Travel is often presented as one of life’s great pleasures. It promises new places, new experiences and a temporary escape from the routines of everyday life. But the reality of getting from one place to another can be far more challenging than the destination makes it appear.

Even a relatively simple trip can involve dozens of small decisions: flights, ground transportation, food, unpredictable weather, baggage restrictions and everything you might need while away from home.

If you have traveled, you probably have your own horror stories about things going wrong. For a touring DJ, however, this kind of travel is not an occasional inconvenience. It is a normal part of life.

To the audience, the DJ arrives for the most exciting part of the experience. The lights turn on, the music starts and thousands of people connect through these special moments. But sometimes, making it to the show requires more endurance than performing the show itself. The stage is the reward, but getting there is often the hardest part.

It is the side of the job most people never see. They see the massive crowds, towering visual walls and beautiful destinations, but rarely what it took for an artist to reach the stage.

Behind a single performance can be an exhausting journey involving three flights, multiple layovers and four different car transfers. There are delayed planes, missed connections and long hours spent waiting in airports with nowhere to properly rest.

Some nights, an artist leaves the venue in the early morning after performing and, instead of returning to a hotel to sleep, heads straight to the airport to begin the journey to the next destination. There may be no proper meal and almost no time to recover before doing it all again in another city. Even when everything runs smoothly, constantly changing time zones can leave the body confused and completely drained.

For this edition of Stereo 26, we asked some of the world’s biggest DJs to share their best travel tips. There is no better group to ask. These artists are true travel professionals.

They have experienced almost every version of life on the road, from overnight drives and low-cost flights to international festivals and tightly scheduled global tours. Their advice does not come from theory. It comes from years of actually living the lifestyle.

Whether you are preparing for your first out-of-town booking, building toward an international touring career or simply trying to make your next trip less stressful, these are the top travel tips from some of the world’s best DJs / Pro Travelers. 

My travel tip is to never check bags in. Always carry on. If you’re bouncing from city to city every day or two you can’t run the risk of having an airline misplace your suitcase — Air Tags won’t save you. (But obviously put Air Tags in all your bags and suitcases anyway.) 

I can live on the road for a month with a carry-on. The key is figuring out a rotation of outfits. Pack 7-8 pairs of socks and underwear, you’ll do laundry once a week. The real science is picking outfits that use same jeans/pants a few times. You bring 3-4 pairs of pants. 2-3 pairs of sneakers max. And then you bring a whole bunch of tops. You wear your bulkiest clothes on the plane so it doesn’t clutter up your bag. You’ll have a rotation of 8 outfits without checking anything in. 

My secret to sleeping in economy is turning the tray table into a makeshift massage chair. Place a backpack on the lowered tray table, cover it with a clean sweatshirt or blanket, then put a clipped neck pillow on top. Rest your face inside the pillow so you can sleep facing downward without straining your neck or back.

I always travel with creatine. Flying, late nights, dehydration, lack of sleep… it helps with all of it. Bonus cheat code: if you ever need good water, most hotel gyms have filtered water for free. I fill my bottles there instead of buying overpriced water.

It might sound insane but after your Saturday gig take the first flight out and stay up the whole day. 99% of the time your adrenaline keeps you up anyway and getting home will allow you that day to reset and and rest before getting back to the grind Monday.

I hear people complain about expensive hotel bottled water all the time so here's a simple travel hack: check the hotel gym! Most have complimentary bottled water or filtered water stations where you can refill your bottle. It's an easy way to stay hydrated without paying hotel prices.

Always have water on you. Always. If you finish a bottle, get another the next time you walk past anywhere that has some.

Bringing your own healthy snacks like protein bars, packing vitamins like AG1 powder for greens or fiber. When you eat lots of different and inconsistent meals having common vitamins, nutrients, and protein really helps regulate diet while traveling

Whenever you’re in a shop / airport / restaurant. Always pick up the disposable forks. I’ve literally had to eat steak and rice with my hands before so now I’m always prepared. If you have enough for the crew too then you’re the goat!

Do not check a bag.  Ever.  It will always slow you up infinitely.  And even worse case they’ll lose your bags and ruin your entire weekend.

In my experience the best travel tip is to pack with the worst case scenario in mind. I never EVER check my bag (even internationally) as they can get lost and there’s always a chance for a delay. Use packing cubes and keep your show shoes, fit, and makeup (for my girls) on you at all times. There’s been so many times where I’ve had to get ready quickly in an airport or hotel lobby bathroom or in the back of a transpo van with no mirror-so having the basics with me at all times gives me one less thing to worry about before performing.

Most American domestic airlines allow a 3rd small food bag on top of your carry on and backpack.

Pack your own meals. Better food, saves money, and you’re not stuck eating airport junk.

Bring your own chia seeds, it’s so hard to eat healthy and it’s great protein and fiber! Haha