I love a good road trip. Sans highway, of course. The kind of road trip where you can slow down and take in the sights, pull to the side of the road to take a picture next to the world’s largest rocking chair, and roll down the windows and blast your tunes. But not just any music qualifies as road trip music. It’s got to have a beat, it’s got to make you want to sing at the top of your lungs, it’s got to keep you awake for those long stretches of road and make you feel alive! So I have compiled an ultimate road trip playlist full of songs that will make the miles fly by. Yeah, there’s a lot of classic rock in there, but you know what, I dig it, so I blast it. You’ll also find a lot of songs that have to do with travel, adventure, or that just plain make you happy. It is by no means a definitive playlist, but I think it’s a pretty good start.
1. “I’ve Been Everywhere” – Johnny Cash
2. “Bohemian Rapsody” – Queen
3. “Carry on Wayward Son” – Kansas
4. “Don’t Stop Me Now” – Queen
5. “Foreplay/Long Time” – Boston
6. “Mr. Blue Sky” – ELO
7. “Prime Time of Your Life” – Daft Punk
8. High of 75″ – Relient K
9. “Mustang Sally” – Wilson Pickett
10. “Life is a Highway” – Tom Cochrane
11. “Born to be Wild” – Steppenwolf
12. “American Pie” – Don McLean
13. “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” – Proclaimers
14. “Sweet Home Alabama” – Lyrnyrd Skynyrd
15. “Highway to Hell” – AC/DC
16. “California Girls” – Beach Boys
That’s a good start anyway, right? Tell us your favorite road trip songs in the comments!
Alisha is a freelance outdoor journalist and photographer based in Ogden, UT. She loves backpacking, hiking, mountain biking, kayaking and snowboarding (even though she’s terrible at it). She’s also pretty sure she’s addicted to coffee. alishamcdarris.com