The first trip to be documented on this site will be my trip to see my little sister in Colorado Springs, USA.

As I plan to leave next weekend, my thoughts naturally turn to traveling tunes. Music has always been my passion and I’ve got stacks of jewel cases to prove it. So many albums have earned a place in the soundtrack of my life that it becomes a mission to decide what to listen to.  One thing is certain: Traveling can bring on a unique mindset that is different for everyone. Travel can evoke excitement, nervousness, anticipation, dread or even fear.

Depending on your comfort with flying, large crowds, small spaces, long spans of sitting and/or waiting etc., travel can be a thrill or a chore. Considering those emotions, it is wise to choose music that will accentuate the good feelings and sooth the bad ones.

Thankfully, it’s not like the “old days” where you had to carefully select 10 CDs because that’s all that would fit into your little travel CD carrying case. Now you can simply throw together a playlist on your ipod or choose at random by scrolling through your entire library with one thumb and little screen.

For the sake of nostalgia, I’m going to list my top 5 traveling albums – based on the overall quality of the entire album. No one-hit wonders here my friends. Without further ado and in no particular order, let’s do this.

David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust

This album is close to my heart because many trips were taken listening to this album on repeat with my two favourite hooligans in high school. This album is classic rock meets glam rock and is great for those long stretches of night driving or late travel in general. With songs like “Moonage Daydream” and “John, I’m Only Dancing” it’s impossible to remain unaffected. Instant energy boost. Guaranteed.

The Black Key’s Brothers

Brothers is one of the best albums of the last few years as far as I’m concerned. It’s got a swagger that few can boast of in recent years. Danger Mouse helped to co-produce this in 2010 and it’s got balls if you need a surge of confidence. From “Everlasting Light” to “The Go Getter” and “Ten Cent Pistol,” the whole album is riddled with crunchy, punchy blues rock that makes you feel like your in a time long past. I play this album as a victory once I’ve passed through check-in and all the gates of approval. These tracks will be spinning when everything is good to go and all that’s left to do is board the plane.

Nina Simone’s Black Gold (disc one)

Nina Simone is like my traveling fairy Godmother. She’s been with me through good times and bad. Often times I will listen to Black Gold if I’m worried or nervous, upset or restless. Her voice is like medicine. She croons in your ear with that haunting resonance, demanding your full attention until the outside world is forgotten. Tracks like “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood,” “See Line Woman” and “Take Care Of Business” sooth the soul and gives your insides a healthy hum to forget your troubles. There is something about her timeless jazz that clears the mind and allows thoughts to flow with greater ease. I never fly without her.

Neil Young’s Harvest

Harvest was a tough call, as I had to choose between that and Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere. For overall album quality and traveling impact, Harvest takes the win as it’s proven the test of time. This album has been with me since I was a young one, listening to my Dad’s records on our old turntable back in the day. I didn’t fall in love with Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere until later in life.

As a teen, I discovered my two favourite hooligans were into Neil Young as well and as a result, many carefree camping trips have been hosted by Harvest. Late nights by the fire with “Heart of Gold” or driving down country backroads with the windows down to “Alabama,” this album will forever make me feel fearless. (If only “There’s A World” could disappear off that album…just sayin’…)  A great album for traveling to the airport or getting ready to leave the house to get rid of your pre-travel jitters.

Mos Def’s Black On Both Sides

Ah, the mighty mighty Mos. This album’s rhythm has calming effect on me. Whether I want to zone out in the boarding area or go wandering through terminals, Black On Both Sides always puts me at ease in my own headspace. This album has a certain element that empowers me, but also makes me feel serene. Mos Def is a natural storyteller and his narrative on this album puts me in a calm, confident state of mind. This album has been on so many trips over the years, it’s become a bit of a security blanket and is often put on repeat in my travels.

So there you have it. Wether you need an energy boost, a slap on the back, a high five or a shoulder to lean on, there’s probably an album for that.

Now that you’ve met my top 5 travel buddies, I’d love to meet yours! Click the “thoughts” link below this article to post your top picks.

This site has been mentally incubating for quite some time now and I’m excited to have finally created it. I had a teacher, who later became my friend of over 15 years, named Mr. Martyr. He taught philosophy at my high school and opened my eyes to many things in this crazy world of ours.

I remember on one of my high school assignments, he had returned my paper with large red scrawl across the front page. It said:

“Choose. Journalist or novelist.”

I hadn’t even told him that I was thinking of going to college for journalism. I guess I didn’t have to. Long after school was finished, I was still his student and he, my teacher. Sometimes, after a deep discussion over the phone or through e-mail, he’d tell me to write.

He’d give me an assignment: topic, word-count, due date. Like a good student, I would always produce the material he asked for. He would edit, cut, paste and lecture. He helped me to hone my writing craft more than many teachers combined in college and university.

In journalism we were taught that unless you were writing an opinion piece or an editorial, a journalist writes the facts without opinion. Just research the 5 W’s, get to the point and submit the copy. In university I minored in creative writing and was taught to “show, don’t tell.” Describe, illustrate, demonstrate. Don’t just say the cat was black – show it. Learning to balance the two styles was difficult but Mr. Martyr was always there with his red pen, ready to slash at my work like a wizard with his wand.

In the last few months he was with us, he would often send me e-mails reminding me to write. He was happy for me that I was finally following my heart and returning to Korea. I would write just to say hello and give an update on life. He would reply saying, “that’s wonderful babe, but don’t forget to WRITE. Whatever it is. Just write.”

Thus came the birth of Karli in Korea.com.

The ideas in my mind have finally squeezed out of my thought canal and materialized into life in cyberspace.  Even though Mr. Martyr is no longer in our plain of existence, I still want to say thanks Sir, for always pushing me to achieve. A thanks is also due to my amazing family and awesome friends who have always encouraged and supported my goals.

I hope you enjoy my ramblings and if nothing else, check in with this site to kill some time when you’re bored.

Much love!

This is my first official blog entry and it feels a bit surreal.

For someone who has only just joined forces (begrudgingly) with facebook a few months ago, this leap into social media is a tad overwhelming. That being said, change is good and progress is necessary for evolution.

I really don’t like the word “blog.”

Maybe that’s why it took me so long to get this site up and running…

“Blog” is an ugly word, don’t you think? Like the word “snot”  or “blubber.”

Ungraceful to say and falls out of one’s mouth like a dribble of soup at lunchtime.

What words gross you out? I’m curious to know.

I can’t be the only one who thinks certain words are unattractive to say, right guys?

….Guys?

*tumbleweed rolls by…*