Crafting a Road Trip Mix CD: The Best Songs About Traveling

This summer, I embarked on a road trip through 46 states. Before leaving, I wanted to create the ultimate road trip CD.

Do a Google search for "road trip songs" and you'll find lists that vary wildly depending on the author's musical preferences. But few of these lists consist of songs about traveling. I wanted my mix to be a collection of songs that actually deal with hitting the open road!

I chose to avoid songs that are about specific places, like "Carolina On My Mind" and "Sweet Home Alabama," because I wanted a more generic mix that would work regardless of location. Tracks like "Life is a Highway" and "On the Road Again" fit much better.

I broke my own rule by including a song that doesn't exactly fit the travel theme, John Mellencamp's "Pink Houses." But the song is about small-town America, which I planned to see a lot of on my journey, so I decided to use it.

Also, there's one travel song that fits the theme perfectly that I didn't include - Eve 6's "Open Road Song." I didn't use it because it seems like it was written as a blatant attempt to get included on lists like this. Plus, I just can't stand Eve 6. Sorry!

With a few exceptions, I went mainly for up-tempo songs. I don't want to hear depressing stuff like "The Long and Winding Road" - that would just bum me out!

Here's my playlist:

1 Life is a Highway - Tom Cochrane

2 Roam - B-52's

3 Born to be Wild - Steppenwolf

4 Driving My Life Away - Eddie Rabbitt

5 Moab - Conor Oberst

6 On the Road Again - Willie Nelson

7 Pink Houses - John Mellencamp

8 No Particular Place to Go - Chuck Berry

9 Adventure - Be Your Own Pet

10 Everyday is a Winding Road - Sheryl Crow

11 Route 66 - Depeche Mode

12 Stickshifts and Safetybelts - Cake

13 I Can't Drive 55 - Sammy Hagar

14 I've Been Everywhere - Johnny Cash

15 Road Trippin' - Red Hot Chili Peppers

16 Roadworn & Weary - Supersuckers

17 Ramblin' Man - Allman Brothers

Feel free to suggest other great road tripping songs!