For many, a road trip is all about sound. To that end, road trip soundtracks are what this article is about. Music, audiobooks, even talk or news radio can be your soundtrack if it’s broadcast via satellite. The focus here is on digitally delivered road trip soundtracks of all kinds. You will soon discover that it is a very broad approach. Not like a generation ago with the option of 8 tracks, cassettes, or FM or AM radio broadcast. Today the soundtrack of your road trip is a true cornucopia. That always-full-of-plenty horn that once you hit the power button never turns off or fades until you reach your destination.
With the advent of the iPod, Zune, and a myriad of other mp3 devices that will plug right into your music player and satellite radio that does the same thing, there’s no reason why you can’t go around the country and never be without your own special travel soundtrack to accompany you. What’s even better is that no obstacles can obscure your signal.
Cross the Chesapeake Bridge/Tunnel trying to listen to the radio or drive through Southwest Texas sometime to see a definitive example. But I’m sure you’ve had your own frustrating experiences wherever you travel. Tape and CD players help alleviate that problem, but an iPod or other mp3-loaded device is the ultimate solution these days.
You’ll need a car stereo optimized to use an mp3 music player with at least one front panel auxiliary input or one with audio inputs that you can plug your iPod into. Stay away from FM transmitters, they’re cheap and easy, but the sound is horrible and they get interference from FM radio stations. Take my word for it, those things suck like a V8-powered vacuum cleaner. If you don’t want to change your music player, spend more and install a harness that will plug into your mp3 device’s headphone jack or an iPod’s dock connection.
Your own road trip soundtrack can be anything you want it to be; music that you play in a structured playlist or just a group of travel songs that you set on your mp3 player to play randomly. Either way, once you’ve charged your iPod, for example, it’s just one click to change an easy-to-find setting.
These days I find myself primarily listening to audiobooks that are no longer restricted to CD or tape, but can be downloaded to music players like the iPod and Zune. For me, there is nothing like reading a story that makes my heart race to keep me attentive until the end and burn kilometers while listening. I have found, since I mostly travel solo, that the human voice reading a really good story is the best companion. Someone I don’t have to talk to and who completely ignores my occasional outburst if I do!
Finding your road trip songs is pretty easy these days. There are many sites online to buy songs and full albums. The one I mostly find myself in is the iTunes store because it works perfectly with my iPods and is very easy to use for trading. For audiobooks, I’ve found Audible to be my favorite. Of course, there are still some sources for file sharing, but if you use a PC, the specter of malicious viral parasites attached to music files looms large. Although Mac users don’t see nearly the problem that PC users do, there is an increase in the problem that is seen especially with newer Macs. My advice to those who are new to downloading music is to stick to the paid sites. It can’t hurt your karma to give artists the respect let alone the payment they are owed for their works.
Finally, there is satellite radio. With over a hundred channels and plenty of those genre-specific shows, it’s about as customizable as making your own road trip soundtrack. There may be a fading of obstacles to a satellite’s line of sight, but the distance itself means nothing. There is a monthly fee to sign up or you can pay an annual fee to save some money. All in all, not a bad way to go. No more searching for your favorite station when its signal fades.
I listen to National Public Radio shows fairly regularly and find Sirius Satellite Radio incredibly easier than I used to, with stations saved to as many presets as I could find. It’s not expensive to get a basic system to plug into your music player, but again, run it straight into your aux input at least. There are also satellite ready players.
If you don’t already do it yourself road trip soundtrack, take practice. It’s easy to do, an easy little hobby to take up, and you also get a nice sense of personal satisfaction. In my case, it is part of the toolbox that I need to practice my chosen profession, such as a road map, GPS on my laptop or a flashlight… I don’t leave home without it!
