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Sure, travelling is fun, but have you ever decided to book an impulsive trip to another country because your favorite band or musician announced a world tour? Welcome to the world of concert tourism.
Going to concerts is more than just seeing your favourite bands. It can be a whole damn experience of visiting parts of the world you never may have hit up otherwise.
Why concert tourism is booming worldwide
Concert tourism has become a travel trend in its own right, as fans seek experiences that go beyond just listening to music. Social media has amplified the excitement of live shows, turning concerts into global events, taking fans to countries they might never have considered visiting. Plus, it provides endless opportunity to bond with new friends into the same music as you!
Whether it was Taylor Swift’s Eras tour, Lady Gaga’s Mayhem Ball, or the upcoming BTS Arirang world tour, we chatted with a whole bunch of travel obsessives about the places they’ve ventured for their favourite artists.
The avid BTS fan who travelled to Singapore and Korea: ‘I still plan to travel for this tour’
Jenna told six-two that she travelled to Busan, South Korea to see BTS perform just before they went on their hiatus in 2022.
The experience was so incredible, she then went to Singapore to see band members, Suga/Agust D and J-Hope on their respective solo tours. The appeal of seeing her favourite artists live meant she fell in love with new countries, with Jenna recently going back to South Korea for a holiday recently.
Now that BTS are touring again in 2026 and 2027, and touring Jenna’s home country Australia, that’s not stopping her from travelling for the tour.
“I still plan to travel for the tour because I enjoy the experience, want to see them multiple times, and don’t want to wait until 2027 when the Australian dates are scheduled,” she shared. “I also want to have a fun trip with my friends. I’m hoping to go to Korea in June, or one of the other Asian stops later in the year.”
Attention ARMY! Planning on heading to BTS’ world tour this year? Scroll to the very end for some exciting news…
The person who’s travelled more times to see Taylor Swift than Travis Kelce: ‘It’s truly an excuse to travel’
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Perhaps the only fanbase more dedicated than the BTS ARMY, are the Swifties. And one big Taylor Swift fan, Jemima, told six-two she has been overseas five times in total to see Taylor.
“I went the US on three separate trips, plus once to NZ and once to Japan. I mostly went just because I love her so much and wanted to see as many shows as possible. I knew her first Eras tour show would be all over social media and i wanted to see it without it being ‘ruined’ – I wanted to see it with my eyes first , so I bought a ticket to opening night in Arizona,” Jemima explained.
“I never would have gone to Japan without it having been for a Taylor show, as it wasn’t on my radar yet,” she said. “The [Japanese] audience made it such a different experience because it’s such a different culture. So it’s truly an excuse to travel and see new places – I wasn’t just travelling to see Taylor Swift, I was able to build it into a longer, epic trip, that was kicked off by her going on tour.”
Going Gaga for Lady Gaga’s world tour: ‘It felt like a community’
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Lachlan and his partner Michael flew to Singapore in 2025 for Lady Gaga’s Mayhem Ball tour saying it was a “great excuse” to tick another country off their bucket list.
“We were on the fence about going because it would be expensive but said yes because we had never been to Singapore before and thought it would be a great excuse to visit,” Lachlan said. “We had previously travelled to Sweden for the sole purpose of attending Eurovision in 2024 and had the best time, so we were excited for another adventure.”
Deciding to build a holiday around the event, Lachlan said they quickly fell in love with Singapore, a country that hadn’t previously been high on their travel bucket list.
“We had the most incredible experience building a holiday around the event. We stayed for a week and fell in love with Singapore, so we would absolutely do it again in a new country,” he shared. “Travelling to a new place for a specific event also made the whole trip so exciting because we met other people who had done the same thing, and it felt like a community.”
“Now, we’re thinking about which countries in the world we’d like to visit and whether we can plan another trip around an event!”
The solo Spice Girl adventurer: ‘I promised myself I’d be there’
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Jess told us the Spice Girls reunion made her book her bucket list travel experience to Wembley stadium.
“I always wanted to go to a concert at Wembley as it seemed like an absolute vibe, but ultimately what made my decision super easy was the thought of never being able to see the Spice Girls live,” she said. “I promised myself if they ever reunited, I’d be there.”
From Spice Girls to Oasis, Jess experienced what the UK crowds were like compared to her hometown Sydney shows.
“I was against the barrier, and Baby Spice waved at me, best night ever!” she exclaimed. “I saw Oasis in Edinburgh and the atmosphere was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before in my life.”
Flying solo for some of the gigs, Jess said it was never an issue because you’ll always meet like-minded people.
“I went with my brother to Oasis, but going alone is so fine because you make friends with people as equally passionate about the music as you are.”
Travelling Europe by train for Harry Styles: ‘It felt like such a safe space’
Picture this. You’re taking in the scenery of Belgium by train, on your way to see one of the world’s most beloved men, Harry Styles. That’s exactly what Aussie gal Kate did, when living in the UK.
“It was one of the best experiences of my life if I’m completely honest. Would do it again in a heartbeat,” she told us. “I ended up travelling from London by train to Antwerp in Belgium see Harry because I missed out on London tickets.”
Kate was another solo traveller just happy to soak in the magical moment.
“I couldn’t convince anyone else to pay for tickets and train and accommodation,” she said. “I stayed in an adorable little place 100m from the train station, I had waffles and rosé for dinner, I bought sour sweets at the concert venue.. it felt like such a safe space full of Harry fans, I had the best time.”
And those who travelled to experience life outside of the norm: ‘The calibre is unmatched’
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If you went through an emo phase that turned out not to be a phase at all, you’ll understand the next travellers’ stories on a deep, spiritual level.
From travelling to Vegas for the When We Were Young festival to crossing borders for the Aftershock festival, a lot of tours that predominantly hit the US aren’t to be missed for alternative music fans.
“I travelled overseas for When We Were Young festival in Vegas because the calibre of talent on the festival was just unmatched for anything in Australia – I felt that the experience would be unmissable and truly unforgettable,” Uppy told us. “I planned a trip around the festival so that I was making a holiday around my attending the event, and even got to catch some gigs in LA at the same time, like Charli XCX and Troye Sivan’s Sweat Tour and also Remi Wolf!”
Adam, another Aussie, said his time living in Canada saw him cross the border for cool tours and festivals, including Aftershock.
“I travelled alone to watch Motionless In White, Holding Absence and all four days of Aftershock Festival in the same big trip,” he said. “I would definitely do it again. The scale of production that US artists put into their shows on home soil is unimaginably wild, nothing like it gets done in Australia.”
But wait, BTS fans, there’s more…
In epic news for BTS fans: Contiki has lined up a whole bunch of trips that could take your BTS experience to the next level. This means you can enjoy 7% off select trips that align with the world tour.
Look for departures tagged “Beyond The Show” and enter code PPARIRANG at checkout. Find out more, right here.
Have a fun travel experience to tell us? Hit us up here for your chance to be featured on six-two!
