Yesterday, I ‘tweeted‘ about a new song I heard which made me feel like I was on a mini-getaway somewhere on the beach with fruity drinks, dancing, and the smell of coconuts. That got me thinking about music and travel. For me, they are intertwined and when I was a small child, I always thought how great it would be to have a soundtrack that would follow me around as I explored. Living in the personal technology age, I got lucky with Walkmans, Discmans, iPods, and more. Now, my selected tunes can accompany anywhere and this is never more true that when I am traveling! For this post, I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite travel songs.

When I plan for a trip, I always build in time to create a relevant playlist. Sometimes, I include artists native to the destination and other times the songs just evoke a feeling or mood I have about a place. No matter the selection criteria, the songs always amp me up for the trip and then, when I listen to them years later, I can recall the total experience in just a few bars.

Here are some of my favorite songs from a wide variety of travel playlists I’ve made with a few hyperlinks to some of the lesser known tracks.

• Ya Rayah by Rachid Tasha
• Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen
• Australia by The Shins
• Barcelona by George Ezra
•  In a Big Country by Big Country
• London Calling by The Clash
• Dhoom Taana by Deepika Padukone and Sharukh Khan
• Lullaby by Ali Akbar Khan
• What Would I Do Without You by Drew Holcomb
• Ka ‘Ano’i by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole
• Love Like We Do by Edie Brickell & New Bohemians
• Where the Sky Is Blue by Colin Hay
• Far From Home by Colin Hay
• ….anything by Colin Hay
• Sympathy for the Devil by The Rolling Stones
• Si tu vois ma mere by Sidney Bechet
• Death with Dignity by Sufjan Stevens
• Desert Rose by Sting
• Writer’s Block by Peter Bjorn

I could go on but hopefully that should inspire you the next time you make a travel playlist. I think there is something special about having music accompany* you during your adventures. It sets the mood, enhances the moment, and engages another sense which helps cement the whole experience in your memory.

What do you think? Are there any go-to songs you need for a trip? Did you discover any new ones from my list? Let me know in the comments and thanks for stopping by! Your readership is greatly appreciated, even if I don’t always tell you. 🙂

*note: The only caveat to that is that I believe in being aware of your surroundings, including the local language, street noise, and atmosphere. All this means is that I make sure NOT to stay in the isolation of my headphones for the entire trip, preferring to listen to my country playlists on flights, or long rail journeys.