After I’m house and want a repair of wanderlusting, I normally pull up my Instagram or Fb albums to moon over footage of previous travels. Lately I’ve realised that past enjoyable photographs, I’ve an audio-linked travelogue of types – sure songs that pop up on the radio take me again to particular journey recollections, which is one other enjoyable approach to keep in mind previous travels past journey journaling. I assumed it’d be enjoyable to share a few of my journey tune recollections and tales right here and pull up some outdated journey pix and tales that I by no means received round to posting.
Cowl picture by Melanie Pongratz by way of Unsplash.
Low cost Thrills – Sia ft Sean Paul
‘Til I hit the dance flooring, hit the dance flooring
I received all I want
No, I ain’t received money, I ain’t received money
However I received you, child
Sia’s Low cost Thrills was launched in early 2016 and have become a little bit of a private social gathering anthem – anytime Sean Paul’s biddy-bang-bang comes on immediately, it takes me again to the European leg of my Profession Break journey, a 4-month backpacking journey that noticed some hazy nights with numerous alcohol and this tune blasting within the background.
Shout out to my bloghouse roomie Helen who does a fairly hilarious Sean Paul fashion rap – I at all times hear ‘biddy bang bang’ in my head in her voice. This tune undoubtedly rocked our Kenya tour which occurred proper within the midst of the European leg. My tour group had been a enjoyable bunch throughout and we had some enjoyable nights out.
I’m normally not a lot of a celebration animal, however there have been some fairly wild nights on this journey due to the infectious vitality of being in a hostel with different fun-loving travellers (and low-cost European beer – 2L of beer in a bottle for 1.5 Euro? Unthinkable in Singapore the place a pint is S$15 in most pubs). I do want to return to Serbia and Slovakia sometime as a result of I solely had 2 nights in every of their capital cities and doubtless a little bit an excessive amount of boozy enjoyable there to essentially admire the sights correctly.
Have been you hoping for some scandalous tales? The great thing about solo journey is that what occurs on the street can keep on the street, nobody again house must learn about what you’ve been as much as until you need them to know. I’d inform you concerning the story of midnight cheese sampling and a sheep I left behind in Edam close to Amsterdam… Additionally, one of the best moments normally occur fairly spontaneously – no time for photographs!
I at all times encourage solo travellers to present hostels a go, particularly in case you’re seeking to make pals and are capable of put up with sharing a dorm room. It’s a little bit hit and miss in relation to discovering a connection however you’ll be able to join extra organically simply by being round like-minded folks.
It’s additionally one thing that’s simpler to do whenever you’re youthful, hardier and a little bit extra prepared to place your self on the market. Late-30s me scripting this now might be much less more likely to go ‘climb the Tatra Mountains’ in Bratislava (trace: this includes more and more potent pictures of Tatratea and has nothing to do with precise climbing) in comparison with early-30s me again then who was much more gungho and was out to have a good time.
Shaky Shaky – Daddy Yankee
Shaky, shaky, shaky, shaky, shaky, shaky, shaky
Shaky, shaky, shaky, shaky, shaky, shaky, shaky
Shaky, shaky, shaky, shaky, shaky, shaky, shaky
Cómo es, dame una vueltita otra vez
I can not emphasise to you ways a lot of a monster hit Shaky Shaky was in early 2017 whereas I used to be travelling round South America. You heard this tune 24/7 and by golly did I wish to smack one thing each time I heard the phrases shaky shaky. Listening to this tune immediately takes me again to nights out in South America. Colombia particularly for some motive – Studying to Salsa Cali-style within the south, and nights strolling round Medellin looking for ramen of all issues because the Asian-Aussie journey pal wanted a correct noodle repair after being in South America for extra months than I had at that time.
Quito in Ecuador was one other place the place I stayed in a fairly taking place hostel – I normally attempt to keep away from the full-on social gathering hostels, however I do like these with a great group vibe, which makes it attainable for me to go take a look at nightlife as a result of I’m normally fairly hesitant to enterprise out alone within the night once I’m travelling solo.
The long-lasting Luis Fonzi’s Despacito was one other tune that makes up the soundtrack of South America for me. Listening to the Bieber model in English once I received house was actually bizarre for me as a result of I’d grow to be so accustomed to listening to the tune absolutely in Spanish. Different steadily heard songs throughout this era embody Ed Sheeran’s Form of You and Clear Bandit’s Rockabye.
These days I can hearken to this tune with out wanting to tear off my ears, although I’ve saved it off my Reggaeton playlists as a result of it’s quite a bit. I really like blasting Reggaeton within the automobile to maintain my spirits up and it evokes me to follow a little bit of Spanish listening abilities – typically I translate the lyrics out of curiosity and am amused/horrified to know what I’m singing alongside to.
London Bridge – Fergie
How come each time you come round
My London, London Bridge wanna go down, like
London, London, London
Wanna go down like
London, London, London
Be taking place like
With an apparent title like that, you’d assume my reminiscence must do with partying in London – I’ve been there a number of occasions through the years and can admit to a very enjoyable night time in 2016 the place we tried to nab this standee of Queen Elizabeth from a pub we had been in…
However truly, my thoughts goes again to freshly-graduated me travelling round Taiwan with my pals in 2007. We had been massive on clubbing again then and this social gathering anthem was excellent for yell-singing alongside to which we did, very loudly, in a random Hualien pub referred to as All Star that we wandered into one wet night. I feel the bartenders had been very amused by these loud foreigners and gifted us some tequila pictures and jagerbombs on prime of what we ordered.
