guitar?

[mal]

hi all,

great advice here!

I'm going to europe for two months in may. I keep deciding and undeciding to bring my guitar. maybe someone here can offer a perspective on this.

consider:
-I am a musician, and it's more than a hobby, i love to play and will play if there's an instrument around.

- my guitar isn't worth very much, or in the best shape

-it is kind of bulky, and the case isn't the best.. would it just be too much of a hassle for two months of crowded trains, busses, etc?

- if i ran out of dough, maybe busking would be a viable money gaining option, though never having busked in europe, i wouldn't know...

- it may become a constant inconvenience.. could i leave it anywhere safe in hostels, how trustworthy are they in europe?

- Not being of the "screaming in your face" musicians, i know how to gently entertain the people. maybe having an instrument would at once be a way to feel more secure in strange surroundings and a way to spark meetings with locals/other travellers.

anyways, I'm keen to hear any tips, advice or warnings from anyone about packing an instrument.

sometimes wish i played harmonica!

thanks!
mal

[WillTravel]

A guitar would be a real hassle if you are backpacking.
But you're the only one who can decide if it's worth it.

If you do take it, I would take extra care in determining your itinerary, so you could focus on transit routes that are less likely to be crowded. Maybe take First Class on trains and take cabs now and then.

Find out how much hassle is involve in taking it on the plane (I assume you would not want it in the cargo hold.) I doubt a guitar could be taken on a budget carrier like Ryanair without paying a lot more money.

Some hostels have lockers, but I don't know if very many would fit guitars. Some have a storage room where you can lock up stuff. Again, it would be worth figuring this out in advance so you can choose hostels that will work for your purposes.

I tend to think of luggage getting banged and smashed and crowded even in normal travel circumstances. For example, if you put it in a crowded storage room in a hostel, people will move the luggage that's in their way to get to theirs. So your guitar would not necessarily be treated with care.

I'd be curious to hear if other musicians take along their instruments.

[jessica]

I keep having this same discussion with my husband about his guitar. I just see it as potentially a huge inconvenience. How are you going to carry a backpack and a guitar case? And he'd have to check the guitar so the backpack would have to be his carryon. After talking about it for a while I think he's changed his mind and is talking about buying some kind of small acoustic once we get over. He does have a good hard case though, so he wasn't concerned about it getting banged around. Has anyone taken a guitar on their trip, or even on a plane?

[TheCureIsTheDisease]

"Has anyone taken a guitar on their trip, or even on a plane?"

I spent 9 months as an exchange student in France, and I took my bass guitar in a soft carrying case along with me. I chose the soft case because it's smaller than a normal hard case, and a lot lighter and easier to walk around with, and for those of you who don't know, a bass guitar is a lot longer than a regular one. On my flight over, I had 2 suitcases, a backpack, and then the guitar. The people at the check in thing were so nice that they checked the guitar for free (which normally would have been like 100 US dollars or so). When I came back I had the same amount of luggage, but this time they let me bring the guitar as carry on luggage, even though I already had my backpack and the guitar was WAY bigger than carry on is supposed to be. When I got on the plane they put it in a special closet place for me. There was also another guy who had his guitar put in the closet as well, so it seems that having guitars as carry on luggage isn't very uncommon.