Europe Travel Blog

31 Best Travel Songs 2024 (to have the perfect background music!)

travel song 2022

Over time we collected a bunch of great and cool travel songs we just love to share.We love good travel music, it doesn’t matter where we are. On a boat floating through the Ha Long Bay in Vietnam, driving along the coast in Australia, or catching a plane.

31 Best Travel Songs 2017 (to have the perfect background music!)

Just hit the play button on the first song and enjoy your road trip wherever you are.

More the backpacker type? Find 17 more backpacker songs here .

If you still wanna more travel music, we just summed up my 29 favorite songs about traveling . Or check out these 117 cool and funny Instagram captions .

So, here it goes, A collection of the best travel songs for this 2024.

And we want to start with The Sonics!

1. Have Love, Will Travel – The Sonics

The Sonics’ “have love, will travel” is one of my favorite travel music.

Have love, whoa Baby I will travel (I say)Have little love, whoa Darlin’ will travel (Isaid) If you need lovin Then yeah, yeah, Ill travel

Well I might take a boat, or I’ll take a plane Might hitchhike, or jump a railroad train Your kind of lovin’ drives a man insane So look for me a walkin’ just any ol’ way

2.  The House of the Rising Sun – The Animals

There is a house in New Orleans They call the Rising Sun And it’s been the ruin of many a poor boy And God I know I’m one

My mother was a tailor She sewed my new bluejeans My father was a gamblin’ man Down in New Orleans

Now the only thing a gambler needs Is a suitcase and trunk And the only time he’s satisfied Is when he’s on, a drunk

3. KONGOS – Traveling On

So long my friend, my foe, my love, my pain The road’s calling out my name Dreaming of La Boheme Maybe I’ll go to Barbizon Or see a girl before she catches cold and she’s gone Or maybe I’ll just travel on

So long my flame, my warmth, my fear, my fight The road’s calling again tonight Dreaming under street lights Maybe I’ll catch a train to Rome See the world until I can’t go on Then maybe I’ll come traveling home

4. KONGOS – Escape

Every few thousand years Come true man’s greatest fears All the living things Mother nature brings to tears When the bombs are bursting in the air And the rockets are making that red glare I’m heading down Down to that good hope town, where the weather’s fair

So why don’t you come away With me my love We’ll do what it takes I’ll keep you safe

Why don’t you stay by me And when the time comes We’ll escape

5. Angus & Julia Stone – A Heartbreak

I saw your friends at the drive-in They were falling in love I met your friends, they were lying About falling in love

Girl, you’re just a child A heartbreak Girl, you’re just a child A heartbreak

6. Seafret – Oceans

It feels like there’s oceans Between me and you once again We hide our emotions Under the surface and tryin’ to pretend But it feels like there’s oceans Between you and me

Fancy more songs? keep scrolling or check out our favorite 29 songs for the road.

7. The Lumineers – Sleep On The Floor

Pack yourself a toothbrush dear Pack yourself a favorite blouse Take a withdrawal slip Take all of your savings out ‘Cause if we don’t leave this town We might never make it out I was not born to drown Baby come on

8. Snow Patrol – Just Say Yes

Just say yes, just say there’s nothing holding you back It’s not a test, nor a trick of the mind Only love

It’s so simple and you know it is You know it is, yeah We can’t be to and fro like this All our lives You’re the only way to me The path is clear

9. Asaf Avidan & The Mojos – One Day

One day baby, we’ll be old Oh baby, we’ll be old And think of all the stories that we could have told

No more tears, my heart is dry I don’t laugh and I don’t cry I don’t think about you all the time But when I do, I wonder why

10. Empire Of The Sun – We Are The People

We can remember swimming in December Heading for the city lights in 1975 We share in each other Nearer than farther The scent of a lemon drips from your eyes

We are the people that rule the world A force running in every boy and girl All rejoicing in the world Take me now, we can try

11. MGMT – Electric Feel

I said ooh girl Shock me like an electric eel Baby girl You turn me on with your electric feel

I said ooh girl Shock me like an electric eel Baby girl Turn me on with your electric feel

All along the eastern shore Put your circuits in the sea This is what the world is for Making electricity

You can feel it in your mind Oh you can do it all the time Plug it in and change the world You are my electric girl

12. Two Door Cinema Club – Sun

Drawn apart New York and London All I see now Are distant drumlins

The roads I knew Became a city And I wonder Will you wait for me?

You can find more New York City Songs here .

13. Love of Lesbian – Fantastic shine

Did I ever tell you we are drivers through a road called life Oh, what is life A piece of pie bursting from the seems that everything’s alright Spin in circles, jump together now

Shine, you can make it grow From the summer ground To the highest clouds

14. Ramon Mirabet – Those Little Things

I remember that first summer. Settled on the (dark) you said, Open up your heart

Even good things can leave scars, Don’t be afraid.

15. Manel Navarro – Candle

Your smile is like the sunset in the month of June. When we’re together there is nothing out of tune. ‘Cause I hear your voice and I don’t know what to do.

I’m not feeling heavy when I’m next to you. ‘Cause you’re the endless fire that shows me the way. When the night is dark you can be my flame, oh oh. ‘Cause the candle you hold inside, oh oh.

16. The Chainsmokers – Paris

We were staying in Paris To get away from your parents And I thought, “Wow If I could take this in a shot right now

I don’t think that we could work this out” Out on the terrace I don’t know if it’s fair but I thought “How Could I let you fall by yourself

While I’m wasted with someone else”

17. Ed Sheeran – Shape of You

Girl, you know I want your love Your love was handmade for somebody like me Come on now, follow my lead I may be crazy, don’t mind me

Say, boy, let’s not talk too much Grab on my waist and put that body on me Come on now, follow my lead Come, come on now, follow my lead

18. Coldplay – Paradise

When she was just a girl She expected the world But it flew away from her reach And the bullets catch in her teeth

Life goes on, it gets so heavy The wheel breaks the butterfly Every tear a waterfall In the night the stormy night she’ll close her eyes In the night the stormy night away she’d fly

19. Bob Dylan – A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall

Oh, where have you been, my blue-eyed son? Oh, where have you been, my darling young one? I’ve stumbled on the side of twelve misty mountains I’ve walked and I’ve crawled on six crooked highways I’ve stepped in the middle of seven sad forests I’ve been out in front of a dozen dead oceans I’ve been ten thousand miles in the mouth of a graveyard And it’s a hard, and it’s a hard, it’s a hard, and it’s a hard And it’s a hard rain’s a-gonna fall

20. Jake Bugg – Simple As This

Traveled to each ocean’s end Saw all seven wonders, trying to make some sense Memorized the mantra Confucius said But it only let me down

Tried absolution of the mind and soul It only led me where I should not go Oh and the answer well how could I miss Something as simple as this Something as simple as this

21. Birdy – Wings

Sunlight comes creeping in Illuminates our skin We watch the day go by Stories of all we did It made me think of you It made me think of you

Under a trillion stars We danced on top of cars Took pictures of the stage So far from where we are They made me think of you They made me think of you

22. George Ezra – Barcelona

Barcelona, I still long to hold her once more, oh, My boots of leather, From Europe I gather you know, know,

Every time you have to go Shut my eyes and you know I’ll be lying right by your side In Barcelona

23. The Killers – When You Were Young

You sit there in your heartache Waiting on some beautiful boy to To save you from your old ways You play forgiveness Watch it now, here he comes

He doesn’t look a thing like Jesus But he talks like a gentlemen Like you imagined When you were young

24. Semisonic – Closing Time

Closing time Time for you to go out to the places you will be from Closing time This room won’t be open till your brothers or your sisters come So gather up your jackets, move it to the exits I hope you have found a friend Closing time Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end

25. Incubus – Drive

Sometimes, I feel the fear of uncertainty stinging clear And I can’t help but ask myself how much I’ll let the fear Take the wheel and steer It’s driven me before And it seems to have a vague, haunting mass appeal But lately, I am beginning to find That I should be the one behind the wheel

26. Blur – Song 2

I got my head checked By a jumbo jet It wasn’t easy But nothing is No

Woo-hoo When I feel heavy-metal And I’m pins and I’m needles Well, I lie and I’m easy All the time but I am never sure Why I need you Pleased to meet you

27. Foo Fighters – Times Like These

it’s times like these you learn to live again it’s times like these you give and give again it’s times like these you learn to love again it’s times like these time and time again

I am a new day rising I’m a brand new sky to hang the stars upon tonight I am a little divided do I stay or run away and leave it all behind?

28. Milky Chance – Stolen Dance

And I want you We can bring it on the floor You’ve never danced like this before We don’t talk about it Dancin’ on do the boogie all night long Stoned in paradise, shouldn’t talk about it

29. Coldplay – Hymn For The Weekend

Oh, angel sent from up above You know you make my world light up When I was down when I was hurt You came to lift me up

Life is a drink, and love’s a drug Oh, now I think I must be miles up When I was a river, dried up You came to rain a flood

30. Boston- More than A Feeling

So many people have come and gone Their faces fade as the years go by Yet I still recall as I wander on As clear as the sun in the summer sky

It’s more than a feeling when I hear that old song they used to play (more than a feeling) I begin dreaming (more than a feeling) ‘Till I see Marianne walk away I see my Marianne walkin’ away

31. Toto – Africa

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

32. Guaranteed – Eddie Vedder

On bended knee is no way to be free Lifting up an empty cup I ask silently That all my destinations will accept the one that’s me So I can breath

Circles they grow and they swallow people whole Half their lives they say goodnight to wive’s they’ll never know Got a mind full of questions and a teacher in my soul So it goes

Don’t come closer or I’ll have to go Holding me like gravity are places that pull If ever there was someone to keep me at home It would be you

Everyone I come across in cages they bought They think of me and my wandering But I’m never what they thought Got my indignation but I’m pure in all my thoughts

I’m alive Wind in my hair, I feel part of everywhere Underneath my being is a road that disappeared Late at night I hear the trees

They’re singing with the dead Overhead Leave it to me as I find a way to be Consider me a satellite for ever orbiting

I knew all the rules but the rules did not know me Guaranteed

I also summed up my 29 favorite songs about traveling . Find 17 BEST backpacker songs here .

And why not check out these good reads, too?

  • Funny Quotes for Instagram Bio
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  • Best Adventure Quotes of all time

How to download travel music?

There are awesome songs for travel videos.

Please be aware that you cannot use any music for your own videos. You have the own the license.

Either way. There is a website we hear that is perfect to download music and videos from YouTube. The website is www.filsh.net .

Just visit the website, include the link of the video and add your settings. It is as simple as that.

Sum it up: Time to Dance, time to Travel

The background music of a trip is crucial.

Well, okay, the trip and experience itself are obviously more important.

Nevertheless, it is always awesome to have these awesome travel songs up your sleeve.

And if you’re looking for more, you can find amazing travel quotes with these articles below.

  • 603 best travel quotes
  • funny travel quotes
  • 23 travel quotes for friends
  • 499 best Instagram captions you can copy and paste

If you know more songs, please leave us a comment. We are always keen to add more songs to our own list.

Therefore, please LEAVE me a comment below.

31 travel songs for your next road trip. Best travel playlist EVER!

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This playlist is perfect for when I’m going traveling! Thanks from Malaysia. :)

So much to listen to, thank you! Another one to add to the list is My Wild Heart by Tiffany Hill

Thanks for sharing this nice blog. This blog is really too good.

Im sick of the fake free mp3 downloaders that have literally no songs to download and makes you waste your time typing things out like Fatty Wap or Disturbed

Harold Burton

There are plenty of tools to download MP3 version from platforms like Youtube. That might be something for you to consider.

Safe travels, Matt

Or you could just download the songs you like on your computer and connect your phone to your pc with a USB wire or whatever it’s called and transfer.

This does not work for iPhone, I am afraid 🙂

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29 Travel Songs for the perfect Road Trip Playlist – Hostelgeeks Mixtape

Matt Kiefer - Hostel Expert on Hostelgeeks.com

We collected here 29 travel songs that we think can’t be missed on the perfect playlist for travelers.

Some of those travel songs will make your hips move, others are more calm, laid-back.

Just decide for yourself. Either way, those travel songs are the perfect background jingles, when backpacking the world.

This quote “open up your hear, even good things can leave scars, don’t be afraid” is a quote from Ramon Mirabet – Those Little Things (Song #12 in this list!).

Find 109 more beautiful travel quotes here .

More quotation articles

  • funniest travel quotes
  • 47 quotes for solo travelers
  • 109 best travel quotes
  • funny travel puns

We at Hostelgeeks award the most amazing Hostels in the world. Many of the 5 Star Hostel are also passionate music lover. They organize live concerts, invite musicians, and create a cosy vibe around the music.

Find 17 more backpacker songs  you will love as well.

Subscribe on Youtube to stay up to date!

Even good things can leave scars!

We want to start this list with one of our favorite travel songs:

1. Here we are – Part-Time Friends

One our latest discoveries.

Click play, we bet you cannot hold your feet still. We found this song when leaving the Airport in Singapore. We were on our way to Adler Luxury Hostel and ever since, this song reminds us of that time.

But now, listen:

Get up we are still in trouble Still a shamble Here we are Instead of staying in this bow Let’s have a bloody row Here we are It’s unfair to love someone who wants to beat you down so much here we are

Something rise and fall We thought we never lost control Something tear us apart We thought we never laughed before Something rise and fall who though it would be nothing at all

2. Happy Days – Ramón Mirabet

I wonder very far. I am all I’ve known I’m not afraid to let myself go. I say Yeah! I say Yeah! I say Yeah! Could I ask myself for more?

3. Sky on the Loose – Inkfields

Let us a go less mainstream. Meet Inkfields, a solo india rock act from Edinburgh, UK. He is a keen traveller and so many of his songs are travel related such as The Last Ebb , People of the Sea and Svennige .

“Sky on the loose” is our favorite. Listen to the song below and find all his songs on Spotify here .

Messaging like nights before, crashing through the wall I’m using all my strength and breath, I’m gonna show them all

You talk of my impending doom, no promise nor a myth You justify avoiding me to sell out on a whiff

Oh if I, I want to be the lonely one, I want to be the only one And if I, lord I And if I, I want to be the chosen one, I want to be the chosen one And if I, lord I

Don’t you tire of telling me? ‘The world ends at the sky, You’re just a little fish another simple passer by, All your songs and poetry are droplets in the sea’ I said ‘That is ok for you, your words won’t follow me!’

4. Fantastic shine – Love of Lesbian

Mediterranean flair all over it. Jump on your Vespa and listen to the track, you will thank me later. Fantastic shine by Love Of Lesbians.

Have I told you lately? We are friends through this trip of… Time, oh, what is time? The kind of thing that no one knows Take a look at who’s around you Spin in circles, ring round with you

5. We Are Young – Fun. ft. Janelle Monáe

Tonight We are young So let’s set the world on fire We can burn brighter than the sun

Stay young with this one. WE ARE YOUNG

6. Bicicletes – BLAUMUT

This is my favorite Catalan music group. Get the full album by Blaumut here.

Un dilluns perfecte, Bicicletes sense mans. Tinc un pas de zebra nou, recent pintat. Vols gelat de menta? Les finestres semblen de paper mullat.

Tant soroll que falta l’aire, He perdut la brúixola i el nord, Que dec haver guardat per aquí. Deixa’t de paraules ara, Penja des d’un arbre aquesta

7. Song 2 – Blur – the FIFA Classic

I bet you cannot hold still when listen to this one.

