Let Your Senses Feast Part One: Sound

Fifteen years of taking reservations for our resort and not one person has ever asked me what our place sounds like. No one has ever asked me if they can hear the water from their cabin. I have been asked if the walls in the duplex units are thin but that always seems to be somewhat of an R-rated concern. Once our guests arrive, one of the most common observations they make is about how quiet it is. That's because most of our guests are from nearby cities and are used to background noise.

We once stayed in a place called "Surfsong." It was appropriately named. The ocean crashed against a coral ledge just ten feet from the back door, creating the most divine sounds the entire time we were there. After staying there I became convinced that sound is actually more important to my own personal travel experience than sight. The sound of the waves relaxed us even in the dark, long after the sun set beyond our ocean view.

One problem with sounds is that they are very subjective. Crashing waves may make me happy but set you on edge. We find that to be true here at the resort, where we have peacocks. They call to one another during spring mating season and some guests find it absolutely enchanting, but once in a great while we encounter guests that really don't enjoy the sounds. The other problem with sounds (both good and bad) when you travel is that without careful advance planning you are not in control. 


So here's your sound action plan:

1. Know Thyself I can't tell you what sounds you will enjoy or which ones might drive you crazy. You need to explore your own world of sound. Pause where you are and listen. What do you hear? Traffic? Animals? Wind? TV? In order to fully control your sound experience you have to first listen. Think about what it sounds like when you go to bed to sleep. Do you need quiet? Music? White noise? These things are easy to overlook when you are planning a trip, but can actually make or break a travel experience. Mentally put yourself in a number of scenarios involving sound and think about your reaction. Would peacocks calling during the night disturb you? How about a noisy refrigerator? Would your dream vacation include the whisper of pine trees or the steady splashing of waves against the hull of a cruise ship? I actually have a friend who loves the roar of big cities. The sirens, constant chatter, and traffic reach out to him while the silence of the countryside is disconcerting. 

2. Ask There's nothing funnier on my end of the phone than a vague question, so don't call a potential hotel and just ask what it sounds like there. Ask about the details. Can I hear waves from my room? Is the neighborhood noisey? Can I hear the highway from the hotel? Are there barking dogs in the area? You get the idea; ask about whatever sounds you might like and those that you might not.

3. Plan Your Travel Accordingly
If hearing the ocean will relax you then book a balcony room on your cruise. If coyotes howling, owls hooting, and unidentified rustling leaves scare the living daylights out of you then maybe camping is a bad idea.

4. Take Counter Measures So you've done your homework and planned a trip designed to be music to your ears. You asked all the right questions, but when you arrive at your dream vacation there are neighbors with thumping music or a baby is crying behind you on the plane or any one of a zillion sound events that you never thought would happen happens. No problem because you came prepared. There's a source of alternate sounds for travelers of all technology levels. From smartphones to MP3 players to portable CD players to small portable radios you can and should take your preferred sounds along for the trip. 

Of course the idea here is to use earphones or headphones to listen to your stuff, not to get in a volume battle that pollutes everyone else's sound space.  In fact, the best solution to any big noise problem is a good pair of headphones, preferrably the noise cancelling variety. When I say "good" I mean don't go get the cheapest pair. I have tried off brands, Sharper Image, Sony, and Bose. I found the Bose far superior to the others when it comes to eliminating the sounds around you while providing a quality sound experience, but the others still sufficed. They are ideal for long flights and train or bus trips when long periods of ambient noise tend to add stress to a journey. I never realized just how much more pleasant a flight could be until I tried a pair of good headphones, and it's comforting to know that if we arrive at our destination and find less than the perfect surf song we can just plug in and play our own.

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See our review of SleepPhones by Acoustic Sheep