holiday trip music

Holiday Road Trip

“Hey Siri, play the Holiday Road Trip playlist.”

112 Songs, 6 hours, 20 minutes

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The Ultimate Travel Playlist: 100 Best Travel Songs (with Lyrics and Videos)

Katie Hammel

July 18, 2023

10 min read

Music has the power to transport us, change our moods, and conjure memories. And, for many travelers, music is closely linked to travel. It can helps us understand the people and culture of a place, break down language barriers, and sear certain moments into our memories forever.

With help from members of our Travel Community and Going staff, we've created the ultimate travel playlist of 100 travel songs. Some reference specific places, others showcase the musical talent of a specific country, and others simply celebrate the joy of exploration.

Here, in no particular order, are 100 of our favorite travel songs.

56 songs that reference specific places in the title or lyrics

Sure, some of these songs, such Paris by the Chainsmokers or Toto’s Africa , actually have little to do with the specific place; it’s just used as the title or the setting for the story. But others not only reference a country or city, they also evoke a specific sense of that particular place or tell a story about that destination.

For example, in Marrakech Express , Crosby, Stills & Nash recount scenes from a train ride Nash actually took in 1966. In London Calling , the Clash sing about the social issues facing London in the late 70s. In Walking in Memphis , Marc Cohn croons about his experience wandering the city. And Simon & Garfunkel's America was inspired by a road trip that Paul Simon took with his girlfriend.

Here are some of our favorite songs that mention a specific city or country, and a snippet of the lyrics.

Listen when:  you're on a $388 flight to Vienna, or a $671 flight to Johannesburg, or a $353 flight to Paris, or...

1. Kathmandu – Bob Seger

I think I'm going to Katmandu

‍ That's really, really where I'm going to

If I ever get out of here

That's what I'm gonna do

I know my plane is due

The one that's going to Katmandu

Up to the mountain's where I'm going to

K-k-k-k-k-k Kathmandu ‍

2. One Night in Bangkok – Murray Head

One night in Bangkok and the world's your oyster

The bars are temples but the pearls ain't free

You'll find a god in every golden cloister

A little flesh, a little history

I can feel an angel sliding up to me

3. I've Been Everywhere – Johnny Cash

I've been everywhere, man

Crossed the deserts bare, man

I've breathed the mountain air, man

Travel, I've had my share, man

I've been everywhere

I've been to

4. Africa – Toto

The wild dogs cry out in the night

As they grow restless, longing for some solitary company

I know that I must do what's right

As sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti

I seek to cure what's deep inside, frightened of this thing that I've become

It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you

There's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do

I bless the rains down in Africa

Gonna take some time to do the things we never have

Bonus: Check out the 2018 cover by Weezer and this awesome 2016 video from Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard.

5. Marrakech Express – Crosby, Stills & Nash

Take the train from Casablanca going south

Blowing smoke rings from the corners of my my, my, my, my mouth

Colored cottons hang in air

Charming cobras in the square

Striped jellabas we can wear at home

Don't you know we're riding on the Marrakesh Express

6. Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) – Shakira

Today's your day

You paved the way

If you get down get up oh oh

When you get down get up eh eh

Tsamina mina zangalewa

This time for Africa

7. San Francisco – Scott McKenzie

If you're going to San Francisco

Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair

You're gonna meet some gentle people there

8. London Calling – The Clash

The ice age is coming, the sun is zooming in

Engines stop running, the wheat is growin' thin

A nuclear era, but I have no fear

'Cause London is drowning, and I, I live by the river

9. Galway Girl – Ed Sheeran

You know, she played the fiddle in an Irish band

But she fell in love with an Englishman

Kissed her on the neck and then I took her by the hand

Said, "Baby, I just wanna dance"

With my pretty little Galway girl

You're my pretty little Galway girl

10. Istanbul (Not Constantinople) – They Might Be Giants

Every gal in Constantinople

Lives in Istanbul, not Constantinople

So if you've a date in Constantinople

She'll be waiting in Istanbul

Even old New York was once New Amsterdam

Why they changed it I can't say

People just liked it better that way

11. Ramblin’ Man – the Allman Brothers Band

I'm on my way to New Orleans this mornin'

I'm leavin' out of Nashville, Tennessee

They're always having a good time down on the bayou

Lord, them Delta women think the world of me

Lord, I was born a ramblin' man

Tryin' to make a livin' and doin' the best I can

And when it's time for leavin'

I hope you'll understand

That I was born a ramblin' man

12. Aux Champs-Élysées – Joe Dassin

Aux Champs-Elysées, aux Champs-Elysées

Au soleil, sous la pluie, à midi ou à minuit

Il y a tout ce que vous voulez aux Champs-Elysées

In English:

Champs-Elysees, Champs-Elysees In the sun, in the rain, at noon or midnight There is everything you want on the Champs-Elysées

13. Lovers in Japan – Coldplay

Tonight, maybe we're gonna run

Dreamin' of the Osaka sun

Ohh, ohh, ohhh

Dreamin' of when the morning comes

14. Barcelona – George Ezra

Every time you have to go

Shut my eyes and you know

I’ll be lying right by your side

In Barcelona

15. April in Paris – Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong

I never knew the charm of spring

I never met it face to face

I never knew my heart could sing

I never missed a warm embrace

Till April in Paris, chestnuts in blossom

Holiday tables under the trees

April in Paris, this is a feeling

16. Blue Hawaii – Elvis Presley

Come with me

While the moon is on the sea

The night is young

And so are we, so are we

Dreams come true

In blue Hawaii

17. Back in the U.S.S.R. – The Beatles

Well the Ukraine girls really knock me out

They leave the West behind

And Moscow girls make me sing and shout

That Georgia's always on my mind

Aw come on!

Yeah I'm back in the U.S.S.R.

You don't know how lucky you are boys

Back in the U.S.S.R.

18. Rio – Netsky featuring Macklemore

It’s the “Rio” remix, you should see us

Swimming in the ocean like the pool is hella heated

Expedited Visa and I’m posted with my feet up

Parasailing over beaches, got my girl from Ipanema

19. Barcelona – Ed Sheeran

And you and I we're flying on an airplane tonight

We're going somewhere where the sun is shining bright

Just close your eyes

And let's pretend we're dancing in the street

20. Havana – Camila Cabello

Havana, ooh na-na

Half of my heart is in Havana, ooh na-na

He took me back to East Atlanta, na-na-na, ah

Oh, but my heart is in Havana ‍

21. In America – Neil Diamond

Everywhere around the world

They're coming to America

Every time that flag's unfurled

Got a dream to take them there

Got a dream they've come to share

22. Tennessee – Arrested Development

They tell me my ears are so young

Go back, from whence you came

My family tree, my family name

For some strange reason it had to be

He guided me to Tennessee

Take me to another place, take me to another land

Make me forget all that hurts me, let me understand your plan

23. Paris – The Chainsmokers

We were staying in Paris

To get away from your parents

You look so proud

Standing there with a frown and a cigarette

Posting pictures of yourself on the internet

24. Graceland – Paul Simon

The Mississippi Delta was shining

Like a National guitar

I am following the river

Down the highway

Through the cradle of the civil war

I'm going to Graceland

25. Carolina in My Mind – James Taylor

In my mind I'm gone to Carolina

Can't you see the sunshine?

Can't you just feel the moonshine?

And, ain't it just like a friend of mine

To hit me from behind?

Yes, I'm gone to Carolina in my mind

26. New York State of Mind – Billy Joel

Some folks like to get away

Take a holiday from the neighborhood

Hop a flight to Miami Beach or to Hollywood

But I'm takin' a Greyhound on the Hudson River line

I'm in a New York state of mind

27. Walking in Memphis – Marc Cohn

Saw the ghost of Elvis

On Union Avenue

Followed him up to the gates of Graceland

Then I watched him walk right through

Now security they did not see him

They just hovered 'round his tomb

But there's a pretty little thing

Waiting for the King

Down in the Jungle Room

When I was walking in Memphis

I was walking with my feet ten feet off of Beale

Walking in Memphis

But do I really feel the way I feel?

28. America – Simon & Garfunkel

Cathy, I said as we boarded a Greyhound in Pittsburgh

Michigan seems like a dream to me now

It took me four days to hitchhike from Saginaw

I've gone to look for America

29. Mexico – James Taylor

Way down here you need a reason to move

Feel a fool running your stateside games

Lose your load, leave your mind behind Baby Jane

It sounds so simple I just got to go

The sun's so hot I forgot to go home

Guess I'll have to go now

30. California – Phantom Planet

Hustlers grab your guns

Your shadow weighs a ton

Driving down the 101

California here we come

Right back where we started from

California, here we come.

31. Chicago – Sufjan Stevens

I fell in love again

All things go, all things go

Drove to Chicago

All things know, all things know

32. Kokomo – The Beach Boys

Off the Florida Keys, there's a place called Kokomo

That's where you want to go to get away from it all

Bodies in the sand, tropical drink melting in your hand

We'll be falling in love to the rhythm of a steel drum band

Down in Kokomo

Aruba, Jamaica, oh I want to take you to

Bermuda, Bahama, come on pretty mama

Key Largo, Montego, baby why don't we go

down to Kokomo, we'll get there fast and then we'll take it slow

That's where we want to go, way down in Kokomo

33. Sweet Home Alabama – Lynyrd Skynyrd

Sweet home Alabama

Where the skies are so blue

Lord, I'm coming home to you

34. Vertigo – FM Belfast

We are going far away

Don't you look down

You are high above ground

We are driving with our friends

We are driving to a faraway place

35. California Love – Tupac and Dr. Dre

Say what you say, but give me that bomb beat from Dre

Let me serenade the streets of L.A

From Oakland to Sacktown

The Bay Area and back down

Cali is where they put they mack down give me love!

California, knows how to party

In the city of L.A.

In the city of good ol' Watts

In the city, the city of Compton

We keep it rocking

36. Malibu – Miley Cyrus

But here I am

Next to you

The sky is so blue

37. Midnight Train to Georgia – Gladys Knight and the Pips

He's leaving

On that midnight train to Georgia

And he's goin' back

To a simpler place and time

And I’ll be with him

I'd rather live in his world

Than live without him in mine

38. California Dreaming – The Mamas and the Papas

All the leaves are brown

And the sky is grey

I've been for a walk

On a winter's day

I'd be safe and warm

If I was in L.A.

California dreamin'

On such a winter's day

39. New York Groove – Ace Frehley

Many years since I was here

On the street I was passin' my time away

To the left and to the right,

Buildings towering to the sky

It's outta sight in the dead of night

Here I am, and in this city, with a fistful of dollars

And baby, you'd better believe

I'm back, back in the New York groove

40. Miami – Will Smith

Party in the city where the heat is on

All night, on the beach till the break of dawn

Welcome to Miami

Bienvenidos a Miami

Bouncin' in the club where the heat is on

I'm goin’ to Miami

41. Vienna – Ultravox

The music is weaving

Haunting notes, pizzicato strings

The rhythm is calling

Alone in the night as the daylight brings

A cool empty silence

The warmth of your hand and a cold grey sky

It fades to the distance

The image has gone only you and I

It means nothing to me

This means nothing to me

42. Viva Las Vegas – Elvis Presley

Bright light city gonna set my soul

Gonna set my soul on fire

Got a whole lot of money that's ready to burn

So get those stakes up higher

There's a thousand pretty women waitin' out there

And they're all livin' devil may care

And I'm just the devil with love to spare

Viva Las Vegas, viva Las Vegas

43. Rocky Road to Dublin – The Irish Descendants

Well in Dublin next arrived, I thought it'd be a pity

To be so soon deprived a view of that fine city

So then I took a stroll down among the quality

Me bundle it was stolen in a neat locality

Something crossed me mind, then I looked behind

No bundle could I find upon me stick a-wobblin'

Inquiring for the rogue, said me connaught brogue wasn't much in vogue

On the rocky road to Dublin

44. Beverly Hills – Weezer

Beverly Hills

That's where I want to be (gimme, gimme)

Livin' in Beverly Hills

Rollin' like a celebrity (gimme, gimme)

45. Surfin' USA – The Beach Boys

Haggerties and Swamies

Pacific Palisades

San Anofree and Sunset

Redondo Beach L. A.

All over La Jolla

At Waimea Bay

Everybody's gone surfin'

Surfin' U.S. A.

46. I'm Shipping Up To Boston – Dropkick Murphys

I'm a sailor peg

And I've lost my leg

Climbing up the top sails

I've lost my leg!

I'm shipping up to Boston, whoa

I'm shipping off to find my wooden leg

47. Hello Seattle – Owl City

Hello Seattle, I am a manta ray

Deep beneath the blue waves

I'll crawl the sandy bottom of Puget Sound

And construct my summer home

48. God Blessed Texas – Little Texas

God blessed Texas

With His own hand

Brought down angels from the promised land

Gave 'em a place where they could dance

If you want to see heaven, brother, here's you chance

I've been sent to spread the message

49. Taj Mahal – Sam Roberts Band

Sitting with you on the banks of the Ganges

Stealing a kiss on the streets of Bombay

Caressing your hair like the wind through the palm trees

I never dreamed that anyone could take you away

Keep on keep on keep on singing

I'm building a beautiful statue

To make sure that no one forgets you

50. Alaska – Maggie Rogers

I was walking through icy streams

That took my breath away

Moving slowly through westward water

Over glacial plains

And I walked off you

And I walked off an old me

Oh me, oh my, I thought it was a dream

So it seemed

51. Miles from Minnesota – The Lower 48

Yes next year we'll go traveling

Our escapades so baffling

Our sovereign love returning to the sea

We'll be miles from Minnesota then

Writing letters we won't send

For no words shall contain what will be

Well your sweet voice and my rough hands

When darkness prowls we will dance

Through bluffs and fields and orchards with the moon

Yes next year we will leave this place summer's kiss is just a taste

Fall's warm embrace is coming to us soon

Oh! We've got everywhere to go

You should sleep, I'll see you in the morning

52. Take Me Home Country Roads – John Denver

Almost heaven, West Virginia

Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River

Life is old there, older than the trees

Younger than the mountains, blowing like a breeze

Country roads, take me home

To the place I belong

West Virginia, mountain mama

Take me home, country roads

53. Miles Away – The Maine

I took a trip up the west coast

Was searching for a temp so low

And a summer high

The Sun swayed and set slow

Made waves with some friends I know

Got lost in the ebb and flow

Of the drifting tide

I didn't ever want to come down

From that west coast rush and summer high

And easy, peaceful sense of time

54. Brazil – Declan McKenna

I wanna play the beautiful game while I'm in Brazil

'Cause everybody plays the beautiful game while out in Brazil

'Cause it's all you've ever wanted, and it's all that you want still

Don't you wanna play the beautiful game out in Brazil?

