Traveling to a New Tune
Dad greets my sister and I with a boisterous "Westward Ho!" as we walked up the driveway one recent Sunday afternoon. We had arrived early to help with the preparation for a family dinner only to find Mom and Dad washing the winter grime off their beloved recreational vehicle. Now in their 70s, our parents had been avid campers for years. Several years prior to their retirement they purchased their first RV and began taking road trips through the back roads of America. This year they had decided on visiting the Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks for five weeks.
Dad and Mom are always looking for additions to their RV that would make living on the road more comfortable. That afternoon I suggested they take a serious look at adding satellite radio to their list of upgrades, noting that I had one in my car and was very happy with the variety of programming. I also reminded Dad how he always complained about losing his favorite radio station to static as they drove out of town. Throughout the rest of the trip it would fall to Mom to find new radio stations as signals faded. As long as they were on major highways she usually found an acceptable station. But as they traveled the open spaces of the mid-western states or began a climb into the mountains, finding music, news or weather on the radio often became hopeless.
Both of them were interested, so after dinner we all sat down at their computer to explore satellite radio options. We learned that there are three satellite radio companies currently operating. XM and SIRIUS are based in the U.S, and World Space specializes in Asian and Indian listening pleasure.
Each Web site allowed us to listen to a sample of their programming. Mom and Dad have always enjoyed public radio, and their taste in music ranges from jazz and show tunes to the early rock of the 50's. We found that all three satellite radio companies offered various public radio programs along with a variety of news, talk, weather and sports channels. Each offered specialized commercial-free entertainment to satisfy a wide range of tastes, but Dad got excited when he learned that both SIRIUS and XM have 24-hour traffic channels. This would allow them to monitor the current road conditions along their routes.
After listening to their programming, our discussion turned to the different subscription plans and rates. Since my parents only used the RV six months out of the year, they didn't want to get tied to a plan that would have him paying for something they weren't using. We learned that each company offered a monthly plan that allowed subscribers to easily cancel and re-subscribe. This was an ideal option during the months the RV was in winter storage. Dad was also pleased that installation could be performed at his favorite electronics store. He mused if they found that they really liked the system that he might even consider purchasing a portable unit for their car and home.
With that, Mom declared that she definitely wanted satellite radio, adding gleefully that she would finally be able to enjoy their trips. She recounted for my sister and I how she often missed some wonderful views because she was busy trying to locate a radio station or change out a music CD. She lamented that she could never find a traffic or weather report when they needed one, and joked that these trips were more work than vacation for her.
We left that evening with some great leftovers and a promise from our parents to send us lots of postcards and take lots of pictures from their trip to the national parks. When I learned that Dad had promised Mom that a satellite radio would be installed in the RV before they headed out, my sister and I decided to purchase their first six-month service subscription as our annual bon voyage gift.
I warned my sister that we had better start saving our money for next year's bon voyage gift - Dad had been asking how to use a laptop to send those cards and photos electronically.
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About the Author
Susan Ayers Walker is a leading-edge boomer with over 35 years experience in emerging technologies.
