You've just returned from a trip to a Caribbean island and you're back to your daily routine. Undoubtedly, there are moments when you'll long to be back by the edge of your hotel's pool sipping a cool drink and enjoying the native tropical music of the island. You're missing the island but you can't find the music anywhere. Don't despair. You can enjoy tropical music you heard on your vacation with the click of a few keys on your computer and purchase CDs or MP3 downloads. You'll be able to enjoy tropical music at home, in your car, and even at your workplace.

Tropical music has long been defined as music from Afro-Caribbean locations such as Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Jamaica. Tropical music now includes music from Colombia, Venezuela, and the area along the Mexican gulf coast. Some of the music styles that come from these locations include salsa, meringue, reggae, and bachata. Though recordings of these styles have been available in the United States for many decades, they originally appealed to specific ethnic communities. Recordings were only found in music stores in these communities. Tropical music has surged in popularity in recent years across all ethnic lines and is now widely available in music stores throughout the country and in several online sources.

A good online source for tropical music is www.descarga.com. Although they primarily specialize in Afro-Cuban music, they do stock a wide selection of other tropical music styles. New releases and reissues are often accompanied by some well-written reviews. Another excellent online source is www.amazon.com. Here you will find virtually everything found on www.bachata.com at very reasonable prices. In many instances, you can also listen to some sample clips.

You can also find a wide assortment of tropical music that you can download as MP3s. The best sources to check for tropical music downloads are www.emusic.com and www.iTunes.com.