55. Under African Skies – Paul Simon

Joseph's face was as black as the night

And the pale yellow moon shone in his eyes

His path was marked

By the stars in the Southern Hemisphere

And he walked the length of his days

Under African skies

56. Take It Easy – The Eagles

Well I'm a standin' on a corner in Winslow, Arizona

Such a fine sight to see

It's a girl, my lord, in a flatbed

Ford slowin' down to take a look at me

Come on baby

Don't say maybe

I gotta know if your sweet love is gonna save me

We may lose and we may win

Though we will never be here again

So open up, I'm climbin' in

Take it easy

26 awesome international songs

A song’s title or lyrics don’t need to explicitly mention a specific place; sometimes it's the artist, the melody, the language, or simply the emotion of the song that ties it in our memories to a place we love.

Whether it’s the sultry sounds of Gotan Project’s Amor Porteno taking us back to a tango club in Buenos Aires, or the ethereal sounds of Hoppípolla from Sigur Rós transporting us to the otherworldly landscapes of Iceland, these international songs make us think of the places they are from or written about.

Listen when:  you're on your cheap flight to Iceland, or packing for your trip to Seoul, or strolling the streets of Paris, or driving the backroads of Scotland, or...

57. The Last – Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra

58. let the music play – shamur, 59. la vie en rose – edith piaf, 60. gangnam style – psy.

61. Immigrant Song – Led Zeppelin

62. money (that's what i want) – cheryl k, 63. royals – lorde, 64. rewrite – asian kung fu generation, 65. redemption song – bob marley, 66. dreams – the cranberries, 67. little busters – the pillows, 68. jai ho – a.r. rahman.

69. Counting Stars – Nujabes

70. i’m gonna be (500 miles) – the proclaimers, 71. sni bong – dengue fever, 72. jungle drum – emiliana torrini.

73. On and On – VIXX

74. beds are burning – midnight oil, 75. amor porteño – gotan project, 76. dui bu qi – transition, 77. sirocco – ulrich schnauss and jonas munk, 78. mi gente – j balvin.

79. Hoppípolla – Sigur Rós

80. somewhere over the rainbow – israel kamakawiwoʻole, 81. land down under – men at work, 82. guantanamera – celia cruz.

‍ 18 great songs about travel and wanderlust

Finally, the last songs on the list are those that inspire us to get out and see the world, that commiserate with those us of suffering from the travel bug, and that celebrate the beauty of a life less ordinary.

Listen when: you're suffering from an acute case of wanderlust or dreaming of your next great adventure.

83. Born to be Wild – Steppenwolf

Get your motor runnin'

Head out on the highway

Lookin' for adventure

And whatever comes our way

Yeah Darlin' go make it happen

Take the world in a love embrace

Fire all of your guns at once

And explode into space

84. Roam – The B52s

Roam if you want to

Roam around the world

Without wings, without wheels

Without anything but the love we feel

85. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For – U2

I have climbed the highest mountains

I have run through the fields

Only to be with you

I have run, I have crawled

I have scaled these city walls

These city walls

But I still haven't found

What I'm looking for

86. Come Fly with Me – Frank Sinatra

Come fly with me, we'll fly, we'll fly away

If you can use some exotic booze

There's a bar in far Bombay

Come on fly with me, we'll fly, we'll fly away

87. On the Road Again – Willie Nelson

On the road again

Goin' places that I've never been

Seein' things that I may never see again

And I can't wait to get on the road again

88. Road to Nowhere – Talking Heads

We're on a road to nowhere

Come on inside

Taking that ride to nowhere

We'll take that ride

I'm feeling okay this morning

And you know

We're on the road to paradise

Here we go, here we go

89. Life is a Highway – Tom Cochran

Life's like a road that you travel on

When there's one day here and the next day gone

Sometimes you bend, sometimes you stand

Sometimes you turn your back to the wind

There's a world outside every darkened door

Where blues won't haunt you anymore

Where the brave are free and lovers soar

Come ride with me to the distant shore

We won't hesitate, break down the garden gate

There's not much time left today

90. When I’m Gone (Cups Song) – Anna Kendrick

I’ve got my ticket for the long way ‘round

The one with the prettiest of views

It’s got mountains, it’s got rivers, it’s got sights to give you shivers

But it sure would be prettier with you

When I’m gone

You’re gonna miss me when I’m gone

You’re gonna miss me by my walk

You’re gonna miss me by my talk, oh

91. Born to Run – Bruce Springsteen

Someday girl I don't know when

We're gonna get to that place

Where we really wanna go

And we'll walk in the sun

But till then tramps like us

Baby we were born to run

92. Send Me On My Way – Rusted Root

Well, I would like to hold my little hand

And we will run, we will, we will crawl, we will

I would like to hold my little hand

And we will run, we will, we will crawl

Send me on my way (on my way)

93. Margaritaville – Jimmy Buffett

I blew out my flip flop

Stepped on a pop top

Cut my heel had to cruise on back home

But there's booze in the blender

And soon it will render

That frozen concoction that helps me hang on

Wastin' away again in Margaritaville

Searchin' for my lost shaker of salt

Some people claim that there's a woman to blame

But I know it's my own damn fault

94. Moon River – Audrey Hepburn

Two drifters, off to see the world

There's such a lot of world to see

We're after the same rainbow's end, waitin' 'round the bend

My huckleberry friend, moon river, and me

95. Leaving on a Jet Plane – Peter Paul, and Mary

My bags are packed

I'm ready to go

I'm standing here outside your door

I hate to wake you up to say goodbye

But the dawn is breakin'

It's early morn

The taxi's waitin'

He's blowin' his horn

Already I'm so lonesome

I could cry

So kiss me and smile for me

Tell me that you'll wait for me

Hold me like you'll never let me go

I'm leavin' on a jet plane

I Don't know when I'll be back again

Oh, babe, I hate to go

96. The Passenger – Iggy Pop

I am a passenger

And I ride and I ride

I ride through the city's backside

I see the stars come out of the sky

Yeah, they're bright in a hollow sky

You know it looks so good tonight

I stay under glass

I look through my window so bright

I see the stars come out tonight

I see the bright and hollow sky

Over the city's ripped-back sky

And everything looks good tonight

97. Vacation – The Go-Go's

All I ever wanted

Had to get away

Meant to be spent alone

98. Homeward Bound – Simon & Garfunkel

Every day's an endless stream

Of cigarettes and magazines

And each town looks the same to me, the movies and the factories

And every stranger's face I see reminds me that I long to be

Homeward bound

I wish I was

Home where my thought's escaping

Home where my music's playing

Home where my love lies waiting

Silently for me

99. No Roots – Alice Merton

I like standing still, but that's just a wishful plan

Ask me where I come from, I'll say a different land

But I've got memories and travel like gypsies in the night

I count gates and numbers, then play the guessing game

It's just the place that changes, the rest is still the same

And a thousand times I've seen this road

A thousand times

I've got no roots, but my home was never on the ground

100. Fly Away – Lenny Kravitz

I want to get away

I want to fly away

Yeah, yeah, yeah ‍

Love travel? See the world for less. Sign up for Going and save up to 90% on flights.

Katie is Going's Director of Content Marketing. She has been to 30+ countries, prefers markets to museums, hates cucumbers, and dreams of one day living in a small cabin by the sea in Iceland. Originally from Detroit, she lived in Seattle and Chicago before settling in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and their two cats.

Published July 18, 2023

Last updated December 28, 2023

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The Ultimate Road Trip Playlist According to Travelers, Editors, and Spotify

This year has been nothing short of a whirlwind. As we wrap up the year, international travel is still a no go, and flying in general seems like a bit of a risky proposition. As a result, the humble road trip has roared back on our collective radar as many of us have been taking to the road as a way to get out of the house and explore our surroundings near and far. 

When we began discussing road trips on zoom calls and in Slack channels, the one thing that everyone could agree on was that music was essential. A good soundtrack can mean the difference between the hours flying by as fast as the scenery out the window or turning around before you reach your destination.

So what makes a great road trip playlist? It starts with the songs, but with so many incredible choices out there, it’s hard to whittle down to something that stands up to the test of time. However, we had an idea.

To make the perfect road trip playlist, we used three components. First, we looked at Spotify data to identify the most popular songs for driving, according to the top 100 road trip playlists. Next, we surveyed our TripSavvy readers to get their take. After that, our editors weighed in on their favorite songs. In the end, we were left with 29 carefully curated high-vibe songs that create the ultimate travel music of 2020.

Here are the top road trip songs. For the best listening experience, try playing them in order. Enjoy!

"Wake Me Up" by Avicii

Released in 2013, “Wake Me Up” made history by becoming the first song on Spotify to accumulate 200 million streams. This song can instantly put you in a good mood and that's why it's up first on our list.

"Night Moves" by Bob Seger

"Night Moves" is an easy-listening, American Rock classic. "Rolling Stone" magazine named it Single of the Year in 1977. This song is sure to get you in the right headspace for hitting the highway.

"Fly Like an Eagle" by Steve Miller Band

As suggested by one of our readers, "Fly Like an Eagle" was a must-have for this playlist. Even though this psychedelic-rock tune was released in 1976, it still feels relevant today.

Feed the babies Who don't have enough to eat Shoe the children With no shoes on their feet House the people Livin' in the street Oh, oh, there's a solution

"I Feel It Coming" by The Weeknd featuring Daft Punk

As suggested by one of our readers, "I Feel It Coming" is a sensual disco-pop song by The Weeknd and Daft Punk. When you play it, this catchy song will make you instinctively bob along as you're on the road.

"Cruise" by Florida Georgia Line

A song that appears on the Spotify list and was submitted by a reader is "Cruise" by Florida Georgia Line. This upbeat country song will make you wanna roll the windows down and cruise.

"Take It Easy" by the Eagles

After hours of driving, "Don't let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy," might be the best advice you'll get. Released in 1972, "Take It Easy" by the Eagles is still being played by road trippers, appearing 20 times across the top 100 playlists.

"Riptide" by Vance Joy

"Riptide," the 2013 single by Australian singer-songwriter Vance Joy, appears on 13 of the top 100 road trip Spotify playlists. This cheery folk song won the World Music Award for World’s Best Song.

"Old Town Road (Remix)" by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus

In 2019 Lil Nas X released "Old Town Road," a country rap remix with Billy Ray Cyrus. It won lots of awards, so it's no wonder that this was a top contender.

"Malibu" by Miley Cyrus

"This song reminds me of a road trip down the west coast from San Francisco to San Diego," says Megan Hartig, Content Marketing Manager. We booked our hotels on the fly with the app Hotel Tonight which was great for spontaneous travel."

"Life in the Fast Lane" by Eagles

You can't listen to "Life in the Fast Lane" without feeling like a badass. This song was on 13 of the top road trip playlists on Spotify. But don't lose your cool as this lyric points out: Life in the fast lane, Surely makes you lose your mind.

Listening to this song can give you a lead foot. Don't get a speeding ticket!

"Hey, Soul Sister" by Train

If you've never sung "Hey, Soul Sister" at the top of your lungs, have you ever been on a road trip? Not according to Spotify listeners. This song appeared 16 times according to Spotify data.

"September" by Earth, Wind & Fire

"I grew up listening to a lot of Earth, Wind & Fire with my parents during road trips," says associate editor Sherri Gardner. "'September' was one of my family’s favorites because it’s fun to sing along to, especially with the windows down."

"Burn The House Down" by AJR

Another great suggestion by one of our readers, "Burn The House Down" written by the pop trio consisting of three brothers, began as a 2018 song about U.S. political climate and became the theme song for the March for Our Lives campaign.

"Carry On Wayward Son" by Kansas

If you're struggling to hang in during your long drive, turn up "Carry On Wayward Son" a little louder for some encouragement. This progressive rock song performed by Kansas in 1976 took the band to the next level.

"Dancing In The Moonlight" by Jubël featuring NEIMY

"Dancing In The Moonlight" was named nine times in the top 100 Spotify road trip playlists. This 2018 feel-good pop cover is sure to lift your spirits with its upbeat rhythm, especially if you are driving after the sun goes down.

"Road Trip (2020 Version)" by Convent Bonfires

This song was suggested by one of our readers, and given the title, we had to include it. This obscure, indie-rock track released this year gives us all the good vibes.

"Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey

With almost one billion streams on Spotify, it's no surprise "Don't Stop Believin'" cracks the top 3, with 24 appearances on Spotify's top road trip playlists. So next time you're in your car, turn up the volume and sing on and on and on and on.

"Circles" by Post Malone

Another song listed on the Spotify charts and our reader survey is "Circles" by Post Malone. This 2019 pop single won Song of the Year at the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards. It sat for a record 39 weeks in the Hot 100's top 10.

"Feel This Good" by Jackopierce

Another reader's choice, "Feel This Good" by musical duo Jackopierce is an easy listening song for the freeway.

Woke up this morning, rolled out of bed My favorite song's playing inside my head I go out on the freeway, windows down Don't know where I'm going, but it's good to move around and Days like this should never end

"Big Yellow Taxi" by Lennon & Maisy

Canadian sisters, Lennon and Maisy Stella, do a beautiful cover of the classic song "Big Yellow Taxi" originally sung by Joni Mitchell.

"Shotgun (The Wild Remix)" by George Ezra & The Wild

Whoever gets to ride shotgun is sure to enjoy this 2018 song by George Ezra featuring The Wild. "Shotgun" was listed on both the Spotify and readers' choice lists.

"Layla" by Eric Clapton

The acoustic rock song "Layla" was suggested by readers and found on six of the top Spotify road trip playlists. Hailed as one of the most iconic classic rock ballads of all time, there is no surprise it belongs here.

"Higher Love" by Kygo & Whitney Houston

This version of "Higher Love" produced by Norwegian DJ Kygo and the late Whitney Houston is a tropical, high-energy song that was number two on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart.

"Free Fallin'" by Tom Petty

"I grew up listening to Tom Petty (he was my first concert), and he's still one of my all-time favorite musicians," says senior editor Jamie Hergenrader. "Free Fallin' is worthy of a road trip playlist because it embodies the vibe of the trip—you're out on the open road, free to explore, and the lyrics even mention or hint at several classic L.A. routes, such as Ventura Boulevard, Highway 101, and Mulholland Drive."

