What’s one piece of travel advice you always follow?

Wyrd Outlook by Grogh — Ghostwritten by Vikki Vexum

The Travel Protocol: ☠️As Above, So Below☠️

What’s one piece of travel advice you always follow?🤷‍♂️

There are plenty of answers to that question. Pack light. Leave early. Find a charming café. All fine advice, I suppose.

But before I give you the Captain’s rule, let’s follow a constellation from the heights of popular culture down to the streets of Nashville—and eventually into a roadside bathroom.

Yes, that is where we’re landing. Buckle up.

Jack Black and the Wild Things

At the top of our constellation is Jack Black: actor, musician, and a man who seems capable of making almost anything feel like an adventure.

In a conversation with Parade⁠, Black said that when he travels, he tries to check out the local gardens and parks. He even described finding some wonderfully strange, prehistoric-looking trees. 

I like that. A city might advertise its tallest buildings, brightest signs, and most famous restaurants, but sometimes the best discovery is quietly growing beside the path. Find the local greenery, and you might see a side of the place the tourist brochure forgot.

Shaggy 2 Dope and the Road Spirit

Farther down our constellation, we find Shaggy 2 Dope and the traveling Juggalo spirit.

In an interview with Antigravity Magazine⁠, Shaggy talked about Juggalos who like to travel, finding cities with things to do, and touring as part of the business Insane Clown Posse runs. 

My interpretation of that road spirit is this: don’t be afraid to wander beyond the predictable route. Take a back road when you have the time. Look for the places that aren’t featured on every billboard. See where the local weirdness lives.

The destination might be on the map, but the adventure has a habit of hiding in the margins.

Nashville Below the Neon

Broadway has its own bright, loud spectacle, and if that’s what you came for, have at it. But if you’re looking for alternative music and a different kind of night out, give yourself permission to explore beyond the neon.

In a Nashville Reddit discussion about the punk, metal, and hardcore scene⁠, people point curious travelers toward places like The End and DRKMTTR. Eastside Bowl also comes up as a place where touring bands play. That gives you a few local breadcrumbs to follow when you’re looking for the music beyond the tourist strip. 

But let me add a recommendation from this local: Eastside Bowl⁠ is my pick.

Head out to Madison and you’ll find more than a place to watch a show. There’s live music, bowling, food, and community events, with room to make a whole outing of it. The venue occupies a former Kmart and has plenty of parking, which is a beautiful thing when you’re trying to enjoy your night instead of circling the block like a hungry vulture. 

For my money, I’d recommend Eastside Bowl over The Basement East. It gives you more to do, and going all the way out there takes you away from some of the lesser venues and scene drama you might encounter closer in. Check the show calendar⁠, bring some friends, and make a night of it.

The Captain’s Road Rule

Now we arrive at the advice I actually follow:

Check the bathroom before you check the menu.

Years on the road have taught me that a place can promise you a great meal with a beautiful sign and a mouthwatering picture. But I want to see what kind of care they put into the part of the building everybody uses.

If the bathroom looks like it lost a war with a swamp monster, I’m probably leaving before dinner.

Maybe the kitchen is spotless. Maybe it isn’t. But if an establishment won’t maintain the space I can see, I’m not eager to gamble on the space I can’t. My stomach has enough adventures scheduled without adding food poisoning to the itinerary.

What the Road Leaves Behind

That instinct travels with me beyond the restaurant door.

A city can promise excitement. A scene can promise community. A universe can promise wonders. I’m interested in the details that give those promises substance.

That’s part of what I’m building with Ghostship Groggy and The Wyrd Hereafter: a strange universe assembled piece by piece, with room to wander off the obvious path and discover what’s hiding in the corners.

So look for the parks. Explore the back roads. Find the music beyond the neon.

And before you order the special, check the throne room. Your stomach may thank you later.