A road trip might just be the quintessential vacation. Whether it be a weekend adventure with your friends or a family trip across the country, it is sure to be a memorable time. And a road trip is never complete without music. From local radio stations to custom playlists, the music can add so much to the adventure. Especially when you’re stuck in a car for hours on end. I did a road trip this summer from Georgia to Montana, with plenty of stops along the way, and there was music to be heard from start to finish.
It’s always so interesting to tune into different local radio stations along the way. You can find the usual stations playing the biggest hits and the older classics, but if you dig a little deeper, you can find the regional ones that really give you a sense of the town vibe. Small stations talking about little local festivals and news; some of them even had callers on the air to play live games for prizes. It’s nice to be able to get a sense of the differnet places you drive through when you can’t stop at every one along the way. You have to do a lot of channel surfing when you’re moving through cities and every once in a while you can stumble across a song playing that you forgot you loved. Sometimes it will take you back like a little flashback and you can reminisce together, or just do group karaoke like we did.
Some people take great pride in the making of their road trip playlists. My mom makes her friends and family custom playlists comprised of the top song for the week of their birthday every year since they were born. Those are always a great way for us to take a walk down memory lane together. And everyone’s playlist is always so different. Other times we would put on someone’s random playlist and learn about their taste in music. It’s a chance to hear something new, or something familiar, and it gives everyone a chance to hear something they like or discover something new.
But the music doesn’t stop when you get out of the car.
Along the trip we got to hear local live musicians in restaurants and hotels, street performers in different cities, and see some iconic performance venues. It was so interesting to see how other people across the country get to experience music. It is its own universal language that everyone can enjoy. From Montana country music to Chicago jazz, the genres are so different from place to place and each have their own beautiful personalities.
I even had the pleasure of playing cello at my godmother’s wedding on a beautiful bridge in the middle of nowhere.
Along the trip there were times when we were in such rural areas that we couldn’t get any radio stations. When we were driving through some of the national parks we could only pick up really static classical orchestra music, so we turned it off and just listened to the sounds of nature. It was so nice to just listen to the wind in the trees, hear the running water, and occasionally hear the wildlife.
The trip quickly became one of my favorites and definitely one I will remember forever, thanks to all the photos. And I am happy to say that my incredible trip had a great soundtrack.
Written by: Marissa Stoll
Photos by: Marissa Stoll