"More Than a Feeling" by Boston

Is there a song that reminds you of your secret crush? Apparently someone in the band Boston had one, and that inspired their hit song "More Than a Feeling." Spotify users can relate. The song shows up on 22 road trip playlists, making it the fourth most popular on our Spotify list.

"Hello Darlin'" by Conway Twitty

“In the car, there’s nothing better than classic country," says Astrid Taran, senior audience editor. "There’s something about driving in the middle of nowhere blasting old school country.”

"Fast Car" by Jonas Blue & Dakota

"Fast Car" by Tracy Chapman was listed 10 times on Spotify's list, but we included a remix by Jonas Blue & Dakota to keep things fresh and upbeat to keep things interesting along the ride.

"Sun Models" by ODESZA featuring Madelyn Grant

"This song feels like the perfect soundtrack for a road trip and makes everything feel a little more epic," says visual editor Taylor McIntyre.

"Jack & Diane" by John Mellencamp

Last but certainly not least, here we have a classic rock ballad by John Mellencamp. "Jack & Diane" was released in the summer of 1982 and has been a go-to by road trippers ever sense, appearing 10 times in the Spotify road trip lists.

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Ultimate Holiday Songs For A Roadtrip

When I look back on a holiday, I almost always have a theme tune to the trip, a track which played constantly where ever I went. While on holiday in Italy , when I was a wee bit younger, Californication by the Red Hot Chilli Peppers was played every day in every restaurant and shop, and when ever I hear that song, I think back to those times. Just the same, LMFAO Party Rock Anthem was played in clubs in Miami about 3 times within the same night!

Whether for good or bad, these songs stick in your head, therefore I thought I should draw up a list of songs which you should play on your Ipod or from your laptop if given the opportunity.

Firstly, the ultimate summery songs to me have to be:

1)      Free Bird, Lynyrd Skynyrd

2)      Beautiful Day, U2

3)      Mo Money Mo Problem, The Notorious B.I.G

4)      Maps, Yeah Yeah Yeahs

5)      Summer breeze, Seals & Crofts

The greatest chill out songs are:

1)      Somewhere Over The Rainbow, Israel Kamakawiwo’ole

2)      Lovely Day, Bill Withers

3)      Redemption Song, Bob Marley

4)      When You’re Smiling, Louis Armstrong

5)      Dream A Little Dream Of Me, The Mamas & The Papas

The best songs for a giggle are:

1)      Monster Mash, Bobby “Boris” Pickett & The Crypt Kickers

2)      Soul Bossa Nova, Quincy Jones

3)      Teenage Dirt Bag, Wheatus

4)      Banana Phone, Raffi

5)      Baggy Trousers, The Madness

The best hyper songs are:

1)      Back In The Mud, Bubba Sparxxx

2)      Bombs Over Baghdad, OutKast

3)      Rock You Like A Hurricane, The Scorpions

4)      Sun Is Shining, Bob Marley vs Funkstar De Lux

5)      Deadwood, Dirty Pretty Things

The best clubbing warm-up songs are:

1)      Children, Robert Miles

2)      Heartbeat, Nneka and Chase & Status

3)      Could This Be Real, Sub Focus

4)      Smash TV, Chase & Status

5)      Hide & Seek, Imogen Heap & Roksonix

6)      You Cry, Camo & Krooked

7)      Me & You, Nero

8)      On A Mission, Katy B

9)      Feel The Beat, Darude

10)   Louder, DJ Fresh

11)   Requim On A Dream, Animatrix

12)   Just Can’t Get Enough, Black Eyed Peas

13)   To The Stars, Modestep

14)   Hypest Hype, Chase & Status and Tempa T

15)   Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, High Contrast

And a few other good songs to play while on your holiday:

1)      Feeling Good, Muse

2)      My Way, Frank Sinatra

3)      Babe I’m Going To Leave You, Led Zeppelin

4)      Stairway To Heaven, Led Zeppelin

5)      Baba O’Riley, The Who

6)      My Generation, The Who

7)      Sympathy For The Devil, The Rolling Stones

8)      In The House – In A Heartbeat, John Murphy

9)      You Give Love A Bad Name, Bon Jovi

10)   Heads Will Roll, Yeah Yeah Yeahs

11)   Somebody That I Used To Know, Gotye

12)   Hit The Road Jack, Ray Charles

13)   Do You Really Like It, DJ Pied Piper

14)   Chelsea Dagger, The Fratellis

15)   Jump, Van Halen

OK, I feel like this is the point where I should quickly explain the random pictures with celebrities. I haven’t shared many of the stories of my past here on the blog yet, however I was actually at the NME awards during my late teens. Me and my mate Matt White were in a terrible band called Alan, however we got invited to the awards (benefit of good connections in London), therefore we spent our evening sipping on wine and speaking to the greatest rock and roll stars of all time. We even partied with Mick Jagger, but that is a story for another time.

Let me know what other songs you would add to these playlists! I hope you enjoyed the list of the best songs for road trips , I know any list of this nature is personal and so I tried to remain as neutral as possible and combine different genres and types, so hopefully there should be something for everyone.

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The best road trip songs of all time

These road trip songs will make your next excursion a memorable one, whether you’re driving for few hours or a few days

Don’t get us wrong—we really love city life. But sometimes day-tripping to a nearby summer music festival doesn’t quite satiate our need for escape, and that’s where these classic road trip songs come in. When the urge strikes, it’s time to hit the highway/motorway/ whatever for a good, old-fashioned road trip. Of course, you can’t drive in complete silence—well, you can, but the very thought is giving us a flat tyre—so we’ve compiled our list of the best road trip songs to get your motors running and propel your journey into fifth gear. Crank up classics from the Boss, the Dead and Prince, and even some Whitesnake, as you cruise along the open road, forgetting every care in the world.

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Best road trip songs, ranked

1.  ‘Born to Run’ by Bruce Springsteen

Like Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Born in the U.S.A.,’ ‘Born to Run’ is darker than it may seem. Embedded in the scuffed poetry of the lyrics is a potent combination of rebellion, sex, disgust and determination—brought to life by the throaty passion of Springsteen’s voice, the liberating wail of Clarence Clemons’s sax and the sheer propulsive force of the E Street Band’s backup. “Someday girl, I don’t know when/We’re gonna get to that place where we really wanna go,” Springsteen promises. ‘Born to Run’, for all its spikes, takes you there. It’s a love song, an urban-jungle cry and a perfect anthem of pedal-to-the-metal escape.

2.  ‘Little Red Corvette’ by Prince

It doesn’t take a B.A. in poetry to figure this ditty’s got nothing to do with cars. In the world of Prince, coupés are women, horsepower is a pack of Trojan condoms, and gas is stamina in the sheets. The beat takes its time, synthetic drums echoing into the distance, just as the Purple One implores his one-night stand to take it slow, to make it two, three or more nights. Dez Dickerson peels out in the guitar solo, but she’s the one driving here. Perfect choice of car model—elusive, American, curvy, risky. It wouldn’t work as a Ferrari or Rolls.

3.  ‘Here I Go Again’ by Whitesnake

Been dumped recently? You need to go for a drive (preferably in a Jaguar XJ). You’ve made up your mind. You ain’t wasting no more time. So tease your hair, don your pleather, and crank up the volume on this 1982 hit—just try not to get stuck in traffic. This power ballad works better on the open road (with no adjacent drivers to judge your Coverdale cover moves).

4.  ‘Where the Streets Have No Name’ by U2

This anthemic opening track from U2’s landmark 1987 LP, The Joshua Tree, is an ideal kick-starter for any road trip (particularly if you're wandering about the California desert where the titular yucca plant is commonly found). From a whisper, the sound of an organ builds up like a spiritual beacon being unveiled. It’s well over a minute before the Edge’s churning guitar and Adam Clayton’s propulsive bassline kick in, and another 40 seconds before Bono’s vocals touch down. By then, you’re ready to hit top gear and wail along: ‘I want to run/I want to hide/I want to tear down the walls that hold me inside.’ Though this road trip song is about Bono’s vision of an Ireland free from class boundaries, it has inspired countless highway warriors to venture out to those places that maybe aren’t on the map.

5.  ‘Love Shack’ by the B-52s

‘Hop in my Chrysler! It’s as big as a whale, and it’s about to set sail!’ booms Fred Schneider on this all-time great party song . Admittedly, it’s hard to dance like no one’s watching when you’re behind the wheel of a Chrysler (or a Fiat Punto, for that matter), but ‘Love Shack’ will liven up any road trip. If your bum’s getting numb, just whack it on and have yourself a little front or backseat disco. 

6.  ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ by Lynyrd Skynyrd

American football possibly killed off Southern boogie rock. Hear us out. Because of college pigskin rivalries, this song could not be made today. College football is a matter of life and death down there, literally. Iconic trees and people have been murdered over games. Skynyrd was born deep in SEC country: The boogie-rock brothers were from Jacksonville, not Alabama, and cut the track in Georgia. Could you imagine a bunch of Gators fans cutting a tune that could in any way be construed as ‘Roll Tide’? Yankees and rivals love to mock and loathe the Crimson Tide, but when this ditty plays, every human in the room, no matter the allegiance, becomes a temporary, gen-u-wine Mobile redneck.

7.  ‘I Drove All Night’ by Cyndi Lauper

The irreverent thrift-shop spunk that defined Cyndi Lauper’s persona in the 1980s sometimes overshadowed her killer range and sensitivity as a vocalist, but ‘I Drove All Night’—from her third album, 1989’s ‘A Time to Remember’—finds her in a different mode. Driven by a feverish desire, she takes the wheel and makes her own way to her lover’s bed. (She may coyly ask, ‘Is that all right?’ but by that time she’s already done it.) And Lauper’s impressively sustained last note is a perfect expression of the song’s sense of undeterrable yearning.

8.  ‘Fast Car’ by Tracy Chapman

Tracy Chapman’s beautifully direct 1988 hit, from her eponymous debut album, gives escapism an especially poignant twist. The speeding car and its romantic freedom (‘City lights stretched out before us/Your arm felt nice wrapped 'round my shoulder’) can’t be separated from what it’s speeding from: a life of urban poverty, trapped taking care of deadbeats—first a drunk father and then, at the end, the very driver that she had dreamed might carry her to rescue.

9.  ‘Keep the Car Running’ by Arcade Fire

If there’s one quality that characterizes Arcade Fire’s sound, it’s urgency—and nowhere is that more evident than on ‘Keep the Car Running’ from the band’s super noir, grandiose 2007 ‘Neon Bible’ album. Based on singer Win Butler’s childhood nightmares (‘Men are coming to take me away!’ he pines), ‘Keep the Car Running’ expands these fears into a sense of global anxiety, and the certainty that there must be something better down the road (‘Don’t know why, but I know I can’t stay’). On its release, the song was likened to prime-era Bruce Springsteen; imagine fans’ joy when Butler and Régine Chassagne made a surprise showing at the Boss’s stadium gig to bust out the song with him. Warning: You will need to be super-careful not to break the speed limit if you play this song while driving.

10.  ‘Truckin’’ by Grateful Dead

Let us pause, and acknowledge the fact that this road trip song has been recognised by the U.S. Library of Congress as a national treasure. Mmmm. Written and performed communally by Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, Bob Weir and lyricist Robert Hunter, the catchy, bluesy shuffle turns the band’s misfortunes on the road into a metaphor for getting through life’s constant changes. And really, what’s a good trip—or a good life—if you can’t exclaim at the end, ‘What a long, strange trip it’s been’?

11.  ‘Road to Nowhere’ by Talking Heads

The gospel-choir intro to this upbeat single, off 1985’s ‘Little Creatures’ LP , makes for a great start to any road-trip mix. The song celebrates the journey over the destination—as frontman David Byrne puts it, ‘I wanted to write a song that presented a resigned, even joyful look at doom.’ (Typical of him.) Not every end point is a good one, but we’ll be damned if this march doesn’t have us enjoying the ride.

12.  ‘Graceland’ by Paul Simon

Road trips are a time for contemplation, whether we expect it (or like it) or not. Paul Simon’s 1986 single is a perfect, toe-tapping example—we’re treated to what’s basically his stream of consciousness on a drive to Graceland with his son after the failure of his marriage to the late, great Carrie Fisher. At turns both nostalgic and hopeful, it runs the gamut of emotions we always seem to experience a little more profoundly on the road.

13.  ‘Take It Easy’ by the Eagles

The Eagles took flight in 1972 with their debut single: a quick but mellow paean to the romance of the road, where a world of troubles—romantic and otherwise—can be shucked at the mere sight of a girl (my lord!) in a flatbed Ford. Cowritten by frontman Glenn Frey and his friend Jackson Browne, the song’s rejection of worry and release into insouciant adventure are perfect for relieving tension on a drive. As the lyrics gently urge: ‘Don’t let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy.’

14.  ‘America’ by Simon and Garfunkel

Add this one to your bucket list: Everyone should be required (at least once) to listen to their restless side, hitchhike, board a bus and go to another city/state/country to find something better—as described in Simon and Garfunkel’s 1968 classic, which follows two young lovers on a Greyhound in search for America. Take your sweetie along for the ride, smoke cigarettes on the side of the road, chat with the weirdos you meet on your journey, and by all means, indulge in a few slices of all-American pie.

15.  ‘Route 66’ by Chuck Berry

This R&B standard, written in 1946 by Bobby Troup, has been covered by everyone from the Rolling Stones to John Mayer and Depeche Mode. We’re partial to Chuck Berry’s 1961 rendition, which matches the 2,400-mile pilgrimage on the L.A.–Chicago-connecting titular highway to a T. Who better than the father of rock & roll to accompany a trip past greasy-spoon diners, tiny towns frozen in time and striking Americana landscapes?

16.  ‘Home’ by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

First and foremost a love song, the L.A. troupe’s jingly-jangly 2010 smash single is also, obviously, about coming home – making it the perfect road trip song. Naturally, the feel-good tune should be played at the end of your voyage, when you’re speeding a bit because you just can’t wait to get home to your significant other/parents/puppy/comfy bed.

17.  ‘Going Up the Country’ by Canned Heat

Released in 1968 and adapted from a 1920s blues song, Canned Heat’s highest-charting single was the unofficial anthem of Woodstock—and even after all this time, it’s the perfect track to kick off a road trip, a steering-wheel-tapping, grin-inducing song that makes you immediately pine for sun-drenched fields: “I’m going where the water tastes like wine, we can jump in the water, stay drunk all the time.” Those dudes had their priorities straight…just so long as they had a designated driver.