Woo-hoo Woo-hoo Woo-hoo Woo-hoo

I got my head checked By a jumbo jet It wasn’t easy But nothing is No

8. Candy – Paolo Nutini

Oh darling, I’ll kiss your eyes and lay you down on your rug Just give me some candy after my hug Oh, and I’m often false explaining But to her it plays out all the same And although I’m left defeated It gets held against my name

9. Someone Told Me –  Jake Bugg

Get the track by Jake Bugg here.

Tried to break from this lonely pain Someone told me I’m just insane oh oh oh Broke my heart when I knew, That I could never be with you oh oh oh

10. We are the people – Empire of the Sun

We are the people that rule the world

A force running in every boy and girl

All rejoicing in the world

Take me now, we can try

11. Caravan – Passenger

Cause you search for years but you lose everything you find.

There’s braille for the deaf and a signpost for the blind,

there’s heaven for the cruel but the devil waits for the kind.

12. Those Little Things – Ramon Mirabet

Life (spreading) on a fire.

Say we’ll do it all again,

Trying to (west) to get it higher,

Always with a smile upon my face.

13. Paradise – Coldplay

My absolute favorite band out there.

When she was just a girl

She expected the world

But it flew away from her reach

And the bullets catch in her teeth

Life goes on, it gets so heavy

The wheel breaks the butterfly

Every tear a waterfall

In the night the stormy night she’ll close her eyes

In the night the stormy night away she’d fly

14. Break The Night With Colour – Richard Ashcroft

Monday morning coming down, lack understanding

Mama thinks you are the clown, your looking so frightening

Nothing’s going right today, cos nothing ever does

15. One day baby – Asaf Avidan

One day baby, we’ll be old Oh baby, we’ll be old And think of all the stories that we could have told

16. Heroes – David Bowie

I, I will be king And you, you will be queen Though nothing will drive them away We can be Heroes, just for one day We can be us, just for one day

17. Listen to the Man – George Ezra

Your world keeps spinning and you can’t jump off But I will catch you if you fall, I can’t tell you enough I hate to hear that you’re feeling low I hate to hear that you won’t come home

18. Back down south – Kings of Leon

Underneath the stars Where we parked the cars Ain’t showing signs of stopping Pretty little girls Naked to their curls Ready to lay in the coffin

19. Spirits – The Strumbellas

I spent a lot of nights on the run And I think oh, like I’m lost and can’t be found I’m just waiting for my day to come And I think oh, I don’t wanna let you down Cause something inside has changed And maybe we don’t wanna stay the same

20. Simple Song – The Shins

Well, this would be a simple song, To say what you done. I told you ’bout all those fears, And away they did run. You sure must be strong, And you feel like an ocean being warm by the sun.

21. Stubborn Live – The Lumineers

And I don’t blame you, dear For running like you did all these years I would do the same you best believe And the highway signs say we’re close, But I dont read those things anymore I never trusted my own eyes

22. Catch& Release – Matt Simons

There’s a place I’m going No one knows me If I breathe real slowly I let it out and let it in

It can be terrifying To be slowly dying Also, clarifying We end where we begin

23. End of the Line – Traveling Wilburys

Well it’s all right, even if they say you’re wrong Well it’s all right, sometimes you gotta be strong Well it’s all right, As long as you got somewhere to lay Well it’s all right, everyday is Judgment Day

24. If I had a boat – James Vincent McMorrow

If I had a boat I would sail to you Hold you in my arms, ask you to be true Once I had a dream, it died long before Now I’m pointed north, hoping for the shore

25. Traveling On – Kongos

And when the years pass us by I wonder if we’ll cry For losing so much time For moments we may miss For the love that still exists tonight

26. Milk & Honey – Beatsteaks

Some people wear gloves Carrying their portions of love Until death comes from above Now for dreams and for plans You try as hard as you land But I’ve made up my mind

27. Home – Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros

I’ll follow you into the park, through the jungle, through the dark Girl, I’ve never loved one like you

Moats & boats & waterfalls, alley ways & pay phone calls I’ve been everywhere with you

28. Reality – Lost Frequencies feat. Janieck Devy

Decisions as I go, to anywhere I flow. Sometimes I believe, at times I’m rational. I can fly high, I can go low. Today I got a million, Tomorrow, I don’t know.

29. Tour the World – Video with every country in the world

30. Riptide – Vance Joy

And they come unstuck Lady, running down to the riptide taken away to the dark side I wanna be your left hand man. I love you, when you’re singing that song and I got a lump in my throat ’cause

31. Our Place – Maia Vidal

We found this song of Maia Vidal, called “Our Place”. Have a look at the lyrics. It makes it such a romantic travel songs, doesn’t it?

I’d like to stay here For a while and go wild You’ll call me crazy But I don’t care Because I know where…

Where I go where I go You’re going to take me Where I go where I go You’re going to take me Take me for a ride And I’ll be by your side

32. Feel Good – Gorillaz

Turn forever hand in hand Take it all in on your stride It is ticking, falling down Love forever love is free Let’s turn forever you and me Windmill, windmill for the land

Summary: Travel Songs for the perfect Playlist

C’mon, you didn’t just sit on your chair, right?! We love these travel songs, and we hope so do you. You can find more AWESOME backpacker songs here .

Find 17 more travel songs here .

Do you have a favorite travel song you’d recommend? Please leave a comment, we’d be happy to extend this travel music playlist!

pin it now, read and listen later

29 Travel Songs for the perfect Playlist! Hostelgeeks Mixtape

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

Katie Hammel

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 Hammel

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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72 Best Songs about Travel and Adventure

Published by sarah vaughan on february 9, 2022 february 9, 2022.

In this article, we list our top 72 favorite songs about travel and adventure, with the option to listen to them on a Spotify playlist. As full-time nomads and constant road-trippers, we spend a lot of time in the car, which means hours upon hours of listening to music. In 2021 alone, we drove over 10,000 miles on our journey from Virginia to California and back. So needless to say, we spend an inordinate amount of time listening to music in the car.

Often, we find ourselves gravitating towards songs that align with our two favorite things – travel and adventure, but it can be hard to find songs that fit that mood. Songs that inspire wanderlust, that make you feel like a you just took a deep breath of mountain air, that remind you of a travel memory, or, in their own unique way, perfectly capture the essence of life on the road. It’s not one particular genre or type of music, just anything that makes you feel inspired to pack your bags and go on an adventure !

travel song 2022

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travel song 2022

Our life as nomads

In March of 2021, we sold most our belongings, packed up what was left into our Jeep Cherokkee, left our apartment in Virginia and hit the road: California bound! We drove from Virginia to St. Louis before making our way to Denver.

After spending a week in Denver, we continued to Southern California, then to southern Utah, Arizona, northern California, Idaho, South Dakota, Minnesota… eventually we decided we loved life on the road too much to ever give it up and we made this nomadic lifestyle permanent.

We both secured jobs that would allow us to work remotely full-time during the week and are now full-time nomads. We typically settle into a new “home base” each month with space for us both to work, usually in small towns strategically located near beautiful places with abundant opportunities for outdoor adventuring.

P.S: You can read more about us here and keep up with our road trip adventures here .

Inspiration for our Songs about Travel & Adventure Playlist

We love listening to music that stokes our wanderlust and gets us excited for new adventures. We’ve found it tough to find songs that fit that bill, so we’ve been slowly compiling our own playlist as we come across songs we relate to.

Our lifestyle demands a lot of road tripping, and over the many miles and hours in the car, we’ve crafted the perfect playlist of songs about travel and adventure that we’re excited to share with you!

We hope our playlist will leave you feeling inspired to get out there and see the world!

Details | 64 Best Songs about Travel & Adventure

Our music taste tends to lean towards the Folk, Americana, and blues-y Country genres, and that’s mainly what you’ll find on this playlist.

A few of our favorite bands, like Caamp , Trampled by Turtles , Turnpike Troubadours (we are beyond thrilled they are back together!), Lord Huron , and The National Parks, make an appearance on the list a few times. We hope you love these songs as much as we do, and that our playlist inspires you to hit the road, start a new adventure, or discover a new place that you love!

In the article below, we list our favorite songs about adventure and travel, sorted roughly into the following categories:

  • Wanderlust & travel inspiration songs
  • Songs about the outdoors and nature

Songs about road tripping

Songs inspired by specific locations.

And if you don’t see one of your favorites, let us know! We are always looking for new music and would love to add new songs to the list.

Download our Songs about Travel & Adventure Spotify Playlist

For our complete list of songs about travel and adventure already in playlist form and ready for your enjoyment, enter your email below and we’ll send you a link to download our ultimate travel playlist on Spotify.

We add to the Spotify playlist periodically as we find music that inspires us, so it may contain additional songs not yet included in this blog post. Happy listening!

Download the Travel & Adventure Playlist on Spotify

Songs about travel inspiration & wanderlust.

The songs in this section are sure to stoke your wanderlust, leaving you with the urge to “ see the world ” and travel to “ the ends of the earth “! If you’re planning a trip, setting off on a new adventure, or just dreaming of future travels, you are sure to find some lyrics you relate to from the songs below.

As we packed up our lives in Virginia and planned to become full-time nomads, we found ourselves relating to Rob Baird’s “Fade Away”. We were certainly packing our “ bags a little heavy this time” , with no immediate plans to return to the place that we had always called home, but we were so “ ready for the big ol’ world ” and the pain of leaving home was overshadowed by our urge to explore!

  • See the World | Caamp
  • Vagabond | Caamp
  • Never Come Back Again | Austin Plaine
  • As We Ran | National Parks
  • Sprawl II | Will Daily
  • 7 Wonders | Jon Robert Hall
  • Mason-Dixon Line | Judah & the Lion
  • Only the Wild Ones | DISPATCH
  • Next to You | John Vincent III
  • See the World | Brett Dennen
  • Free | Zac Brown Band
  • Starting Over | Chris Stapleton
  • Traveller | Chris Stapleton
  • Nomads | John Craigie
  • Hopeless Wanderer | Mumford & Sons
  • Ends of the Earth | Lord Huron
  • Ba Ba Ra | The National Parks
  • Wildflowers | Trampled by Turtles
  • I’ve Been Everywhere | Johnny Cash
  • Castaway | Zac Brown Band
  • The Life You Chose | Jason Isbell
  • Mountain Song | Little Chief
  • Sleep on the Floor | The Lumineers
  • Fade Away | Rob Baird
  • Borderlines | Hollow Coves
  • Wherever I Go | The National Parks
  • Middle of Nowhere | Vancouver Sleep Clinic
  • Open Road | Roo Panes
  • Woodland | The Paper Kites
  • Yellow Eyes | Rayland Baxter
  • Wild + Free | Andrew Simple
  • Every Mile | Layup

CAAMP songs about travel and adventure

Songs about the outdoors & nature

The songs in this section are inspired by adventure in the great outdoors and the beauty of the world around us. These songs will make you want to hit the trails, climb that mountain, go on a camping trip or just inspire you to get outdoors.

Perhaps my favorite song on this list, “Blue Above the Green” by Mike Edel perfectly captures that feeling you get when you’ve reached the summit after hiking up a mountain. When you look up, all you can see is green leaves and blue sky. If you’re a hiker, this may become your new favorite song!

  • Blue Above the Green | Mike Edel
  • Specks | Matt Pond PA
  • Mountain Sound | Of Monsters and Men
  • Painted Sky | The National Parks
  • Coastline | Hollow Coves
  • Mountains | Jess Taylor
  • To the Mountains | Lizzy McAlpine
  • Meet Me in the Woods | Lord Huron
  • Mighty Mountains | National Park Radio
  • The Woods | Hollow Coves
  • Wildflower | The National Parks
  • Old Pine | Ben Howard
  • The River | Good Old War
  • These Mountains | Sunday Best

Young by The National Parks on Amazon Music - Amazon.com

This section includes songs about traveling on the road! From Willie Nelson’s classic “On the Road Again” to lesser-known gems like National Park’s Radio’s “The Road Ahead”, these songs will make you want to pack a bag, “fill the car with gasoline” and hit the road.

Hollow Coves’ song “The Open Road” perfectly describes the urge to travel, when you’ve been feeling stuck in your hometown for too long and you just “ miss the way it feels to roam “, that feeling of freedom that the open road ahead of you brings, as every twist and turn brings the possibility for new adventure.

If you’re planning a road trip, add this song to your travel playlist and you’ll be listening on repeat as your “ troubles fade away “!

  • America | Austin Plaine
  • All the Debts I Owe | Caamp
  • On the Road Again | Willie Nelson
  • Heads Carolina, Tails California | Jo Dee Messina
  • The Open Road | Hollow Coves
  • Life is Good on the Open Road | Trampled by Turtles
  • The Road Ahead | National Park Radio
  • Born to Be Wild | Steppenwolf
  • Ramblin’ Man | Allman Brothers Band
  • Road Runner | Vincent Neil Emerson
  • Lost, Scared & Tired | Jared & The Mill

America by Austin Plaine (song about traveling the US)

These songs about specific locations will make you want to travel to new places and seek out somewhere new to explore!

Maybe you’ll be inspired by the “ red sandstone ” landscapes in Sedona, set “ off to Colorado ” to find that “ rocky mountain high “, lay peacefully watching for “ shootin’ stars in Oklahoma “, be enchanted by the mystery of the Marfa Lights as they “ dance across the horizon ” or come “ alive down in New Orleans “. Wherever your travels take you, these songs are sure to add new places to your bucket list!

During our 2021 road trip , we absolutely fell in love with Idaho (so much so that we ended up buying a piece of land…), and we played Yonder Mountain String Band’s song Idaho on repeat as we road tripped from Idaho Falls to the Sawtooth Mountains. This Bluegrass tune truly captures the beauty of state! Add it your playlist and you may just find yourself planning a trip to Idaho…

  • Oklahoma Stars | Turnpike Troubadours
  • Wyoming | Family & Friends
  • Stockholm | Judah & the Lion
  • New Orleans | Parachute
  • Colorado | CHAPPY
  • Sedona | Houndsmouth
  • Shenandoah | Trampled by Turtles
  • Morocco | Moon Taxi
  • Ohio | Caamp
  • Colorado | Alex Gunthrie
  • Carolina | Corey Smith
  • Idaho | Yonder Mountain String Band
  • Rocky Mountain High | John Denver
  • Alabama Pines | Jason Isbell
  • Marfa Lights | Kaitlin Butts

Marfa Lights - song by Kaitlin Butts | Spotify

About the artists

We love all the artists and bands on this list, but we wanted to highlight a few of our favorites.

When I find a new artist that I love, I can listen to their songs on repeat for hours. This is Caamp for me! We started listening to their songs on our first cross country road trip and then went to a Caamp concert and we’ve been hooked ever since!

Evan Westfall, Taylor Meier and Matt Vinson make up the trio behind this American Folk band originally from Ohio. Caamp released their first album in 2016 and has been gaining popularity ever since. Many of their songs are about nature, being outdoors, and traveling, which is part of why we love them so much!

The National Parks

Songs from The National Parks take up several spots on our list of the best 72 songs about travel and adventure! This Indie folk/pop band formed in Provo, Utah consists of 4 members, Brady Parks, Sydney Macfarlane, Cam Brannelly and Megan Taylor Parks. They released their first single in 2013 and have since released four albums, “Wildflowers”, “Places”, “Until I Live”, and “Young”.

The National Parks songs have many songs about the beauty of the world around us, from the peaks of the Grand Tetons to the “painted sky” of the desert in the southwest. In fact, their single “As We Ran” was written for a short documentary by REI called “ Love in the Tetons” .

Hollow Coves

Another group that takes up a few spots on our list of songs about travel and adventure is Hollow Coves, an Australian Indie band led by sing-songwriters,  Ryan Henderson and Matt Carins.

