Semester at Sea has provided me with countless opportunities to travel from country to country — both independently and with ship-sponsored programs.
Though this has enabled me to visit places I never anticipated being able to visit, it’s also meant that I’ve spent a lot of time traveling in buses, trains and metros, getting to where I’m trying to go.
For some, this time spent in transit might be frustrating, but I’ve loved every second of it. There are few things I enjoy more than riding through a new place and watching the scenery change as I pass through cities, small towns and countryside.
And what I’ve realized is: nothing enhances those experiences more than listening to the perfect song.
I’ve taken it upon myself to compile a list of five of my favorite travel tunes — each of which have specific, in-port memories attached.
“She Lit a Fire”- Lord Huron (Morocco)
After exploring Casablanca during our first day in Morocco, my friends and I decided we wanted to spend some time in Marrakech. What we didn’t realize, however, was that train rides from Casablanca to Marrakech last about three hours (we were thinking more along the lines of one hour). Though I was unprepared for the length of the journey and had to spend the first portion of the trip standing in a crowded train car without air conditioning, indie folk band Lord Huron’s beautiful, calming music made everything a little better. Their western influences and exquisite harmonies set the scene for the expansive deserts and small towns we passed through, and it was as if the song “She Lit a Fire” was written to be listened to under those conditions.
“Fireproof”- One Direction (Ireland)
My roommate and I decided we wanted to get out of Dublin, where our ship was docked, and explore a more rural side of Ireland. We booked a bed and breakfast an hour away in a charming town called Mullingar and spent a little more than a day there. On our train ride over, I couldn’t stop replaying one of One Direction’s latest singles, “Fireproof.” The song is mellower and more instrument-focused than some of their other music, so it underscored the journey from fast-paced city to emerald green fields perfectly. Plus, how could I pass up the opportunity to listen to One Direction when one of their members is from Ireland?
“Nara”- alt-J (Italy)
This track off of alt-J’s newest album, “This is All Yours,” could not be better for traveling, and I listened to it repeatedly as I journeyed from Civitavecchia to Rome in Italy. The song started off slowly, just as the train I was traveling in did. As I looked out the graffiti-stained window next to me, I tried to take in everything around me. After about a minute or so, the song began to pick up, becoming more intense and magnifying my surroundings. With each beat or a capella note sung by lead singer Joe Newman, Italy became a little more beautiful.
“Hero”- Family of the Year (Portugal)
I first discovered Family of the Year’s “Hero” after watching the documentary “Boyhood” this summer. It’s one of the last songs played in the film, and ever since, I’ve used it as my go-to life soundtrack song (for when I want to feel like I’m in a movie — don’t act like you don’t do it too). “Hero” was my favorite song to listen to when I was traveling to the beautiful beaches of Carcavelos, Portugal. Simultaneously emotionally-intense and relaxing, “Hero” made Portugal’s deep blue ocean and pristine white sand all the more picturesque.
“Tessellate”- alt-J (Germany)
I made the three-hour trek from Warnemunde to Hamburg in Germany for a field lab for one of my classes. One of the images that stuck out in my mind from Germany was the extensive green fields full of windmills we passed. It just so happened that alt-J’s song “Tessellate” started playing as we drove by one of these fields, and I noticed that the rhythm of the song synced up perfectly with the rhythm of the windmills. I felt as if I was in harmony with the countryside around me, and I appreciated the scenery even more because of it.
Honorable mention songs (or in other words, other great travel songs that don’t come with SAS memories attached):
-“Myth”- Beach House
-“Ya Hey”- Vampire Weekend
-“Stolen Dance”- Milky Chance
-“Mykonos”- Fleet Foxes
-“Vagabond”- Jinja Safari