Traveling for a shop?

[Lochlan]

How far are you willing to travel to get tattooed at a certain shop? And what shop?

[Julio Avila]

I've travelled 2,000 miles to get tattooed on more than one occasion.

Bugs me when people complain about driving 20 minutes away to get tattooed.

Travelled that far to get tattooed at the original everlasting and at 222.

After that I can't tell you how many times I've driven an hour or so to get tattooed. The drive back home always sucked.

[mario desa]

ditto. flew 2,000 miles to get tattooed by scott sylvia at 222, drove 800 miles to baltimore to see seth c. just this summer drove 1,000 miles to nj/nyc, got a rose from bert krak. it never ends. used to take the greyhound an hour each way to get tattooed and drive down to chicago, 1 1/2 hrs each way. i do it without thinking...still!

[xjamestravisx]

I'm making my first real trip to get tattooed next month. Gonna get something from Keith Underwood. Tattoo road trips must be fun times though.

[Bunny Switchblade]

Took a trip to New England to see family but made a tattoo road trip out of it too!

Flew into Boston and got tattooed by Juli Moon, Korie Wilson, & Josh Bjorklund that day

around the Boston/NH areas (Friday)

Drove 4 hours to central Maine....lol

Then 2 hours back down i-95 to see Cyndi Lou the next day in Portland, ME

Took a day of rest....

then hit Hobo's Tattoo on the way back down to the Boston airport and got

tattooed by George Benjamin 3 hours before our plane took off!

5 tattoos in 3 days.....was a hell of a trip!

We tend to base all of our travels though around family and artists in

the areas near where we are going!

Like....we went to our son's boot camp graduation in Oklahoma so we

went to see David Bruehl in Norman, OK!

I would fly to Skull & Sword from Baltimore though to add Grime to the collection!

I hate when the hubby has an artist that i don't....ha ha ha ha!

There are a lot of left coast artists I would love to add!

[Aahzz]

I need more vacation time and cash before I think about travelling...but the day will come. I've recently seen work by Cecil Porter in California that makes me want to get some from him. Here in the Cincinnati area, I have Kore Flatmo, and I'd love to have work by him at some point too, which would probably happen before I travelled. I'm still new to all of this, so am researching and finding out more about the wide variety of artists and styles out there.

In the meantime, the work I'm getting from Crow at a local shop called Beelistic is keeping me quite happy...

[Lochlan]

xjamestravisx, how'd trip and tattoo go?

Bunny, we always enjoy hearing about your tattoo adventures and seeing the pictures.

Aahzz, researching tattooers you like is a good way to do it so you get want you want and it looks good, thanks for posting. Maybe you'll find some on here that interest you!?!?!

[Lochlan]

This thread on tattoos, tattoo shops, and traveling is really taking off.....

[Wedge]

For me, money is a key factor in traveling for a tattoo or I know I'd do more of it. The furthest I've gone is from CT to PA, about 4 1/2 hours which isn't really that bad. But when you add the cost of gas, food and hotel to the cost of the tattoo it gets pretty damn expensive. I think it was a great time, though, and really made for a good story and a memorable tattoo. For me, getting a tattoo is more than just needle and skin, it's going to different artists and shops and enjoying the different people and atmospheres. If I could afford it, I'd definitely be going to CA for a couple of artists, instead I have to hope they come to my area for a convention or guest spot.

[AlannaCA]

i would travel anywhere and everywhere.......if money grew on trees! Most recently through this site i was introduced to Jill Bonny's work and i would love to have a piece done by her. this is something thats going on my life list but hopefully it will get done within the next 3-4 years! it would be a big adventure for me because i was thinking i might want to grab a friend and make it a road trip from Toronto to California, instead of flying down. i found an amazing artist here in Toronto and i didnt think i was going to want to get work done by others but slowly im getting used to the idea and letting my imagination go, thinking about all the work i want for the future.

[Lizzie]

Almost all my tattoos have been travelled for. I'd say 80%, including my sleeve, for which I had to drive to Montreal and back and get hotels about 5 times. Soon I will be traveling to Michigan for my entire right leg. Throat again in Montreal this summer... Is about a six hour drive each way but who gives a fuck? Peoe who fill themselves with easy cheap tattoos bum me out. We have a guy who comes in the shop who's an apprentice monger... Only free tattoos for this fucker... And how fucking sad is it that someone like that CAN get tattooed almost weekly by apprentices? Guh.

[Lizzie]

i would travel anywhere and everywhere.......if money grew on trees! Most recently through this site i was introduced to Jill Bonny's work and i would love to have a piece done by her. this is something thats going on my life list but hopefully it will get done within the next 3-4 years! it would be a big adventure for me because i was thinking i might want to grab a friend and make it a road trip from Toronto to California, instead of flying down. i found an amazing artist here in Toronto and i didnt think i was going to want to get work done by others but slowly im getting used to the idea and letting my imagination go, thinking about all the work i want for the future.

Alanna!!!! 'ats my girl! Proud that I have such a cool new client. I can show you some more artists, too, that you can add to your list alongside Jill Bonny that could make a road trip to Cali more fun with more stops! Collecting is a great hobby, can't wait to see where you go with it!