The band’s earthy folk songs are inspired by the singers’ own travels, and their passion for seeing the world shines through in their music. In fact, their first album released in 2017 was titled ‘Wanderlust”, and includes several of the songs on our list, such as “Coastline” and “The Woods.”

travel song 2022

Other useful resources

Planning a road trip or a new adventure? We think you may find some inspiration and useful information here:

  • Travel tips | 11 Proven Tips for Road Tripping with a Cat
  • Road trip| Complete List of Road Trip Camping Essentials
  • Road trip | 27 Highlights of Our Life on the Road in 2021
  • Southwestern USA | The Ultimate 1 Week Arizona and Southern Utah Road Trip
  • Wyoming | 18 Best Hikes in Grand Teton National Park

What are your favorite songs about travel and adventure?! What songs would you add to the list? Let us know what you think of our playlist – we would love to hear from you!

travel song 2022

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Sarah Vaughan

Hello! I'm Sarah, one half of the couple behind Two Outliers! In 2023, I quit my job as a Data Scientist to travel around the world on an epic 15-month journey in search of the world's greatest hikes and outdoor adventures. Matt and I started Two Outliers in 2021 as a place for visitors to find concise, accurate, and honest information to plan their own adventures. We hope our experiences inspire you to hit the trail! Happy Hiking! Sarah

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Josh Sanders · February 9, 2022 at 10:00 pm

Wow an amazing list and photo!

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twooutliers · February 10, 2022 at 8:12 am

thank you! we love this playlist, enjoy!

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Best road trip songs

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

Nick Levine

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

‘Born to Run’ by Bruce Springsteen

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.

‘Little Red Corvette’ by Prince

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.

‘Here I Go Again’ by Whitesnake

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).

‘Where the Streets Have No Name’ by U2

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.

‘Love Shack’ by the B-52s

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. 

‘Sweet Home Alabama’ by Lynyrd Skynyrd

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.

‘I Drove All Night’ by Cyndi Lauper

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.

‘Fast Car’ by Tracy Chapman

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.

‘Keep the Car Running’ by Arcade Fire

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.

‘Truckin’’ by Grateful Dead

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’?

‘Road to Nowhere’ by Talking Heads

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.

‘Graceland’ by Paul Simon

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.

‘Take It Easy’ by the Eagles

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.’

‘America’ by Simon and Garfunkel

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.

‘Route 66’ by Chuck Berry

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?

‘Home’ by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

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.

‘Going Up the Country’ by Canned Heat

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.

‘I’ve Been Everywhere’ by Johnny Cash

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.

‘Hit the Road Jack’ by Ray Charles

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 .

‘Holiday Road’ by Lindsey Buckingham

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.

‘Mr. Blue Sky’ by Electric Light Orchestra

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.

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

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.

‘Ride Like the Wind‘ by Christopher Cross

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’.

‘Ramblin’ Man’ by the Allman Brothers Band

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.

‘On the Road Again’ by Willie Nelson

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.

‘Runnin’ Down a Dream’ by Tom Petty

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.

‘Let Me Ride’ by Dr. Dre

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’).

‘Born to Be Wild’ by Steppenwolf

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.

‘Don’t Stop Believin’’ by Journey

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. 

‘Interstate Love Song’ by Stone Temple Pilots

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.

‘Life Is a Highway’ by Tom Cochrane

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.

‘The Way’ by Fastball

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.

‘California’ by Phantom Planet

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?

‘Shut Up and Drive’ by Rihanna

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. 

‘Running on Empty’ by Jackson Browne

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.

‘Two of Us’ by the Beatles

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.

‘Chicago’ by Sufjan Stevens

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 .

‘Fade Into You’ by Mazzy Star

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.

‘The Golden Age’ by Beck

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.

‘Scar Tissue’ by Red Hot Chili Peppers

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.

‘Every Day Is a Winding Road’ by Sheryl Crow

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.

‘Jack & Diane’ by John Cougar Mellencamp

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.…

‘King of the Road’ by Roger Miller

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.

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

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.

‘Mustang Sally’ by Wilson Pickett

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. 

‘Going Back to Cali’ by LL Cool J

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.

‘The Distance’ by Cake

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.’

‘Roadrunner’ by the Modern Lovers

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.

‘Have Love, Will Travel’ by the Sonics

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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80 Best Songs About Traveling: The Ultimate Travel Playlist?

Music can put you in the mood for many things, and one of those is travel! This list of the best songs about traveling will inspire you to hit the road and take the path less traveled!

Best songs about travel

Travel Songs

There’s something about travel that just begs for a good song. Maybe it’s the excitement of new places and experiences, or the nostalgia for past trips. Whatever the reason, there are plenty of great songs out there about travel.

A fantastic song about travel can make you feel like you’re already on your way to your next adventure. It can also be the perfect way to reminisce about a past trip. And, of course, a good travel song is the perfect addition to any road trip playlist.

On our last road trip around the Mani Peninsula of Greece , we collected some of our favourite songs to play along the way! 

Related: Best Road Trip Food

Best Road Trips Songs

Why not put together the ultimate travel playlist to either inspire you to travel or to play while you're out on the road? Here's over 80 of our favorite songs about travel:

1. “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd

The song “Sweet Home Alabama” is about the band's hometown of Muscle Shoals, Alabama. The opening line “Big wheels keep on turnin'” definitely makes us think of long road trips!

2. “On the Road Again” by Willie Nelson

This song captures the essence of living life on the road, and is an ode to the open road and the nomadic life of a touring musician. It’s been covered by many artists over the years, but we love the original version by Willie Nelson.

3. “Life on the Road” by Mumford & Sons Song

This song, from Mumford & Sons' album “Wilder Mind”, is a beautiful and nostalgic look at life traveling on the road. It's definitely one of our all-time favorites for road trips!

4. “Take the Long Way Home” by Supertramp Song

The song talks about the scenic route and enjoying the journey. It's a great one for road trips!

5. “Drivin' My Life Away” by Eddie Rabbit

This song is a classic driving anthem about being on the road and longing for home.

6. “I've Been Everywhere” by Johnny Cash

This music is a country classic that lists all the places in the United States that Johnny Cash has been. It's a fun and adventurous tune that will have you dreaming of new destinations !

Related: Best Road trip captions

7. “On Top of the World” by Imagine Dragons Song

This upbeat, positive song is an ideal pick for your travel playlist. It's about dreaming big and going out into the world to get what you want.

Best Travel Songs: “On Top of the World” by Imagine Dragons Song

8. “City of New Orleans” by Arlo Guthrie Song

This folk song by Arlo Guthrie is a nostalgic look back at train travel in America in the 1970s. It's an upbeat, heartwarming tune that will have you dreaming about your own train adventures.

9. “I'm Outta Here” by Shania Twain Song

This song is all about the excitement of hitting the road and heading out on an adventure. It's a great travel anthem no matter where you're going!

10. “Route 66” by Nat King Cole Song

This classic song by Nat King Cole is all about the iconic American road trip. It's a fun and easy-going tune that will put you in the mood for your own adventure.

11. “The Wanderer” by Dion Song

It tells the story of the nomadic life of a traveler. It's an energetic and upbeat tune that celebrates the freedom of just going where the road takes you.

13. “Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman

This powerful ballad is all about the struggle to break free from the circumstances that hold you down, and it perfectly encapsulates the spirit of travel. Whether you’re a first-time traveler or an experienced adventurer, this song will speak to your soul.

Road trip songs: “Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman

14. “The Times They Are A-Changin'” by Bob Dylan

The classic song by Bob Dylan is all about social change, but it also perfectly captures the feeling of wanderlust. It's a great pick for anyone who's looking to explore the world and see something new.

Related: Best movies about wanderlust

15. “Don't Stop Believin'” by Journey

This iconic song by the rock band Journey is all about following your dreams and never giving up. It's a great pick for those times when you need a little extra motivation to keep moving forward. Whether you're on a road trip or just trying to stick with your travel plans , this song will inspire you to keep going.

16. “I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)” by The Proclaimers

This catchy, upbeat song is all about the freedom and excitement of traveling on your own terms. It's a great pick for anyone who's embarking on a solo adventure or just looking for some inspiration to get out there and explore the world. No matter where you're going, this song will make you want to keep moving forward.

17. “Road to Nowhere” by Talking Heads Song

A song about the uncertainty of travel and how you never really know what's around the corner. It's a powerful, introspective ballad that will make you think deeply about your adventures. If you're looking for something that will challenge you and give you a new perspective on travel, this is a perfect choice.

Related: Reasons Why Long Term Travel Is Cheaper Than Regular Vacations

18. “The Weight” by The Band Song

This song is all about the burdens we carry with us on our travels. It's a reflective and introspective tune that will make you think about the things you're carrying with you, both physically and emotionally. If you're looking for a song that will help you process your own travel experiences, this is a great choice.

19. “Leaving on a Jet Plane” by John Denver

This classic song by John Denver is all about the heartbreak of leaving home and heading out into the world. It perfectly captures that bittersweet feeling of travel, when you know that things will never be quite the same once you leave.

20. “Midnight Train to Georgia” by Gladys Knight and the Pips Song

This iconic song by Gladys Knight and the Pips is all about traveling to a better, brighter future. It's a great anthem for anyone who's chasing their dreams or just looking for something new in life. Whether you're on your way to a new destination or just trying to make sense of your journey, this song will give you the inspiration and motivation you need to keep moving forward.

Related: Short Traveling Quotes

21. “Ramblin' Man” by The Allman Brothers Band

This song is all about the joys and challenges of the nomadic life. It's a great pick for anyone who's feeling restless and looking to hit the open road. If you're looking for a song that will make you want to jump in your car and start driving, this is the perfect choice.

22. “Viva Las Vegas” by Elvis Presley

This classic song by Elvis Presley is all about the excitement and energy of Sin City. It's a great pick for anyone who's looking to let loose and have a good time. Whether you're headed to Vegas for a weekend or just looking for a little bit of escapism, this song will give you the perfect soundtrack.

23. “One Night in Bangkok” by Murray Head

The song talks about the exotic appeal of Bangkok . It's a great pick for anyone who's looking to experience something new and exciting. If you're headed to Thailand or just dreaming of far-off destinations, this song will take you there.

24. “I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For” by U2

This classic song by U2 is all about the search for meaning and purpose in life. It's a great pick for anyone who's feeling lost or just looking for something more. Whether you're on a journey of self-discovery or just trying to find your place in the world, this song will resonate with you.

25. “Wherever I May Roam” by Metallica

This song is all about the freedom and flexibility of the nomadic lifestyle. It's a great pick for anyone who's feeling restless and looking to hit the open road. If you're looking for a song that will make you want to jump in your car and start driving, this is the perfect choice.

26. “Wherever You Will Go” by The Calling

This song is all about the feeling of being lost and alone while traveling. It's a beautiful and introspective ballad that will resonate with anyone who's ever felt lost while on the road. If you're looking for a song that will help you process your own travel experiences, this is a great choice.

27. “Road Trippin’ ” by Red Hot Chili Peppers

This upbeat, carefree tune is all about the joys of road tripping. It's a great pick for anyone who's hitting the road and looking for something that will put them in a good mood. No matter where your travels take you, this song will give you the energy and spirit to keep going.

Related: Travelling by Car: Advantages and Disadvantages

28. “Wagon Wheel” by Old Crow Medicine Show

This infectiously catchy folk-rock song is all about the thrill of adventure and seeing new places. It's a great pick for anyone who's looking to travel and explore, whether it's their first time or their hundredth. This song will pump you up and get you ready for anything that comes your way.

29. “The Wanderer” by Dion

This song is all about the feeling of being lost and alone while traveling. It's a reflective and introspective tune that will resonate with anyone who's ever felt lost while on the road. If you're looking for a song that will help you process your own travel experiences, this is a great choice.

30. “Don't Worry, Be Happy” by Bobby McFerrin

This upbeat, cheerful and fun song is all about being content and happy with where you are in life. It's a great pick for anyone who's on the road or just starting a new journey in life. No matter where your travels take you, this song will help you keep a positive attitude and just enjoy the ride.

31. “Easy” by Lionel Richie / Faith No More

This pop ballad is all about the feeling of being on the road and embracing all of the surprises that come along with it. It's a great pick for anyone who's looking to travel and explore, whether it's their first time or their hundredth. This song will help you keep a positive attitude and just enjoy the ride.

32. “Dreamers of the Shore” by Volcan Peaks

This hauntingly beautiful tune is all about the feeling of being on the road and facing your fears. It's a powerful ballad that will resonate with anyone who's ever set foot on a plane, train or automobile to look for something new. If you're looking for something that will help you process any travel-related fears, this song is a great choice.

33. “Somewhere Only We Know” by Keane

The song, Somewhere Only We Know, is a piece of nostalgia. The lyrics circle around about something, someone, and somewhere he used to love. It is about finding and travelling back to the feelings he used to feel, activities he used to do, and the people and places he used to see. At the same time, this song will unfold a new emotion of how past look like and how it can change drastically that will make you reflect the temporariness in this world.

34. “The Longest Road” by Morgan Page feat. Lissie

This upbeat music will boost your excitement while travelling. This song will talk about the journey of life, and how it can affect you life. It is about enjoying, trying new things, create bonds, build memories, and making mistakes. This will make you feel the urge of always chasing things in order to live and create a meaningful life out of it.

35. “I Travel” by Simple Minds

This song is all about the feeling of homesickness while traveling. It's a beautiful and introspective ballad that will resonate with anyone who's ever left their home behind to travel. Whether you're far from home or just missing your loved ones, this song is slightly melancholic but nice.

36. “Home” by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros

In travelling, this song will comfort you as it will present the feeling of missing home while living in a different environment. It will likewise bring you motivation with the gratefulness of being in a new place. It will ignite different emotions, specifically the feeling of attachment, nearly love to someone, some place, or a moment that will keep you moving.

37. “Running to Stand Still” by U2

This song is all about the feeling of being on the road and facing your fears. It's a powerful ballad that will resonate with anyone who's ever set foot on a plane, train or automobile to look for something new. If you're looking for something that will help you process any travel-related fears, this song is a great choice.

38. “The Road to Reno” by Guy Clark

This sad country tune is all about the feeling of traveling on the road with no end in sight. It's a powerful ballad that will resonate with anyone who's ever left their home behind for an open-ended journey.

39. “Kokomo” by The Beach Boys

This fun and upbeat song is all about the feeling of being on a tropical island, far away from your troubles. It's a great pick for anyone who's looking to travel to a new and exotic location. Whether you're planning a trip or just dreaming of one, this song will help you relax and escape the everyday grind.

40. “California Dreaming” by The Mamas & The Papas

This song is all about the feeling of longing for home while you're on the road. It's a beautiful and introspective ballad that will resonate with anyone who's ever left their home behind to travel. Whether you're far from home or just missing your loved ones, this song will make you feel right at ease.

Related: California Instagram Captions

41. “Somewhere over the Rainbow” by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole

This beautiful and haunting song is all about the feeling of longing for home while you're on the road. It's a great pick for anyone who's ever left their home behind to travel, whether they're far from home or just missing their loved ones.

Songs about travel: “Somewhere over the Rainbow” by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole

42. “Adventure of a Lifetime” by Coldplay

This fun and groovy dance song is about feeling the emotions of being alive, again. This disco inspired music will motivate you to always carry on in life because it is an adventure, there's trouble and joy in it. This song will awaken us to the energy of life while travelling and to not lose it, hence the adventure of a lifetime.

