Many people think that only the rich and famous can visit places such as the Greek Isles. In some markets, it is hard enough to find DJ gigs, let alone save up the money to travel. Many markets also have a slow season, where you use the money saved from the more prosperous months. If your market slows down during the winter for example, why not take your talents to another markets busy season. How do you get gigs in another state, country, or continent you may ask?
Many resorts expect an influx in vacationers during certain times of the year. A resort in Cancun would expect many patrons from Canada, The United States, and even Europe during their winter months of November through March. If you live in Canada, instead of going into hibernation during the slow season, start sending your press kits to GMs, and owners of resorts in warmer parts of the world.
The cruise industry is growing at a rapid pace with new ships expanding fleets worldwide. DJing on cruise ships is a great way to travel and see many parts of the world in often a short period of time. There is a great group on Facebook called TravelingDJs where you can find a lot of informational posts and videos about DJing on cruise ships.
These are just a couple of examples, but there are many ways your skill set as a DJ, can help you see the world. Touring artists often need a reliable DJ as well, so make sure you are supporting your local artists, you never know when one may need you.
Some advice. Before even thinking about contacting someone to DJ abroad, make sure you have a valid passport. They may have an opportunity for you sooner than you can receive your passport. You often won’t have a chance to meet your employer before you start the job, so make sure everything from your mixes, to social media that you are presenting, are clean. Have video content of yourself interacting with an audience, they will want to see that you have a personality. A mentor of mine, Rob Nadigel, the founder of Traveling DJs (this link is different than the Facebook group) has helped me visit over 50 countries, and 3 continents in the year 2018 alone. So start envisioning where you want to be (seriously, do this every day and the universe will deliver) and click on the links above to get started.
Once you have landed your dream job abroad, make sure to stock up on gear that you can hand out to your audience. Items such as customized bracelets and stickers will help the thousands of people you encounter, remember who you are and allow them to find you online. You never know who will want to fly you out to DJ for them.
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