You may discover that alcohol is a fairly frequent theme with the songs which have popped up to date. I actually don’t drink that a lot truthfully – ingesting is extra of a social factor for me. However for me it’s these loud catchy songs that get caught in my head and that normally occurs round nightlife.
Facet notice: this video is enjoying the censored model of the tune singing ‘Oh Snap’ as a substitute of ‘Oh Shit’, which is actually top-of-the-line elements of the tune to yell together with.
Now I’ve been again to Taiwan many occasions since then, and I do have to return to Hualien as a result of I actually wish to see Taroko Gorge once more and take a look at extra of the jap area of Taiwan alone.
One other tune that I hyperlink with this group of pals is Rihanna’s Diamonds. As a result of this tune was enjoying NONSTOP on the radio in 2012 once we had been driving across the UAE and I might throw a match each time it got here on radio, my pals had a variety of enjoyable going “SHINE BRIGHT LIKE A DIAMOND” at me all through that journey and watching me groan.
Daddy – Psy
Hey, the place did you get that physique from?
The place did you get that physique from?
The place did you get that physique from?
I received it from my daddy
I received it from my daddy
In 2015 I went as much as Seoul and Gyeonggi on a press journey and all through my journey I used to be made completely conscious that Psy (you may’t NOT identified Gangnam Type at this level) had a brand new tune out. As a result of it was, critically, enjoying EVERYWHERE I went. It’s catchy and boppy and I can look again on it now with some fondness, however boy I used to be sick of that tune when it was simply launched. I wasn’t even into Kpop again then however I knew this tune as a result of it was blasting in all the shops and outlets.
This specific journey to South Korea had a little bit of a hallyu angle to it – we visited a number of spots that featured Ok-pop, Ok-drama and Ok-variety stars. The boy group Bigbang was very in then too – Bang Bang Bang was one other tune which got here out about that point that I couldn’t appear to shake.
However at that time limit, I didn’t know a factor concerning the Korean leisure scene so a variety of this was fairly international to me. When fellow journos on the journey had been freaking out as a result of we had run into the solid of selection present Infinite Problem and the favored host Yoo Jae Suk, I had no concept who he was in any respect.
After I did get again house and began writing up my journey articles, I listened to the songs of those fashionable artists for some inspiration and inadvertently realised that Kpop was an effective way to maintain me awake as a result of the songs I favoured had been loud and boppy, however because it was in a international language I used to be much less distracted from singing alongside. I began a particular Kpop playlist that I placed on once I have to do some severe writing.
I solely truly received into Kpop someday in 2018 or so. I used to be freelancing round that point and maybe with a bit extra time on my palms, I someway began delving into the teams of my favorite Kpop music, which led into watching Korean selection reveals and the occasional Korean drama. For those who’re in my automobile when my Kpop playlist is blasting, you’ll hear a mixture of Bigbang, Winner, Buzz and even some Epik Excessive and Hyukoh.
The tender energy of Kpop is actual: I’ve returned to Korea a number of occasions in recent times and explored exterior Seoul to locations like Busan and Suncheon and I undoubtedly developed a style for Korean Ramyeon from watching them slurp it up on all these selection reveals.
Fortunately nowadays I don’t really feel like wringing my neck once I hear the Daddy tune anymore and might actually admire how weirdly cool the music video is.
Fingers to myself – Selena Gomez
Can’t preserve my palms to myself
Regardless of how arduous I’m making an attempt to
I would like you all to myself
Your metaphorical gin and juice
On a press journey to Southern Sumatra again 2016, we spent a variety of time using buses transversing the nation roads to get across the island, and I don’t know whose playlist we had been utilizing within the bus however the one tune that at all times got here on when the engine got here on was Fingers to myself by Selena Gomez: CAN’T KEEP MY HANDS TO MYSELF, doob doob, CAN’T KEEP MY HANDS TO MYSELF.
In some unspecified time in the future all people simply groaned when that tune kicked in, but it surely’s such a robust sense reminiscence that my thoughts at all times goes again to that journey once I hear it on the radio now. I consider looking over sprawling wallpaper-like tea fields on the foot of the volcano, or the huge open Lake Ranau and its peaceable views.
I in all probability ought to have blogged extra about this journey, but it surely’s not the best place to get to by yourself and I had a variety of journey taking place throughout these halcyon years from 2016-2018, and we already know that I’m not as devoted a blogger as I ought to be – a variety of my travels by no means make it to the weblog sadly!
One different reminiscence: I don’t normally get carsick, however on this someday I will need to have gotten some bizarre abdomen bug as a result of I discovered myself standing behind the coach puking my guts out at hour 10 of an 11-hour bus trip. That was not enjoyable. Fortunately it solely occurred one time throughout the journey!
What songs remind you of previous journeys or journey moments? Share them with me within the feedback. Try a few of my different posts about how I journey right here:
