Safely Travel With Music and Put Rhythm Into the Soul of Your Life

Country music is popular all across the U.S., Colorado, Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky, Texas, and surprisingly, even in California. 

I grew up listening to all kinds of country music, and I loved singing to everything. Dad would play Willie Nelson or Johnny Cash; one of our favorites was Stompin’ Tom O’Connor Live at the Horseshoe Tavern. I knew every word by heart of many  ‘country’ performers. 

I always kept up to date on who was who while watching Austin City Limits (ACL), Live at the Grand Ole Opry, and HeeHaw on TV. I didn’t know it at the time, but all those hours listening to music, singing music, and dancing to music made some of the best memories in my life.

My family would head south during the summer holidays to visit family, and there was and is nothing like the loud engine of our vehicle roaring with the music while the miles passed us by. 

Still, there ain’t nothing like the open road and some awesome tunes pumping out of the window.

I am not afraid to admit my favorite songs were silly songs, and I knew all the songs on our Dumb Ditties tapes, but I loved everything:

• Willie Nelson – Trailers for Rent
• Elvis Presley – Nothin’ but a Hound Dog
• Little Eva – The Locomotion
• Patsy Cline – Crazy

I can’t tell you how happy I was when line dancing became mainstream and I learned the Boot Scootin’ Boogie! I was quite the square dancer as well, I gotta say!

I’m like Barbara Mandrell, ‘I was country when country wasn’t cool!’

In the movies, you see people sitting by the radio listening to music, and I did my share of that, but I also have lived through the rest:

• Countdown on the radio of the top 10 hits of the week – radio
• Records – the turntable and the speakers
• 8 Track Tapes – portable players
• Cassettes (remember those?!) – The cassette players you could wear
• CDs – boom box favorites
• Streaming – on a PHONE

You could listen anytime, anywhere, and as often and as much as you like.

Of course, you still can, but there are just those certain special moments you always remember.

I did most of my traveling when I was young with my family, and that gave me a wanderlust that actually brought me to live across the water in Europe.  But I put my travel shoes on, packed a backpack, and started off on the road, mostly on my own. 

I met sooo many people, took tours with groups, and my cup runneth over with joy and music. 

But have you ever had the feeling of unwrapping that black vinyl, blowing the dust off, placing it on the turntable, and dropping the needle down? 

Man… nothing triggers nostalgia like that.

In fact, these special moments can carry us away, so I want to make sure everyone’s soul is full and safe.

Just taking a serious moment here. 

What I did learn while traveling is caution. I left a naive young lady ready to experience the world, and what I learned is that there are some dangers out there for people who travel alone, people who are different from the everyday, and this makes them a little vulnerable. In some cases, very vulnerable as we never wanted to rock the boat, or thought we had done something wrong. 

One time, I was finding a place in a beautiful park to have a sandwich, sit on the grass, and absorb my surroundings when I was approached by a young man who befriended me.

It was not the most comfortable, and I felt I was in danger a little bit, so I pulled out the Swiss Army knife my Dad gave me and started using the nail clippers to cut my nails, trying to convey a warning in a way. I also got up and wandered to the main square, where there was a fountain and a police station. 

After a while, he lost interest, and I was not very friendly, but it shook me to the core. I sought out a hotel for safety (paid way too much for it), but that experience reminded me of stories I knew about and read all the time.

Safety needs to be the priority when you are alone or in a vulnerable situation, and if you end up in hospital while you are on your journey, play your cards close to your chest. Keep knowledge to a minimum about traveling alone. 

Vulnerable people like lone women travelers, members of the LGBTQ population, or older adults doing things their way can experience dreadful things (e.g., sexual assault, brutal attacks, even ongoing sexual abuse, and similar), which can be extra damaging to their trust and confidence, leading to trauma that might last a lifetime.

Now, free your soul and get lost in music.

Don’t miss your chance while you are on the road. Check out some of these music festivals that take place across the U.S.A. at different times during the year:

Major country music festivals:

• CMA Fest: This is one of the largest and most famous country music festivals, held in Nashville, Tennessee. 
• Stagecoach Festival: Located in Indio, California, this is a massive event known for its large crowds and diverse country lineup. 
• Country Thunder: This is a multi-location festival with major events in several states, including Arizona, Wisconsin, and Florida, as well as in Canada. 
• Carolina Country Music Fest: This festival takes place in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. 
• Boots and Hearts: While technically in Canada, this is one of the largest country festivals in North America and draws a significant number of US attendees.

Some music festivals even take place at (or near) amusement parks to blend live music with that ride/fairground energy. But be careful with these since there are lots of things that could go wrong. People drink, take substances, and are pumped with adrenaline. 

The Margate Drum & Bass Festival is such an example where a 20-year-old man died. He had a (not specifically confirmed) accident at the festival and later died at the hospital because of that incident. We don’t know exactly what happened; it’s just one of many amusement park accidents where legal teams had to dig deep to find out exactly what and how it happened.

This had most to do with the fact that even though there were lots of witnesses, many were considered ‘unreliable’ because of intoxication or because of all the distractions.

Main point: be careful!

Anyway, back to it! Austin, Texas –  Live Music Capital of the World (Crazy lineup of festivals happening all year)

Some of the best musical moments happen in unexpected places: a friend’s living room, a dive bar with a broken jukebox, a spontaneous parking lot jam session, and a million other places life takes you. 

We thrive on these intimate, unplanned connections.  

Anyway, the freezies and popsicles we consumed while we whiled away the hours with the lyrics, and whatever we were using as a microphone. I’m so happy people can buy records again. Don’t get me wrong, I love multi-disc players, and streaming music is so cool! I love that I can access a song that is stuck in my head and listen to it on my phone. 

But the feel of a new album, taking the plastic off and reliving all your adventures along the way. This is where joy lives deep down inside.

Be safe, be wise, follow the rhythm, enjoy your life, and create an awesome memory for your soul to relive FO’EVER.