Advice on traveling with a valuable musical instrument

How would you handle this if you were doing a series of performances in southern California and you wanted to include a tour of the northwest before heading home?

The short answer is I don't have an answer - sorry....

First, I would sure I have a good insurance policy covering damage and theft. Are we discussion an alto, tenor, or something bigger?

My guess is that there must be companies that specialize in transporting musical instruments since this is not the first time this need as arisen. I would either store it or ship it. Shipping would probably run close to a hundred dollars but a small price for the convenience. The other option is to store it somewhere which can be easily done and take it as carryon for the return trip.
Hotel theft is not very common and doubt if an instrument is high on anyone's list. Thieves like cash and items quickly converted to cash. I would not worry about leaving it in a hotel room. You could always use a cable lock and secure it to something solid in the room.

As Frank points up, I'm wondering alto or baritone. Perhaps there is a backpack that can serve a dual purpose if the sax is not large? As for security there may be a GPS device you can attach to it in case of theft.
Perhaps there is a contact within your Germany or France gigs who can recommend a shipper, or a secure storage option, such as in the city you will ultimately depart from to return home.

We are exchanging houses this summer with a professional jazz musician from London who's instrument is the saxophone. I could ask him if he has experience with traveling on the continent with his very valuable instrument. Let me know if you'd like me to contact him for advice and I will.

Thanks for the input so far!

I will be traveling with an alto. It is well insured, but I will verify all of the terms of insurance.

Mona, I would love if you asked the advice of your friend. Thanks!

Would you be doing your extra traveling days by train, car or airplane?

Make sure your insurance covers international travel. And make sure the amount covers replacement of the item

Starting in March, musical instruments must be allowed on board U.S. aircraft as long as they don't exceed carry-on size limits. While they won't get preferential treatment, they can't be allocated to the hold.

If your sax case meets carry-on size limits, then you can at least carry it onto the plane. Don't expect to take another carry-on bag because you won't be able to. (Something the size of a personal item should be okay.)

Make sure the case you have is made for travel and can withstand the rigors of being checked if it is bigger than carry-on size. . Realize, that you can only lock the case with TSA approved locks. No special treatment. Like anything else checked, once it's out of your sight, you may never see it again.

The other alternative is to buy it its own seat. That is allowed.

As for returning home, ship it. There are services that specialize in shipping valuable items. They may be expensive. However, it might be worth spending a few hundred to guarantee the safe shipping and arrival of an instrument worth ten times that.

Also check with UPS and Fedex to see if they can handle something like this. I'm sure they can. Again, it won't be cheap but if it is an expensive item, I'd trust them more than the airlines.

This article may help. (It is a little dated but still has some good tips.) You may also want to use Google to get other ideas.

http://www.americanorchestras.org/images/stories/adv_gov_pdf/tips_for_traveling_2006_2.pdf

Lots of very good advice above , so when it comes to things like insurance , photos , shipping it back , buying it a seat ( many players will do that ) etc, , I can't add anything . But , specific to my experience , I'll add a thing or two . I spent over thirty years of my working career as a professional woodwind player in Broadway theatre orchestras ( my usual compliment of instruments included flute , clarinet , bass clarinet, bassoon , and baritone saxophone . ) Firstly which instrument is the question ? If it's a baritone, dealing with it is a whole different set of issues , an alto , much easier to deal with . Are we talking about a vintage Mark VI or a current model which is easily replaceable if damaged . As a European visitor , I wouldn't want to schlep any instrument around the continent , so shipping it home after your work would be the way I would handle it , A dedicated shipping ( road ) case and appropriate insurance is the best way to go , Also , bear in mind that all saxophones are replaceable ( including mine ) , we aren't talking about a priceless 18th century violin . It's great that you are going over to play , but believe me , since this will be your first visit to Europe , and hopefully , not the only one , you don't need the albatross of a saxophone weighing you down , both literally and figuratively . Enjoy your trip !!

Traveling with an alto. Imagine doing primarily train travel within Europe, but not 100% certain yet.

Thanks for the advice!

what make and model ?