18.  ‘I’ve Been Everywhere’ by Johnny Cash

Music has always had the power to educate. Billy Joel’s ‘We Didn’t Start the Fire’ taught us more 20th-century American history than a year’s worth of school hisoty lessons. For a CliffsNotes anatomy lesson, we turned to Professor Sir Mix-a-Lot. And when it comes to geography, there is no better musical resource than this name-dropping country ditty, first released with North American locales in 1962 by Canadian crooner Hank Snow. In four verses, 91 places are rattled off in rapid-fire succession—destinations both big (Chicago and Nashville) and small (Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, and Haverstraw, New York). This road trip song has been covered many times and adapted for different regions of the globe, but we’re partial to the Man in Black’s 1996 rendition, simply because his weathered, gravelly bass-baritone suggests a man who has indeed been everywhere.

19.  ‘Hit the Road Jack’ by Ray Charles

Fiendishly simple with its descending piano chords, ‘Hit the Road Jack’ is sung from the perspective of a philanderer being ejected by his lady. By all rights this 1961 R&B classic should win a prize for being impossible not to sing along to: ‘What you say?!’ screams soul hero Charles to his velvet-voiced Raelettes. Later he complains, ‘You can’t mean that,’ about as convincingly as a cat picking bird feathers from between its teeth. The track's most memorable use in a road trip appears in the 1989 comedy movie The Dream Team .

20.  ‘Holiday Road’ by Lindsey Buckingham

Hard to hear this seemingly happy little sock hop without thinking of the Griswold family station wagon zooming to Walley World. As its dark video helps to underline, the lyrics speak more of feeling trapped than free. The Fleetwood Mac man was an ace at hiding his boyish ache behind melodic smiles. Which is why this road trip song is such simple genius: It works the same whether you’re chained to a desk and longing for a vacation or finally on the highway, shooting to God knows where with no deadlines.

21.  ‘Mr. Blue Sky’ by Electric Light Orchestra

The sweet spot is 176 beats per minute. That’s a giddy run, the pace of your footsteps hitting the pavement as you jog home after a first kiss. Though we haven’t tested this, we theorise it is the precise cadence of fence posts whipping past your window as you motor down a highway just above the speed limit. ‘Mr. Blue Sky’ is 176 beats per minute, which is why, whenever it plays, you have the urge to run like a big dumb puppy dog to a boyfriend/girlfriend, or let the wind blow through your hair at 76mph, as you croon along to the vocoder like a robot. Warning: When ‘Mr. Blue Sky’ is used without such outlets, it can cause deep wanderlust.

22.  ‘I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)’ by the Proclaimers

If there’s one road trip song that can unite everyone in the car in the simple act of thumping whatever surface is near them in time with a ludicrously catchy tune, it’s this one—a hit in 1988 for Scottish twins the Proclaimers. Fun fact: The ‘havering’ referred to in the first verse (‘And if I haver, I know I’m gonna be the man who’s havering to you’) is Scots slang for babbling foolishly. So now you know.

23.  ‘Ride Like the Wind‘ by Christopher Cross

Take your EGOT and stuff it. Chris Cross has the transportation trifecta—mega-hits for the sea (‘Sailing’), sky (‘Arthur’s Theme’) and road (‘Ride Like the Wind’). People condescendingly pigeonhole the guy as yacht rock (the pink flamingo on his smash album doesn’t help), but he’s truly yacht-jet-and-rental-car rock. Despite its lily-white reputation, ‘Ride‘ is cool and dangerous. It’s possibly—no, probably—about drug smuggling. Racing away to Mexico with Michael McDonald as the devil on your shoulder. Hearing those percolating bongos, wind effects, electric piano and oily guitar licks, it could fit right on Daft Punk’s ‘Random Access Memories’ album . It remains DJ gold. Call it ‘Get Unlucky’.

24.  ‘Ramblin’ Man’ by the Allman Brothers Band

We may not have been born in the backseat of a Greyhound bus (thanks, mum!), but for whatever reason, the idea of being a ramblin’ man (or woman) is endlessly appealing. And when we play this 1973 hit—based on Hank Williams’s 1951 song of the same name—on the open road, that’s exactly who we are. At least until Monday.

25.  ‘On the Road Again’ by Willie Nelson

Nothing beats hitting the open road, where you can escape the stress of work, family, bills, city life and just be free, man. Just ask tireless road dog Willie Nelson. The Red Headed Stranger penned this 1980 country hit—the ultimate get-the-hell-out-of-town anthem—not in the back of a tour bus but rather, of all places, on a barf bag midflight.

26.  ‘Runnin’ Down a Dream’ by Tom Petty

Some would argue that we could have built this entire list solely out of Petty tunes—but we had to make a choice, and we picked this 1989 single from the song man’s first solo record, ‘Full Moon Fever’. Not only does it take place in a car, but the tune’s reference to Del Shannon’s ‘Runaway’ and killer guitar solo make it a perfect fit for blasting out of your speakers while cruising down the interstate in pursuit of the American dream, your future destination or simply that next roadside burger.

27.  ‘Let Me Ride’ by Dr. Dre

Dr. Dre’s ‘The Chronic’ album arrived on the heels of the 1992 South Central riots. Folks in Compton were looking to escape and could not—and not just because of the traffic on the 110 and 405. This was a cry for cruising with the bucket seats dropped back, slow rolling on a resting-heart-rate rhythm and those G-funk dog-whistle keyboards. ‘Swing down, sweet chariot, stop, let me ride,’ goes the chorus lifted from Parliament’s ‘Mothership Connection,’ itself based on a slave spiritual. But just because the song hides a deeper political meaning the way lowriders hide a subwoofer in the trunk, there’s no reason Dre can’t roll in style. Specifically, in a 1964 Chevy Impala shoed with Dayton rims (a.k.a. ‘Ds,’ as in ‘Throw some Ds on that bitch’).

28.  ‘Born to Be Wild’ by Steppenwolf

The riff, like the rev of a motorcycle throttle, has become so terribly commonplace, it’s hard to imagine what it must have been like to hear its ‘heavy-metal thunder’ with virgin ears during the opening credits of Easy Rider . Today, Steppenwolf’s monster hit is a movie-trailer cliché on par with ‘Bad to the Bone’ and ‘I Got You (I Feel Good).’ What was once-tough biker rock is now Viagra-ad fodder. Still, if you can wash out the soundtrack memories of Problem Child, Dr. Dolittle 2, Rugrats Go Wild, et al., the dirty little number still rips, along with a deep huff of exhaust fumes and jazz cigarettes.

29.  ‘Don’t Stop Believin’’ by Journey

A thousand terrible karaoke performances have somewhat dulled the lustre of this once-gleaming classic ’80s song , but once it comes on in the car, you’ll be in love with it all over again within seconds. Just don’t use it as a road map—there is no such place as South Detroit. Okay, there is, but it’s in Ontario, Canada, so you might need your passport. 

30.  ‘Interstate Love Song’ by Stone Temple Pilots

The underrated STP (hey, that’s a fuel additive) was never truly a grunge band. The ‘Core’ album was a trend-surfing foot in the door, the American equivalent to Blur’s baggy-riding ‘Leisure’. Really, the bands have more melodic ambitions. Scott Weiland, as his solo albums and pink fur coat proved, had far more Bowie in him than his peers. ‘Interstate Love Song’  was the lifting of the veil, when the Pilots announced, Hey, we actually listen to the Beatles , not the Melvins. It chugs along with drop-top bliss, even if the chorus is oddly about trains, not driving.

31.  ‘Radar Love’ by Golden Earring

Appropriately for a song about driving, this 1973 cut from Dutch rockers Golden Earring is one of the best road trip songs ever written. ‘The road has got me hypnotised, I’m speeding into a new sunrise!’ wails singer Barry Hay, as that bassline gets your head nodding and your foot instinctively pressing down on the gas. ‘Radar Love’ also has the best breakdown of any rock song ever. This is an indisputable scientific fact.

32.  ‘Life Is a Highway’ by Tom Cochrane

Okay. We know how heavy-handed these metaphors are. And how forced the rhymes are. We never said every song on this list was a masterpiece. But we dare you not to sing along with the chorus of this 1991 cheesefest— especially on a highway. Maybe no one ever listens to the song in its entirety (sorry Tom), but one or two ‘life is a highway’s are pretty much mandatory. Give in.

33.  ‘The Way’ by Fastball

Alt-rock band Fastball had a breakout 1998 hit with this fast-driving tale of a married pair that ditches its conventional home and family, in favour of a dream life on the highway with no destination. The feel-good, sing-along optimism of the chorus—‘They’ll never get hungry, they’ll never get old and grey’—has a dark undercurrent: Weeks after their disappearance, the bodies of the real-life Texas couple who inspired the song were discovered in an Arkansas ravine. But all of life’s roads hit a dead-end eventually: Better, maybe, at least to leave the driveway.

34.  ‘California’ by Phantom Planet

Contrary to popular belief, the hair-metal power ballad did not die by grunge’s bullet. The hair just got shorter and the trousers got looser. Case in point: this 2002 theme from The O.C. It is emo made only from the emotion of uncut nostalgia. It is basically Motley Crüe’s ‘Home Sweet Home’ for mollycoddled millennials, right down to the video compiled from sentimental tour footage. And it is oddly reminiscent of Al Jolson’s ‘California, Here I Come.’ That’s some feat, finding the common ground between Jolson and the Crüe. Man, remember when Ryan became a cage fighter after Marissa died?

35.  ‘Shut Up and Drive’ by Rihanna

This electro bop from 2007 isn’t a top-tier Rihanna tune, but it still kinda rips. Driven – pun definitely intended – by a crafty sample from New Order’s club classic ‘Blue Monday’, it’s an unashamedly fluffy new wave pastiche that’s as much about sex as hitting the open highway. Don’t even pretend you can resist it – especially when the chance of RiRi releasing new music any time soon seems to get slimmer with each passing year. 

36.  ‘Running on Empty’ by Jackson Browne

There’s a reason this song soundtracks the Forrest Gump  protagonist’s famous transcontinental jog: Few pop tunes capture the rush of earthbound travel—by foot, by car or, in Jackson Browne’s case, by tour bus—better than this autobiographical FM-radio staple. But what makes it a classic is the ambiguity in Browne’s message. ‘I don’t know where I’m running now; I’m just running on,’ he sings, perfectly summing up how the desire for escape can be its own kind of trap.

37.  ‘Two of Us’ by the Beatles

The Fab Four’s back catalogue is replete with songs about travelling around: ‘Drive My Car,’ ‘Day Tripper,’ ‘Ticket to Ride,’ ‘Yellow Submarine’—the list goes on and on like a long and winding road. No Beatles track, though, captures the feeling of setting off into uncharted territory with someone special better than ‘Two of Us,’ penned by Paul McCartney in 1969. There is debate as to whether McCartney’s partner in crime in this song is future wife Linda Eastman, as he claims, or John Lennon, which some of the nostalgia-infused lyrics would suggest. No matter—an impromptu road trip is a good time whether your passenger-seat companion is your new flame or your counterpart in the greatest songwriting tandem of all time.

38.  ‘Chicago’ by Sufjan Stevens

Some songs make your heart beat faster from the get-go, and 2005 road-trip song ‘Chicago’ is just such a gem, announcing its entrance in a whirlwind of strings and a rush of percussion. The backing cuts suddenly to Stevens’s voice, whispering that most universal human sentiment: ‘I fell in love again—all things go, all things go,’ and then later, another familiar feeling: ‘I made a lot of mistakes, I made a lot of mistakes.’ It’s this acknowledgement of our frailty, coupled with our irrepressible capacity for hope and excitement that gives  ‘Chicago’ its electrifying, driving charge. That and the fact it features in the ridiculously touching road movie Little Miss Sunshine .

39.  ‘Fade Into You’ by Mazzy Star

Night driving found a shimmering musical complement in this ethereal 1994 track from dream popsters Mazzy Star. In a rare bit of sonic magic, it seems that no matter how fast you’re driving, the low beats per minute on ‘Fade Into You’ always manage to sync up perfectly with the passing dividing lines visible from your car’s two headlights. And a night drive, preferably undertaken as you’re pining for an unrequited love, wouldn’t be complete without Hope Sandoval’s dusk, haunting vocals echoing throughout your ride. Two-lane highway bliss, by moonlight.

40.  ‘The Golden Age’ by Beck

This 2002 road trip song, off Beck’s desolate, heartbreaking ‘Sea Change’ , is one of the most perfect and profound illustrations of driving as a means of escape. It’s best played at night, in the desert if you’ve got one handy, when you feel like crap but have pretty much come to terms with it. And when, as Beck says, ‘You've gotta drive all night just to feel like you’re okay.’ Go forth, drive and wallow. Maybe you’ll feel better in the morning.

41.  ‘Scar Tissue’ by Red Hot Chili Peppers

The L.A.-bred Peppers clearly know a thing or two about hitting the highways, as evidenced by a song catalogue riddled with Cali-inspired, crank-up-the-dial tunes. For a journey out on the open road, we like this lead track off the band’s 1999 album, ‘Californication’, due to its lilting desert-by-twilight vibe. The song’s main attraction is John Frusciante’s wailing guitar solos, which achingly embody Anthony Kiedis’s lyrics about isolation and the twisted, drug-fuelled paths he’s traversed (‘With the birds I’ll share this lonely view’). Enter tumbleweed, stage right.

42.  ‘Every Day Is a Winding Road’ by Sheryl Crow

The little sister to Tom Cochrane’s ‘Life Is a Highway,’ Sheryl Crow’s 1996 hit unabashedly co-opts the use of automotive byways as metaphors for life’s ups and downs. (Billy ‘the world is a vampire’ Corgan apparently misread the memo.) The ‘wacky’ characters in Crow’s songs are often a bit too precious for our liking—in this case, a vending-machine repairman with a daughter he calls ‘Easter’ (what?)—but the chorus always gets us fired up for some hairpin turns, even when we’re cruising down a seemingly endless straightaway. This road trip song works perfectly when your destination is San Francisco’s iconic Lombard Street, whose residents probably have this tune swirling in their heads 24/7.

43.  ‘Jack & Diane’ by John Cougar Mellencamp

Inevitably, your road trip is going to hit some lulls: You’re fighting off the yawns, your passengers have passed out, and it's 57 miles to the next pit stop. When this happens, there’s one sure-fire way to get your journey back on course: Unleash the Cougar. Indiana’s favourite son specialiaes in songs about the heartland, and his crowning jewel is this 1982 chart topper about two high-school sweethearts and the twists and turns of their American Dream. Despite the jaunty beat and an epic drum breakdown rivaling the one in Phil Collins’s ‘In the Air Tonight,’ the tale is cautionary, urging us to savour those thrilling, carefree teenage years. Oh, to be young, in love and suckin’ on chilli dogs outside the Tastee Freez.…

44.  ‘King of the Road’ by Roger Miller

Did our dads play this 1964 ditty on long car rides when we were little? You betcha. Do we think they contemplated the potential consequences of making penniless vagabonds sound super cool? Doubtful. Regardless, it’s a timeless everyman’s anthem, and darn if it isn’t catchy. We really like listening to it in our van down by the river.

