We are techno-know-not-much 67 year olds, so the breadth of our favorite music spans a wonderful lifetime of rocking out and sailing on the musica, pop to classical, including a love of opera, concertos and symphonies. We want it all, with easy access, depending on our mood and travelers context. Checking out the postings, we are reminded of the value of having our earphone with us for art museum enrichments. Thank you.
So, we want to be savvy about access and economy. What do you recommend we do, pre-trip, to ensure our music is our travel accessible and reliable companion.
Posted by
Ontario, Canada
4824 posts
Do you have tablets or smart phones? I download my favorite music on to my tablet so I always have access. Most of my favorites are on CDs or DVDs. I download them on to my computer, and from there on to my tablet.
Posted by
Midwest
2768 posts
Do you have the music you want on cd? Do you have a smartphone? If so you can put it on your phone. It’s been years since I’ve done this, but as far as I remember you put the cd into your computer, save the songs into mp3 format and then can be moved to a phone.
What I do now instead is pay for a Spotify subscription. $10/month and I can listen to anything I want from their huge library. I use my phone and computer. I’d say 99% of music I look for is there (classical, Spanish, rock, pop, and jazz for me but it has every type). If I’m online I can listen to anything. I can also save songs or albums or playlists to listen to offline. This is helpful for traveling because I don’t want to use a lot of data.
Posted by
Milwaukie, Oregon
1056 posts
If you decide for Spotify or Pandora, be aware that these are services available only if you are online. International flights don’t usually have WiFi, and your options for WiFi may be limited in Europe depending on location. If your musical favorites are on CD’s that you already own, better to download them to your phone or tablet so that you can listen anytime you want.
Posted by
OP
Spokane WA
255 posts
We have smart phones and iPads. Spotify with downloads vs Amazon’s Prime music library downloads?
Posted by
Midwest
2768 posts
Spotify’s computer version is free. I’d suggest making a list of songs/artists you like and seeing if they are on there. Ditto for Amazon. Buy whichever service has more of what you want.
There may be differences in features between the services - hopefully someone who has used both can chime in. All I can say is I’m happy with Spotify, making sure to download things I will want offline.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area
5697 posts
And check what audio is provided by the airlines -- flying home on Swiss I was able to get classical music the entire way (which I used to sleep) BUT on the way over United had what was for me totally unacceptable audio (audio books/pop -- nothing soothing) Will download my own for the next trip if needed. (And yes, I sent a Facebook message to United about the unappreciated change to their entertainment options.)
Posted by
San Francisco area
1802 posts
If you have CDs of your favorite music you can use iTunes on a computer to load them on your iPad. Phone too if it’s Apple.