Here is what the London jazz musician who plays sax had to say:

"If I was travelling for several weeks, say (in my case) around the U.S. after doing some gigs, I think my preferred option would be to leave the saxophone in some kind of secure storage at the hub from which I would eventually be going home (e.g. New York, or in the case of the person posting on your travel list, say London).
I would not be happy having the anxiety of taking it around with me everywhere, unless I was the kind of musician who cannot exist without doing a one- or two-hour warm-up session every day (there are plenty who are like this). Shipping it home would be very expensive by air, I imagine, and too slow by sea.
Whichever of these options I took, I would definitely keep my mouthpiece with me -- it's portable and precious.
But the best solution is none of the above, IMO. If I was playing on a tour for a bit and then doing some extended tourism, I would bring my mouthpiece with me and hire a saxophone when I got to where the gigs are. New, professional quality saxophones are very good and of the same high standard wherever you go -- rather like motor vehicles these days. And no panic attacks over potentially losing your precious horn!
Hope this helps!"

He had a couple of ideas that hadn't been thrown out there yet. Our own son and his family are traveling to 3 countries this summer, part of the time with us and part of the time on their own. For their last week they will all 4 be attending a music camp on the Isle of Skye. They managed to rent instruments from someone in Scotland who will be sure the instruments are at the camp. They don't have particularly valuable instruments (1 cello, 1 viola and 2 violins) but they just couldn't schlep them around for 3 weeks before the camp and they were going to be on the move too much (1 week Turkey, 1 week Paris, 1 week London) before the camp.

I hope you have a great performance and a wonderful jaunt around a couple of very scenic places in Europe to follow.

It is a Selmer Series III, totally replaceable. (nothing "unique" about it, although I'm not looking to lose it!)

I appreciate your sentiments ,but you really have nothing to worry about - ship it home , well packed of course , after your last job and well insured !! If you have a mouthpiece that you are attached to ( I use a forty year old rubber Berg Larsen on baritone ,that is more important than my children ( just kidding ! ) ) keep that with you . Most of all have a great trip , In the unlikely case that something happens to the instrument , it's current , and replacing it will really be a minor inconvenience , not a major problem - sorry , I couldn't resist that one !!

Haha you're a little flat there, stephen ;-)

Dave, I'd like to augment my remarks without diminishing your point of view in saying that one should never be sharp and certainly never be flat . but ALWAYS be natural !! ---- now that everyone is thoroughly in groan mode , ............

Well, I'm always open to more bad puns-right in sync with you there.

Funny!

Thanks again for the thoughtfulness!

By the way , one other thing to add ---- Selmer ships these things over for sale here in the States , in a case and then in a simple corrugated carton , with perhaps minimal padding --- they get here without a problem . Actually all you need , is similar packing and ship it back using UPS , FEDEX , or DHL - whoever is at hand . I highly doubt that the shipping and insurance costs will be onerous . Also , keep at hand your original bill of sale which will enable you to collect your instrument at home and be able to prove that you didn't buy it over there .

Personally, I'd keep the instrument with you as your carry-on at all times. Only you will take care of the instrument the way you want it to be cared for. If you fly on an American carrier, you may get away with that and another carry-on - otherwise, your clothes will have to be checked.

I wouldn't worry about your instrument being stolen from a hotel, or train station locker - but I would keep it close when you're carrying it in a train station, metro, or bus.

I wouldn't ship it home unless you insure it and prefer the insurance money to the instrument. They just won't take care of it the way you would.

I'm a guitar (and a few other instruments) player. My son is the Saxophonist. He has two instruments, one is his "beater" that he travels with and the other is his professional instrument. Normally the good one stays home but your performances may require you to take your good sax. If he took his good sax, it would be in his possession all the time - the beater would be fine to put in the luggage compartment under a bus but still could get stolen if carelessly attended.