45.  ‘Green Onions’ by Booker T. & the M.G.’s

This R&B instrumental, recorded in 1962, is the perfect soundtrack for an unhurried drive, when you’re sick of singing along and ready to just cruise. It’s repetitive, much like the open road, but with a steady beat and some soulful Hammond organ to keep things interesting. Widely considered to be one of the greatest songs of all time, it’s received accolades from Rolling Stone , Acclaimed Music, the Grammy Hall of Fame and the Library of Congress. If AAA had a greatest songs list, we’re sure ‘Green Onions’ would be on that, too.

46.  ‘Mustang Sally’ by Wilson Pickett

You can probably blame censorship for our automobile sex fetishes. Early rock & rollers couldn’t sing about sex, so they sang about their cars…with not-so-subtle undertones. ‘Mustang Sally,’ the grandmother of ‘Little Red Corvette’ only wants to ‘ride around,’ and Pickett howls with his thumb out, looking to hitch. Don’t let this song’s karaoke staple status let you forget what it’s really about. 

47.  ‘Going Back to Cali’ by LL Cool J

From Al Jolson to Led Zeppelin and Phantom Planet, dozens of artists have tapped into the westward dream of the Golden State. Heck, the tradition stretches back to Gold Rush ditties of the mid 19th century, Smithsonian Folkways fodder like ‘Life in California.’ But only one man made the trip wrapped in precious metals, not seeking them. Cool J cruises to the coast, as he proclaims in verse, in a Corvette with a Laurents chrome chain steering wheel, Dayton wire rims and a gold-leaf convertible top. Rick Rubin’s stark 808 beats thunder under the extremely relaxed rhymes of Mr. Ladies Love. ‘I’m going back to Cali,’ he nearly whispers before shrugging it off. ‘Hmm, I don't think so’ He might go, he might not. With his riches, he is a walking California. That’s cool. Cool enough to pull off one of the few sax solos in hip-hop history.

48.  ‘The Distance’ by Cake

With the band’s signature horns and a self-serious melody that practically requires head-bobbing and Speed Racer–esque intensity (you may even want to invest in racing gloves), this single off of 1996’s ‘Fashion Nugget’ album is irresistible. The album is filled with more on-the-nose driving songs than this one (‘Race Car Ya-Yas,’ ‘Stickshifts and Safetybelts’), but this is the money single—and got the album platinum status. Throw it on repeat and hit the open road. Just take an occasional break for track No. 7, the band’s excellent cover of Gloria Gaynor’s ‘I Will Survive.’

49.  ‘Roadrunner’ by the Modern Lovers

Talk about a brilliant juxtaposition: Jonathan Richman’s 1972 cut, written when he was 19, beautifully contrasts the Velvet Underground’s bare-bones, dirty-as-hell chugalug sound with a subject matter so suburban that Richman’s heroes Lou Reed & Co. wouldn’t dare touch it: The thrill of being young, driving in a car and blasting the radio. The song’s repetitive two-chord propulsion is a perfect late-night road-trip pick-me-up. And there’s a bangin’ cover by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts to check out, too.

50.  ‘Have Love, Will Travel’ by the Sonics

At some stage in your life—at any point between getting your driver’s licence and getting married, really—you’ll drive from ‘Maine to Mexico’ for a piece of ass, as Gerry Roslie does in this proto-punk classic. The high-tension twang of the guitar sounds like the strings are about to snap, the perfect sonic emulation of sexual frustration. A recent ad for Mexican beer claims you need an ‘encyclopedic knowledge of garage rock’ to pull up this song, as if from some lost, dusty volume. Nah, this is Rock & Roll 101.

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The Ultimate Holiday Playlist for your Holiday Road Trip!

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Traveling for the holidays is a favorite ritual. Make the journey even better with our holiday playlist!

Many families will be on the road soon traveling to see family for the holiday season . And while road trips are great, an even better way to set the mood for your crew is a good holiday playlist . Wherever you stream or download your music, make sure to add these fabulous holiday favorites to your playlists!

Related: Home for the Holidays: A Road Trip Survival Guide

Classic Holiday Tunes

There is no getting around our love for the traditional holiday tunes we all grew up with. And we don’t want to! Introduce your youngsters to these songs and continue the traditions, or play them on repeat to relive your highlights from holidays past.

Rockin’ Christmas Tunes

Remember when these songs felt new? Well, they are now classics and have definitely stood the test of time. Even though they may have a distinctive feel of the 70’s and 80’s, they warm our hearts just as much today.

Pop Christmas Tunes

Some variety in your holiday playlist is good. These poppy tunes freshen up your trip with some more modern tunes and updated versions of classics.

But wait, there’s more! Be sure to add these to your holiday playlist, too.

And of course, there are some fun extras that fall a little outside those other categories. Put them in their own playlist and enjoy the mix!

Music Makes the Moment

Music can make the trip go faster, and be more enjoyable. We hope this holiday playlist helps you and yours create wonderful memories on your holiday road trip. Safe travels and Happy Holidays!

Lillie Morales is an entrepreneur mama- writer, photographer, and an Editor at AGirlsGuidetoCars.com. She loves fast, pretty cars- ones... More about Lillie Morales

50+ BEST Road Trip Songs for the Ultimate Road Trip Playlist

Heading on a road trip soon and looking for the top road trip songs to add to your road trip playlist?  I’ve got you covered with 50+ of the best road trip songs to listen (and sing along to) on long car drives.

Road Trip Songs For Your Road Trip Playlist

I hope you enjoy this list of great road trip songs. I have included a mix of road trip songs from different genres (including rock, pop and country) and different eras (from classic road trip songs to modern road trip songs). Most of these great songs are about road trips and travel or cars, highways and driving in general.

(And if you are planning on taking a road trip soon make sure to check out my essential road trip packing list  to make sure you have all your road trip essentials before you go!)

10 Best Road Trip Songs of All Time

I think these are the 10 best road trips songs of all time (in no particular order).

• “Born to Run” by Bruce Springsteen
• “On the Road Again” by Willie Nelson
• “Take Me Home, Country Roads” by John Denver
• “Life Is a Highway” by Tom Cochrane
• “Little Red Corvette” by Prince
• “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” by the Proclaimers
• “Take It Easy” by the Eagles
• “Born to Be Wild” by Steppenwolf
• “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd (This song is perfect for a classic American road trip in the South.)
• “I Can’t Drive 55” by Sammy Hagar

Best Classic Road Trip Songs

Below are the greatest classic road trip songs that need to be on your music playlist:

• “Long Lonely Highway” by Elvis Presley
• “Highway to Hell” by AC/DC
• “American Pie” by Don McLean
• “Hit the Road Jack” by Ray Charles
• “Route 66” by Chuck Berry
• “No Particular Place to Go” by Chuck Berry
• “Truckin’” by The Grateful Dead
• “Running on Empty” by Jackson Browne
• “Tiny Dancer” by Elton John
• “Mustang Sally” by Wilson Pickett
• “Radar Love” by Golden Earring
• “Hotel California” by Eagles
• “America” by Simon & Garfunkel
• “The Passenger” by Iggy Pop

80s Road Trip Songs

Below are best 80s road trip songs to add to your music playlist:

• “Holiday Road” by Lindsey Buckingham
• “Road to Nowhere” by Talking Heads
• “Danger Zone” by Kenny Loggins (from the movie Top Gun)
• “Don’t Stop Believin'” by Journey
• “Love Shack” by the B52s
• “Here I Go Again” by Whitesnake
• “Born in the U.S.A” by Bruce Springsteen
• “Free Fallin’” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
• “I Drove All Night” by Cyndi Lauper
• “Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman

90s Road Trip Songs

Below are best 90s road trip songs to add to your music playlist:

• “Road Trippin'” by Red Hot Chili Peppers
• “I’ve Been Everywhere” by Johnny Cash
• “The Distance” by Cake
• “Drive” by Incubus
• “The Way” by Fastball
• “Everyday is a Winding Road” by Sheryl Crow

Modern Road Trip Songs

Below are best modern road trip songs to add to your music playlist:

• “Shut Up and Drive” by Rihanna
• “California” by Phantom Planet – this is one of my favorite California road trip songs .)
• “Keep the Car Running” by Arcade Fire
• “A Thousand Miles” by Vanessa Carlton
• “Party in the U.S.A.” by Miley Cyrus
• “California Gurls” by Katy Perry (featuring Snoop Dogg)
• “Maps For The Getaway” by Andrew McMahon
• “Holocene” by Bon Iver
• “I Am The Highway” by Audioslave
• “Wild” by John Legend and Gary Clark Jr.
• “Thousand Miles” by Miley Cyrus (feat. Brandi Carlile)
• “Levitating” by Dua Lipa
• “Home” by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros – this is the perfect song to listen on the way back home after a long trip

Road Trip Playlist on Spotify

To make it easier for you to listen, I have created a spotify playlist of the best road trip songs of all time:

What are your favorite road trip songs?

Need some road trip inspiration?

• Best Road Trips in the USA
• Best Road Trips In Europe For Your Bucket List
• Best Road Trips in Australia
• Best Road Trip Quotes to Inspire You to Go!

Related Posts

savvyglobetrotter

These are all classics for sure when you’re talking about a road trip. My favorite would be Sammy Hagar “I Can’t Drive 55”. Something about that cool flow that makes it perfect for a summer road trip. But I would not follow the advice because I wish not to get pulled over crossing the country LOL.

Thank you so much for putting out this list of road trips and songs!!

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Best 30 road trip songs for your road trip playlist

The best sing-along road trip songs with our favourite country and pop songs for the ultimate road trip vibe, plus other listening tips for the road.

Jeremy Sudibyo

A great roadbound adventure with an RV Rental needs the best road trip songs. Quietude is nice when staring out the car window in a state of holiday-bliss, but will get awkward at the half-hour mark. Singing along to a nice tune together is much more fun, so music it is! 

But what makes great road trip music? In this post, find out what a good tune needs to have to be great road material. 

For your future travels, we’ve recommended 30 of the best songs for a road trip and shared them in a Spotify playlist. We’ve added a downloadable, one-hour broadcast of some of those songs too. Read on to find further listening tips for great audiobooks and podcasts that will keep you entertained while driving.

What are some good road trip songs?

Every great road trip comes with its own soundtrack, but what makes a good road trip song? Different co-travellers, landscapes, seasons, and even times of day, all demand other music genres. On top of that, what defines ‘good music’ is a matter of taste. 

30 road trip songs to drive to and sing along

Now that we’ve shared our two cents on what makes a good playlist for cruising, how about we share our playlist? There’s everything we recommended above: singalongs, upbeat tunes, and good vibes above all. 

We’ve created a playlist on Spotify for you to stream. It’s embedded right here:

Songs on the playlist

1 Willie Nelson – On the Road Again

2. The Beach Boys – Good Vibrations

3. Ms Lauryn Hill – Doo Wop

4. The Modern Lovers – Roadrunner

5. OutKast – Hey Ya!

6. Men At Work – Down Under

7. Red Hot Chilli Peppers – Road Trippin’

8. Queen – Another One Bites The Dust

9. Paul Simon – Graceland

10. Eagles – Take It Easy 

11. A Tribe Called Quest – Can I kick It 

12. Kanye West – Through The Wire

13. Dr. Dre, Snoop Dog – Nuthin’ But A “G” Thang 

14. Dj Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince – Summertime

15. Whitney Houston – I Wanna Dance with Somebody

16. A-ha – Take on Me

17. Madonna – Holiday

18. Katrina & The Waves – Walking on Sunshine

19. Tracy Chapman – Give Me One Reason

20. David Bowie – Sound and Vision

21. Van Morrison – Brown Eyed Girl

22. Iggy Pop – The Passenger

23. Carly Simon – You’re so Vain

24. Peter, Pail and Mary – Leaving on a Jet Plane

25. Otis Redding – (Sittin’ On) the Docks of the Bay

26. Don McLean – American Pie

27. Talking Heads – This Must Be the Place

28. Fleetwood Mac – Go Your Own Way

29. Lou Reed – Walk on the Wild Side

30. Toploader – Dancing in the Moonlight

We can’t tell you what the best road trip music is (but we’ll try to!), so how about we give you a few guidelines to create your own road trip music playlist? 

How to create a good music playlist for a road trip?

Sing along road trip songs

Singalong songs make a road trip. There’s no better bonding than singing together and no better way to raise spirits and build momentum. You’ve found a good road trip singalong song when you instantly reach for the volume knob to blast the tune for all to sing (and to mask missing some of those high notes). 

Beware when adding singalongs to your playlist: use them sparingly! Not just because these are your special sauce, your co-driver can handle only so much Backstreet Boys.

A tempo for driving

If you’re driving for hours on end you’ll want to have music to keep you going. Not in a hurried way, just the right upbeat tempo and rhythm to keep feeling good and energetic. Maybe you don’t want to constantly have the same bpm for fear of dozing off. 

Add some variety and change of tempo to your music playlist to keep engaged. 

Music has the magical quality of setting the mood. So what mood does your playlist need to set? We want that holiday-vibe to kick in when on the road. 

Let’s analyze that vibe: it’s a happy feeling, one of excitement and adventure or whatever you chase on the journey you’re on. You want your music to reflect that and send out good vibrations to set the mood for a quality vacation. 

Everyone has their preferred musical genres and it’s up to you to create a playlist that fits your journey—keeping your travel companions in mind, that is. To keep everyone including yourself satisfied and listening, add a fun mix of genres to your playlist, including a combination of rock, country, rap and pop songs. 

Consider choosing a genre to build a theme around. Like adding good ol’ rock and roll for a deserted highway or chansons for the countryside.

Ready to build your own playlist? Whatever type of music you like most, following the above principles will help you have a good time on the road

The best Audiobooks and Podcasts for a Road Trip

Where music can really set the stage for your trip, there’s other listening material that scores as good on the entertainment side. 

Some of the greatest novels and most interesting non-fiction are available as audiobooks. Listening to them is like taking a journey within your journey—if anything, it’s a great way to kill time. 

Podcasts are the modern pirate radio stations. The sheer range of content and the indie feel to them make them excellent sound bytes on the road.

