Whenever packing to go abroad there are certain necessities I go through. Passport, toothbrush, boarding pass are all accounted for, but there is still one thing I have to have when travelling to make the time go by. Music. First it was the Walkman, then the discman and now my faithful iPod. But the music isn't just to stave off boredom, it's a sensory aide to enhance the atmosphere and provides a theme tune to your trip to remember it by.
Whenever I want to relive what it was like to travel to a certain destination, I replay the music I listened to whilst there. The earliest I remember doing this was in 2001 listening to Crowded House and Powderfinger while travelling around Australia. It was quite an apt choice for the location in hindsight.
Driving through the outback up the east coast from Melbourne to Sydney and onto Cairns was the backdrop to this music and will always be engrained in my memory.
This is why it's important to listen to music whenever you can while travelling and has become an integral part of my planning.
I think it's also important to consider the best genre of music for a certain location. When travelling to remote destinations in the countryside it's best to pick some easy-listening tunes, whilst taking a city break would be best suited to something a bit more upbeat and urban.
My friend who has recently visited India made the wise decision to listen to Talvin Singh as he travelled through the rural landscape. This contemporary take on Asian music did nothing else than to enhance his experience and, to my knowledge, he listens to it still.
I remember Damon Albarn saying in an interview on radio that he likes to listen to jazz while walking around the streets of London at night. It's unsurprising that this style of music is well accompanied with the hustle and bustle of the city.
So music can actually provide a heightened sense of the experience for travelling and should be enjoyed whenever possible. But what about travelling on the plane, the train or even driving?
When flying to Egypt, we passed over Greece on a clear evening with the sunset bouncing off the islands. By total accident I was listening Yonderboi, Sinking Slowly, which seemed to fit perfectly with the scenery and mood. A low beat ambient track that seemed to accentuate the graceful gliding of the plane over the sun kissed sea. After this I found similar tracks from Solar Fields, Carbon Based Life Forms and Boards of Canada. If anyone is flying, they should almost certainly have these tracks on their iPod.
Travelling by train or car is a different feeling though and feels more purposeful as you get a sense of speed from the passing scenery. Something a little rockier is required such as Ocean Colour Scene or Kings of Leon, which provide some very good road tripping tunes.
Do next time you're planning a trip, get your playlist together to suit the mood and location and you might find you have just created a fond memory through the medium of song!
Richard Skidmore - Online Marketing Manager
Attractiontix.co.uk - AttractionTix is the UKs leading supplier of tickets to attractions and theme parks from around the world including Disneyland tickets, Siam Park tickets, Loro Parque and PortAventura tickets.
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