A road trip is only as good as its playlist. Maybe that seems a little dramatic, but a good queue of songs is key to making a road trip better. I’m driving to South Dakota in a couple of weeks, which means I need to start curating the 12 hours of music that will capture that nostalgic summer essence of long drives. Here are five songs I’ll be adding to my road trip mix.
"Hey Driver" by Zach Bryan (feat. The War And Treaty)
Zach Bryan somehow manages to lace all his songs with nostalgia, and “Hey Driver” is no exception. This track, off his August 2023 self-titled album, is about life on the road. The catchy chorus is bound to get stuck in your head and the soulful vocals evoke strong emotions about the longing for travel mixed with the loneliness of the open road.
With lyrics about winding roads and driving until the tires melt, “Hey Driver” encapsulates the feeling of a seemingly endless summer drive.
"Dreams Be Dreams" by Jack Johnson
American singer and surfer Jack Johnson is simply unable to produce a bad piece of music. Released in 2003, “Dreams Be Dreams” is a soothing surf rock track about a girl who has been discouraged from following her dreams by, as Johnson writes, a “good for nothing, mistake making fool.”
However, the acoustic song is hopeful and wistful, as he sings, “Don’t let your dreams be dreams.” A reminder that you should chase your goals and not let anyone tell you otherwise. The calming ambiance and simplistic yet meaningful lyrics make "Dreams Be Dreams” a great addition to a road trip playlist.
"Queen of the Cascades" by The National Forest
“Queen of the Cascades,” released in November 2023, is a softly romantic ode to a woman who “loves antique shops” and “sings in the summer in the pouring rain.” This track is reminiscent of Zach Bryan’s song "Smaller Acts," which tells a similar story of the respective singer loving every little detail of a woman.
If you need a peaceful song to put you in a better mood, this song’s gentle acoustics and vocals paired with lovingly poetic lyrics will do just that.
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"Sleep On The Floor" by The Lumineers
“Sleep On The Floor,” released by alternative folk band The Lumineers in 2016, just screams “road trip.” The song’s first verse says to “pack yourself a toothbrush” and “a favorite blouse,” urging the listener that “if we don’t leave this town, we might never make it out.”
This song has always felt bittersweet yet hopeful to me — a reminder that this world is vast and should be explored — which is a perfect sentiment for long road trips or any form of travel.
"Jersey Giant" by Evan Honer and Julia DiGrazia
“Jersey Giant” was originally written and performed by folk singer Tyler Childers. Although he never officially released it, many artists have performed their own renditions of the song, including Evan Honer and Julia DiGrazia, who sing it beautifully.
This 2022 cover of “Jersey Giant” exudes feelings of August heat, summer romance and nostalgia. Whenever I listen to it, I always imagine driving with the windows down in the heat of summer without a worry in the world.
Road trips, or any form of travelling, are a great time to process your emotions, get lost in thought and discover new things about yourself and the world around you. I have found that music is often interconnected with those self-discoveries because it can help to realize any emotions you didn’t know you had and help you feel more connected with yourself.
This list houses just a few examples of songs that I’ve found beautifully accompany traveling and road trips. I encourage you to give these tracks a listen and discover whether or not they suit your personal travel playlist as well.
