Road Trip Music

This past summer my family and I took our very first road trip, followed quickly by a second - we like to live dangerously. Suitcases, snacks, bags, books and toys packed, we hit the open road with two very long drives ahead of us.

There was the usual excitement and anticipation in the air of adventures but as I got comfortable in the passenger seat tuned into my favourite satellite radio station, it started.

'Mommy we don't like this music. Mommy change the station. Mommmmmmy pleeeease we don't like this. It's too loud Mommy. Mommy'

And then cue my husband - 'Well there's no way I'm listening to kids music for the next couple of hours...I'll lose my mind. If you kids don't.........'

A four hour car trip, not including bathroom and snack breaks, and we barely made it out of the garage and down the driveway.

Needless to say it was a LONG drive...like long, really long.  Excruciatingly long.

So a couple of weeks ago when I was introduced to the new Honda Odyssey I felt like the world of impossible road trip expectations had finally been lifted off of my shoulders.   Especially when it came to the whole 'music in the car while we're driving' drama.

For me the huge standout feature was the audio system. Come on, I live and breathe music on a daily basis....so this revelation should come as no real surprise.

The official marketing description from Honda Odyssey on their audio system goes something like this: "Available 650-watt Premium audio system with MP3/Windows Media® Audio playback capability with 12 speakers including subwoofer and 5.1 Surround Sound and available XM® Satellite Radio. Steering wheel-mounted audio controls make playing your favourite song a snap, and you won’t have to search the dashboard just to change the volume. Two available wireless headsets with personal surround sound lets kids stay tuned to their own channel."

In Mummy speak it means the kids can listen to their own music in the back with wireless headsets, while Mommy and Daddy listen to their music in the front.  Everyone is happy. Everyone is in their own musical trance.

Cue family road trip bliss.

I must confess that the song played in the Honda Odyssey TV spot (yes I'm one of those geeky music people that listens to the music in TV commercials) totally caught my attention. Le love it I do.

The song was written for Honda but it fits that whole laid back, no cares in the world, we're on vacation road trip vibe. The song is 'Pinhole Sky' by Nathan Kreiswirth and it totally belongs on every road trip playlist.

You can check out the commercial on the Odyssey website and if you like the song as much as I am currently loving it - you can download it for free and Honda Canada will donate $1 to Safe Kids Canada for each song downloaded.  So really, go check it out and spread the word...the track is that good.

With thoughts of road trips and music on the brain I figured it would only be fitting to do two customized play lists for the open road....one for Mom and Dad and one for the younger kids in mind.

The reality is there are a zillion songs that could be chosen for a road trip...but my mission was to capture the excitement, freedom and adventures of travelling the open road.