Travel Playlist: “Adventure of a Lifetime” by Coldplay

43. “Paris” by The Chainsmokers

This electronic dance music is about finding independence with the ones you love and to live with. Paris is what the couple's trying to go and live the life they wanted away from the obstructions of their family, environmental trauma, and anxiety. Even though this song is about searching for the fantasy they wanted to live, this song gives people to motivation to dream, work on that dream and to make it come true, whether it's travelling or not.

Traveling Tunes: “Paris” by The Chainsmokers

Related: 100+ Paris Captions For Instagram For Your Beautiful City Photos

44. “Sleep on the Floor” by The Lumineers

This feel good music with its country tune and calming arrangement is about travelling away to the big bustling cities and making the most out of that impulsive decision even you're feeling out from you comfort zone. It will give you courage that in the journey of life, there's always the presence of troubles and unavoidable circumstances that you can overcome as long as you have someone with you.

Songs about travelling: “Sleep on the Floor” by The Lumineers

45. “Heading Home” by Gryffin feat. Josef Salvat

Heading Home, an electronic dance music is a feel good music talking about the feeling of always longing to feel the comfort of a home. It will make you feel the known feeling of a traveller, being a lost person, yet pushes you to always move forward and enjoy the things life has thrown at you.

Songs for the traveler: “Heading Home” by Gryffin feat. Josef Salvat

46. “Havana” by Camila Cabello

Havana is a song paying tribute to the artist's home country, Cuba. This dance music gives you the vibes of their culture, warmth, and love to their place. This song is associated to a love of a country by praising its beauty, romanticizing the relationships you can build, and treasuring the moments of travelling.

Songs to add to your playlist: “Havana” by Camila Cabello

47. “Autumn Dawn” by Volcan Peaks

This music will serenade your ears while travelling a long road as bring comfort and calmness with the lyrics and its tune. Even though this song will give you comfort, the lyrics much more emphasize the feeling during a separation. This will bring enough sadness to the listeners to realize the growth you will encounter separating from a place, person, and moment among others.

Wanderlust songs: “Autumn Dawn” by Volcan Peaks

Related: Best Autumn Instagram Captions

48. “Take Me Back To London ” by Ed Sheeran

This upbeat music is a vibe starter when travelling. It's about reminiscing a place where they grow up and travelling back to those moments through sharing their different stories. It's about realizing that a person can move forward in life and still be the person dreaming of what they have become.

49. “Travel Song” by Teleman

Travel Song, a feel good music, is a comforting music to hear when driving towards a destination. This song is about affection and risk, drawing matches between a widespread fire and a destined relationship. The music reflects the tone of the verses, as well — an incredible, irresistible harmony among poppy and fun-loving sentimentalism and serious, sobering acknowledgements

50. “Beach Bonfire” by Sandro

This comforting song is good lullaby during downtime or hours for siesta. From the title itself, it's about igniting your travel with beach bonfire and find comfort with it while enjoying the sea breeze and the sound of the waves. This song freezes a moment as it's very calm, and can make you realize and internalize the events during a trip.

Tunes for the holidays: “Beach Bonfire” by Sandro

51. “Stargazing” by Kygo feat. Justin Jesso

This is a hopeful song to everyone who's thinking they cannot get through something. The song is best for travelling especially when you're burn out or unmotivated to do such, it will give you courage to look forward of what's gonna happen. This was intentionally about the artist's ex-girlfriend finding her way to fix their relationship, but at the same time knowing that it will be okay otherwise, since there's always hope when you look up to the sky and see stars keep blazing.

52. “I’m like a Bird” by Nelly Furtado

This fun beat music will bring your feet on the move. The song talks about the freedom of a human as a bird has, but at the same time recognizing the impermanence of the abilities a human can do with that freedom. It's a good music during a trip on a summer knowing you're free from hectic schedule and heavy responsibilities.

53. “Anywhere” by Passenger

Passenger never really disappoint, especially with this song, giving us the feel good vibe when hitting off the road. It's about devotion, love, and commitment to someone when travelling, believing that it will always be remarkable as long it's with that significant other. Anywhere talks about a destination that can fulfill the dream and goal of couples driven by the want to travel and escape.

54. “Fly Away ” by Lenny Kravitz

This rock music will bring to a different dimension when travelling. The song purposively gives out a different feeling, yet so relatable as it is about escaping and going to a different place that you wish different from what you are currently living. It's a feel good music for people travelling objectifying their want for escape and adventure.

55. “Africa” by Toto

This song age like fine wine, it's really a very well-created piece of music, with driving drum circles, layered harmonies, and an anthemic tune. The comforting voice of the singer really gives you a good film moment while travelling. Not only that it pays tribute to the beauty of Africa , it will definitely give you the feeling of warmth and ease when travelling.

56. “Good Life” by One Republic

This upbeat song is best when you're travelling for your self's improvement. It's tied in with discarding your burdens and stresses and having a decent life, since you can as it centers around being the individual you need to be and not what others believe you should be. This tune truly radiates a great deal of sentiments, yet it's elevating and brings a peculiar inclination to the listeners.

57. “Wanderlust ” by Frank Turner

This country feel music will make you feel the moment while travelling. The song portrays one of Frank's heartfelt limbo, it puts to differentiate the reasonable and satisfying relationship he has with this young lady with his ceaseless desire for tour and travelling. With this song, you will feel motivated on the decisions you will be encountering regarding travels and tours.

58. “Ocean” by Martin Garrix feat Khalid

This calming, downtempo dance track highlights instrumentation by Dutch DJ Martin Garrix and vocals by American artist Khalid. This electronic dance music mainly talks about the power of love, using the ocean as metaphor that can't break a relationship. This music sets the active mood while travelling, it pumps your heart, break the awkwardness, and develop a strong start on a trip.

59. “Catch & Release” by Matt Simons

This song has an incredibly calming tune in any trip, when it discusses survival strategies through the battles in our lives. This discusses going to where without help from anyone else, yet it isn't forlorn… where someone can act naturally and find solace in self-reflection even in obscurity. This song resonates with every last one of us, the melody having a profound importance with its care meaning.

60. “Traveling On” by Kongos

Traveling On is a calming music that's best when travelling in a non-touristy village. It's a breathtaking song that soothes you blood, bones, and soul. It helps you to remember the little moments while travelling, at the same time makes wanna seize the day.

61. “Dreaming” by Smallpools

The song gets going with a tranquil sound that crescendos into a beat to set the bass of the tune that fits when you listen clearly when travelling. The tune has an exceptionally electronic sound to it, yet the artist's voice is genuine. All through the melody there is a feeling of anxiety and urgency of attempting to make a spot for yourself. The melody for the most part catches the inclination that the world is against you.

62. “These Days” by Foo Fighters

This rock music is best when travelling long serene roads, with its developing style from calm to rock.  The song divulges on the idea that we must live life to the fullest, knowing and acknowledging that it's temporary and it may or will end these days. When going on a trip, we must not forget to always take risks, create memories, and be spontaneous.

63. “Born to Be Wild” by Steppenwolf

Like any travel songs, this rock anthem is made for highways and unplanned trips. This song resonates the drive of motor riders travelling across countries by road, being wild and fun. The song, nonetheless represents to those who think they're born to be wild, being carefree, and worry less.

64. “Send Me On My Way” by Rusted Root

Send Me on My Way is a magical song that motivates you to keep moving forward when travelling with the warmth it expresses, and the soothing feeling it gives. This sets your happy mood when travelling, redefines your vision to the beauty of the traveled places, generates wonderful narratives when interacting with locals of you destinations, and releases your stress.

65. “Perfect Strangers” by Jonas Blue

This dance music will give you the vibe and mood when travelling in summer. It may originally be about two strangers found their charm with one another while travelling, it's nonetheless a summer anthem way back when it was released, with its catchy lyrics, and undeniably good electronic accompaniment.

66. “Let the Sun Shine” by Labrinth

Originally a country song, Let the Sun Shine was produced wonderfully to a hip-hop music, generating a new good travel music.  It's about the new beginnings in our life every day, giving us another time to renew, enjoy, and live. This upbeat music is best when travelling with friends, and strangers as it will connect your thoughts and mood during a trip.

67. “Beautiful Day” by U2

This iconic song is amazing when travelling alone, to be able to reflect that life may take away a lot from you, there will always be joy on what remained. This rock music gives you the vibes and good mood going abroad. This song will make you look for hope and beauty in this world even with its existing nightmares.

68. “Take Me Home, Country Roads” by John Denver

This timeless song really resonates with the ones always travelling and always on the hope to be home as soon as possible. This may be a song about home-sickness, the tune will always be remembered and used while travelling long roads. The undeniably good rhythm and its meaningful lyrics will always have a special place in all traveller's heart.

69. “Heart Of Gold” by Neil Young

This classic song expresses the longing for love and hope to never give up. This calming music is best when travelling with the car windows down while feeling the wind brushing your skin and listen as it whispers your wind. The soothing voices and mellow rhythm of the song is also good when you're taking a rest after a long day of a trip.

70. “The Sound of Silence” by Simon & Garfunkel

The Sound of Silence may be an empowering song to those oppressed and unprivileged, it likewise encourages people to not be afraid to talk to people especially when travelling alone. This song is the best company when having a down time during a trip, as it recognizes the importance of solo time when overwhelmed, especially during a travel.

71. “With or Without you” by U2

With or Without You, is a song about moving forward that's translated by travellers into a good solo travel song. This rock classic is a good jam of any ages, since it's relatable at some point in life. The sentimental foundation of the song makes it a great song when going for a trip, best played in a radio on a random setting.

72. “Have You Ever Seen The Rain?” by CCR

This timeless country music is about having a beautiful, sunny, and vibrant life and knowing that there will be rainy times as well. This music is a vibe when driving on a countryside moving across borders. It's best when travelling with friends and deciding on spontaneous stops for fun and adventure. It is an anthem for a road trip.

73. “Linger” by The Cranberries

The love song turned to a travel anthem is about the things you do when in love. This classic song has become the anthem of most travellers crossing borders and going out their comfort zone. With the soothing voice and beautifully arranged dynamics, makes this song a remarkable to any ages when going for a trip.

74. “Days of Silence” by Las Lunas

This calm music is great way to feed your ears with ease and help your mind find sanity when travelling. The beautifully written lyrics and its soothing tune will bring you peace of mind. When travelling, it's best to listen it at night, to wrap up the day with good music and deep reflection of the trip.

75. “I'm Thinking About You” by Windshield

I'm Thinking About You is a great song when unwinding, just sitting on your rented cabin, chilling with the sound of nature, and live on your thoughts. It's best when camping with friends or any of your love ones, as it will unleash your authenticity as your principle for love. This song will bring you to your thoughts that can help you generate reflections throughout.

Related: Best Nature Quotes

76. “Like Stone” by Daniel Gunnarson

This acoustic song will bring you a smile when travelling as it will set your positive mood when travelling. The calming arrangement of the song soothes your soul and washes all you stress and worries. This will ignite you drive on documenting the trip to freeze the moments and treasure it with all you heart.

77. “Feel your Blue Sky” by Bothnia

The song may start melancholic, the song delivers a powerful message of courage. This song is calming and comforting to the heart, and best when travelling to an isolated island or listened with radios on long quiet road. The song is best company for couple or solo travellers, as it will give you sanity and ease.

78. “Cornelia” by The Eastern Plain

This angelic song is best when you're travelling for peace and sanity. This song will bring you in a different beautiful dimension, and reframes your vision to the positive thoughts when travelling. The song is great when going to high altitudes and look down to the beautiful scenery of the city.

79. “A Thousand Miles” by Vanessa Carlton

Some of the riffs for this hit song were written when Vanessa Carlton was just 17 years old. First released in 2002, the music video sees Vanessa being driven on a cross country road trip in America playing a piano.

Related: Camp Quotes

80. “Roam” by The B-52's

I've added this thanks to a reader's comment! The unmistaken style of the B-53's hits you from the opening, and the up-beat catchy chorus and melody quickly puts you in a happy place – no matter where you are in the world!

Roam if you want to Roam around the world Roam if you want to Without anything but the love we feel

Did the B-52's ever get the lasting recognition they fully deserve? Probably not, which is a real shame. Check it out on YouTube here: Roam

What makes a good travel song?

We think a good travel song should either inspire wanderlust or evoke memories of past trips . It should also have a catchy melody that will stay in your head long after the journey is over!

Why do people love songs about travel so much?

Songs about travel have a way of capturing the excitement, adventure , and sense of possibility that comes with hitting the open road. They can also be incredibly nostalgic, reminding us of past trips and all the places we’ve been.

How to make a perfect traveling playlist ?

To make the perfect traveling playlist, start by thinking about what kinds of travel experiences you want to evoke. Do you want a playlist that will get you pumped up for your next big adventure? Or one that will soothe homesick feelings and help you relax while on the road?

You might also consider choosing songs with lyrics that reflect your own feelings about travel, whether it’s excitement at the unknown or a sense of longing for home.

Once you have your ideas in place, put together a playlist that incorporates a variety of different artists and genres to keep things interesting! And don’t forget to pack your headphones so you can enjoy your songs in style on your next trip .

Tips for using music to enhance your travel experience :

1. Take some time to think about the kind of experiences you want to have while traveling, and then create a playlist that will help you get in the right mindset.

2. Consider choosing music with lyrics that reflect your own feelings about travel, whether it’s excitement at the unknown or a sense of longing for home.

3. Prioritize listening to your playlist while on the road, whether you’re driving or flying. This can help you get in the right mindset for your trip and make it more enjoyable.

4. Don’t forget to pack a good set of earbuds so you can enjoy your music in style at any time during your travels.

5. Most importantly, have fun and enjoy the journey! Music can play a big role in making any trip more memorable and enjoyable.

Related: Songs about bicycles

Travel Songs Playlist Final thoughts

Travel and music go together like peanut butter and jelly. Whether you're hitting the open road on an epic road trip or jetting off to a new and exotic destination, music can help set the mood and enhance your travel experience.

If you're looking for some great songs about travel, we recommend checking out tracks by Guy Clark, The Beach Boys, and The Mamas & the Papas. And don't forget to pack your headphones so you can enjoy your music in style on your next trip!

What's are your best road trip songs? What do you consider to be the ultimate travel song? Let us know in the comments below!

Best Travel Songs For Your Playlist

5 thoughts on “80 Best Songs About Traveling: The Ultimate Travel Playlist?”

After a year on the road, these suggestions, and the songs they brought to mind, has expanded my traveling playlist from a few dozen to more than a hundred. Thanks a million, Dave!

Shocked not to see Roam by the B52’s?!

So am I! I’ll try to add it in over the next week or so!

Another great tune that I have never seen on any “Travel Song” list is “Born to Wander” by the Rare Earth on their 1970 album “Ecology”.

The members of Lynyrd Skynyrd did not grow up in muscle shoals Alabama. They grew up in Jacksonville, Florida.

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Girl With The Passport

Insider’s Guide to the 100+ Best Songs about Travel

By: Author Girl with the Passport

Posted on Last updated: July 7, 2022

Categories Travel Tips

Looking for an expertly curated, super comprehensive selection of the all-time best songs about travel ?

If so then this list of 100+ best songs about travel is DEFFO for you. I mean, not only have I been traveling the world for the past 15+ years but I also love music.

So, when I’m not traveling, you can find me rocking out to some of the best songs about travel on this list.

Yeah, you may or may not find me hardcore lip-synching to some of these best travel songs while I dance around my room like Elaine from Seinfeld .

Heck, I even listen to a lot of these sick beats when I’m on the road and jamming to my very own travel songs playlist .

Therefore, if you’re in need of a bit of musical inspiration then give this list of the best songs about travel a read.

Because whether you’re traveling to New York, San Francisco, or somewhere in between, you’re sure to find the top travel songs for you!

This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my disclosure for more information. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.