This is an interesting topic - as my daughter and nephew will be traveling with a group of musicians this summer. They will be keeping their instruments with them the entire trip as it's a musical tour so the instruments will be on the coach bus driving us around Europe. The flying part is what I'm not sure about (we have a group meeting coming up so I'm sure they will answer those questions). My daughter plays clarinet and it will be able to be a carry-on item (she will take a backpack as her 'purse' I guess); but my nephew will be taking his French Horn and it's too big for carry-on so must be checked. Hopefully the hard case will keep it protected and it won't get lost. He would be very upset to miss out on concerts in the amazing locations due to a lost horn!!

There is a major difference between the original post , and the situation surrounding your daughter and nephew - The OP is combining two work venues with a subsequent pleasure trip . Having spent my working life as a professional musician , I can tell you that traveling for pleasure is no fun laden down with " stuff " , whether it is excessive luggage , or a musical instrument , Your daughter and nephew are in a different situation , in that they will be needing the instruments daily for the duration of the trip , and not carrying dead weight unecessarily , and believe me , a saxophone , even the smallest of them , is dead weight if it is not in regular use . Your daughters clarinet is a non issue , She easily can take it as carry on , as you describe . The Horn is another matter . Does your nephew's instrument have a one piece or a detachable bell ? Many professional horn players use detachable bell instruments and bring them on board ( They will , most likely , clear the required luggage dimensions for carryons ) . Also buying an additional seat for the instrument ( a common practice } is a viable alternative . Depending on the make of the French Horn ( Is it a student model instrument or an $ 8000.00 Alexander ? ) you might find it necessary to check it , Any instrument should be well insured against damage or loss , a lost or ruined instrument , with the insurance money in hand allows you to easily replace it with little inconvenience . Also keep in mind that if the horn does have a fixed bell , both the size and the shape of the case is awkward and would preclude bringing it on board without buying an additional seat .

Interesting posting. Had no idea so many woodwind players were on here.

I'm glad my 1963 King Super 20 Mark IV doesn't travel with me anywhere.

Thanks for the info Stephen; I will have my nephew check out the options for his French Horn. I would not want to lug a big or expensive instrument around Europe once the performances were done either so I hope the OP doesn't mind that my comments were different in nature. I think it's an amazing opportunity for musicians to get to travel and share their music with the world!! We have a group meeting next week and we should get more info about traveling with the larger instruments and how Delta handles them. My daughter's friend is also performing and is taking her less expensive clarinet vs her expensive wooden one, I'm sure to avoid the potential for damage, etc. Since our tour is designed for student musicians, I'm sure they've got it all figured out but having an instrument not make it one the right connecting flight would be a big bummer. Hopefully that won't happen to any of the students. I know they will have worked very hard to learn their pieces for this voyage. We also have insurance for the trip (and some included in the original price) so there is also that protection.

I just learned that as of December 30, 2014, airlines are required to allow small musical instruments, such as a violin or guitar, to be carried into the cabin and stowed in approved storage spaces, if available, or under the seat. Once safely stowed, airlines cannot require passengers to remove their instruments, even if space taken by their instrument could accommodate one or more other carry-on items. Airlines cannot charge an additional fee for instruments as carry-on or checked baggage other than the standard fee imposed by the carrier. The links I was given don't work for me :( but this is the "final administrative rule which fully implements section 403 of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2012 - the law authorizing musical instruments as carry-on baggage onboard US air carriers." Note that this is specific to US carriers.

Yes David, lots of woodwind players lurking everywhere. More dangerous than a virus, likely.

Personally, I'd be more nervous about shipping my instruments than theft from a hotel room. If I were going to just a few destinations, I'd carry my sax with me. For more extensive travel, I'd arrange to store it with a professional music organization (conservatory, symphony etc.) and circle back to pick it up for the flight home.

Fortunately my instruments have always been allowed as carry-on but some carriers are stricter than others. The new ruling that Janet referred to is a step in the right direction and was long lobbied for by the American Federation of Musicians. Last summer, after some members of the National Youth Orchestra had problems with Air Canada, they made a video spoof of the airline's baggage policy. I don't know how to put in a link, but the title on YouTube is "Air Canada - Musical Experts". I suppose if I ever have to fly with my contrabassoon, I'll be folding it in four.