Audiobooks worth listening to on your next trip

A well-narrated audiobook will easily keep you entertained for hours on end. Note that not all books work equally well in audio format. 

We recommend to skip anything with sentences that blot whole pages. They’re meant for reading and making your brain tingle. Memoirs and engaging biographies make for great audiobooks. And novels. Any well told story, really. 

Audiobooks are copyrighted like e-books and therefore available through specific outlets, like Audible and iTunes.  

Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life 

Written and narrated by William Finnegan

Planning a coastal trip? These are the memoirs of a top-notch journalist who spent a life covering weighty topics like apartheid. And also spent a life surfing. Finnegan will transport you to deserted atolls and onto dusty roads in the Outback for the sake of chasing waves. Whether or not you’re a surfer, you’ll appreciate the story of a life well lived. 

Endurance. Shackleton’s Amazing Journey

By Alfred Lansing, narrated by Simon Prebble

Heading to cold territories? Does your campervan expedition lack strong leadership? Enter Shackleton, one of the 20th century’s most celebrated leader of men. Not because he led his expedition to victory. But because, when things went horribly wrong on his 1914 polar expedition, it was Ernest Shackleton who got all of his men home. This (audio)book is the definite retelling of one of the greatest adventures of our times. 

Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly

Written and narrated by Anthony Bourdain

The late Bourdain shows you the shadowy side of gourmet during his time growing up in the culinary world. An honest story by a man who is sorely missed by those he left behind. This is a unique chance to hear Anthony tell his own story and to get ready for your own gourmet adventure, wherever you’re headed on your holidays.

Or go for the classic story The Odyssey by Ian McKellen!

The Jungle Book

By Rudyard Kipling, pick your favourite narrator

This is a great option on a family road trip, because The Jungle Book opens up a world that speaks to all ages. When travelling with younguns, go for the Just So series of Kipling’s kids stories. Our favourite? The Elephant’s Child, narrated by Jack Nicholson (yes, this happened) and with a capella music by Bobby McFerrin (yes, really). 

The Children of Húrin

By J.R.R. Tolkien, narrated by Christopher Lee

Lord of the Rings fans need no convincing here, especially when reading who narrated Tolkien’s posthumously published novel. The late and great Christoper Lee, Saruman himself! This epic tale (also retold briefly in The Silmarillion) is set in the First Age of Middle Earth and is filled with tragedy and glory. For anyone who has no idea what all of that was just now, 

By Homer, narrated by Ian McKellen 

The mother of all journeys, Odyssey needs no introduction. If you’ve always wanted to but never read the epic(est, can we do that?) poem yourself, fear not—many have failed to commit. Perhaps Odysseus’ heroic tale will grip you when it’s told by Ian McKellen (that is Gandalf for you). Fun fact: in ancient times and before the greek alphabet, the Odyssey was an oral tradition, so maybe listening to it as an audiobook is coming full circle.  

6 of the best podcasts for a road trip

Listening to podcasts while on the road works wonderfully, too. They’re often engaging, current, and presented in a shorter format than audiobooks. It’s like listening to news radio but with your favourite hosts and full of interesting information. 

These online broadcasts air per episode and cover the whole spectrum of topics, making them an appealing and non-committal option for travellers. Here are some of the best podcasts for a road trip.

Zero to Travel

A must for aspiring travel nomads, this podcast covers the wondrous ways of alternative travelling: budget travels, digital nomads, and the stories of people who made travelling their life’s work.  

Economist Radio

Host David Palmer throws a weekly light on current topic in the way you’ve come to expect from The Economist. This is opinionated news on a level you won’t likely find on the FM band. Get opinionated here .

Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

If to you a road trip adventure is about meeting new people, maybe you want to tune into this podcast. As an armchair expert, the host interviews people from all walks of life to hear stories, challenges, and life lessons. 

Condé Nast Traveler: Women who Travel

This isn’t the early 20th century and you’re not staying home just because you’re a woman. This Apple Podcast series is a celebration of travelling women pooled from the huge community Condé Nast mobilized around the topic. 

Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History

This podcast is for those with, one, a deep-rooted interest in history (often the gorey type) and , two, a lot of distance to cover on their road trip. Called the king of long-form podcasts, host Dan Carlin will research an event or topic for months to build a compelling historical storyline that can last for hours, nay days. Trans-Euro drive, anyone? 

Everything is Alive

A comical and informative podcast where objects from a lamppost to a soap bar are given a voice so that they discuss their life with the podcast host. An absurd premise that manages to reveal as much about ourselves as it does about the hidden life of your daily items.

About the Autor

Seasonal vanlifer on a permanent holiday. Does occasional creative work to sustain his diet of beachside margaritas and paperback thrills.

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100+ Best Road Trip songs (to sing along with as you drive!)

Looking for good road trip songs? Honestly, the right driving songs in the right playlist can make or break a road trip! Here are 100+ best road trip songs to sing along with as you drive!

And don’t forget to download your FREE road trip planner below , to help you plan your road trip.

*We work hard to make this the best motorhome travel blog and road trip website possible, full of helpful content for you. The website is supported by our readers, so if you buy through links on this site we may earn a commission- at no extra cost to you. All opinions remain our own .

If you find this post useful, you can also treat us to a coffee – we promise to enjoy it while creating more useful content like this- we might even indulge in a biscuit (or two!)

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Best Road Trip Songs

Planning a road trip or long drive is tough. There are a million things to think about. And one of the things often overlooked is a road trip playlist!

Whether you’re travelling by car, RV, camper or bike, this list of the 100 best road trip driving songs is guaranteed to make the miles fly past!

We’ve got a mix of great driving songs to sing along too: songs for girly summer road trips, classic rock, all-American, a bit of country and some modern 2020 tunes- all designed to create the PERFECT playlist for your journey. And with over 100 road trip songs to choose from, you’re guaranteed to find something for everyone to sing along with on the road.

Make planning your next road trip EASY (& fun!)

When you’re planning a road trip, keeping track & organising all your ideas is often the hardest part. Fix that TODAY with our printable pdf road trip planner. Grab yours FREE now

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How to create a great road trip playlist with sing-along songs!

The window wound down, the stereo cranked up and some awesome tunes you can sing along to; perfection, right? But if you’re anything like us, your phone/iPod is a random mix of all sorts of music- including a Christmas album or 7.

That’s why a road trip playlist is so important- you don’t have to worry if the next tune will be great, you already know it will be! 

• Make sure the songs are downloaded onto your phone/ ipod. Otherwise, you’re going to use up a lot of data and/ or run the risk of being in an area with bad signal and no music!
• Like listening to things as you drive? Check out Audible – you can get podcasts, audiobooks and more- it’s a perfect way to pass the time on a long drive.

You might be able to get 3 MONTHS FREE music at Amazon. Click HERE to take advantage 

I’ll be honest- there was some…. let’s call it “discussion”… over the best travel songs to include on this list. My husband prefers classic rock for driving songs. I like songs you can sing along with in the car and songs to drive fast too (NEVER above the speed limit though… right?!)

We compromised on creating a road trip playlist with song choices from all of us, so we hope there’s something in here for you!

So, let’s get to the best road trip songs.

(Update: This post started off as 100 of the best road trip songs… it’s growing as we add more in, so no idea how many are here now!! )

20 Rock Classics- the BEST Road trip Rock songs

• Danger Zone – Kenny Loggins
• Nutbush City Limits – Ike & Tina Turner
• Dude Looks like a Lady – Aerosmith
• American Pie – Don Mclean
• Whole Lotta Rosie – AC/ DC
• Don’t Stop Believing – Journey
• Paradise City – Guns N’ Roses
• All Night Long – Rainbow
• Cats in the Cradle – Ugly Kid Joe
• Here I Go Again – Whitesnake
• Jump – Van Halen
• We Built This City – Starship
• Summer of ’69 – Bryan Adams
• Hell ain’t a Bad Place to Be – AC/DC
• The Boys are Back in Town – Thin Lizzy
• Rio – Duran Duran
• Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting – Elton John
• Who are You – The Who
• Go Your Own Way – Fleetwood Mac
• Love Walked In – Thunder

Best Driving Songs- All-American road trip songs

• Born in the USA – Bruce Springsteen
• Sweet Home Alabama – Lynyrd Skynyrd
• Walk This Way – Aerosmith & Run DMC
• My Life – Billy Joel
• Living on a Prayer – Bon Jovi
• Footloose – Kenny Loggins
• One of these Nights – The Eagles
• Born to be Wild – Steppenwolf
• Nothing but a Good Time-  Poison

Planning a road trip? You might find these posts useful:

• How to plan a road trip
• The BEST printable road trip planner (FREE!)
• Most useful road trip apps
• 100 inspiring road trip quotes

25 Modern road trip songs to sing along with (2020 update)

Our favourite modern (ish!) driving songs, all of which are perfect to sing along to in the car and belt it out- especially in a traffic jam with people staring at you!! Add any (or all!) of these to your perfect summer road trip playlist.

• Physical- Dua Lipa
• Stupid Love – Lady Gaga
• Dance Monkey – Tones & I (you know you love it…)
• Take Me Back to London – Ed Sheeran
• All the Good Girls go to Hell – Billie Eilish
• What a Man Gotta Do – Jonas Brothers
• Castle on the Hill – Ed Sheeran
• Uptown Funk – Mark Robson & Bruno Mars
• Rockstar – Nickelback
• Looking for a Good Time – Lady Antebellum
• It’s My Life – Bon Jovi
• Take me to Church – Hozier
• Hold Back the River – James Bay
• Shut Up & Dance – Walk the Moon
• Happy – Pharell Williams
• The Pretender – Foo Fighters
• Hall of Fame – The Script
• Centuries – Fall Out Boy
• Sex on Fire – Kings of Leon
• The Kill – 30 Seconds to Mars
• Mr Brightside – The Killers
• My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark – Fall Out Boy
• Don’t Threaten Me with a Good Time – Panic at the Disco
• Knights of Cydonia – Muse
• If I had you – Adam Lambert
• All the Small Things – Blink 182

The ultimate girl’s road trip playlist- perfect songs to sing along with in the car!

Ah- I LOVE girly road trips, especially in the summer. There’s nothing better than some sunshine, good friends and some GREAT songs on the stereo. Here are some of our favourite road trip songs for girls (although we don’t mind if you boys listen to them too! 😉 )

20 Modern road trip sing-along songs for girls

• Rolling in the Deep – Adele
• Waking Up in Vegas – Katy Perry
• Trouble – Pink
• Everytime We Touch – Cascada
• According to You – Orianthi
• Bang Bang – Jessie J, Ariana Grande & Nicki Menaj
• Black Magic – Little Mix
• Heartbeat Song – Kelly Clarkson
• Sax – Fleur East
• Can’t Be Tame d- Miley Cyrus
• Fight Song – Rachel Platten
• The Best Damn Thing – Avril Lavigne
• Call Me Maybe – Carly Rae Jepsen
• U and Ur Hand – Pink!
• Part of Me – Katy Perry
• Shake it Off – Taylor Swift
• This is Me – Greatest Showman Soundtrack
• Raise Your Glass – Pink
• Living la Vida Loca – Ricky Martin
• Baby one more time – Brittany Spears

20 Classic road trip songs for girls to sing along to in the car!

• Walking on Sunshine – Katrina & the Waves
• Bitch – Meredith Brooks
• Everything I do, I do it for you – Bryan Adams
• Holding Out for a Hero – Bonnie Tyler
• Wake Me up before you Go-Go – Wham
• It’s Raining Men – Weather Girls
• Love Shack – B52s
• I’m so Excited – Pointer Sisters
• Dancing in the Moonlight – Toploader
• 9 to 5 – Dolly Parton
• Uptown Girl – Billy Joel
• Heaven is a Place on Earth – Belinda Carlisle
• Man! I Feel like a woman – Shania Twain
• Girls Just Wanna Have Fun – Cyndi Lauper
• Poker Face – Lady Gaga
• Burning Love – Wynonna (I much prefer this version- sorry Elvis!!)
• Love My Life – Robbie Williams
• Torn – Natalie Imbruglia
• Proud Mary – Tina Turner
• Summer Nights- Grease

14 Driving Songs with ‘road in the title’- perfect for a road trip playlist!

• Hit the Road Jack – Ray Charles
• Every Day is a Winding Road – Sheryl Crow
• Take me Home, Country Roads – John Denver
• The Long and Winding Road – The Beatles
• Bright Side of the Road – Van Morrison
• Long Road To Ruin – Foo Fighters
• Road Trippin’ – Red Hot Chilli Peppers
• Back on the Road Again – REO Speedwagon
• Thunder Road – Bruce Springsteen
• Road to Hell – Chris Rea
• Road to Nowhere – Talking Heads
• Old Town Road – Lil Nas X
• Roadhouse Blues – The Doors
• Road Less Traveled – Lauren Alaina

15 best songs about driving and cars

Some of the best songs about driving (and cars!) – all perfect for a road trip playlist!

• Mustang Sally – The Commitments
• Bat out of Hell – Meatloaf
• I Drove all night – Roy Orbison
• Rhythm Made Me Do It – Shania Twain
• Drive By – Train
• Greased Lightnin’ – Grease Soundtrack
• Paradise by the Dashboard Light – Meatloaf
• Bad Habit – The Offspring
• Car Wash – Rose Royce
• 2,4,6,8 Motorway – Tom Robinson Band
• Little Red Corvette – Prince
• Pink Cadillac – Bruce Springsteen
• Route 66 – Chuck Berry
• Drive – The Cars
• Drive My Car – The Beatles

Planning a long drive? These post might help

• 15 Essential road trip tips you NEED to know
• Things to remember before you leave
• Healthy snacks for road trips

Best Driving songs to drive faster to (and sing along with!!)

Yes, we’ve already had some AMAZING road trip songs for the playlist, but here are some more to crank it up and sing along with (just watch that speed limit!!)