1. Alaska by Maggie Rogers

Colorful, stilted homes on the water in Ketchikan, Alaska.

“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”

2. Taj Mahal by 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”

3. Carolina in My Mind by 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”

4. New York State of Mind by 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”

Pro Tip: Be sure to check out some of the other best songs about NYC . This is also just one of my personal picks for best travel songs since I’m from New York.

5. Hello Seattle by 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”

6. Miles from Minnesota by 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”

7. God Blessed Texas by 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

God blessed Texas”

8. Graceland by 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”

9. Miles Away by 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”

10. I’m Shipping Up To Boston by 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”

11. Lovers in Japan by Coldplay

View of the streets of Japan and reminds me of one of the best travel songs

“Tonight, maybe we’re gonna run

Dreamin’ of the Osaka sun

Ohh, ohh, ohhh

Dreamin’ of when the morning comes”

12. Aux Champs-Élysées by 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”

And 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”

I’m Shipping Up To Boston – Dropkick Murphys

I’m a sailor peg

13. Rock the Casbah by The Clash

“Sharif don’t like it

Rockin’ the Casbah

Rock the Casbah

Sharif don’t like it

Rock the Casbah”

14. Brazil by 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?”

15. Surfin’ USA by 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.”

16. California by 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.”

17. Mexico by 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”

18. Beverly Hills by Weezer

“Beverly Hills

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

Livin’ in Beverly Hills

Beverly Hills

Rollin’ like a celebrity (gimme, gimme)

Livin’ in Beverly Hills”

19. Barcelona by George Ezra

Parc Guell Barcelona Spain

“Every time you have to go

Shut my eyes and you know

I’ll be lying right by your side

In Barcelona”

20. Rocky Road to Dublin by 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”

21. America by 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”

22. Walking in Memphis by 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?”

23. Africa by 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”

Pro Tip: Weezer also did a fantastic cover of this song in 2018 that you should DEFFO add to your list of best travel songs today.

24. Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) by 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”

25. Marrakech Express by 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”

26. Blue Hawaii by 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”

27. I’ve Been Everywhere by Johnny Cash

“I’ve been everywhere, man

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

Winslow”

28. Rio by Netsky and 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”

29. Back in the U.S.S.R. by 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.”

30. April in Paris by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong

View of the Eiffel Tower from the Arc de Triumphe and reminds me of one of the best soungs about travel

“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”

31. Budapest by George Ezra

“My house in Budapest

My hidden treasure chest

Golden grand piano

My beautiful Castillo

I’d leave it all

My acres of a land

I have achieved

It may be hard for you to

Stop and believe

But for you

I’d Leave it all

Give me one good reason

Why I should never make a change

And baby if you hold me

Then all of this will go away.”

32. Viva Las Vegas by 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”

33. Vienna by 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

Oh, Vienna”

34. Midnight Train to Georgia by Gladys Knight & the Pips

“He’s leaving (leaving)

On that midnight train to Georgia (leaving on a midnight train)

Said he’s going back (going back to find)

To a simpler place and time (and when he takes that ride)

Oh yes, he is (guess who’s gonna sit right by his side)”

35. Malibu by Miley Cyrus

“But here I am

Next to you

The sky is so blue

Next to you”

36. New York Groove by 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”

37. Road to Nowhere by the Talking Heads

“We’re on a road to nowhere

Come on inside

Takin’ that ride to nowhere

We’ll take that ride”

38. California Love by 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”

39. Renegades by X Ambassadors

“Run away-ay with me

Lost souls in revelry

Running wild and running free

Two kids, you and me

Hey, hey-hey-hey

Livin’ like we’re renegades

Hey-hey-hey

Renegades.”

Pro Tip: This is a fantastic song that is highly underrated IMHO. So, be sure to add it to your playlist filled with the best songs about travel.

40. Miami by Will Smith

Multi-colored lifeguard tower in Miami in best warm winter vacations USA.

“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

‘Welcome to Miami'”

41. The Wanderer by Dion DiMucci

“I’m the type of guy that likes to roam around

I’m never in one place I roam from town to town

And when I find myself a-fallin’ for some girl, yeah

I hop right into that car of mine and ride around the world

Yeah I’m the wanderer, yeah the wanderer

I roam around around around, let’s go”

42. Hotel California by The Eagles

“Welcome to the Hotel California

Such a lovely place (Such a lovely place)

Such a lovely face

Plenty of room at the Hotel California

Any time of year (Any time of year)

You can find it here.”

43. Where the Streets Have No Name by U2

“Where the streets have no name

Where the streets have no name

We’re still building then burning down love

Burning down love

And when I go there, I go there with you

It’s all I can do.”

44. Empire State of Mind by Jay-Z and featuring Alicia Keys

“In New York (Ay, aha) (Uh, yeah)

Concrete jungle (Yeah) where dreams are made of

There’s nothing you can’t do (Yeah) (OK)

Now you’re in New York (Aha, aha, aha) (Uh, yeah)

These streets will make you feel brand-new (New)

Big lights will inspire you (Come on) (OK)

Let’s hear it for New York (You welcome, OG) (Uh)

New York (Yeah), New York (Uh)”

45. Around the World by Daft Punk

“Around the world, around the world

Around the world, around the world

Around the world, around the world”

46. Down Under by Men at Work

“Buying bread from a man in Brussels

He was six foot four and full of muscle

I said, “Do you speak-a my language?”

He just smiled and gave me a Vegemite sandwich

And he said:

I come from a land down under

Where beer does flow and men chunder

Can’t you hear, can’t you hear the thunder

You better run, you better take cover.”

47. Traveling On by The Decemberists

“Cause we’re traveling on

Sold for a song

We’re traveling on

And it won’t be long

‘Til we’re traveling on”

48. Hopeless Wanderer by Mumford & Sons

“But hold me fast, hold me fast

‘Cause I’m a hopeless wanderer

And hold me fast, hold me fast

‘Cause I’m a hopeless wanderer”

49. When I’m Gone (The Cups Song) by 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

You’re gonna miss me when I’m gone”

50. Born to Run by 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”

51. Moon River by 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”

52. Life is a Highway by Rascal Flatts

“Life is a highway

I wanna ride it all night long

If you’re going my way

I wanna drive it all night long”

53. Kathmandu by 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”

54. The Passenger by 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 am a passenger

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”

55. Havana by 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” ‍

56. Fast Car by Tracy Chapman

“You got a fast car

Is it fast enough so we can fly away?

We gotta make a decision

Leave tonight or live and die this way”

57. Paris by The Chainsmokers

Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris and one of the best songs about travel.

“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”

58. Hotel Walls by Smith & Thell

“So I stand back and I watch us fall

As we break everything inside these hotel walls

Life’s for rent and it called us out

So I hand back the key as the door man bows”

Pro Tip: This is a really great Swedish band and you should listen to some of their other best travel songs too, like Forgive Me, Friend .

59. Vacation by The Go-Go’s

“Vacation

All I ever wanted

Had to get away

Meant to be spent alone”

60. On Top of the World by Imagine Dragons

‘Cause I’m on top of the world, ‘ey

I’m on top of the world, ‘ey

Waiting on this for a while now

Paying my dues to the dirt

I’ve been waiting to smile, ‘ey

Been holding it in for a while, ‘ey

Take it with me if I can

Been dreaming of this since a child

I’m on top of the world”

61. No Sleep Till Brooklyn by The Beastie Boys

“No sleep ’till

No sleep ’till Brooklyn

No sleep till Brooklyn”

62. Barcelona by 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

In Barcelona

Barcelona”

63. Homeward Bound by 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”

64. Tennessee by 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”

65. In America by 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

They’re coming to America”

66. No Roots by 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”

67. California Dreamin’ by the Mamas and the Papas

“All the leaves are brown (all the leaves are brown)

And the sky is gray (and the sky is gray)

I’ve been for a walk (I’ve been for a walk)

On a winter’s day (on a winter’s day)

I’d be safe and warm (I’d be safe and warm)

If I was in L.A. (if I was in L.A.)

California dreamin’ (California dreamin’)

On such a winter’s day”

68. Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus

“I hopped off the plane at LAX

With a dream and my cardigan

Welcome to the land of fame excess (Whoa)

Am I gonna fit in?

Jumped in the cab, here I am for the first time

Look to my right, and I see the Hollywood sign

This is all so crazy

Everybody seems so famous

My tummy’s turnin’ and I’m feelin’ kinda homesick

Too much pressure and I’m nervous

That’s when the taxi man turned on the radio

And a JAY-Z song was on

So I put my hands up

They’re playin’ my song, the butterflies fly away

I’m noddin’ my head like, “Yeah”

Movin’ my hips like, “Yeah”

Got my hands up, they’re playing my song

You know I’m gonna be okay

Yeah, it’s a party in the U.S.A.

Yeah, it’s a party in the U.S.A.”

69. Galway Girl by 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”

70. Fly Away by Lenny Kravitz

I want to get away

I want to fly away

Yeah, yeah, yeah‍”

71. Kokomo by The Beach Boys

“Aruba, Jamaica, ooh, I want to take you to

Bermuda, Bahama, come on pretty mama

Key Largo, Montego, baby, why don’t we go?

Ooh, I want to take you 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”

72. Margaritaville by Jimmy Buffett

“Wastin’ away again in Margaritaville

Searchin’ for my lost shaker of salt

Salt, salt, salt

Some people claim that there’s a woman to blame

I agree with that

And I know it’s all you women’s fault”

73. Have Love Will Travel by The Sonics

Yeah, I travel from Maine to Mexico

Just to find a little girl that loves me so

No matter when, no matter where I’ll be

I’m looking for a woman that’ll satisfy me

Whoa, baby, will travel

I said, yeah, yeah, have love

Woah, baby, will travel

I said, if you need loving then

Mm, hmm, I’ll travel

Woah!”

74. Chicago by Sufjan Stevens

“I fell in love again

All things go, all things go

Drove to Chicago

All things know, all things know”

75. One Night in Bangkok by Murray Head

Floating Market in Bangkok as described by one of the best travel songs.

“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”

76. Leaving on a Jetplane by John Denver

“So kiss me and smile for me

Tell me that you’ll wait for me

Hold me like you’ll never let me go

‘Cause I’m leavin’ on a jet plane

Don’t know when I’ll be back again

Oh babe, I hate to go”

77. I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) by The Proclaimers

“But I would roll 500 miles

And I would roll 500 more

Just to be the man who roles a thousand miles

To fall down at your door”

78. Ramblin’ Man by 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”

79. Istanbul (Not Constantinople) by 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”

80. Vertigo by FM Belfast

“We are going far away

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”

81. Sweet Home Alabama by Lynyrd Skynyrd

“Sweet home Alabama

Where the skies are so blue

Sweet home Alabama

Lord, I’m comin’ home to you”

82. On the Road Again by Willie Nelson

“On the road again

Like a band of gypsies, we go down the highway

We’re the best of friends

Insisting that the world keep turning our way

And our way

Is on the road again”

83. Born to be Wild by Steppenwolf

“Born to be wild

Born to be wild

Get your motor runnin’

Head out on the highway

Looking for adventure

In whatever comes our way”

84. Roam by The B-52’s

“Roam if you want to

Roam around the world

Roam if you want to

Without wings, without wheels

Without anything but the love we feel”

85. Send Me on My Way by 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)”

86. Take Me Home, Country Roads by John Denver

“Country roads, take me home

To the place I belong

West Virginia, mountain mama

Take me home, country roads”

87. San Francisco by Scott McKenzie

Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco

“If you’re going to San Francisco

Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair

If you’re going to San Francisco

You’re gonna meet some gentle people there.”

88. London Calling by 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”

89. Wonderwall by Oasis (Popular amongst guitar players in hostels the world over)

“And all the roads we have to walk are winding

And all the lights that lead us there are blinding

There are many things that I would like to say to you, but I don’t know how

Because maybe

You’re gonna be the one that saves me

And after all

You’re my wonderwall”

Random Aside : Honestly, if you haven’t heard someone play this pick for one of the best travel songs on their guitar in a hostel, have you really traveled? And the correct answer is, probably not!

90. Come Fly With Me by Frank Sinatra

“Come fly with me, let’s fly, let’s fly away

If you can use some exotic booze

There’s a bar in far Bombay

Come fly with me, let’s fly, let’s fly away.”

91. Truckin’ by the Grateful Dead

“Truckin’, like the do-dah man

Once told me, ‘You’ve got to play your hand’

Sometimes the cards ain’t worth a dime

If you don’t lay ’em down.”

92. What We Live For by American Authors

“We’re taking off, woo

We’re taking off, woo

This is what I live for

Baby, you’re my open road.”

93. Holiday by Madonna

“If we took a holiday

Took some time to celebrate

Just one day out of life

It would be, it would be so nice.”

94. Gravity by Cold Play

“Baby

It’s been a long time coming

Such a long, long time

And I can’t stop running

Can you hear my heart beating?

Can you hear that sound?

‘Cause I can’t help thinking

And I won’t stop now“

95. Leaving Las Vegas by Cheryl Crow

“I’m leaving Las Vegas

Lights so bright, palm sweat, blackjack on a Saturday night

Leaving Las Vegas

Leaving for good, for good

I’m leaving for good

I’m leaving for good”

96. Free by Donovan Frankenreiter

“Here comes corner winds and the changin’ tide

We better drop them sails and get inside

When will the weather ever let us go

I guess we’ll have to wait until the trade winds blow”

97. Come Away with Me by Norah Jones

“Come away with me and we’ll kiss

On a mountain top

Come away with me

And I’ll never stop lovin’ you”

98. American Boy by Estelle and featuring Kanye West

“Take me on a trip, I’d like to go some day

Take me to New York, I’d love to see LA

I really want to come kick it with you

You’ll be my American boy.”

99. Destination Calabria by Alex Gaudino featuring Crystal Waters

“I left my job, my boss, my car and my home

I’m leaving for a destination I still don’t know”

100. Toes by the Zac Brown Band

The turquoise blue waters and sandy beach of Antiparos in Greece.

“I got my toes in the water, ass in the sand

Not a worry in the world, a cold beer in my hand

Life is good today”

101. Last Train Home by John Mayer

“I’m on the last train runnin’

I’m on the last train runnin’

And I surrender

And I surrender”

102. Two Tickets To Paradise by Eddie Money

“I’m gonna take you on a trip so far from here,

I’ve got two tickets in my pocket, now baby, we’re gonna disappear.

We’ve waited so long, waited so long.

We’ve waited so long, waited so long.“

103. Do You Want to See the World by the Kooks

“Do you want to see the world?

In a different way, yeah”

104. A Million Miles Away by David Byrne

“Oh oh

A million miles away from here”

105. Space Oddity by David Bowie

“This is Major Tom to Ground Control

I’m stepping through the door

And I’m floating in a most peculiar way

And the stars look very different today

Am I sitting in a tin can

Far above the world

Planet Earth is blue

And there’s nothing I can do”

Additional Travel Resources You’ll Love

  • Best Travel Quotes
  • Best Travel Captions for Instagram
  • Best Songs About West Virginia

There you have it! That just about wraps up this list of the best travel songs of all time!

Tell me, did your favorite road trip songs make the list if not then let. me know in the comments below, and if you found this post about the best travel songs useful, don’t forget to pin this post now so that you can read it again later.

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31 Travel Songs You Should Add To Your Playlist For A Memorable Road Trip

Travel Songs hindi for road trip

Who doesn’t like traveling? But when it is combined with the music you love the excitement doubles. Whether you are traveling solo, with your friends, or with family, a good travel song playlist is something that keeps things fun and interesting. But finding the perfect songs to curate the playlist of the best Bollywood travel songs is difficult. So, let us help you by listing the songs for the perfect Bollywood travel song playlist.

