It’s no surprise that in 2023, Swift was the most-searched artist on Stubhub, where fans from more than 110 countries bought tickets to the Eras Tour. (For its role, Stubhub takes a hefty sales fee based on the ticket price.) Toronto was a top international travel destination for American travellers, who get a favourable exchange rate on the price of tickets in Canada. (As of late April 2024, USD$1 is worth CAD$1.37.)
Canadians are following suit—except they’re heading to Europe. According to Stubhub, for Swift’s remaining shows in 2024, some of the most popular international Eras Tour destinations for Canadian fans are Paris, Lisbon, Amsterdam, Warsaw and Vienna.
Fandom doesn’t come cheap, though. In this new world of post-pandemic “revenge travel” and a newfound craving to create special experiences in our lives, in terms of dollars and cents, is the Eras Tour worth it?
The power of Swiftonomics
“Swiftonomics” and its effect on the economy is staggering. The Eras Tour is the highest-grossing concert tour of all time, and the first to gross USD$1 billion. Everywhere the tour touches down, the local economy gets a major boost.
According to the CBC, the estimated economic impact of Swift’s three shows in Vancouver is $700 million. And a study in Denver—where Swift played two shows last summer—found that the average amount an Eras Tour concert-goer spent was USD$1,327 (about CAD$1,800) on expenses such as tickets, travel, merchandise, lodging and food. That adds up to more than USD$200 million in direct consumer spending.
How to save money on Taylor Swift tickets and more
Woods’ advice is to take advantage of last-minute ticket releases. To find out about these sales, follow all the legitimate local ticket sellers and promoters on social media, especially in the days leading up to the show. “Any place where you can get a cheap ‘obstructed view’ seat with last-minute releases is the best place to go,” he says. “You could easily fly to a nearby European city—for Swift’s upcoming tour dates—and take the train or a flex bus to lower costs if airfare is expensive, as it’s quick and easy to travel between European cities.”
For accommodations, hotels and Airbnbs will likely be pricey or even sold out. Try work-arounds: Do hotels have a waiting list in case of cancellations? Can you rent a room rather than a whole apartment, or find lodgings farther from the city centre? Alternative accommodations like hostels, B&Bs and non-hotel accommodations are possibilities as well.
Woods found a house-sitting opportunity in Melbourne, which meant his accommodation was free. (Score!) If you’re willing to take care of a home and possibly a pet in exchange for a free stay, start with one of the leading house-sitting networks, Nomador. If you don’t mind staying outside of a city centre, check out homestay.com, which connects independent travellers and students with host families. You could save a lot of money and experience more of the local culture.
Woods also advises taking advantage of Swift-related activities, discounts and promos. In Sydney and Melbourne, he says, “your ticket to Taylor gets you free public transit.” And in Melbourne, “the Queen Victoria market had a Swift-themed night market, and one of the booths was a make-your-own-friendship bracelet.” (Swifties make these and trade them at concerts. It’s also how she met her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, who plays football for the Kansas City Chiefs.)
What about Eras Tour official merchandise? Concert-goers can buy everything from T-shirts and sweaters to tote bags and glow batons. Prices can vary depending on exchange rate, and due to strong demand, tour merch is usually sold the day before the shows. But many fans are also making their own outfits, and as Woods says, “It could be as simple as doing artwork with a marker on a plain T-shirt.”
