Every trip seems to collect its own soundtrack…sometimes it’s a song that plays on repeat during a long drive. Sometimes it’s a track that instantly brings you back to a city, a beach, a train ride, or a moment you didn’t realize would stay with you forever.
This playlist is a collection of the songs our community associates with travel. Some capture the excitement of setting off somewhere new, while others feel like watching the world pass by through a window.
Below are community write-ups about the songs that remind us of open roads, faraway places, favorite memories, and the joy of discovering what’s around the next corner.
Jenna Writes:
I have so many travel songs that I love. There are tracks that are perfect for traveling, songs about traveling, and others that simply capture the feeling of being on the road.
Imagine Dragons and the Doobie Brothers always make me feel like the main character. Sitting in the car with my head against the window, watching the world go by, there’s nothing but a good feeling. They’re instant mood boosters that get me excited about wherever I’m headed.
“87 Stingray” is my go to road trip song. Whether I’m driving eight hours across the state or my commute to work, it always finds its way onto the playlist.
I also wouldn’t have made it through 30 plus hour plane rides without artists like Brenn and Christian French, so they had to be included too.
These are just a few of my favorite travel tunes. I can almost guarantee these songs will be playing wherever I go. I can’t wait for my next adventure, and I’m excited to hear what the rest of the community picks as their favorite travel songs.
Andie Writes:
This playlist feels like my own road trip from start to finish.
It kicks off with Gin Blossoms’ “Follow You Down,” my on ramp song, all jangly guitars and that “let’s just go” feeling I get when I’m pulling out of the driveway. Then Vanilla Gorilla’s “Tropicana” takes me further, my escape fantasy about endless summer and nowhere I need to be.
GROUPLOVE’s “Tongue Tied” is me with the windows down, singing off key, the fun chaotic middle part of my drive. The Royal Concept’s “On Our Way” keeps that same hopeful energy going for me, the long highway stretch where I don’t know exactly where I’m headed but it feels right.
By the time The Lagoons’ “California” comes on, I’m slowing down into golden hour mode, like I’ve actually arrived somewhere good. Sheryl Crow’s “Soak Up The Sun” is just me being content, no urgency left, just vibing.
ICEHOUSE’s “Great Southern Land” pulls my camera back, big and a little emotional, like I’ve stopped to look at how huge the world actually is. And The Midnight’s “Los Angeles” closes my trip out at night, moody and nostalgic, like my quiet drive home replaying the whole thing in my head.
So really it’s my full arc: leaving, escaping, having fun, cruising, arriving, reflecting, then heading home in the dark.
Playlist Image by Andrea Caramello on Unsplash
Track Listing:
TRACK LIST
โข Follow You Down โ Gin Blossoms
โข Tropicana โ Vanilla Gorilla
โข Tongue Tied โ GROUPLOVE
โข On Our Way โ The Royal Concept
โข California โ The Lagoons
โข Soak Up The Sun โ Sheryl Crow
โข Great Southern Land โ ICEHOUSE
โข Los Angeles โ The Midnight
โข Dog Days Are Over โ Florence + The Machine
โข On Top Of The World โ Imagine Dragons
โข Listen to the Music โ The Doobie Brothers
โข Don’t Dream It’s Over โ Crowded House
โข Brazil โ Declan McKenna
โข ’87 Stingray โ Tory Lanez
โข Fireflies & Southern Weather โ Zach Hood
โข Rearview โ Brenn!
โข blue skies and open roads โ Christian French
โข Retrospect โ Vistas
โข CALIFORNIA (the OC theme) โ Phantom Planet
โข Island In The Sun โ Weezer
โข Holidays In The Sun โ Sex Pistols
โข Another Girl, Another Planet โ The Only Ones
โข Hit the City โ Mark Lanegan, PJ Harvey
โข National Express โ The Divine Comedy
โข The Outdoor Type โ The Lemonheads
โข Born to Run โ Bruce Springsteen
โข Night Boat to Cairo โ Madness
โข Fugitive Motel โ Elbow