Before rockstars flew on private planes and attended daily personal-training sessions and refrained from eating gluten, there was the tour bus.
It was big. It was mysterious. And it was the most opulent and venerable way to travel about these United States.
And now it’s getting a revival, thanks to Roadies, the company that ferries intrepid travelers around the American Southwest aboard lavishly appointed “coaches.”
On board, you’ll find everything you’d expect of business class or a private air charter: A common room equipped with TVs, snacks, board games and wifi. A bathroom with a shower. And 12 discrete sleeping pods, complete with personal TVs and fresh linens.
As for your marching orders? At launch (the trips start in June, though you can sign up now), you’ve got two route options: San Diego to Los Angeles, or Vegas to San Diego. Both tours hit Joshua Tree and the Grand Canyon in between, with hotels and “base camps” serving as waypoints. The journeys run six nights, and with space for 12, you can reserve as few — or as many — seats as you want. Book the whole jalopy and you can design you own route. Bachelor party, anyone?
A dedicated tour manager (presumably Roadies’ version of a tour guide, except dressed sharper and with better jokes) runs court over the whole operation, taking care of administrative tasks and tailoring your plans on the go. And you’re in good hands: the company has “handled transportation for touring musicians such as Paul McCartney and Katy Perry,” per the New York Times.
All you need to bring is a change of clothes, a good attitude and your Creedence tapes.
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