Road Trippin’ in British Columbia

It’s always been a dream of mine to gut a van, make space for a bed, pack my life neatly into it and take off on a road trip. A few weeks ago I did just that. My vehicle: A 2002 Toyota Sienna. My location: British Columbia, Canada. My playlist: a mixed bag of music that will forever remind me of my dream, my #VanLife, my road trip of a lifetime. I’m sharing some of that music with you today.

1. Sleeping On The Blacktop by Colter Wall: A few months ago on the most widely listened to podcast in the world, Joe Rogan gave a shout-out to Canadian singer, songwriter, and Ranch owner Colter Wall. At just 25 years old, Wall carries traditional country and folk music into the modern musical landscape, and delivers it in a way that spellbinds his listeners. Having spent three years of our Canadian experience in the busy city of Vancouver, we were pleased to discover a more “country” side of British Columbia during our road trip. We drove through 93 Mile House and Little Fort and Kamloops, with the music of Colter Wall, Sleeping On The Blacktop especially, bringing the landscape around us to life.
2. These Days by Rudimental feat. Jess Glynne: There came a time every evening when we’d set up our bed, pin up the curtains, fire up the barbecue, start the fire, and crack open a cold beer. These evenings around the campfire were fueled by the music that played through our portable speakers. On Tunkwa Lake, with our phones on a full charge and new playlists downloaded, These Days by Rudimental and Jess Glynne became a song that will always remind me of that joyful time of pure, uninterrupted contentedness… “I hope someday we’ll sit down together, and laugh with each other bout these days…” And I do.
3. Perfect Symphony by Ed Sheeran and Andrea Bocelli: After spending some time on Vancouver Island, bear watching and surfing and stargazing on sandy beaches, we move towards the Interior and a little town called Llilooet. On the drive there, Ed Sheeran's verse of Perfect Symphony plays as the terrain transforms into a vision unlike we’ve ever seen before. Rolling hills, red-tinted cliff edges, winding roads that reveal a new scenic masterpiece at every turn. Once Bocelli chimes in with his ever-hypnotic voice, the combination of that and the romantic Latin he sings it in and the jaw-dropping beauty surrounding the van is all too much. It’s a rare thing to cry with pure, overwhelming joy. This was such a time.
4. Glidin’ by Pa Salieu and slowthai: With little to no access to wifi, we couldn’t keep up with new music releases in the way we would have done back in the city. But in Kelowna, we took a much needed break from Van Life and checked ourselves into a hotel, where we could charge our phones and check what was new on our Spotify Release Radar. Both fans of London rapper slowthai, we were notified of his new release with Gambian-British rapper Pa Salieu. Glidin’ is a catchy hip-hop track with a fresh fuse of both artists’ eccentric musical styles. The evening we heard it we found ourselves renting electric scooters, and literally Glidin’ around the city.
5. Beeswing by Christy Moore: As Irish people, we rarely spend too much time listening to music before input from our national treasure, Christy Moore. His traditional Irish folk music, especially his unrivaled version of the beautiful love song Beeswing, came with us on the road, bringing with them a home comfort and a sense of calm that we often seek when we are a million miles from the Emerald Isle.

All of the magical moments that we experience during this life are kept alive by the soundtrack that lingers in the background of them. It’s that soundtrack that triggers the memories in years to come, taking you right back to the places and the trips and the people, that you don’t ever want to forget.

I hope you’ve enjoyed mine :)