Jam on cuz Backstreet's got it...

**Introduction to Me and Mega Tour**

As I was running/walking today to my NKOTBSB Tour 2011 playlist, I decided that it might be time to start a blog.  I always have so many ideas and thoughts running through my mind and it helps when I actually get a chance to share them.  I was out for about 2 hours and 20 minutes doing a run/walk interval and all I could think about was the different items that I could write about.  My life isn't super exciting but occasionally I'll have some good stories to tell.  Then it hit me....why not blog about all of my wild and crazy Backstreet Boys adventures?  I know some have some crazier stories to tell but these are my adventures and they are very special to me.  I have met so many great people over the years because of the Backstreet Boys and they have provided so many good memories.

My BSB Travels

So let me start off first by introducing myself.  My name is Chrissy, I am 27 (28 in two months), married, and I live in Northwest Indiana.  I have been a Backstreet Boys fan for 13 years and Brian is my favorite.  I have been to many different types of BSB events and I hope to write about each one in this blog.  However, my ultimate goal at this moment is what I like to call Mega Tour.  During this current NKOTBSB tour, I have had the opportunity to attend 4 shows so far and will be attending 2 more in several weeks.  I have also had friends who have been to several different shows than me.  We have spent the summer exchanging reviews, photos, and videos.  It has made me realize that even though the set list may be the same in the shows, each show is different.....and I hate missing things.  Therefore, what I truly want to accomplish is following them for an entire tour.  I tried to figure out what something like that would cost me...a task that took a full two days.  I based it on what it would have cost me to attend the entire NKOTBSB 2011 tour and I don't plan on doing this for I would say at least 5 years.  So, with each new tour, I will come up with an estimate for Mega Tour.  As of right now, I will be doing Mega Tour by myself, although several of my friends have shown interest in it.  The problem is money and work for them.  Luckily for me, I work for a local school system which means I have the option of having summers off....the perfect scenario for traveling with a band for a summer tour.  So any estimating I have done for the costs of something like this is strictly for me traveling solo. My hope is that through this blog I can meet fans that 1) are able to do the entire Mega Tour with me, 2) meet fans that can join me for a week or a few weeks at a time, 3)meet fans that I can meet up with or stay with in certain cities, 4) get tips from people who have followed their favorite groups on tour before,  and 5) get tips on sites to see in each of the cities I will be visiting.  So are you curious as to what I figured out something like this to cost?  $22,000-$30,000.  Yes, I know quite a bit to save.  The break down is as follows:

Concert Tickets  - $5,700 (estimated at about $120 a piece.  Tickets should be cheaper for a solo tour than they were for the NKOTBSB tour)
Transportation (car rentals, flights, gas) - $5,100 -$13,500 (this number would be dependent on if I did strictly all driving with a rental car or did a combination of driving with a rental car and flights for the long travels)
Hotels - $5,600 (based on an average of $100 a night)
Food - $2,800 (based on an average of $40 a day)
Touristy attractions - $1,300 (based on only doing attractions on the day off from touring)
Other (includes laundry, souvenirs, etc.) - $1,100

Now, you may be asking...Chrissy, what does your husband think about all of this?  I was terrified to tell him at first because I thought for sure that he would tell me that this was never going to happen.  Me and some friends actually joked around about one of us buying an RV and then that would save us on some of the hotel and food costs because we could just stay in the RV and use the kitchen to cook instead of eating every meal out.  Now, whenever my husband sees an RV for sale, he lets me know about it.  Granted they are old, cheap RV's that I would not trust to take from here to Lake Michigan (which is only 15 minutes away from me), but at least he is open to the idea of it one day happening.

I have a long road of saving money to be able to do this.  My friend Tammy believes this is my Backstreet Boys withdrawal, which I often get after having attended a BSB event.  The plans for this started becoming a reality for this the day after the NKOTBSB show I saw in Nashville.  I actually blame her for getting this idea into my head.  When we went out to dinner before the show, we were discussing what our ultimate vacation would be.  She asked me what my ultimate vacation would be besides following BSB on tour.  To be honest, I had always just thought of following them for a week while on tour....but this sounded so much better!  Will it happen?  I can hope but if it does not then I can put up a good fight trying.  The problem right now is that I will be trying to save for this, a few shows for the next BSB tour (whenever this may be), the next BSB Cruise, and some other stuff that I really kind of want.  So are there any offers to the "Chrissy really needs to get a life" fund?

Next topic of discussion:  How my Backstreet obsession started....

Title Credit - "We've Got It Goin' On" - Backstreet Boys (Self-Titled) - Backstreet Boys