[johinne]

Myself and my girlfriend travelled from Ireland to Chicago and came home via New York to get tattoo'd. Possibly the best holiday i've ever been on.!

[gougetheeyes]

Bumping this back up because it's super inspiring! People are crossing nations to get tattooed. Did a quick little drive to Philly a few months back (about 2 hrs) to get tattooed by Scott this year, which just planted the seed and was a great all around experience. Distance is nothing but I know travel expenses are the bigger issue. Dead set on getting bigger tattoos (see: not being such a pussy) so hopefully this time next year I'll either have more stories or more progress!

I am traveling (ahem..) down the street to get tattooed in a couple weeks and then have to give it a rest until after I get hitched in the fall. Weddings are fucking expensive.

Anyone else?

[briankelly]

i don't think i would travel anywhere to get a tattoo. i have traveled a lot and been tattooed, but that has always been a by product. i like to only be tattooed by friends and am not into collecting things from big names. just my two cents.

[s33ktruth]

Only place I really want to travel to get tattooed is in NY and CA mostly due to the guys don't really come down here to TX. Other than that I don't really feel like going to Japan to get something, that I can get done by someone just as good that is here in the States.

[gougetheeyes]

i don't think i would travel anywhere to get a tattoo. i have traveled a lot and been tattooed, but that has always been a by product. i like to only be tattooed by friends and am not into collecting things from big names. just my two cents.

Sure. The tattooer doesn't have to be a "big name" just anybody you feel you'd like to get tattooed by. I have a friend in Australia who tattoos, not a big name but a great dude, and I would love to travel there to hang out and also get tattooed by him again. Makes a great excuse for traveling!

Sidenote: I am a shitty, shitty traveler and wouldn't go half the places I do if it weren't my lady making me.

[Mel Noir]

For the right tattoo artist, I'd go to the other end of the world, definitely. Well, in theory I would- money stops this being a reality, haha. I also think people should check what's right on their doorstep too, of course, because there could be an amazing tattooer right near you who people just don't know about yet. All depends on who or what you want, I guess! :)

[abees]

bus, then coach, then underground - 3 hours or so (one way). to Frith Street.

it's amazing how lazy some people are when it comes to doing basic travel to get the best tattoo.. obviously some people *aren't* lazy like that.. the few people you ever see with good tattoos, normally.

[abees]

bus, then coach, then underground - and then the same, but backwards (obviously!) about 6 hours of travel in total - to Frith Street.

it's amazing how lazy some people are when it comes to doing basic travel to get the best tattoo.. obviously some people *aren't* lazy like that.. the few people you ever see with good tattoos, normally.

[Iwar]

So far I've only travelled to London twice to get tattooed (the most recent trip was back and forth in less than 36 hours), but now my trip to SF is less than three months away and I'm so fucking stoked it's ridiculous. It will be expensive as hell, and all my money besides rent, bills and food has gone towards this trip, but I can't think of anything I'd like to do more. Exploring a new city in a foreign country, getting tattooed by incredible artists, meeting new people, thinking about your collegues working their asses of back home while drinking an ice cold beer in the sun... I for one can't think of a better way to spend my vacation, and I will most likely try to do something similar next year.

[gougetheeyes]

So far I've only travelled to London twice to get tattooed (the most recent trip was back and forth in less than 36 hours), but now my trip to SF is less than three months away and I'm so fucking stoked it's ridiculous. It will be expensive as hell, and all my money besides rent, bills and food has gone towards this trip, but I can't think of anything I'd like to do more. Exploring a new city in a foreign country, getting tattooed by incredible artists, meeting new people, thinking about your collegues working their asses of back home while drinking an ice cold beer in the sun... I for one can't think of a better way to spend my vacation, and I will most likely try to do something similar next year.

Iwar, that's incredible. Living the dream. Pumped for you!!

[hogg]

I flew from SF to San Diego and back in the same day just to get tattooed by Ben Grillo. It was a great experience all around (the Cuatro Milpas burrito was a total bonus!). I also got a souvenir tattoo from Horiyoshi III in Yokohama, but that's not why I went to Japan. It was just a wonderful part of a trip my wife and I had already planned. On that note, I'm more into the idea of getting small souvenirs in other locations, but not planning the trips around that. Small pieces are about all I have room for these days, anyway.

[jayessebee]

the farthest I've gone so far is 6hr drive but I'm planning an 8hr this summer

[David Flores]

Flew to San Fran with hopes of getting tattooed at Tattoo City and happened to luck out and catch Doug Hardy coming back from a road trip and taking walk ins. I wanted to get tattooed by Nick Colella so I planned a trip to visit some family and flew out last month. Plan on moving to Chicago soon looking forward to being close enough to plan day trips to get tattooed by guys like Tim Beck and Julio Alvia and get more tattoos and Chicago Tattoo Company.

But on the other hand I love getting tattooed at the shops I frequent here in Portland and have a lot of fun getting tattooed by friends.