Erin Wooddell
(Like my headline's reference to The Godfather? Joe Fox aka Tom Hanks would be proud.)
When most people pack for travel, their thoughts revolve around the essentials. You know... clothes, a jacket, shoes. While I care about these things, I always spend a significant amount of time prepping my entertainment for the trip. If I’m flying, it’s re-syncing my iPod with new movies and playlists and packing all the books I want to read. If I’m traveling by car, it’s choosing CDs.
Case in point: Last night after I finished packing my essentials for an upcoming trip (Toothbrush? Check. Clean underwear? Check.) I sat down with my four large binders of CDs and got to work.
I try to travel light, so I usually pack my smaller CD case. Unfortunately, it only holds 30 CDs and sometimes I just can't decide so I'll throw some extras into the case for good measure. (This leads to scratches on the CDs, so I don't recommend it.) (Don't you like how I offered up that tip as if it's 1994 and CDs are brand new and all the rage? #winning.)
(Like my headline's reference to The Godfather? Joe Fox aka Tom Hanks would be proud.)
When most people pack for travel, their thoughts revolve around the essentials. You know... clothes, a jacket, shoes. While I care about these things, I always spend a significant amount of time prepping my entertainment for the trip. If I’m flying, it’s re-syncing my iPod with new movies and playlists and packing all the books I want to read. If I’m traveling by car, it’s choosing CDs.
Case in point: Last night after I finished packing my essentials for an upcoming trip (Toothbrush? Check. Clean underwear? Check.) I sat down with my four large binders of CDs and got to work.
I try to travel light, so I usually pack my smaller CD case. Unfortunately, it only holds 30 CDs and sometimes I just can't decide so I'll throw some extras into the case for good measure. (This leads to scratches on the CDs, so I don't recommend it.) (Don't you like how I offered up that tip as if it's 1994 and CDs are brand new and all the rage? #winning.)
As I rummaged through these cases full of gems from 2001 to today with amazingly clever (not) titles such as, “Hits, That’s What I Like” and “Erin Radio WFZQ” I realized that when it comes to choosing the music for an 8.5-hour car trip with good friends, I’m equal parts meticulous and indecisive.
I mean, what if no one enjoys the two-part rap CDs I gleefully made for road trips a few months ago, with hits ranging from Salt-N-Peppa to Blackstreet and Jay-Z? What if they don’t like my newest mix, whose laid-back tunes are geared toward an underground coffee shop full of hipsters?
Group road trips are fun, but the more people you have in one small space, the lower the chances are that every single person will agree on the music, so you have to choose wisely.
Throwing caution to the wind, I gauged my mood and excitement over the trip and considered the details of when and where we'll be driving. Going off of that assessment I threw in the most random assortment that I'm fairly certain will be crowd pleasers. You can't deny that one CD from 2008 that houses musical masterpieces like “No Air” and “See You Again” will be an instant hit. (Looking at you, Miley-When-You-Were-Still-Hannah-Montana.) And, for good measure, my two-part rap compilation is coming along. No diggity, no doubt.
I mean, what if no one enjoys the two-part rap CDs I gleefully made for road trips a few months ago, with hits ranging from Salt-N-Peppa to Blackstreet and Jay-Z? What if they don’t like my newest mix, whose laid-back tunes are geared toward an underground coffee shop full of hipsters?
Group road trips are fun, but the more people you have in one small space, the lower the chances are that every single person will agree on the music, so you have to choose wisely.
Throwing caution to the wind, I gauged my mood and excitement over the trip and considered the details of when and where we'll be driving. Going off of that assessment I threw in the most random assortment that I'm fairly certain will be crowd pleasers. You can't deny that one CD from 2008 that houses musical masterpieces like “No Air” and “See You Again” will be an instant hit. (Looking at you, Miley-When-You-Were-Still-Hannah-Montana.) And, for good measure, my two-part rap compilation is coming along. No diggity, no doubt.