• Don’t Stop Me Now – Queen
• Monkey Wrench – Foo Fighters
• Eye of the Tiger – Survivor
• Beat It – Michael Jackson
• 50 Ways to say Goodbye – Train
• River Deep, Mountain High – Tina Turner
• Cherry Pie – Warrant
• I would do anything for love – Meatloaf
• Addicted to Love – Robert Palmer
• Pour Some Sugar on Me – Def Leppard (one of the best songs about sugar ever 😉 )
• Any Way you Want it – Journey (or the Rock of Ages version!)
• DOA – Foo Fighters
• Lowlife – Theory of a Deadman
• Making it Hard – Hinder
• Oblivion – Terrorvision
• Haven’t Had Enough – Marianas Trench
• Angel with a Shotgun – The Cab
• Silent Majority – Nickelback
• Run to You – Bryan Adams
• Thanks for the Mmrs – Fall Out Boy
• The Anthem – Good Charlotte
• Teenagers – My Chemical Romance
• High School Never Ends – Bowling for Soup
• Seven Nation Army – White Stripes
• Kung Fu Fighting – Carl Douglas
• Build Me up Buttercup – The Foundations
• Johnny B Goode – Chuck Berry
• Come As You Are – Nirvana
• Teenage Dirtbag – Wheatus

20 Quieter Road trip songs- for when the kids are sleeping!

These songs are perfect when you want to turn it down a little bit. Admittedly, we tend to turn them up, but then we don’t have young kids anymore!

(Top tip for parents- these children’s car games won’t drive you crazy. Promise!)

• Livin’ Thing – Electric Light Orchestra
• All I Need is a Miracle – Mike and the Mechanics
• Everybody wants to Rule the World – Tears for Fears
• Money for Nothing – Dire Straits
• In the Air Tonight – Phil Collins  (just remember to air drum quietly!!)
• I don’t want a lover – Texas
• The Chain – Fleetwood Mac
• The Gambler – Kenny Rogers
• Stay with Me – Rod Stewart
• All Night Long- Lionel Richie
• No Son of Mine – Genesis
• Easy Lover – Phil Collins & Philip Bailey
• Every Little Thing She Does – The Police
• It’s a Beautiful Day – Michael Buble
• Jesus, He knows me – Genesis
• The Day We Caught the Train – Ocean Colour Scene
• All Right Now – Free
• Another Brick in the Wall – Pink Floyd
• Mama Told Me not to Come – Tom Jones
• Boys of Summer – Don Henley

Classic road trip driving songs for EVERY trip

These are some of our favourite driving tunes- but they didn’t really fit anywhere else (or they did, but my OCD with the numbers wouldn’t allow it!) Still, don’t forget to put these onto your ultimate driving playlist!!

• Africa – Toto
• Waterloo – Abba
• Like I Roll – Black Stone Cherry
• Sharp Dressed Man – ZZ Top
• I Love Rock n Roll – Joan Jet
• Counting Stars – OneRepublic
• Song 2 – Blur
• Only The Good Die Young – Billy Joel
• Dreadlock Holiday – 10cc
• Englishman in New York – Sting
• Stacy’s Mom – Bowling for Soup or Fountains of Wayne
• The Power of Love – Huey Lewis and The News
• One of Us – Joan Osborne
• Won’t Get Fooled Again – The Who
• When the Going gets tough – Billy Ocean
• I Can’t Dance – Genesis
• Losing My Religion – R.E.M
• We Are Family – Sister Sledge
• Video Killed the Radiostar – The Buggles
• Hit Me with your Best Shot – Pat Benatar
• I Got You (I Feel Good) – James Brown
• Graceland – Paul Simon
• Since You Been Gone – Rainbow
• Total Eclipse of the Heart – Bonnie Tyler
• Are You Gonna Go My Way – Lenny Kravitz
• I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For – U2

Spotify Link for this road trip playlist

If you’d like to download this playlist on Spotify, you can do so here.

And if you found it helpful and like our playlist, feel free to buy us a coffee 😉

Best Road Trip Songs- how did you like our Playlist?

Every single one of these songs makes us turn the volume up and sing along like crazy people- much to the amusement of anyone around us!

These are driving songs to embarrass yourselves to and enjoy every second.  I hope it’s given you some great ideas for your own road trip playlist- let me know what you include on yours!!

How else can I help you today?

• Record your trip in one of these beautiful road trip logbooks
• How to plan an epic RV trip for beginners
• The BEST gifts for road trippers
• Essential road trip kit
• Best Children’s car Games

Kat never planned to buy a motorhome. She also never planned to quit her job as an air traffic controller, go touring around Europe in said motorhome, start one of the UK’s largest motorhome travel websites… or get a cocker spaniel.

Find out how she went from stuck in the rat race to being a digital nomad and inspiring thousands of people to have their own epic adventures here.

If you’d like to connect with Kat, send her an email or follow her adventures on social media.

Sharing is caring!

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15 comments.

Wow that is a great list. You have a few I had forgotten. Very complete list of all music genre. That is the only problem I have with things like Sirrus and XM you have to select only one type. I love Pandora but as you mentioned DATA, DATA, so Ipod it is for roadtrips.

Thank you! We had a lot of fun writing it and listening to old songs 🙂 Yeah, Data is definitely something worth considering- it can get expensive quickly otherwise!

You missed out poison alive Cooper got to be on

thanks for the information

You’re welcome!

What an awesome song list. Thanks for sharing this list. take care…

You are very welcome- glad you enjoyed it. Happy Road trip!

Great lists. I made playlists on Spotify that can be accessed by anybody. Makes it easy if you have Spotify.

How do I access the playlist that you made

Rockin’ down the highway by The Doobie Brothers

Is there a way to automatically click a link or something so my Apple Music will automatically take and start playing the 150 song list

Wow. Now I have something to do while waiting for lockdown to end. I’ve never heard of some of yours! You won’t have heard of some of mine! Each to his own. I will start with Stones, Clapton, John Mayalls Bluesbreakers, Sonny Boy Williams……….Can’t stop, I’ve got to get my iPod.?

This is a really lovely list. I would also recommend Dead American Presidents’ Peaches for trips through farm country.

I miss the golden Earring with Radar love.

Can’t believe you don’t have and Go-Go’s songs listed!! I can think of a few that are awesome road trip songs !!

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150+ Road Trip Songs: Your Ultimate Driving Playlist

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The Best Road Trip Music

A road trip wouldn’t be a road trip without a good old sing along. Whilst on the road, regardless of how you sound, singing at the top of your lungs is just de rigueur – in fact, it’s road trip law!

There are so many amazing songs to choose from that I’ve had a great time compiling our playlist of road trip songs. I’ve been transported back through time to my favourite memories and karaoke nightmares, and been introduced to some fantastic new songs.

Forget about the 100 best road trip songs, we’ve broken down the top 150+ of the best songs for road trips! Each category has its own amazing road trip playlist, and there is also a combined Spotify ultimate playlist for a road trip, with four hours of travelling songs. So, warm up those pipes and get ready to belt out some fantastic tunes on the open road!

Classic Road Trip Songs

No matter what year you were born, or your musical taste, most of you will have heard and know the lyrics to these classic rock songs, making them really good songs to drive to. From Hotel California to Space Oddity, these are some of the greatest songs, by the greatest artists of all time. They also include some of the best guitar solos ever recorded. A great addition to any road trip playlists.

• The Eagles – Hotel California
• Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody
• Lynyrd Skynyrd – Sweet Home Alabama
• Tom Petty – Free Fallin
• AC/DC – Highway to Hell
• The Beatles – Here Comes The Sun
• Creedence Clearwater Revival – Bad Moon Rising
• The Rolling Stones – Sympathy for the Devil
• The Kinks – You Really Got Me Going
• Fleetwood Mac – Go Your Own Way
• David Bowie – Space Oddity
• Don McLean – American Pie
• Bob Segar – Old Time Rock & Roll
• Abba – Waterloo
• Elton John – Rocket Man
• The Doors – Light My Fire
• Bob Dylan – Like A Rolling Stone
• Ray Charles – Hit The Road Jack
• Allman Brothers Band – Midnight Rider
• Willie Nelson – On The Road Again
• Aretha Franklin – Respect
• Billy Joel – Piano Man
• Chuck Berry – Johnny B. Goode
• The Beach Boys – Surfin U.S.A
• Neil Diamond – Sweet Caroline
• Van Morrison – Brown Eyed Girl
• Bachman Turner Overdrive – Taking care of Business
• Johnny Cash- Ring of Fire
• Simon & Garfunkel – Mrs Robinson
• Led Zepplin – Kashmir
• Nina Simone – Sinnerman
• Golden Earring – Radar Love
• Jackson Browne – Stay

Get the classic road trip songs playlist here

DJ’s & Collaborations

Some of the best songs for driving are collaborations. Two or three amazing artists bringing together their unique sounds can result in pure magic, and these are a great addition to any chill road trip songs playlist.

• David Guetta ft. Sia – Titanium
• Calvin Harris ft. Rag’n’Bone Man – Giant
• Dr. Dre, Eminem ft. Skylar Grey – I Need a Doctor
• Dua Lipa and Elton John – Cold Heart
• Rihanna and JAY Z – Umbrella
• Robin Shultz and Lilly Wood- Prayer in C
• David Guetta ft. Estelle – One Love
• Calvin Harris ft. Dua Lipa – One Kiss
• Beyonce and JAY Z – Crazy in Love
• Diddy Dirty Money and Skyler Grey – Coming Home
• Sigma ft. Paloma Faith – Changing
• David Guetta ft. Becky Hill, Ella Henderson – Crazy What Love Can Do
• Rihanna ft. Calvin Harris – We Found Love
• Rudimental and John Newman, Alex Clare – Not Givin In
• Sean Paul and Dua Lipa – No Lie
• Ed Sheeran and Khalid – Beautiful People
• JAY Z and Alicia Keys – Empire State of Mind
• Blackstreet, Dr Dre and Queen Pen – No Diggity
• Santana and Rob Thomas – Smooth
• Kanye West, Rhianna and Paul McCartney – FourFiveSeconds
• Nelly and Kelly Rowland – Dilemma
• Eve and Gwen Stefani – Let Me Blow Ya Mind
• Rudimental and John Newman – Feel The Love
• The Chainsmokers and Coldplay – Something Just Like This
• Amy Winehouse and Mark Rowland – Valerie
• Eminem abd Dido – Stan
• Run D.M.C and Aerosmith – Walk This Way

Get the alternative road trip songs playlist here

Road Trip Songs from the Twenties (2020 – 2022)

There is a bigger selection of all types of music than ever before, and a lot of the new artists are very exciting. However, Kate Bush and Running Up That Hill making a comeback after 30 years just goes to show that there’s room for everyone. Use these songs to help create your modern road trip playlist.

• Lizzo – About Damn Time
• Doja Cat – Say So
• Tones and I – Dance Monkey
• Kate Bush – Running Up That Hill
• Adele – Easy On Me
• Charli XCX – Yuck
• Gayle – abc
• Charlie Puth – Light Switch
• Florence + The Machine – King
• Harry Styles – As It Was
• Beyonce – Summer Renaissance
• The Weekend – Out Of Time
• Camilla Cabello – La Buena Vida
• Jessie Ware – Free Yourself
• Amber Mark – Bliss
• Ellie Goulding – Easy Lover
• Dua Lipa – Love Again

Get the twenties playlist here

Late Noughties (2011-2019) Road Trip Songs

In 2011 Spotify really started to take off, gaining over 1 million subscribers. This new way of listening allowed you to play music your own way, whatever you wanted, whenever you wanted, and changed the way we buy and listen to music forever. Creating a songs playlist of your favourites led to people discovering new music, which they wouldn’t have heard otherwise. These are some of the best road trip songs of the 2000s.

• Adele – Rolling in The Deep
• Paloma Faith – Crybaby
• Robin Thicke – Blurred Lines
• Mumford & Suns – I Will Wait
• Rag’n’Bone Man – Human
• The Weekend – Blinding Lights
• Mr. Probz – Waves
• Klangkarussell – Sonnentanz
• Parov Stelar – The Sun
• Arctic Monkeys – I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor
• Rihanna – Diamonds
• Lorde – Royals
• Jess Glynn – Hold My Hand
• The Chainsmokers – Don’t Let Me Down
• Bruno Mars – 24k Magic
• Pharrell Williams – Happy
• Twenty One Pilots – Stressed Out
• Coldplay – Viva La Viva
• Mylie Cyrus – We Can’t Stop
• Harry Styles – Adore You
• Sia – Chandelier
• Robyn – Dancing On My Own
• Ed Sheeran – Shape of You

Get the late noughties playlist here

The Early Noughties (2000-2010) Best Driving Songs

Anything goes as far as music from the early noughties, there wasn’t a particular genre that stood out and no new genres really emerged. Still, we had some fantastic music from really iconic bands. Include these great tunes on your road trips songs playlist.

• Coldplay – Yellow
• The Killers – Mr. Brightside
• Muse – Uprising
• Florence + The Machine – You’ve Got The Love
• Kings of Leon – Sex on Fire
• Alicia Keys – Fallin’
• Gnarls Barkley – Crazy
• Nelly Furtado – I’m Like A Bird
• India.Arie – Video
• Lady Gaga – Just Dance
• Eminem – The Real Slim Shady
• Keane – Somewhere Only We Know
• Black Eyed Peas – I Gotta Feeling
• Coldplay – Clocks
• Black Eyed Peas – Where is the Love
• Snow Patrol – Chasing Cars
• Stereophonics – Dakota
• Madonna – Hung Up
• Kaiser Chiefs – I Predict A Riot
• The Fratellis – Whistle For The Choir
• Kelly Rowland – Work
• The Strokes – Last Night
• Franz Ferdinand – Take Me Out
• Green Day – Boulevard of Broken Dreams

Get the early noughties playlist here

Grab our road trip packing list, road trip checklist & road trip planner when you subscribe for our monthly newsletter, cool road trip remixes.

If you fancy listening to something a bit different, check out these fantastic remixes on SoundCloud.

• Moby – Almost Home – Vijay & Sofia Zklatko Remix
• Tracey Chapman – Stand By Me – Fabien Lanciano Remix
• Calvin Harris & Disciples – How Deep is Your Love – Chris Lake Remix
• Chaka Khan – Ain’t Nobody – Laurent Wild & The Discoh Family Edit
• Hall and Oats – I Can’t Go For That – Pomo Remix
• Clean Bandit – Rather Be – JackLNDN Remix
• Chic ft. Sugarhill Gang – Good Times Vs Rappers Delight – Jet Boot Jack Remix
• Dusty Springfield – Son of a Preacher Man – Bergeque Edit
• Sia – Cheap Thrills ft. Sean Paul – Bruno Torres Remix
• The Chainsmokers & Halsey – Closer – R3hab Remix
• Wiz Khalifa Ft. Charlie Puth – See You Again Bauke Top Remix
• Dire Straits – Sultans of Swing – lg Oliver Remix
• Fleetwood Mac – Dreams – Gigamesh Edit
• Sade – Smooth Operator – Dj S Bootleg Dance Remix
• Naz – Old Town Road – B.R.T Official Remix
• Snow Patrol – Mysterious ways
• Parra For Cuva – Wicked Game

Get the cool remixes playlist here

Best 90’s Road Trip Songs

The nineties were one of the most inventive and creative periods for music. The decade saw grunge really take off in the USA and the battle of Brit pop in the UK. These different genres still influence music today. So if you’re going on an American road trip or to drive through Europe, add these songs to create your perfect road trip songs playlist.

