Why Your Ukulele is the Perfect Travel Companion

Have you ever dreamed of packing your backpack and just traveling the world? Traveling has so much to offer. I myself quit my jobs in the spring of 2023 and have been on the road ever since. In hostel kitchens around the world, I get lost in long, deep conversations with people I’ll probably never see again in my life. The stories of other people move and enrich me. Traveling gives me new inspiration and a better understanding of this world. There is always something new to discover. I always find people in hostels to hang out with. That alone could be enough.

Yet, I still bring my ukulele along. And I want to convince you to do the same!

Sometimes, just having your instrument with you is enough

Ten years ago, I was still dreaming of being able to play the guitar. I admired people who could play a few chords by the campfire. The ambiance was simply enchanting. People sitting in a circle, singing the same song together to the sounds of the guitar. A very romantic thought. But while traveling, it’s extremely rare that you randomly end up around a campfire with a group. Nevertheless, there have been more than enough moments on my journey where my ukulele has changed everything!

Simply by carrying the ukulele around (and yes, I take it everywhere with me), I stand out. The ukulele is small, light, and simply the perfect travel companion. How often do I hear people exclaim, “Oh, is that a ukulele?” or “Look, is that a violin? Or a mandolin?“. Street musicians smile and nod at me when they see my ukulele case, and in general, people beam when they see the instrument.

The ukulele is a feel-good instrument, even when you’re not playing it.

I don’t perform on the streets (yet). That might change if I run out of money during my travels. However, I do practice regularly in parks or at train stations while waiting for my delayed train. Often, people come up to me. Sometimes they ask what instrument it is. More often, they tell me they have a ukulele at home and now feel inspired to play again.

This leads to longer conversations, often with people I would never have interacted with otherwise. With people who have a completely different political outlook than I do. An exchange happens, which is so important in our increasingly divided society. Of course, there are other ways to do this, but the ukulele can be a great starting point.

How playing the ukulele creates moments of happiness

A few small examples of unexpected ukulele situations:

I’m taking a train from Venice to a small town in northern Italy. Across from me is an Italian woman. She helps me with my heavy luggage, and somehow we start talking. She’s an actress, just returning from an audition for a film in Rome. When she mentions it’s her birthday today, I take out my ukulele and play Happy Birthday. The whole train compartment sings along.

Another situation, again on a train. Next to me sits a young couple from New Zealand. They’re also backpackers, and during the conversation, I learned that she’s starting an acting program in England and recently performed concerts on a small island in New Zealand. She’s very interested in my ukulele, so I give her a lesson on the train. After half an hour, she’s playing and singing the most beautiful cover of Adele’s “Make You Feel My Love” I’ve ever heard.

You can follow Stevie on Facebook or Instagram.

In Portugal, I met up with my friend Alex, whom I met last year in Chiang Mai (Thailand). Back then, we already talked about how we wanted to make more music. By now, he’s written 12 songs and releases a new one every month. He brought his ukulele to Lisbon, and we meet up on the riverside promenade to film his first song “HYPERnerve” as a ukulele version.

How the ukulele changes the world

In my blog, I will tell many more stories like this. All of these stories happened because of the ukulele. This small instrument has changed my journey and, in some ways, the world. I took Alex to the ukulele club in Coimbra, and now he has his own ukulele club in London. I know several people who bought a ukulele because of my travels and are now creating moments like these themselves.

The ukulele is more than a children’s instrument – it can change the world and is already doing so today.

The nice thing about the ukulele is that the expectations for the instrument are quite low. “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” by the Hawaiian singer Israel Kamakawiwoʻole is often the only song people know on the ukulele. No matter which song I play on the ukulele, people are often surprised by how beautiful it sounds and how much is possible with it.

Getting to know locals and their communities with the ukulele

On my travels last year (without the ukulele), I also met a lot of people. Mostly other travelers from hostels I stayed in. But it was incredibly difficult to meet locals. Some solo travelers use dating apps like Tinder for that, but that wasn’t an option for me.

It all started with a ukulele meetup

That changed with the ukulele. Since visiting the ukulele club RAOUL in Paris, I’m always looking for the next ukulele community. By now, I also attend ukulele festivals. The ukulele has become a fixed part of my travel planning. And who do I meet at the local ukulele meetups? Locals who are just as crazy about the ukulele as I am. At the time of writing this article, I’ve been traveling for 5 months and have made so many new friendships with the people of the countries I’ve visited. These are friends I’ve already met a second time on my journey and even visited at home. There’s no better way to get to know a country and its people and gain a better understanding of them.

There are always new inspirations

I often think of the ukulele festival in Monopoli (yes, that city really exists!) in Italy. That one festival turned my life a bit upside down. I had never been to a festival that fulfilled and made me so happy. The city, the people, the music! There were so many artists I had only known from YouTube videos. Aldrine Guerrero was there. Feng E. Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer. And then all the artists I met and fell in love with there. By now, I’ve met many new artists who inspire me and change the way I play the ukulele. These include German musicians like Charlotte Pelgen or artists who have long since passed away, like Roy Smeck.

With a ukulele in your backpack, you not only meet new people, but you also grow as a musician and as a person.

By now, my ukulele playing has changed a lot. I’ve developed. Much more than I could have at home with just online tutorials. I feel more confident with my instrument and have much more self-confidence. The ukulele has become my constant travel companion.

Practical tips for the right travel ukulele

You’re convinced and want to take a ukulele on your travels? Before my trip, I wasn’t sure whether to bring a plastic soprano ukulele, a concert travel ukulele made of wood, or a ukulele stick (which only works with a pickup but is very quiet).

If you have enough space in your luggage, it doesn’t really matter which ukulele you bring. However, if space is a concern, here’s my take.

Differences between ukulele models

• If you’re traveling somewhere very humid and where it might get really wet, it’s best to take a (good) plastic ukulele. Nothing can happen to it, and you can even use the instrument as a paddle.
• If you’re only on a short trip, and want to practice in a noisy hotel room or during a long train ride, the ukulele stick is a good option. However, it’s not great for jamming without an amplifier. Plus, the stick costs at least 200€, at least from reputable manufacturers.
• If you take ukulele playing seriously and want to use the entire fretboard, it’s worth bringing a concert travel ukulele made of wood. If you want, it can be very quiet. But with enough strumming, it can also hold its own in a jam session.

Ultimately, the choice is yours. The most important thing is that you enjoy picking up your ukulele and playing it over and over again!

So grab your ukulele, hit the road, and experience how this small instrument can change not only your trip but also your perspective on the world! The possibilities are endless – and maybe you’ll encounter your own unexpected adventure along the way.