Here are some of the best songs that are ideal for a road trip playlist:

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1. Journey Song – Piku

The soulful song was played in the film Piku where the protagonist is traveling as well. The main intention behind the song was to compose a piece that will take you places and it surely works and justifies the name.

2. Safarnama – Tamasha

This is one of the best travel songs for your playlist. Safarnama is a song that has a special place in the hearts of travelers. Imtiaz Ali’s Tamasha gifted us with a masterpiece that soothes the soul and fetches peace.

3. Chaand Baliyaan – Aditya A

If you watch Instagram travel reels like I do you must have heard this soulful number from the budding singer Aditya A as it has been doing the rounds in most reels and has been one of the trending songs. Besides being a perfect addition to your travel playlist, this song can also be used as one of the background Hindi songs for your travel videos.

4. Patakha Guddi – Highway

A.R.Rahman’s music and the Nooran sisters’ voice have created magic. One of the best travel songs Bollywood could have delivered. This foot-tapping number from Highway has the power to make you feel free and get ready to embark on a road trip just like Alia Bhatt and Randeep Hooda in the movie.

5. Dil Chahta Hai – Dil Chahta Hai

If you are planning a road trip with friends this is one of the old Hindi travel songs which you can sing along with and enjoy your trip.

6. O Humdum Suniyo Re – Saathiya

Sung by Shaan, KK, Kunal, and Pravin Mani with A.R.Rahman’s music, this song from Saathiya is a must-add to your playlist. This song is perfect especially if you are traveling solo or riding a bike or scooter.

7. Hawaaein – Jab Harry Met Sejal

This song is an excellent one to share with your partner with Arijit Singh’s voice and Pritam’s music spinning the magic on a road trip. Though it is one of those romantic travel songs, this one can be enjoyed by single folks and solo travelers too.

8. Yun Hi Chala Chal – Swadesh

A mere travel plan is enough to lift up your spirits. If you combine that with this masterpiece sung by Hariharan, Udit Narayan, and Kailash Kher with A.R. Rahman’s music, you will have the best time of your lives.

9. Ilahi – Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani

This song from Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani in Arijit Singh’s voice is a free-spirited bohemian one. Pritam’s music with meaningful lyrics makes it an ideal song to listen to on a journey.

10. Aao Milon Chalen – Jab We Met

Who doesn’t love the songs of Jab We Met ? Aao Milon Chalen is a song full of positivity. Shaan’s sweet voice and Ustad Sultan Khan’s singing are a treat to the ears combined with Pritam’s music.

11. Kyon – Barfi!

From the film Barfi , sung by Papon. The song is about asking someone to imagine what it would be like to travel together, and that’s exactly why it should be a part of your playlist.

12. Udd Gaye – Ritviz

The famous party song didn’t even need any remix to make it the party anthem, it is a staple song of any party. During your journey, play this song and get ready to groove to its beats.

13. Yeh Haseen Vaadiyan – Roja

A must-add to your travel song playlist if you are traveling with your partner, this A.R. Rahman song is one of a kind sung beautifully by S.P. Balasubrahmanyam and K.S. Chitra.

14. Khaabon Ke Parindey – Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

The film Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara , where the whole film is about a trip, a reunion with friends, falling in love, making memories, and discovering how to make the right decisions in life. This song is perfect for any road trip.

15. Tanha Dil – Shaan

The song is legit about traveling alone, sung by Shaan, it is an absolute mood changer making it a must addition to your travel playlist.

16. Sooraj Dooba Hai – Roy

More of a party song, but this works as an upbeat journey song as well. From the film Roy ,  this song will give you the travel feels.

17. Phir Se Ud Chala – Rockstar

Travel songs in Mohit Chauhan’s voice, and Rahman sir’s music is a deadly combination. This song from Rockstar is an ideal road trip song.

18. Musafir Hoon Yaaron – Parichay

“Musafir hoon yaaron, na ghar hai na thikana, mujhe chalte jaana hai, bas chalte jaana…”

This popular song with Gulzar’s meaningful lyrics, the legendary R.D. Burman’s music, and Kishore Kumar’s voice from the 1972 film Parichay is definitely one of the best songs about travel and life.

19. Zindagi Do Pal Ki – Kites

This song from Kites is one of the memorable song by  KK . His voice has the power to take you to your destination faster as you won’t be able to do more ‘intezaar’.

20. Kho Gaye Hum Kahan – Baar Baar Dekho

The soulful song by Prateek Kuhad and Jasleen Royal is one of the trending songs about traveling. The lyrics of this song will take you to another world.

21. Chala Jaata Hoon – Mere Jeevan Sathi

This song can be considered one of the best old Hindi travel songs. This song composed by R.D. Burman will give you the travel feel because in the song Rajesh Khanna is seen driving through hilly roads while thinking about his lover. Kishore Kumar’s singing adds a fun element to the song that will make you hear it on repeat.

22. Banjarey – Fugly

The song from the movie Fugly by Yo Yo Honey Singh will fill your journey with fun and excitement.

23. Wo Raat –   Shivoryx

This new song of 2022 has been marked as a travel song because numerous reels and travel videos have been made with this song in the background. This soulful number is sung by Shivoryx, Ronit Vinta is a must-add to a travel playlist.

24. Hairat – Anjaana Anjaani

Hairat is a popular Hindi travel song from the movie Anjaana Anjaani. Sung by Lucky Ali, the video of the song features Ranbir Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra Jonas on a road trip.

25. Matargashti – Tamasha

With this fun and peppy number, Mohit Chauhan makes it to the list of Bollywood travel songs yet again! Matargashti is an upbeat, feet-tapping track that will fill your journey with a happy vibe.

26. Humraah – Malang

Humraah is the song that will never let you feel alone when you are out on a road trip, even if you are traveling solo. This Bollywood travel song is a must addition to a travel playlist.

27. Suhana Safar Aur Ye – Madhumati

This classic song from the 1958 movie Madhumati, featuring Dilip Kumar and Vyjantimala, is a must-add to your list of road trip songs.

28. Aaj Kal Zindagi – Wake up Sid

This song is all the pep talk you need to do something you are passionate about in your life. This beautiful composition by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy will make you feel good.

29. Kabira – Ye Jawani Hai Deewani

If you are a nomad like Bunny, Kabira is perfect for the moments you feel nostalgic when you leave a tiny part of your heart in every new place you visit.

30. Chhod Aaye Hum Wo Galiyaan – Maachis

The moment you pack up and get ready to leave your house before starting your new journey, the sense of independence feels awesome, right? This song will give you that feeling of freedom so this makes it to the list of best Bollywood travel songs.

31. Oh Gujaria – Queen

This Hindi song from Queen is fun and lively. The lovely beats of this song will make your feet tap and your head bounce. It is the perfect road trip song for travelers of all ages.

Which road trip song do you like the most? Share your favorite travel song in the comment below.

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The Best Travel Songs of All Time: 50 Tracks to Keep You Going on Your Next Adventure

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Music is a huge part of many travel experiences. The right tune can set the tone for an amazing trip, or it can remind you of a past adventure that you hold dear to your heart.

best travel songs

The best travel songs of all time are the ones that make you feel like you’re on your way. They can be about travelling or they can make you feel like you’re in the middle of a journey. These english and bollywood songs evoke emotions and feelings that take you to another realm, altogether.

There are many different types of music out there and it’s important to find what works for your mood and your trip. You might want something upbeat and fun for a vacation with friends or something more mellow for an introspective solo trip.

If you’re like me and have a million songs on your phone that aren’t necessarily travel songs, but are just great to listen to while on the road (or even at home), then this article is for you!

We hope that this article will make your next trip more enjoyable!

Table of Contents

Best Travel Songs of All Time that will Inspire You to Keep Moving

Songs are a huge part of planning any kind of travel or trip – a long haul journey, a road trip with friends or family, a solo trip to the opposite side of the world.

Here are some of the most inspirational or motivational travels songs 2023 that give out a soothing vibe when you start your journey.

Note – These are just suggestions that you could add on to your playlist of best travel songs of all time for any kind of trip.

Related – Planning a road trip for beginners

1. Dil Chahta Hai Title Track

Dil Chahta Hai was a movie that came quite unannounced into our lives one night and made us feel something! This one is amongst the most loved songs of all time and should be included in your playlist.

The music, the lyrics, the vocals everything falls together perfectly to make a soulful and fun track for a friends trip across the world. And I mean who hasn’t just let it all go when that “ Ohhhoooo-oo-oo-oo ” vocals come in!

Album – Dil Chahta Hai Artist – Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy

“Kaisa ajab ye safar hai, Socho to har ek hi bekhabar hai Ussko jaana kidhar hai, Jo waqt aaye, jaane, kya dikhaye”

2. Paradise – Coldplay

Coldplay songs screams very melodiously of nostalgia, moments and stuff that makes us want to leave whatever we are doing and just listen! Paradise is one of those songs – that makes you forget everything that’s going wrong in your life. It makes for a kickass and one of the best travel songs of all time.

The song is an inspirational track that says you just need to keep moving forward and you’ll see your paradise just round the corner pretty soon. Just don’t give up!

Album – Mylo Xyloto Artist – Coldplay

“When she was just a girl she expected the world But it flew away from her reach So she ran away in her sleep Dreamed of para-para-paradise”

3. Safarnama

Want the most greatest of emotions on one single song? Want to experience a ride through imagination, love, passion and harmony? Safarnama from Tamasha is here for you!

It is one of the most precious songs that inspire travel and soothes up your very soul as you move forward through the trip as well as on a journey of your own in life.

Album – Tamasha Artist – Lucky Ali

“O jisey dhoonda Zamaane mein, mujh hi mein tha”

4. Wake Me Up

“ Get up. Pack your things “. “ Where are we going? ” “ Somewhere we belong! “

This legendary track from the legendary artist needs to be on your travel songs list of the best travel songs of all time to listen to whatever the journey. Wake me up is a song depicting the sense of moving on through life while not knowing what the next turn of events might bring upon you. It talks about that no matter what people keep telling you, you shall just be happy with your life and tell them to “wake me up when its all over” .

Avicii was a legend and he lives on through his epic music in the hearts and minds of people who love his rhythm.

Album – True Artist – Avicii

“Feeling my way through the darkness Guided by a beating heart I can’t tell where the journey will end But I know where to start”

5. Zindagi Ek Safar Hai Suhana

You don’t know what life would throw at you at the next step, right? So why worry! Play this track as you move along in your journey to the beautiful locations – alone or with people you care for.

Zindagi ek safar is like a dear old friend telling you “ it’s all gonna end well ” and you just know that maybe – it will.

Album – Andaz Artist – Kishore Kumar

“Haste gate jahan se guzar, Duniya ki tu parvah na kar Muskuraate hue din bitana, Yahan kal kya ho kisne jaana”

6. Photograph by Ed Sheeran

Ed Sheeran’s music is an ultimate soulful experience for everyone and the tracks like this one make for an outstanding travel playlist for the beginning of a journey towards wonderful places and experiences.

Photograph is a song about hope and dreams and relationships. It’s about a connection and memories you’ve built with someone you love – it could be any person, a family member, a loved one, even a friend.

Album – X Artist – Ed Sheeran

“We keep this love in a photograph We made these memories for ourselves Where our eyes are never closing Hearts are never broken And time’s forever frozen still”

7. Khaabon Ke Parindey

ZNMD or Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara is a masterpiece of a film – especially for us travel lovers. And the entire album is outstanding, but this song in particular needed to be included in today’s list of the best travel songs of all time .

Khaabon ke Parindey is a song that tells you to live freely in the beautiful world around us. It tells you it’s okay to leave stuff that causes you pain or worry behind and focus on what’s around you – the magic, the beauty, the nature!

Album – ZNMD Artist – Mohit Chauhan, Alyssa Mendonsa

“Hawa Mein Beh Rahi Hai Zindagi Yeh Hum Se Keh Rahi Hai Zindagi Oho, Ab Toh, Jo Bhi Ho So Ho”

8. Closer by Chainsmokers (ft. Hasley)

Closer, when it first came out, took the world by a storm! It was everywhere – discos, radios, music channels on the TV, social media – everywhere!

A fun song to listen to while having a unique travel experience on your way, Closer is a celebration of physical attraction and the passion that one feels when experiencing it. It tells you to celebrate that phase of a relationship. It’s about that rush of memories and emotions you’d normally feel when meeting someone from the past!

Album – Collage Artist – Chainsmokers (ft. Hasley)

“Pull the sheets right off the corner Of that mattress that you stole From your roommate back in Boulder We ain’t ever getting older”

9. Aao Milo Chalein

Jab We Met is another one of the most epic Bollywood movies one can watch and re-watch many times. And the songs have been playing a major role in many playlists listed as the best travel songs of all time .

Aao Milo Chalein is a soothing song that depicts travel in all it’s glory – the colorful vibes of the video, travelling towards Bhatinda, the entire musical structure of the song is glorious and a fun listen.

It tells you that sometimes you just need to have the experience of a journey, even if you have no idea where the destination is. Sometimes, the journey is the destination .

Album – Jab We Met Artist – Shaan

“Yahan wahan dekho kahan Leke jane lagi bhekudi Aao mil jayega Hoga jahan pe raasta Aao Milo chale Jana kahan na ho pata”

10. Night Changes

Night Changes is one of the best songs created by One Direction – no doubt! Also, it is one of the most interesting best travel songs of all time . Although not being a travel song literally, it can be one of those songs that you just want to listen to when you’re on the road or in the skies and feel good.

Night changes is about growing up and what it all means to finally grow up and be outside into the world. As you grow older, things change, your perspectives change and you learn that it’s something different than you thought it would be. And that it is okay.

Album – Four Artist – One Direction

“We’re only gettin’ older, baby And I’ve been thinkin’ about it lately Does it ever drive you crazy Just how fast the night changes?”

A Road-Trip Playlist for Fun Mood

A road trip playlist shall contain couple of most amazing, popular and the best travel songs of all time in whatever language. These songs are not necessarily travel related but has the fun vibe of a road trip for sure!

The following list of beautiful tracks that are a fun listen with bouncy music, are suggestions to add to your playlist.

11. Chaiyya Chaiyya

Chaiyya Chaiyya is an outstanding and fun song to listen to on a road trip. The beats, the legendary music by A.R. Rahman, the extraordinary vocals of Sukhwinder Singh and Sapna Awasthi all combine together magically to form one of the most amazing bollywood travel songs .

Album – Dil Se Artist – Sapna Awasthi & Sukhwinder Singh

“Yaar misaale ous chale paao ke tale firdaus chale kabhi daal daal, kabhi paak paak mai hawa pe dhoondu uske nishaan”

12. Sugar and Brownies by Dharia

Sugar and Brownies is one of those songs where the beats and the unique vocals grab people’s attention and instantly makes them groove. That is what makes it a unique add for the best travel songs of all time ! It used to be a song that “ I’ve heard of but never knew the name for “. Everyone has that kind of song, right? ( or am I insane )

Album – Sugar & Brownies Artist – Dharia & Monoir

“Some of the ocean breeze Somewhere you promised me A love like a fire, no fears, no denial Just something to gladden me”

13. Jungnu by Badshah

Jugnu is a sensational song and when it came out recently it had a massive blow up amongst all kinds of audiences and music lovers! The lyrics are simple and great for a sing-along, the music is the USP and the stunning visuals make for a treat! It is a perfect road trip song to play at high volume with friends or your partner along the road.

