30 Songs You Need to Add to Your Road Trip Playlist

With social distancing in practice and the travel industry still questioning how to move forward, many people are choosing road trips as their form of vacation this year. And why not? They’re awesome!

Road trips are one of my favorite ways to travel because I love the quality time it gives me with my family and/or friends. In fact, one of my favorite road trips I’ve ever been on was from Maryland to Utah with my mom. 3 days of non-stop getting to know each other. And yes, quality time is my love language…

If you are thinking of doing a road trip with your family this summer, but are hesitant because you don’t know how your kids will act, don’t worry. Check out my articles on how to road trip with a newborn and 9 tips for a successful family road trip.

In my humble opinion, nothing makes a road trip better than good music to jam out to. Would you agree?

For that reason I have created this ultimate road trip playlist – 30 songs that are sure to keep you happy while driving (or riding).

PS: There is something you should know about me and this list before you play it though. I like pop and country music. If you’re not into that, it may not be for you. However, I still recommend scanning the list for a song you like. You never know, you may be surprised by a new song! In addition, I believe that every song has a memory attached to it. That’s why you will see some older songs mixed in with the new. It’s a good song if it brings back a good memory!

Without further ado, please enjoy my Ultimate Road Trip Playlist!

 

  1. “Barcelona” – Ed Sheeran
  2. “A Thousand Miles” – Vanessa Carlton
  3. “Body Language” – Jesse McCartney ft. T-Pain
  4. “Since U Been Gone” – Kelly Clarkson
  5. “Crush” – David Archuleta
  6. “Life’s About to Get Good” – Shania Twain
  7. “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” – Justin Timberlake
  8. “Love on Top” – Beyonce
  9. “Happy” – Pharrell Williams
  10. “Downtown” – Lady Antebellum
  11. “Summer Nights” – Rascal Flatts
  12. “Southbound” – Carrie Underwood
  13. “I Want Crazy” – Hunter Hayes
  14. “Party in the U.S.A” – Miley Cyrus
  15. “Good to be Alive (Hallelujah)” – Andy Grammer
  16. “Somethin’ Bad” – Miranda Lambert ft. Carrie Underwood
  17. “Barefoot Blue Jean Night” – Jake Owen
  18. “Confident” – Demi Lovato
  19. “Sugar” – Maroon 5
  20. “This is How We Do” – Katy Perry
  21. “Stereo Hearts” – Gym Class Heroes ft. Adam Levine
  22. “Clumsy” – Fergie
  23. “Good Girls Go Bad” – Cobra Starship ft. Leighton Meester
  24. “Black Magic” – Little Mix
  25. “Replay” – Iyaz
  26. “Better When I’m Dancin'” – Meghan Trainer
  27. “I’m Yours” – Jason Mraz
  28. “Let’s Get Loud” – Jennifer Lopez
  29. “Magic” – B.O.B. ft. Rivers Cuomo
  30. “Empire State of Mind” – Jay-Z ft. Alicia Keys

Well, what did you think? Were there any songs you were surprised by?

I would love to hear your own road trip playlists! Leave them in the comments below and I may add them to my list here!

Check out these Virtual Trips Around the World!

46 thoughts on “30 Songs You Need to Add to Your Road Trip Playlist

  1. I have never thought of making a playlist for a road trip. My kids would probably like that idea, to add variety to the audio books we usually listen to.

  2. Awesome list! There were a couple I didn’t think I knew, but when I listened to them… I did! So fun! Thank you!

  3. I’ve never made a playlist but it’s a great idea – sometimes the radio can get so boring and you’ll hear all the popular songs on repeat. Having good music helps to pass the time for sure!

    1. Thanks! It’s important that everyone riding in the car have at least one song that they like.

  4. What a great playlist with lots of variety! Now I have โ€œSomethinโ€™ Badโ€ โ€“ Miranda Lambert ft. Carrie Underwood stuck in my head. Yay!

    1. Haha I’m sure they do! If you make a playlist beforehand, then everyone knows what to expect.

  5. If I’m traveling with just me and the kids, then I make sure the kids have their ipads and headphones and I have my playlist. My playlist has to be full of upbeat songs or I’ll start falling asleep. If my husband is traveling with us too then I’m usually reading to the family or we are listening to an audiobook.

    1. It’s great that you all can have your own thing to do. My husband normally likes listening to the sports radio station ๐Ÿ™‚

  6. We don’t have a playlist for our road trips as my husband does most of the driving and prefers silence minus the kids watching their movies in the back. I do have a podcast playlist I listen to if I end up doing the driving. These are great options.

  7. I’m not sure I’ve heard many on your list. I’m not one to listen to the radio or even own many CDs. Most of the time I like the quiet.

  8. Great suggestions! We have a handful of these songs on our road trip playlist we built on Spotify. We road trip a lot so our list is always growing.

  9. I have five driving playlists on my phone. One of those playlists is always playing when Iโ€™m in the car! Thanks for some new suggestions.

    1. No problem! It’s great to switch out playlists so you don’t get bored of the same songs ๐Ÿ™‚

  10. Love this list, definitely some upbeat tunes. We love to have a playlist ready for road trips. Music is such a great distraction for the little ones and it keeps everyone’s spirits up.

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