I think I figured out the one thing that defined my trips...

italdesign

Level 2 Member
This should be a blog post or something, but since I don't have a blog, I'm posting it here :p

The single most important determining factor, for me, has nothing to do with the journey OR the destination. Well, maybe a little bit. Truth is, any experience can be great if this factor is met.

Music.

Yes, music. Heard along the way, in some moment. It amplifies the sensations felt at that moment.

To give a boring example, my most enjoyable flight thus far was on J. The hard AND soft products can't compare to the 6 F cabins I've been on, but the music was perfect. My kind of music, in the sky, enjoying my kind of food, gliding over new land and sea, made the moment perfect. Whenever I hear those songs, I'm transported to those moments.

I was in Bangkok a few weeks ago. I thought it was a boring big city. That changed when I went to the outdoor market. I was looking around in a shop when I heard a song from next door. I stayed as long as my partner would tolerate. That was the moment when I felt alive. It's not just the song, but everything happening at that moment. Every movement around me, it is as if time was frozen for a bit, or at least went into slow motion, and my senses amplified, for me to notice all the beauty in life. After a similar experience in another part of the city, it is now one of my favorite places and I'm eager to go back. Oh, and I spent a few hours on the internet looking for that song (and found it). It wasn't easy!

Without songs associated with a trip, it leaves my mind pretty quickly. Doesn't matter how many pictures I take (I never have time to look at them, and the more I take the more so). But music - I've got a 30 minute commute each way every day. It's filled with music when I'm not calling up agents. The songs keep those trips (selective bits admittedly) in my memory.

Can anyone relate to what the hell I'm talking about? Do you have ONE thing that amplifies your travel experience?
 

smittytabb

Moderator
Staff member
This should be a blog post or something, but since I don't have a blog, I'm posting it here :p

The single most important determining factor, for me, has nothing to do with the journey OR the destination. Well, maybe a little bit. Truth is, any experience can be great if this factor is met.

Music.

Yes, music. Heard along the way, in some moment. It amplifies the sensations felt at that moment.

To give a boring example, my most enjoyable flight thus far was on J. The hard AND soft products can't compare to the 6 F cabins I've been on, but the music was perfect. My kind of music, in the sky, enjoying my kind of food, gliding over new land and sea, made the moment perfect. Whenever I hear those songs, I'm transported to those moments.

I was in Bangkok a few weeks ago. I thought it was a boring big city. That changed when I went to the outdoor market. I was looking around in a shop when I heard a song from next door. I stayed as long as my partner would tolerate. That was the moment when I felt alive. It's not just the song, but everything happening at that moment. Every movement around me, it is as if time was frozen for a bit, or at least went into slow motion, and my senses amplified, for me to notice all the beauty in life. After a similar experience in another part of the city, it is now one of my favorite places and I'm eager to go back. Oh, and I spent a few hours on the internet looking for that song (and found it). It wasn't easy!

Without songs associated with a trip, it leaves my mind pretty quickly. Doesn't matter how many pictures I take (I never have time to look at them, and the more I take the more so). But music - I've got a 30 minute commute each way every day. It's filled with music when I'm not calling up agents. The songs keep those trips (selective bits admittedly) in my memory.

Can anyone relate to what the hell I'm talking about? Do you have ONE thing that amplifies your travel experience?
Yep, very Proustian.
 
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