Album – Jugnu Artist – Badshah

“Khush Main Itna Kyu Hoon? Tujhko Tavajjo Main Kyu Doon? Jaane Kya Hua Mujhe Tere Pyar Main Chamku Jaise Jugnu”

14. Shape of You

Ed Sheeran makes a comeback for our list of the best travel songs of all time with this outstanding and fun track called Shape of You. The lyrics are great for vibing, the music is great for the journey and the element of fun is outstanding.

Album – Divide Artist – Ed Sheeran

“Girl, you know I want your love Your love was handmade for somebody like me Come on now, follow my lead I may be crazy, don’t mind me”

15. Ghana Kasoota

Raftaar knows how to make a commercial track that will be loved by a grander audience and Ghana Kasoota is the proof of it. This Haryanvi styled track is on the minds and in the cars of so many people since it came out recently. Ghana Kasoota checks over the fun element we are looking for our road trip playlist suggestions for the best travel songs of all time .

Album – Ghana Kasoota Artist – Rashmeet Kaur & Raftaar

“Jab Gaam Ka Chhora Kaad Ke Taur Chhori Chhori Taake Se Mane Ghana Kasoota Lagge Se Mane Ghana Kasuta Lagge Se”

16. Magenta Riddim

EDM tracks have grown quite a lot and reached different corners of the world now. Magenta Riddim has a very different, fun and enjoyable music structure which makes it come into our list of the most fun and best travel songs of all time .

Album – Carte Blanch Artist – DJ Snake

“Pig gam ba li, de la pig gam ba li ba Pig gam ba li, de la pig gam ba li ba Bamb bamb bamb di gi di da dam (woo)”

Illahi from the movie Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani is a track made just for the satisfaction of our travel bugs! A song made for the travel lovers who do not want to spend the rest of their lives on the same place – who want adventures, exploration, mysteries and stuff that makes you feel different! A song for people like me. Like you.

Album – Yeh Jawani hai Deewani Artist – Arijit Singh/Mohit Chauhan ( btw, both these versions are great! )

“Kal pe sawaal hai jeena filhaal hai khanabadoshiyo pe hi jaane kyon Illahi mera ji aaye aaye”

Maroon 5 is one of the most popular and personally one of my top 5 musical bands of all time! This song in particular has the fun element and the happy vibes we are looking for in this part of the list of the best travel songs of all time in English.

Album – V Artist – Maroon 5

“You sugar, yes please Would you come and put it down on me? I’m right here, ’cause I need Little love, a little sympathy”

19. Dil Dooba

Sonu Nigam and his songs were and still are a sensation in itself and this track called Dil Dooba had the entire generation in its grasp with the lyrics, the fun music, and well the voice of Sonu Nigam! One of the best songs to sing along aloud while on a road trip with friends!

Album – Khakee Artist – Sonu Nigam & Shreya Ghoshal

“Tujhe Ek Din Jaaneman Pyaar Ki Ladiyan Pehnaonga Dekhega Sara Jahan Tujhe Le Jaaonga”

20. Turn up the Music

Truth be told everyone likes to bounce it out on a road trip sometimes, right! Turn up the music by Chris Brown is one of the most amazing tracks for an outstanding and fun road trip as you move through a straight highway and enjoy each moment with your buddies or family members.

Album – Berlin Tag & Nacht Artist – Chris Brown

“Turn up the music ’cause the sun just came up Turn up the music if they try to turn us down Turn up the music ’cause I’m tryna hear the speakers blow Turn up the music, fill your cup and drink it down”

Best Songs about Travelling and Journeying through life

Now comes the songs that are dedicated to all things travel – exploring, finding new worlds, road trips, friendships, passion and the journey. These are the tracks made for travel and for the travel lovers across the multiverse!

Here’s the list –

Lucky Ali’s voice is a soulful and fun experience to have whatever the song might be! Hairat is a song depicting travel and is an outstanding add on for the travel playlist of best travel songs of all time and one of the best Bollywood travel songs ever as well . With the upbeat music presentation and the unique voice of Lucky Ali the song is a proper vibe for a journey from anywhere to everywhere!

Album – Anjaana Anjaani Artist – Lucky Ali

“Khoi khoi khwaab mein Chhupi chhupi khwaishein Naram se ret pe geeli geeli barishein Lipta hoon raahon mein Raahon ki baahon mein Hai ab meri jagah..”

22. Hotel California

It’s 2023 and this is still one of the greatest songs ever made! Hotel California has been described by the lead singer as the depiction of what life would be like in Los Angeles . It is one of most amazing travel songs and considered a classic in the category.

Album – Hotel California Artist – Eagles

“On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair Warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air Up ahead in the distance, I saw shimmering light My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim I had to stop for the night”

23. Yun Hi Chala Chal

Swades was an epic cinema experience for almost everyone who experienced it when it came out and this song in particular became the travel song for all of us. It needed to be in our list of best travel songs of all time since when it came out that’s what it was in our minds.

Album – Swades Artist – Udit Narayan, Hariharan, Kailash Kher

“Jeevan gaadi hai samay paiya aansoon ki nadiya bhi hai Khushiyon ki bagiya bhi hai rasta sab tera takke bhaiya”

24. Born to be Wild

Hands down my most favorite track when it comes to having a road trip with friends! Born to be wild is a classic track that still makes you feel like travelling does – wild and free . The rock music, the sing along opportunity and the mere vibe of it all makes it one of the coolest travel songs ever!

Album – Steppenwolf Artist – Steppenwolf

“Get your motor runnin’, Head out on the highway Looking for adventure, In whatever comes our way Yeah, darlin’ gonna make it happen, Take the world in a love embrace Fire all of your guns at once, And explode into space”

24. Phir Se Ud Chala

Rockstar was the most amazing work of Imtiaz Ali and the complete package of the film was an unforgettable experience for many. But what made it one of the most amazing movies was it’s album. And this track “Phir Se Ud Chala” is like beyond music, it is like the song that makes you feel young, free, and passionate! It tells you to reach out to your dreams – to at least try before you fail!

Album – Rockstar Artist – Mohit Chauhan

“Mitti jaise sapne ye kitna bhi palko se jhaado Phir aa jaate hain Itne saare sapne kya kahoon Kis tarah se maine tode hain, chhode hain, kyun Mere saath chale, mujhe le ke ude, ye kyun”

25. Carry On My Wayward Son

If you’ve watched Supernatural , you know this song and what it makes you feel! One of the most amazing rock songs ever made by a sensational band called Kansas this song is a masterpiece and needed to be on our list of the best travel songs of all time .

Album – Leftoverture Artist – Kansas

“Carry on, my wayward son There’ll be peace when you are done Lay your weary head to rest Don’t you cry no more”

Safar track from Jab Harry Met Sejal grew slowly in the minds of the travellers and stayed. The line “safar ka hi tha mai, safar ka raha” best describes a wanderer, a traveller, an explorer who just focuses on his journey – not on the people he left behind, not the destination he wants to visit, but the journey is all he cares about!

Album – Jab Harry Met Sejal Artist – Arijit Singh

“Jabse gaanv se main shehar hua, Itna kadva ho gaya ki zehar hua Main toh rozana, Na chaaha tha yeh ho jaana maine Ye umrr, waqt, raasta.. guzarta raha Safar ka hi tha main safar ka raha”

27. A Thousand Miles

A Vanessa Carlton masterpiece, a thousand miles was stuck in many travelers’ heads since it first came out in 2002. This one is among the best travel songs of all time due to the sound, melody, lyrics and everything in between that it provides the listeners. A beautiful evergreen track.

Album – Legally Blond Artist – Vanessa Carlton

“If I could fall into the sky Do you think time would pass me by? ‘Cause you know I’d walk a thousand miles If I could just see you tonight”

28. Ik Junoon (Paint It Red)

ZNMD has given us ultimate road trip goals and a spectacular album to go with it! Ik Junoon is a legendary track to play while on the road having the time of your lives with your buddies heading to anywhere you want. The songs tells you to forget everything about anything and enjoy the moments right before you!

Album – ZNMD (Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara) Artist – Shankar Mahadevan, Vishal Dadlani, Alyssa Mendonsa, Ehsaan Noorani and Gulraj Singh

“Kahe halke halke yeh rang jhalke jhalke Jo kisse hain kal ke bhula de tu Koi haule haule mere dil se bole Kisi ka toh hone chal jaane de koi jadoo”

29. Paradise City

Paradise City depicts a story about people who leave their homes looking for “ adventures ” and has a pretty vibe to the music which can be a great listen for the “ best travel songs of all time ” playlist.

Album – Appetite of Destruction Artist – Guns N Roses

“Take me down to the paradise city Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty Take me home (oh, won’t you please take me home)”

30. Hum Kis Gali Ja Rahe Hai

Hum kis gali ja rahe hai is a depiction of the thoughts of a wanderer – or a traveler – away from home – away from his comfort zone – but happy! It’s a nostalgic song from the early Atif-era along with Doorie and Tere Bin and now people tend to jam over a lit night fire around the camp beneath the stars with a guitar and friends.

Album – Doorie Artist – Atif Aslam

“Dar Dar Kaha Ghoomta hai Masti Me Kyu Jhoomta hai Deewane Dil ne Jaana Nahi”

What to Listen to When You’re Homesick

While travelling after the fun and games and memories being created, there also comes a time – maybe just for a little while, when you miss home (doesn’t it?) and that’s completely normal. And the following few songs can hold you when feel a little down and sit beside you like a friend .

31. Ease by Troye Sivan

Ease ft. Broods is one of the most heart touching and best travel songs of all time where the Troye tells about his emotions of leaving home to work in a different place and how he misses it. It can easily make you all teary eyed but it knows what you’re feeling deep inside away from home.

Album – Blue Neighbourhood Artist – Troye Sivan ft. Broods

“Take me back to the basics and the simple life Tell me all of the things that make you feel at ease Your touch, my comfort, and my lullaby Holdin’ on tight and sleepin’ at night”

Ghar from Jab Harry Met Sejal is another great track to listen to when feeling a little lonely on your adventures away from home and away from people you care about. “ Ghar ” depicts a tale from the perspective of the person waiting for you at home – the person that is essentially – your home. It’s them telling you that wherever you go and wander around across the world – they’ll always be the one you can come back to .

Album – Jab Harry Met Sejal Artist – Mohit Chauhan, Nikhita Gandhi

“Khali hai jo tere bina Mai wo ghar hu tera.. Ghoome phire, Tu chahe sab sheher Tu hai mera..!”

33. Home by Westlife

Westlife could just be the best nostalgic songs making band – I mean all there songs on the first listen take you into some other space, you know. Home is one of the best travel songs of all time because it understands your homesick emotions and puts down your feelings into words and an epic instrumental formation.

Album – Turnaround Artist – Westlife

“Another summer day Has come and gone away In Paris and Rome But I wanna go home, mmm”

34. Chaandaniya

Chaandaniya is a track for someone you loved whose away from you – it might be a breakup, long distance or just some universal conspiracy that’s keeping you away from them – but this song can hold you two together.

Album – 2 States Artist – Mohan Kanan, Yashita Sharma

“Tujh bin sooraj mein aag nahi re Tujh bin koyal mein raag nahi re Chaandaniyaan to barsen Phir kyun mere haath andhere lagde ne..”

35. Don’t Forget Where You Belong

Whether you liked them or not, you cannot argue that One Direction had some amazing songs and DFWYB is one of them. It is a song about how meeting new people and visiting new places around the world could change you and your perspectives about life. It tells you how important it is to know your roots and not lose what you are.

Album – Midnight Memories Artist – One Direction

“Living out of cases And packing up and taking off Made a lot of changes But not forgetting who I was On the horizon Ooh, well I know, I know, I know, I know The moon will be rising back home”

36. Main Kya Hoon

Love Aaj Kal’s song Main Kya Hoon depicts this strong emotion by the outstanding beats, lyrics, vocals and the visuals about the time when you finally achieved what you dreamt of for years now and are happy and having fun with your life – but there comes a time when you start to miss that homely feeling and the people you had to leave behind to move forward. This song is an epic emotional ride hidden behind an upbeat track.

Album – Love Aaj Kal Artist – KK

“Ab Jaana Maine Jeena Kya Hai Kya Hai Poora Hona Khawaab Ka Ab Dekhoon Na Who Sochoon Na Woh Jo Bhi Yahan Na Ho Khawab Sa”

37. Quite Miss Home

James Arthur, the artist behind this song has depicted a part of his life living away from home while touring for shows and live singing session across the world. He depicts what he considered to be a home and little nuances that made a home. A must include among the best travel songs of all time when you’re missing home.

Album – You Artist – James Arthur

“Yeah, I been gone on business I gotta make some money I really feel the distance And I quite miss home And I miss you telling me To leave my shoes at the door ‘Cause you just swept the floor And the dirt drives you crazy”

38. Main Jahaan Rahoon

Wherever you might be travelling to, with whomsoever you might be with, you will always keep a part of you – your home and your loved ones with you. It could be a person, a place, a childhood memory – but it’s the thing that is a hundred percent yours.

Album – Namastey London Artist – Rahat Fateh Ali Khan

“Kahin to dil mein yaadon ki ek sooli gad jaati hai Kahin har ek tasveer bahut hi dhundhli pad jaati hai Koi nai duniya ke naye rangon mein khush rehta hai Koi sab kuchh paa ke bhi ye man hi man kehta hai”

39. Castle on the Hill

Castle on the hill is a lookback and reminiscing of your childhood memories and the place you grew up in. The song depicts good and bad memories and makes you want to visit your childhood home or your hometown. This is one of the best travel songs of all time because it makes you want to travel to your childhood.

Album -Divide Artist – Ed Sheeran

“Found my heart and broke it here Made friends and lost them through the years And I’ve not seen the roaring fields in so long I know I’ve grown, but I can’t wait to go home”

40. Nadaan Parindey

This is another one of those tracks which depict the person waiting at home – for you to come back from your adventures. And everyone, whether they accept it or not, deep down – they do want someone like that. Someone to come back home to, right?

Album – Rockstar Artist – Mohit Chauhan, AR Rahman

“Kaate chahe jitna paro se hawao’n ko Khud se naa bach paayega tu Tod aasmaano ko Phook de jahaano ko Khud ko chhupa naa payega tu”

Best Travel Songs for Instagram Reels, Stories and Videos

Reels are inevitably the new gen – Tiktok and it’s all for the good. Social media is focusing much more on the shorter videos than anything else as far as the reach is concerned. And in today’s world we would be tagged a noob if we’re not getting our reels game strong.

Here are the best travel songs for Instagram Reels , Stories and Videos for your fame game into the social media world –

41. Adventure of a Lifetime

Coldplay is known worldwide and that’s because they seem to have cracked some code of never making a bad song! Adventure of a Lifetime is one of the best travel songs of all time and pretty darn famous as it is used vividly in Instagram reels and Youtube shorts as well as far as travel category clips are concerned.

Album – A Head full of Dreams Artist – Coldplay

“Said I can’t go on, not in this way I’m a dream that died by light of day Gonna hold up half the sky and say Only I own me”

42. Ek Tu Hi Yaar Mera

Not necessarily one among the best travel songs of all time , this track about friends and friendship is used mostly in travel videos showcasing a trip with friends . It’s a fun melodic track and can be a great reels track to be used as your entire group does whatever friends do.

Album – Pati Patni Aur Woh Artist – Arijit Singh, Neha Kakkar

“Dhadkan Ye Kehti Hai Dil Tere Bin Dhadke Na Ek Tu Hi Yaar Mera Mujhko Kya Duniya Se Lena”

43. The Last Goodbye

One of the best travel songs of all time when it comes to making a unique photographic video showcasing your latest clicks on the journey, The Last Goodbye is a unique way to show the best moments of the adventure.

