Hilary, Chris, Charlie and Annie Wilkes at a Cubs game, Chicago
Does anyone need an excuse to travel?
I say “no,” but I also appreciate a good validation of one’s choices and generally have no difficulty justifying a reason to set off on an adventure. And in many instances, the practicality of these choices is totally warranted.
When Taylor Swift launched her Eras Tour in 2023, it was one of many tours that kicked off concert season. Once it grew into a global phenomenon, it became an opportunity for lifelong fans and new-to-the-scene Swifties not only to see Taylor perform but also to incorporate the experience into a summer vacation.
In places like Paris, London, and Madrid, families linked a night at the show with their European vacation. And because surge pricing for tickets in the United States was a non-issue overseas, where laws do not allow for extreme markups, this saved them money.
The most affordable tickets I came across were in Warsaw, Poland – and even with the flight over, they came in less than attending the U.S. leg that followed, and you could experience a whole new country!
Alas, I never made it to the Eras tour, but the nights spent perusing ticket prices and flight paths encouraged me to start pairing my wish list of experiences with my list of cities I’d like to explore, and it led to one of our favorite family trips to date. As a lifelong Cubs fan, I yearned to see them play at Wrigley Field. When I learned that Beyoncé was going on tour with a stop in Chicago, while the Cubs were at home, and it just so happened to be on my birthday weekend, I felt that the fates were truly aligned and justified the heck out of making it a long weekend in the Windy City.
Currently, I’m working with clients on securing reservations for next year’s British Open and rounding out their visit with two bucket list golf experiences in Ireland. I also just booked tickets to the French Open as a special graduation present for a family taking their son to Paris for the first time. When I graduated from college, I begged for a new laptop. A memory like this would have surely held up better 25 years down the road and made for a great story along the way.
Doyle and Linda Brinson at the British Open in Saint Andrews, Scotland
When planning travel around special experiences like a Grand Slam or a megawatt concert, make sure you source your tickets either directly from the venues or through a reputable events partner that confidently guarantees authenticity.
Horror stories of fake tickets and online scams kept me from taking advantage of too-good-to-be-true access, and showing up only to be denied entry – especially with a 10-year-old in tow – was a far worse scenario than our FOMO.
If you’re making it a family or group affair, take advantage of venues in locations like Toronto or Vancouver with favorable exchange rates that help offset hotel and transportation costs, while providing a plethora of activities for all ages beyond the main event.
Also, research your event well in advance and sign up for alerts on pre-sale dates or look into special early-access your credit card company may provide. For sporting events like the upcoming FIFA World Cup, details are often available well over a year in advance. The same is true for private golf courses, where I recently happened to get lucky with a request the week before they opened up bookings for the 2027 season.
Though the golfers were not traveling for another 18 months, we would have been out of luck if we’d waited even two weeks to inquire about tee times.
With enough lead time, organization, and, yes, budget, combining your experience and destination daydreams is very easy to make a reality.
And if you need any help with validation, you know where to find me!
Note about the author | Hilary is a local travel advisor and works personally with clients to plan trips around the world. She also plans and leads group trips through her family’s store, Highland Hiker. Learn more at scouttravelco.com and highlandhiker.com.
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