Your tour in five day types
A tour manager does not think in vehicles but in days. Neither do we.
Request a tourEvery day of a tour is one of five types: arrival day, travel day, show day, off-day or departure day. On each of them a production needs something different on the ground, and for each TOUR LOUNGE has a clear offer. Go through your tour plan by these five types and you have captured your ground transport needs in full.
That holds for a symphony orchestra on a European tour as much as for an arena production, a dance company on a guest performance or a festival with forty acts.
Last updated 20/09/2026
1. Arrival day
On arrival day people and instruments arrive from different directions and need to get to the hotel or to rehearsal. It is the day with the most unknowns: delayed flights, staggered arrivals, instruments in customs.
We provide vehicles to the flight list, track delays, meet at the terminal and coordinate with the instrument freight forwarder. We offer this at every hub in the corridor: Frankfurt, Düsseldorf, Cologne/Bonn, Amsterdam, Brussels, Luxembourg and Hamburg.
2. Travel day
On a travel day the party moves from city to city, and driving and rest times set the plan. A driver may normally drive nine hours a day and must take a 45-minute break after four and a half hours.
We plan every leg against these rules, with a second driver or a driver change where the day runs long. We drive by day; the party sleeps in hotels.
3. Show day
On show day minutes count: hotel, sound check or seating rehearsal, performance, after-show, back to the hotel. Plus guests, press, support act.
We run loops between hotel and venue from load-in to load-out, with one dispatcher as the fixed contact for production management.
4. Off-day
On an off-day nothing is planned, so anything can happen: a press date, a doctor, a day out, shopping. We keep a vehicle on call so that the tour manager does not have to organise taxis.
5. Departure day
On departure day the party flies out in stages and the instruments go to the freight forwarder. We drive to the departure list, with buffer for check-in and security, and hand over instruments and equipment to plan.
Why this model makes your enquiry better
Most enquiries name the travel days and forget the rest. Then three vans are missing at the airport on day one. When you send us your tour plan we assign each day to a type and show what is needed on the ground. You decide which of it we drive.
The quote is built the same way: one line per day type, clearly scoped, comparable.
Frequently asked questions about day types
What ground transport does a tour need besides the tour bus?
Besides the city-to-city legs, almost every tour needs airport runs on arrival and departure day, loops between hotel and venue on show day and a vehicle on call on off-days. TOUR LOUNGE assigns every day of the tour plan to one of five day types and derives the need from that.
Can we book single day types only?
Yes. You can book arrival and departure days only, or show days in certain cities only. For agencies with a regular coach partner that is the obvious way in.
What is a show-day package?
Vehicles and drivers from load-in to load-out, loops between hotel and venue and one dispatcher as a fixed contact, booked with a defined scope.
What is the easiest way to enquire?
Send the tour plan as it stands. We assign the days, propose vehicles and reply within 24 hours.
Do you drive city to city overnight?
No, we do not operate sleeper buses. Travel days are driven by day and the party sleeps in hotels. Night runs exist with us only as the return after a performance or as a transfer.
Sources
- Regulation (EC) No 561/2006 on driving times, breaks and rest periods, Articles 6 and 7
Talk to us
We are happy to advise you on your upcoming tours and put together a tailored tour plan with suitable transport.
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