Album – The Last Goodbye Artist – Odesza (ft. Bettye LaVette)

“Let me down easy For your love for me is gone Let me down easy Since you feel to stay is wrong”

44. Zindagi Aa Raha Hoon Mai

Zindagi Aa Raha Hoon Mai has everything you’d wish for – amazing vocals of Atif Aslam, great beats and a grand music altogether. It is one of the best bollywood travel songs in hindi to use as a background sound for your next travel reel.

Album – Zindagi Aa Raha Hoon Mai Artist – Atif Aslam

“Main sarphira musaafir Hawaaon pe chalun Yaaron ka main yaar hoon Haan hans ke sab se milun”

45. Harleys in Hawaii

An amazing track for getting into the sensation of the best travel reels and getting your travel content out on instagram, etc. Katy Perry and her music is loved by many across the world and this one just takes you through the sensation of travelling to a tropical island and spend a few days roaming around there solo or with your soulmate. Also, who doesn’t love Hawaii , right!?

Album – Harleys in Hawaii Artist – Katy Perry

“Boy, tell me, can you take my breath away? Cruisin’ down a heart-shaped highway Got you swervin’ lane-to-lane, don’t hit the brakes ‘Cause I’m feelin’ so safe”

46. Tere Mere from Chef

Tere Mere Darmiyaan is a sort of underrated song in my opinion as it deserves a place to be in the topmost travel reels of great mountains with a slow-mo video of the mist as you move through the snaky roads towards the wonderlands.

Album – Chef Artist – Armaan Malik

“Le ja mujhe saath tere Mujhko na rehna saath mere”

47. Still Don’t Know My Name

You might have heard this one recently while scrolling up your Instagram’s reels section. This song is so popular that more than thousands of travel reels have been made onto this one. But that does not mean that it’s outdated – but actually it’s very much a trending and best travel song of all time to use in short travel videos.

Album – Euphoria Artist – Labirinth

“Still don’t know my name You still don’t know my name And I would die or stay For you right now But you still don’t know my name”

48. Patakha Guddi

Patakha Guddi from the movie Highway is one of the best travel songs of all time in Hindi. This song describes a free spirited nature of the person who loves to travel and wander across the world away from home. This is one of the best travel songs for Instagram reels.

Album – Highway Artist – Nooran Sisters

“Maula tera maali O hariyali jungle waali Tu de har gaali pe taali Uski kadam-kadam rakhwali Ainve lok-laaj ki soch-soch ke Kyun hai aafat taali”

49. Fly Away With Me

Everyone has someone or needs someone sometimes that you would like to take with you away into the skies or someone you could just run away with. Fly Away With Me speaks for you as the song to that someone and tells them that they are your person to fly away with.

Album – What A Time To Be Alive Artist – Tom Walker

“So come on fly away with me To a place where we could be anyone we wanna be And we can bottle up our fears Brew a taste so sweet Knock us off our feet or more Burn our troubles Inhale them all Paint our future on a fractured wall”

50. Kitni Haseen Zindagi

Recently trending and climbing up that reeling ladder is this song by the legendary Lucky Ali called ‘Kitni Haseen Zindagi’. Reelers have been using it as the unique background score for their travel reels showcasing the streets or the road in a one shot video of your trip.

Album – Kitni Haseen Zindagi Artist – Lucky Ali

“Kitni haseen zindagi hai yeh Hoton pe jaise kahani hai Sadaa yahan kiska thikana hai Un ki rawani mein jaana hai”

We hope you enjoyed our list of the best travel songs of all time. If you have any suggestions for future lists, please feel free to post them in the comments section below. Also, if you enjoyed this article and would like to see more like it, please follow us on Facebook or Instagram. We’re always looking for new ways to engage with our readers so stay tuned!

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Being a music lover i know that having a good playlist can pump up your mood while travelling and give you nostalgia after the trip is over. Thank you for this ❤❤

Heyy!! Glad you liked it ❤️

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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

Best Road Trip Songs 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!

Road Trip Songs Road Trip Playlist

Related Posts

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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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A Travel Through My Psychedelic Journey - Single

February 15, 2022 1 Song, 3 minutes ℗ 2022 Remy Jouffroy

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Paul Simon Tried to Stop Frank Sinatra from Covering One of His Songs: 'I Said, He Can't Do That'

'In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon' docuseries will premiere on MGM+ on March 17

travel song 2022

Kristin Callahan/Shutterstock; Bettmann Archive/Getty

Paul Simon wasn't a fan of Frank Sinatra 's "Mrs. Robinson" cover at first.

While attending the MGM+ premiere of the two-part Alex Gibney-directed docuseries In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon held at DGA New York Theater on Wednesday, Simon , 82, was asked whether he ever knew the "That's Life" crooner.

“I met him once. It was very interesting too, because he made a cover record of my song 'Mrs. Robinson.' And he changed the lyric[s]. They were fantastic, but when I first heard it, it was like, 'man, ring a ding, ding you Mrs. Robinson, Jesus loves you more,' and this is in the sixties, and I said, 'He can't do that,' " Simon said during a Q&A that was moderated by Stephen Colbert .

Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock

"I said, 'I'm stopping the record.' He said, 'You can't stop a Frank record.' I said, 'I am stopping it. Nobody asked me to change and I'm not giving permission. I don't care.' And so a guy from Warner Brothers called me up and said, 'Please don't do this. It's my fault I did it. Please don't do this to me.' So I said, 'Okay,' " he continued.

"And then later I fell in love with that record. And when you play music after the concert is over, that's the first song,” Simon added while speaking alongside Alex Gibney, 70, who also directed the Sinatra doc All or Nothing at All.

Simon and Art Garfunkel first released the iconic song in 1968, before Sinatra dropped his version a year later.

Kevin Mazur/Getty

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Elsewhere in the Q&A, Simon spoke about previously revealing he'd lost most of the hearing in his left ear while working on his 15th solo studio album,  Seven Psalms, which was released in May 2023.

“That's come back to enough of a degree that I'm comfortable singing and playing guitar and playing a few other instruments," he said of his hearing on Wednesday.

"I can hear my voice the way I want it in the context of the music. If there's a drum or an electric guitar, it's too loud and I can't hear my voice. But when I first lost the hearing, I couldn't get, it threw me off. Everything was coming from this side," the musician recalled.

In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon is set to premiere on MGM+ on March 17, with the second half arriving on March 24.

Deion Sanders' unique recruiting style at Colorado: Zero home visits since hiring in 2022

Colorado coach has been landing some top recruits but hasn't visited them off-campus or used the private air travel service budgeted for him in his contract.

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In his first 14 months on the job as head football coach at Colorado, Deion Sanders has reeled in some of the top recruiting prospects in the nation, including offensive lineman Jordan Seaton and cornerback Cormani McClain .

Records obtained by USA TODAY Sports also show he never even had to leave campus to seal the deal with them or any others.

The university confirmed that "Coach Prime" has made no off-campus contacts with recruiting prospects since he was hired there in early December 2022.

"Coach Prime did not conduct any off-campus recruiting visits," the school said in an email Feb. 28.

That means no visits to the homes or schools of recruiting prospects – which normally has been a traditional staple of the recruiting process in college sports.

By contrast, former Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh had 145 off-campus contacts with recruits or their family members from Dec. 1, 2022 until he left for an NFL job earlier this year, according to data obtained by USA TODAY Sports in public-records requests submitted to several universities.

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian had 128 of these off-campus recruiting contacts since Dec. 1, 2022.

Former UCLA coach Chip Kelly had 55 of his own during that time, including seven home visits.

More coverage: Grandpa Prime? Sanders set to become grandfather

The data since Dec. 1, 2022 covers the last two winter contact periods on the NCAA recruiting calendar, which generally restricts head coaches from making off-campus recruiting contacts beyond the months of December and January.

In Sanders’ case, his employment contract with Colorado also gives him an annual budget of $200,000 to use a private air travel service for recruiting called Wheels Up.

He didn’t use it.

"The football staff have not used this service for recruiting since Coach Prime started his term as coach," the school said in response to a records request this month.

But what does this all mean exactly?

It depends on the viewpoint.

How has this been working for Deion Sanders?

Colorado didn’t return messages seeking comment from Sanders, who is on a national book tour this week before starting his second spring practice season in Boulder on Monday.

He does things differently, as he showed when he overhauled Colorado’s roster to an unprecedented degree in 2023, when the Buffaloes finished 4-8.

Sanders, 56, arguably didn’t need to go on the road to recruit and has had physical mobility issues since 2021 because of blood clots in his legs and pain in his foot. He also didn’t recruit very many high school players and instead mostly has recruited transfer players – older players who already have moved out of their family homes and might not need to be wooed by a home visit from another prospective new coach.

The university didn't say why Sanders hasn't used the private air travel service stipulated in his contract. Asked who was using it in athletics if not football, the school said the men's basketball program has used it for recruiting, as did the previous head football coach.

What are his recruiting results so far?

According to several metrics, it’s a style that’s worked for him. He upgraded the talent on the roster from 2022, when the Buffaloes finished 1-11. Sanders’ class of transfer recruits last year ranked No. 1 in the nation.  His overall recruiting class for 2024 also ranks No. 22, including 24 transfer players and only seven high school players, according to 247Sports.

Virtually all of them were lured by his fame and football history as a Pro Football Hall of Famer. They came to him, visiting him on recruiting trips to Boulder.

"I ain’t hard 2 find" is even one of his recruiting mottos, currently for sale on Colorado T-shirts.

In the meantime, Sanders’ assistant coaches have put in legwork for him on the road and had more than 90 off-campus, face-to-face conversations with recruits or their family members during this time period, according to records from CU.

But this approach still is completely different than the traditional model of head coaches traveling to meet with recruits and their families to convince them to sign with their teams.

What is the risk of this approach?

Straying from this traditional approach can become a focus point for critics if the team’s fortunes turn for the worse. In the case of Kelly at UCLA, his record there (35-34) and perceived dislike of recruiting led to grumbling among the fan base before he left to take an assistant coach’s job at Ohio State .

Records provided by UCLA show he didn’t log as much road contact as Harbaugh or Sarkisian, whose data from Texas shows him making multiple off-campus contacts per day during the NCAA contact periods in December and January. For example, on Dec. 6, 2022, Sarkisian made 20 off-campus recruiting contacts, according to the data.

Kelly still was on the road making contacts for a total of 19 days during his contact periods since Dec. 1, 2022. He made 46 contacts at recruits’ schools, seven at their homes and two where contact was made at a meal.

Why else do off-campus visits matter?

It’s generally important to make in-home visits with recruits for two reasons, former coach Jackie Sherrill told USA TODAY Sports. One is to learn more about the player. The other is potentially to gain an edge over competitors.

"I would never offer a player (a scholarship) unless I went into the home and saw the recruit in the presence of his mother," said Jackie Sherrill, the former head coach at Washington State, Pittsburgh, Texas A&M and Mississippi State. "If he was not respectful to his mother, then I would not recruit him. I signed a lot of players because the mother would say you are the first head coach to come to my house or that you are the only head coach that has come to my house. I could tell more about the recruit's character in front of his mother in five minutes than talking to all the coaches and teachers."

Those who don’t show for off-campus visits risk losing recruits to those who do.

One time, Sherill said he had a player at Mississippi State who asked him, “Do you know why I came here? Because you’re the only coach who didn’t flinch when cockroaches crawled across your feet” during his home visit.

What are the rules for off-campus visits?

A head football coach is generally limited to only one off-campus contact day with a recruit or their family members per year starting during a prospect's junior year of high school and including transfer recruits, according to the NCAA.

The assistant coaching staff has more leeway and often does the grunt work of mining for talent on the road. Assistant coaches also can accompany head coaches on their off-campus visits. For example, Ohio State coach Ryan Day and his assistants made a home visit with Alabama safety Caleb Downs before he transferred to play with the Buckeyes.

By contrast, the rules are different for recruits who want to visit the campus of the college they’re considering. They generally can make unlimited unofficial, unpaid visits to campus and one paid official visit per school.

These limits are why schools log their coaches’ number of off-campus contacts, which USA TODAY Sports requested from various public schools.  The ones who responded so far show a range and didn’t include Georgia, whose head coach, Kirby Smart, has become known for his extensive helicopter travel on recruiting trips.

In January 2023, Smart traveled by helicopter on recruiting trips in eight states on eight days and helped ring up expenses of more than $145,000 on the “Kirby Copter,” including other trips, according to the Athens Banner-Herald .

Do recruits even care about home visits?

It varies, but other factors are a bigger part of the equation for recruits now, including earning potential from their names, images and likenesses (NIL). In one case, a wide receiver recruit out of Calabasas, Calif., committed to play for Sanders at Colorado before reneging on his commitment and signing with Texas.

That recruit, Aaron Butler, told USA TODAY Sport that neither Sanders nor Sarkisian visited with him at his home in person.

"I’m not really too much into that," Butler said. "My receivers coach is the one who is going to develop me."

At Texas, that was Chris Jackson, a former NFL player who did visit Butler in California. Before he changed his mind about Colorado, Butler said Sanders called and asked to talk to his parents, including his father Robb-Davon, who crossed paths with Sanders years ago with the Baltimore Ravens.  The call went well, but Butler later said a communication breakdown led him to change his mind about Colorado.

Another factor with home visits

Sometimes the home visit is for the parents. Former Colorado coach Bill McCartney knew this and used home visits to land several top recruits out of Southern California and Texas, eventually building the team into a national contender before his retirement 30 years ago. Sometimes he’d get into personal discussions about his religious faith with a parent.

"In a single-parent household, the mom is the decision-maker," former Buffs linebacker Alfred Williams said on a documentary about McCartney that aired on ESPN in 2015. "So he recruited my mom."

McCartney explained it like this in the same film:

"What that mom wanted to hear is what every mom wants to hear − is that she knows she can trust her son to you."

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer . Email: [email protected]

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    Travel & road trip music 2024 🌎 good vibes & happy hits · Playlist · 100 songs · 59.2K likes. Travel & road trip music 2024 🌎 good vibes & happy hits · Playlist · 100 songs · 59.2K likes. Home; Search; Your Library. Playlists Podcasts & Shows Artists Albums. Legal.

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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 ...

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    June 30, 2022 June 29, 2022. written by local expert Jane Elmets. ... Country Travel Songs. I'll be the first to tell you that I'm not a fan of country music, but I figured I'd include this section because you have to hand it to these artists… they do know how to write about the finer things in life, especially if it involves a warm ...

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    34. Midnight Train to Georgia by Gladys Knight & the Pips. "He's leaving (leaving) On that midnight train to Georgia (leaving on a midnight train) Hmm, yeah. Said he's going back (going back to find) To a simpler place and time (and when he takes that ride) Oh yes, he is (guess who's gonna sit right by his side)". 35.

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    By Fernando 3 October, 2023. Here's our first selection of music to travel and enjoy on your road trips. 200 songs perfect for travel by car. I don't know if you'll be the same way of thinking like me, but music is a key factor for me while I'm traveling. There are indeed times when what I need is a little silence, and in those moments ...

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    A Boy Name Sue - Johnny Cash. This sing-a-long know-all-the-words song has been the soundtrack to many a travel adventure. Summer Loving - Grease. When the sun is shining and you have a travel buddy to sing along with, Grease is our go-to soundtrack. We Didn't Start The Fire - Billy Joel.

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    Mujhko Kya Duniya Se Lena". 43. The Last Goodbye. One of the best travel songs of all time when it comes to making a unique photographic video showcasing your latest clicks on the journey, The Last Goodbye is a unique way to show the best moments of the adventure. Album - The Last Goodbye.

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    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.

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