What happens on tour- Your GTGs guide to gate crashing tours

Greetings globetrotters and to those of us in the Southern hemisphere welcome to Summer. Well most of us will have some kind of a break over the coming months whether long or short so this week your GTG thought about the different dedications travellers have and the lengths fans will go to in order to be a part of a continuous experience. From lovers of Mozart to fans of Manchester United FC for some people, travel can take a very specific purpose. This is the phenomenon we plan to investigate this week.

Musical 

Regardless of genre, groups or solo artists of all kinds have their groupies who follow them faithfully around the globe. This typically involves fans buying tickets to the large majority of shows in a tour along with a swag of merchandise. Personally your GTG finds this an expensive investment and somewhat repetitive but for die hard fans can there be any other choice?

Political 

This may not be the first kinda trip that comes to mind but fans of Aung San Suu Kyi, Che Guevara or Mahatma Gandhi might beg to differ. These enigmatic individuals have or have had the power to move people from their homes all over the world in support of their values and struggles (pending house arrest but even then). More akin to a political pilgrimage, this is definitely a different way to see the world. What a way to travel!

 Sporting

Having been fortunate enough to be in Brazil during this year’s FIFA world cup your GTG can vouch first-hand for the sea of people from airport waiting lounge to bus stop that had dedicated their holidays (and a large portion of their savings) to the chance to ‘see the game live’. Being a Tennis fan, Melbourne during Australian Open time or Wimbledon in June quite appeal on the same scale. Out of the official season fans still visit sporting hot-spots. For cyclists there’s even such a thing as a DIY Tour de France, Magnifique! Of course sporting teams themselves go on tours to play other teams which seems to add something else altogether.

Religious

Who wouldn’t love the Idea of a summer in Spain along the Camina de Santiago? Naturally there are other religions too. The amazing Hajj to Mecca for Muslims is an obligatory journey for those that can but an unforgettable one by all reports. India’s Ganges river and Golden temple rate super highly on the world list of spiritual journeys. The Holy lands of Jerusalem and Bethlehem even span multiple faiths in their significance. There’s also the Bodhi tree but me, I quite like the idea of following the Dalai Lama around as he enlightens folk 🙂

Surfing

Surfing get a mention here because unlike the majority of other sports, this is an active one not centred around the spectators. Surfing journeys provide participants with an un-paralleled understanding of the local coastline and weather behaviour. Plus let’s face it, it’s just plain cool. A surf-based trip would be the ultimate way to work up an appetite for the scrummy local eats when you’re done according to your GTG. One essential part of the surfing safari experience  seems to be the obligatory YouTube video documentary with accompanying soundtrack so if you’re not a keen surfer yourself you can still let the waves ‘blow your mind’.

Far from being exhaustive, this list is more of a snapshot of human dedication and some of it’s many outlets. Please feel welcome to add your own ideas to the list by commenting on this post. In case we miss you before the Gregorian end of 2014 your GTG wishes you all the best and safe travels.