( CNN ) -- Modern travel is an intensely visual experience . We feast our eyes on glossy guidebooks before bombarding Facebook and Instagram with our oh-so stylish shots of footprints on empty beaches , stunning sunsets and that weird thing we found in the pool . But in our efforts to soak up the sights and stuff our hard drives with selfies , we may be neglecting another vital element of the travel experience -- sound . That 's the worry of Trevor Cox , a British acoustic engineer who , armed with a microphone and digital recorder , has spent several years earwigging his way around the planet in search of what he calls its `` sonic wonders . '' `` We 're used to going on our travels and looking out for beautiful vistas and wonderful architecture , but we tend not to think about the sound , '' says Cox , who was struck by the notion of exploring a wider world of sound while investigating echoes in , of all places , a London sewer . `` So then I began to think about where I would go if you wanted listen to the most remarkable sounds in the world and I was surprised to find there was relatively little information , '' he tells CNN . `` That 's when I thought I should gather it myself . '' More : Big thrills -- 50 ways to be a daredevil . Cox has documented his adventures in audio in the newly published `` The Sound Book '' ( released as `` Sonic Wonderland '' in the UK ) -- a fascinating journey which , over several years , takes him from scorching desert sands to slimy subterranean chambers . He also runs a website aimed at encouraging others to explore sonic wonders and engage in `` sound tourism , '' and points out that since most travelers carry cell phones , they 're already equipped with powerful recording devices . `` It 's all about making yourself aware and thinking as you wander around about what you are going to catch -- but all you really need to do is listen . '' It 's about time to make some noise about sound tourism . With the aid of Cox , we 've compiled a list of the world 's best sonic destinations . Singing sands ( California ) Where : Kelso Dunes in California 's Mojave Desert . What : When in contact with sliding humans , peculiarities in the sand produce deep parping sounds resembling propeller aircraft or sousaphone accidents . Cox says : `` This one was always high on my bucket list . You need the right sort of dune with the right size sand grains . When you scoot down on your backside you get this weird droning . '' Stay : Hotel Nipton . Rustic but charming establishment that offers rooms with shared bathrooms and eco-lodges . 107355 Nipton Road , Nipton ; +1 760 856 2335 . Hear the sands . Bearded singing seals ( Norway ) Where : Svalbard , a bleak Norwegian archipelago of ice-capped mountains and fierce polar bears way out in the Arctic Ocean . What : Mind-bending , sub-aquatic sci-fi effects produced by hairy-faced sea mammals to woo their mates -- a soundscape worryingly similar to the tinnitus hangover of a Motorhead gig . Cox says : `` They do n't really sound like animals , they sound like UFOs coming in to land -- they make this extraordinary noise that lasts about a minute . '' Stay : Polar Hotel . Efficient chain hotel with spectacular fjord views and even more spectacular prices ( this is Norway ) . Longyearbyen 9171 , Spitsbergen ; +47 79 02 34 50 . Hear the seals . Chirping Mayan pyramid ( Mexico ) Where : Temple of Kukulcan , Chichen Itza , Yucatan , Mexico . What : Clap your hands in front of this 1,100-year-old structure and you 'll hear an echo not unlike the sacred quetzal bird . Only disturbing if you 've seen the 2008 film `` The Ruins , '' in which sound-mimicking vines devour feckless tourists atop a Mayan pyramid . Cox says : In his book , Cox asks whether the echo was a Mayan design reflecting sophisticated acoustic knowledge : `` Imagine an ancient Mayan priest presiding over a ceremony and , with great theatricality , summoning the sound of the quetzal bird by clapping his hands . '' Stay : If you want to avoid staying with the crowds in Chichen Itza , the Yucatan 's culturally lively capital of Merida is just down the road . The Villa Merida is a tranquil converted colonial mansion set around an airy courtyard . Merida-Uman , Merida ; +52 999 928-8466 . Hear the pyramid . Gong rocks ( Tanzania ) Where : Moru Kopjes , Serengeti National Nark , Tanzania -- and other sites across Africa . What : Not a prog rock group , but one of several eons-old boulders that produce mellow notes when whacked with smaller stones . Tonally , their range can be a bit on the monotonous side , but the fact that it probably resonates back to the dawn of civilization helps raise neck hairs . Cox says : `` Among the earliest evidence we have of what our ancestors might have listened to is left over bits of musical instruments like these rock gongs . '' Stay : You 'll need pockets big enough to hold a gong rock to afford to stay in the swanky safari camps of the southern serengeti . Asanja Africa ( +255 78 822 1440 ) is typically luxurious . Hear the rocks . Whispering gallery ( India ) Where : Gol Gumbaz mausoleum , in Bijapur , a town in southwestern India 's Karnataka state . What : This majestic , rose-domed structure built in the 1600s features one of the best examples of a whispering gallery -- an elevated architectural echo chamber that seems to sample human voices and loop them repetitively in the style of a 1960s horror flick . Hugely entertaining . Cox says : In `` The Sound Book , '' Cox writes : `` With children enjoying yelling and listening as their voices repeat over and over again , the atmosphere is like a crowded day at the swimming pool . '' Stay : Humdrum hotels abound in Bijapur , but head south and you 'll find Badami . The Krishna Heritage looks like a retirement village but pulls in good reviews . Ramdurg Road , Badami ; +91 99 01 91 21 27 . Hear the gallery . Bubbling mud pots ( Iceland ) Where : Hverir , Namafjall , northern Iceland . What : A sulfurous volcanic landscape where noxious gas belches forth from roiling cauldrons of primordial gunge with the fury of a waterfall . Cox says : `` Tumultuous pools of battleship-gray mud bubble at a low simmer , '' Cox writes in his book . `` They seem almost alive ; some belch like a thick , gloppy lentil soup while others rage and splatter like an unappetizing gruel on a fast boil . '' Stay : Cape Hotel ( Laugarbrekka 16 , 640 HusavÃ­k ; +354 463 3399 ) is in the tiny fishing town of Husavik . Here you can also pay a visit local museums dedicated to Icelandic history , whales and , of course , penises . Hear the mud pots . World 's longest reverberations ( Scotland ) Where : Inchindown oil storage complex/Glasgow 's Hamilton mausoleum -- Scotland . What : Cox crawled down slippery pipes to access a vast , empty World War II oil tank built into a Scottish hillside near the town of Invergordon to measure the reverberations within . Using a starting gun ( and a saxophone ) , he pegged them at a record-breaking 75 seconds . Sadly , since Inchindown is rarely open to the public , sonic tourists will have to make do with a trip to the previous Guinness record holder , also in Scotland . The grand Hamilton Mausoleum , just outside Glasgow , clocks in at 15 seconds . Stay : Classy B & B action at 15 Glasgow , in the middle of Scotland 's vibrant second city . 15 Woodside Place , Glasgow ; +44 141 332 12 63 . Hear the Inchindown oil tank echo . Musical road ( California ) Where : Avenue G , Lancaster , California . What : A series of grooves gouged into the pavement renders a stretch of the westbound roadway into an instrument that plays the `` William Tell Overture '' -- also known as the `` Lone Ranger '' theme -- when vehicles drive over it . The rhythm is recognizable , but the tune sounds like someone gargling with water in an adjacent room . Cox says : `` It is a very bad rendition of the 'William Tell Overture ' -- but it makes you laugh . '' Stay : Overnight stays are only for fans of underwhelming chain hotels or tired motels . Keep driving and you 'll hit California 's I-5 highway for a drive north for stellar scenery and , you never know , some amazing sounds . Hear the musical road .
Norwegian acoustic engineer Cox gathered sounds from the world for `` The Sound Book Sliding down certain sand dunes can produce sounds like a propeller plane . Trevor Cox has recorded sounds from Temple of Kukulcan in Iceland to bubbling mud pots in Iceland .