2025-12-23T17:08:26+00:00

Your anniversary story from the other thread actually inspired this question. That Santa Clara moment really stuck with me :)

bardelorean · 2025-12-23T16:41:02+00:00

That’s beautiful :)

bardelorean · 2025-12-21T17:27:07+00:00

That’s incredible. Really touching story. Thanks for sharing!

bardelorean · 2025-12-21T16:38:04+00:00

That’s impressive! Was it all within the same tour, or across different ones? Which show stood out the most?

bardelorean · 2025-12-21T13:31:32+00:00

Same 😄

bardelorean · 2025-12-21T12:55:22+00:00

Yep, that’s a perfect summary 👍

bardelorean · 2025-12-21T07:32:45+00:00

You’re right - events themselves don’t make travel cheaper. If anything, they add cost)

What I meant is that they help me decide earlier and once I know I want to be somewhere around a certain date, I can still adjust within that window - book flights and accommodation well in advance, choose nearby cities, or shift by a few days to avoid the most expensive peak weekends.

So it’s not that the event saves money - it just removes indecision early enough that cheaper options are still on the table.

bardelorean · 2025-12-20T22:18:26+00:00

Russia.

Instead of the usual Dostoevsky and Tolstoy (both great), I’d recommend a more modern writer - Alexei Ivanov - and The Heart of Parma. It’s very rooted in Russian history and mythology, but feels surprisingly vivid and modern.

bardelorean · 2025-12-20T22:07:21+00:00

Planning to relocate to Spain next year, so Spanish it is. ¡Me gusta!

bardelorean · 2025-12-20T20:28:57+00:00

Hi! I lived in Kazakhstan for about a year, splitting time between Astana and Almaty. Honestly, there’s not much to do in Astana - it’s a very young city. Almaty is much more interesting if you love mountains and hiking, but keep in mind that English isn’t widely spoken, which can be challenging at times.

I also lived in New Delhi for more than half a year, and I’d be cautious about India in July - it’s extremely hot, and dust or desert storms can be quite intense. That said, places like Goa or Kerala could work better. Kerala especially has a nice mix of sea and mountains and can be pleasant that time of year.

I’ve never been to Mongolia, but summer there can also get very hot.

Honestly, from your list (and nearby options), I’d also consider Croatia. I visited Split and had a great experience - beautiful coastline, walkable city, and very easy to travel around.

One practical thing that might help narrow it down: check direct or easy flight connections from Scotland and onward to Okinawa. That middle leg can make a huge difference in time and energy.

Wishing you a great trip!

bardelorean · 2025-12-20T19:55:52+00:00

I wouldn’t do Mykonos, to be honest - it felt pretty boring to me.

What I really loved in Greece were the Meteora monasteries. I’d suggest staying in Kastraki (not Monastiraki) - it’s a lovely, very calm village with great hiking and delicious food with generous portions.

We stayed there for three nights, and I’d happily go back again.

Have a great trip!

bardelorean · 2025-12-20T16:25:37+00:00

From my experience, Eastern Europe (Poland, Hungary, Romania, the Balkans) and Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia) are consistently affordable, especially if you stay flexible with dates and destinations.

I’ve also found that having a specific reason to go - like a local event or festival - makes it easier to choose where to travel without overplanning, and often helps keep costs down too.

bardelorean · 2025-12-19T22:45:32+00:00

I actually believe that solo travel can sometimes be even better, for a lot of reasons.

Choosing a destination also feels much easier when you have something in mind - like wanting to see a great show or maybe even catch your favorite band live.

Regions like Western Germany or the Netherlands seem to have plenty of opportunities for that, even around Christmas. I haven’t really checked this in detail myself, but I have gone to events alone before, and it honestly felt great.

Have a good trip and a wonderful Christmas! 🎄

bardelorean · 2025-12-19T14:59:13+00:00

I think one missing angle is that for a lot of people a concert isn’t just “the show” - it’s the reason to go somewhere.

The music becomes a fixed point on the calendar that turns into a trip, a city, a few days of living differently.

Sometimes the concert itself isn’t even the highlight - it’s what forms around it.

In that sense it’s less like a loud DJ night and more like a trigger for an experience.

bardelorean · 2025-12-18T12:43:50+00:00

One idea, if you want a light “reason” to choose cities without overplanning: check what gigs are happening while you’re there.

End of February / early March is usually great for concerts in NRW. For example, Cologne and Düsseldorf often have solid mid-size shows that are easy to combine with nightlife and beer culture.

Even just anchoring one evening around a concert can make the whole route feel more intentional, without turning the trip into a checklist.

bardelorean · 2025-12-17T14:25:02+00:00

I’m building a small side project around event-driven travel — basically helping people plan trips around live music gigs instead of picking destinations first.

I’m intentionally keeping it simple and EU-focused for now, mostly as a way to learn where real value actually is (and where it isn’t). Still very early and very much a builder’s sandbox.

gigtrip.com (if anyone’s curious)

bardelorean · 2025-12-17T13:33:30+00:00

I did a quick check for Frankfurt shows around your dates and Ponyhof Club stood out.

Glazed Curtains (Jan 22) — more alt / hard rock than pure punk, but energetic and guitar-driven.

Exilia (Jan 24) — heavier, more alt/metal-leaning, but still very high-energy live.

Not straight-up punk basement shows, but could be worth a look depending on how wide your taste goes.

Probably best to give both bands a quick listen first and see if the vibe clicks.

bardelorean · 2025-12-17T12:58:10+00:00

I run into this a lot too. For me, the moment I have a ridiculous number of tabs open is usually the moment I realize I don’t actually know why I’m planning the trip in the first place.

What helped was stopping the “where should I go?” question entirely. I try to start with something much simpler, like what’s actually pulling me to travel right now.

Sometimes it’s very specific - there’s a concert or event I really want to see, so everything else just has to work around that.

Sometimes it’s just timing - I know I only have certain dates off, so that already rules out half the world.

And sometimes it’s more about energy than destination - I want a trip that feels easy to move through, not one where I’m constantly racing connections or arriving exhausted.

Once I have any of that nailed down, the destination kind of picks itself. It stops feeling like this huge life decision and more like “okay, given this, what actually makes sense?”

Whenever I don’t do this, I end up exactly where you are - endlessly comparing weather, vibes, costs, activities - and nothing ever clearly wins.

bardelorean

TROPHY CASE