• Nirvana – Smells like Teen Spirit
• Red Hot Chilli Peppers – Under the Bridge
• Pearl Jam – Even Flow
• Faithless – Why Go?
• Alanis Morissette – Ironic
• The Cranberries – Linger
• The Verve – Bitter Sweet Symphony
• R.E.M – Losing My Religion
• TLC – Waterfalls
• Blur – Park Life
• Oasis – Don’t Look Back In Anger
• Sheryl Crow – All I Wanna Do
• Natalie Imbruglia – Torn
• Fugees – Killing Me Softly With His Song
• 4 Non Blondes – What’s Up?
• Radiohead – Creep
• No Doubt – Don’t Speak
• The Goo Goo Dolls – Iris
• Sixpence None The Richer – Kiss Me
• Lenny Kravitz – Are you Gonna Go My Way
• Guns N’ Roses – Don’t Cry
• The Cure – Friday I’m in Love
• Weezer – Buddy Holly
• Ace of Base – All That She Wants
• 10,000 Maniacs – These Are Days
• The Commitments – Mustang Sally
• George Michael – Freedom! ’90
• Fatboy Slim – Praise You
• Tom Cochrane – Life is a Highway

Get the 90’s road trip songs playlist here

Best 80s Road Trip Songs

The eighties are one of my favourite eras for music, it was also when MTV started and launched the music video, I’ll never forget the first time I saw the video for Thriller, it was pretty epic! The likes of punk rock, new wave and out and out pop gave us some of the greatest tunes ever. Add these tunes to your song list.

• A-ha – Take on Me
• Culture Club – Karma Chameleon
• Bon Jovi – Livin’ On A Prayer
• Eurythmics – Sweet Dreams
• Madonna – Like A Virgin
• Bryan Adams – Summer Of ’69
• Cyndi Lauper – Girls Just Wanna Fun
• Michael Jackson – Thriller
• Tears for Fears – Shout
• Toto – Africa
• Katrina & The Waves – Walking on Sunshine
• U2 – With or Without You
• Guns N’ Roses – Paradise City
• Soft Cell – Tainted Love
• Tracy Chapman – Fast Car
• Simple Minds – Don’t You
• The Human League – Don’t You Want Me
• Bruce Springsteen – Born in the U.S.A
• Prince – Little Red Corvette
• The Clash – Rock the Casbah
• Men At Work – Down Under
• Frankie Goes To Hollywood – Relax
• Duran Duran – Girls on Film
• Spandau Ballet – Gold
• Chris Isaak – Wicked Game
• Pet Shop Boys – West End Girls
• New Order – True Faith
• Whitney Houston – I Wanna Dance with Somebody
• Pat Benatar – Heartbreaker
• The Boomtown Rats – I Don’t like Mondays
• The Police – Message in A Bottle
• The Bangles – Manic Monday
• The Proclaimers – I’m Gonna Be / 500 miles
• Wham – Club Tropicana
• Phil Collins – In The Air Tonight
• The Communards – Don’t Leave Me This Way
• The B-52’s – Love Shack

Get the 80s road trips songs playlist here

Best Driving Power Ballads

Everyone loves a power ballad! These emotionally charged love songs are just begging you to belt them out at the top of your lungs! Anytime you are going to travel, include these on your road trip songs playlist.

• Foreigner – I Want To Know What Love Is
• Bryan Adams – Everything I Do
• Journey – Don’t Stop Believin
• Cutting Crew – I Just Died In Your Arms Tonight
• Heart – Alone
• Guns N’ Roses – November Rain
• Boston – More Than a Feeling
• Bonnie Tyler – Total Eclipse of the Heart
• Richard Marx – Right Here Waiting
• REO Speedwagon – Can’t Fight This Feeling
• Meatloaf – Paradise By The Dashboard Light
• Foreigner – Waiting for a Girl Like You
• Berlin – Take My Breath Away
• Europe – The Final Countdown
• Crowded House – Don’t Dream It’s Over
• Poison – Every Rose Has Its Thorn
• Survivor – Eye of the Tiger
• Starship – Nothing’s Going to Stop Us Now
• Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes – The Time of My Life
• Alannah Myles – Black Velvet

Get the driving power ballads playlist here

Disco Road Trip Songs

Disco disco disco – if these tunes with their rhythmic beats don’t get you singing and moving to the music then nothing will. Keep an eye on that speed limit in case you get carried away! Perfect for those summer road trips.

• Abba – Dancing Queen
• Gloria Gaynor – I Will Survive
• Earth Wind and Fire – Boogie Wonderland
• Bee Gees – Stayin’Alive
• Diana Ross – Upside Down
• The Trammps – Disco Inferno
• Donna Summer – Hot Stuff
• The Pointer Sisters – I’m So Excited
• Earth Wind and Fire – Let’s Groove
• Chic – Le Freak
• Cool and The Gang – Celebration
• Lipps Inc – Funky Town
• Chaka Khan – I’m Every Woman
• Earth Wind and Fire – September
• The Emotions – Best of My Love
• Cheryl Lynn – Got to Be Real
• The Jacksons – Blame it On the Boogie
• Peaches and Herb – Shake Your Groove Thing
• Kylie Minogue – Can’t Get You Out of My Head
• Scissor Sisters – I Don’t Feel Like Dancing
• Barry Manilow – Copacabana

Get the disco road trip songs playlist here

Your Ultimate Driving Playlist

Get every single one of these amazing road trip songs bundled into an ultimate road trip songs playlist to keep you singing along for nearly four hours!

Looking for more road trip tips & resources? Check out these top posts…

Driving to Spain from UK: Best Routes & Driving Tips

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Driving from UK to Germany: Best Routes, Costs & Tips

Tips for Stress-Free Holiday Road Trips with Your Family

Driving in Turkey – Absolutely Everything You Need to Know!

Driving in Georgia – Your Ultimate Guide

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We're celebrating the final weekend of International Guitar Month with Classic Rock  in the spotlight!

Today's Features

Holiday music, more than 100 channels of holiday cheer, of various styles, moods, and eras..

Holidays Radio

A multi-genre mix from Bing Crosby, Pentatonix, Mariah Carey, Nat King Cole, & more.

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More Holiday Music Channels

Acoustic Holiday

"Unplug" for the holidays with toned-down acoustic takes on holiday cheer

Blue & White Christmas

Tons of renditions of "Blue Christmas" and "White Christmas"

Brazilian Christmas

Seasonally-themed instrumentals and vocals sung in Portuguese, Spanish, and English

CCM Christmas

Holiday music from Contemporary Christian artists

Celtic Christmas

Classic (and new) seasonal Celtic tunes

'O Holy Night,' 'O Come All Ye Faithful,' 'O Tannenbaum'... oh, I get it!

Christmas Around the World

Holiday sounds from Venezuela, Jamaica, Italy, and every corner of the globe.

Christmas Country

Christmas cheer from your favorite Country music stars

Christmas Oldies

Season's Greetings from Motown, the Beach Boys, and more

Christmas Party

An upbeat soundtrack for your holiday celebration with Taylor Swift, Seth MacFarlane, Gwen Stefan...

Christmas Songs for Kids

Christmas songs kids will love, like Alvin & Chipmunks, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and the G...

Christmas Standards

Tons of versions of classic holiday pop standards

Christmas Standards: Modern Recordings

Recordings of well-known holiday favorites, from the '90 to today

Christmas Standards: Older Recordings

Recordings of classic Christmas standards from the '40 to the '70s

Classic Hits Christmas

Holiday hits from pop stars of the '70s, '80s, & '90s

Classical Christmas

Orchestral and vocal solo holiday music

Classical Christmas Choral

Holiday choral music. Let the choirs sing!

Classical Christmas Instrumental

Orchestral arrangements and instrumental soloists

Classical Christmas Vocal

Holiday favorites featuring your favorite choirs and vocal soloists

Curator's Choice: Barb's Holiday Greetings

R&B curator, Barbara, brings her love of soul music to this collection with her favorite Christma...

Curator's Choice: Deck the Halls with Denise

Relax with a holiday channel featuring Stevie Nicks, Clint Black, and Aretha Franklin, from Denis...

Curator's Choice: Gary's Christmas Card

Gary puts together the Magic Sunny Lite Hits channels. Here's what he's enjoying at the holidays.

Curator's Choice: Holiday Hang with Mary Ellen

Mary Ellen is the pro who creates the Oldies and Pop Standards channels. This is her family's Chr...

Curator's Choice: Holidays at Bill's House

Bill designs our Country channels. Enjoy his favorite traditional, rock, and country Christmas ...

Curator's Choice: Jon's Family Holiday

You can enjoy the same holiday music that Jon, our Classical music programmer, will enjoy with hi...

Curator's Choice: Patty's Holiday Spice

Unique holidays flavors from Patty Martin, the mind behind Adult Rock, Celtic, and World Music ch...

Curator's Choice: Rick's Holiday Dinner Party

Listen in on this custom holiday playlist by Rick, who crafts the Smooth Jazz channels.

Curator's Choice: That Holiday Thing with Rich Appel

Personal holiday favorites from the curator behind the "This Is Music" and other specialty channe...

Curator's Choice: What the Holidays Mean to Jack & Yvonne

Jack is our man behind the Christian channels. He's sharing his and his wife Yvonne's playlist of...

Curator's Choice: What's in Eric's Stocking?

Eric is the Alt rock & Indie guy -- here's his list of off-the-beaten-path yuletide tracks

Definitive Versions Christmas

The critics' choice for the single best recording of 100 holiday classics.

Easy Listening Christmas

Quiet, relaxing, not too jazzy... but not sleepy either

Family Act Christmas

Yuletide cheer from The Osmonds, The Judds, The Jacksons, The Kinks & some Partridges in a pear t...

Fiesta Navidad

Uptempo Latin holiday music to make your spirits bright

Fifty/Fifty Blend: Christian Hits + CCM Christmas

Contemporary Christian Music hits and Christmas favorites by Christian music artists, in a 50/50 ...

Fifty/Fifty Blend: Romantic Piano + Christmas Favorites

Soothing, relaxing piano with a "half dose" of the holidays!

Fifty/Fifty Celtic + Celtic Christmas Blend

The second-best Irish "half & half," a 50/50 concoction of Celtic and Holiday cheer

Fifty/Fifty Classical Christmas Blend

Classical favorites mixed with beautifully performed holiday pieces

Fifty/Fifty Classical Instrumental Holiday Blend

Half classical, half holiday classical, all instrumental!

Fifty/Fifty Country + Christmas Blend

A 50/50 mix of Country hits and holiday carols from Country stars like Reba McIntire, Darius Ruck...

Fifty/Fifty HitKast Holiday Blend

A 50/50 mix of today's hottest hits and music for the holidays

Fifty/Fifty Jazz Holiday Blend

Great Jazz and Jazz renditions of holiday tunes at a 1-to-1 ratio

Fifty/Fifty Magic Sunny Holiday Blend

A 50/50 mix of great adult pop hits and holiday favorites

Fifty/Fifty Oldies + Christmas Blend

A half & half mix of Oldies hits and Christmas favorites

Fifty/Fifty Pop Standards + Swingin' Little Christmas

A 1:1 cocktail of "year round" and seasonal crooners' tunes

Fifty/Fifty R&B + Christmas Blend

Your favorite jams plus R&B stars performing Christmas classics

Fifty/Fifty Rock & Holiday Blend

Great Classic Rock with rockin' holiday tracks in a 50/50 mix

Fifty/Fifty Smooth Instrumentals Holiday Blend

Smooth Jazz instrumentals alongside smooth instrumental takes on holiday classics

Surprise Me

Let us choose a Holiday Music channel for you!

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Kirti Kulhari Saw The Ocean And Went Dolphin Spotting On Muscat Vacation: 5 Things To Do On Holiday In Oman

From enjoying music on the yacht to snorkelling in the sea, kirti kulhari had the time of her life on her holiday in oman.

Kirti Kulhari Went Dolphin Spotting In Muscat

Kirti Kulhari is busy enjoying the tranquility of the ocean in Muscat. In her latest pictures on Instagram, the opening frame includes a selfie video of Kirti on a yacht, exhibiting the water behind her. The next slide includes a boomerang of Kirti along with her friends. From enjoying Bollywood songs on the yacht to trying her hand at snorkelling, Kirti had an amazing vacation in Muscat.  The actress wrote, “Ahhhh went into the ocean after soooo long and it reminded me of how much I have missed it…Saw dolphins for the first time (wish they came closer though ) and snorkelled with not the best visibility, but it was such a beautiful ride into the ocean and just being a part of the ocean once again my heart is full, mind calm and m ready to go back to work tomorrow.” If Kirti Kulhari's vacation left you yearning for a fun-filled holiday in Oman, you are definitely not alone. Luckily, there is a lot that you can do in the country.

(Also Read:  Jacqueliene Fernandez In Bangkok's Floating Market Finds "Love Light Happiness And Baby Goats" )

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Here are 5 activities that you can do on your trip to Oman.

1. Desert Camping 

Camping in Wahiba Sands is one of the most popular activities that tourists indulge in. The Oman desert is enormous and is also called The Empty Quarter. While you drive to the camp, you can enjoy a desert safari which is also an experience in itself. Just make sure you carry enough water for the ride.

2. Whale Shark Snorkelling  

A short boat ride away from Muscat, Damaniyat is a chain of nine uninhabited islands. The island is a top priority on the itinerary of tourists and adventure enthusiasts. Courtesy: snorkelling. Make sure you plan your trip between September and November, which is peak season to spot whale sharks.

3. Scuba Diving

Oman is heaven for adventure enthusiasts, who can also indulge in scuba diving. If you are lucky, you can spot sea turtles, sharks and coral reefs. In addition, the Damaniyat island is also a great spot to witness migratory birds.

4. Experience Turtle Hatching

If you are a wildlife lover, then you'll enjoy watching sea turtles nesting and hatchlings on Oman's remote beaches. It must be noted that Ras Al Jinz is the perfect location to also spot endangered green turtle nesting.

Love hiking? Then what are you waiting for? Pack your bags and jet off to Wadi Ghul, often described as Oman's Grand Canyon.

(Also Read:  Inside Barbara Palvin's Visit To Universal Studios Hollywood: 5 Of Its Theme Parks You Can't Miss )

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