What would a solo road trip be without a soundtrack?
What are the essential road trip songs that would create the perfect playlist?
Ideally, it should be made up of a number of components. They all have to be songs that you can sing along to, with bonus marks for the ones that you can sing at the top of your lungs, the ones to which you know all of the lyrics, and the ones that you enjoy so much you hit “rewind” and play again.
There has to be:
- some country
- some rock
- a bit of metal
- sad songs
- happy songs
- a song about being alone
- a song about strength
- songs about travel
- a “to hell with you” song
- some “pound the steering wheel to the beat” songs
- and just a lot of songs that you know – or can fake – well enough to sing along.
50 Songs for Solo Travelers
Herewith, in no particular order, my totally subjective solo road trip playlist. Some of these were my choices, others were mentioned so often when I asked readers and friends for suggestions, that they had to have a place on the list.
I'm So Excited
The Pointer Sisters
I Want to Break Free
Queen
Summer of 69
Bryan Adams
Wonderwall
Oasis
Ahead by a Century
The Tragically Hip
Like a Rolling Stone
Bob Dylan
On the Road Again
Willie Nelson
Life is A Highway
Tom Cochrane
I’m Still Standing
Elton John
The Long and Winding Road
The Beatles
Running on Empty
Jackson Browne
America
Simon and Garfunkel
Ride Like the Wind
Christopher Cross
Proud
Heather Small
Radar Love
Golden Earring
Hotel California
The Eagles
Mustang Sally
WIlson Pickett
Ventura Highway
America
Drive
The Cars
Uptown Funk
Bruno Mars
Happy
Pharrell Williams
King of the Road
Roger Miller
The Gambler
Kenny Rogers
More than a Feeling
Boston
I Drove All Night
Céline Dion
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Born To Be Wild
Steppenwolf
Where The Streets Have No Name
U2
Greased Lightnin‘
John Travolta, Jeff Conaway
Tennessee Whiskey
Chris Stapleton
Every Day Is a Winding Road
Sheryl Crow
Go Your Own Way
Fleetwood Mac
Take It on the Run
REO Speedwagon
I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)
The Proclaimers
Running on Empty
Jackson Brown
Don't Stop Believing
Journey
Take it Easy
The Eagles
Proud Mary
Tina Turner
Bohemian Rhapsody
Queen
You Oughta Know
Alanis Morissette
Jack and Diane
John Mellencamp
Africa
Toto
Havana
Camila Cabello
Sweet Home Alabama
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Bring Me Some Water
Melissa Etheridge
Good Morning Starshine
Serena Ryder
Rolling in the Deep
Adele
A Thousand Miles from Nowhere
Dwight Yoakam
Take Me Home, Country Roads
John Denver
End of the Line
Traveling Wilburys
Your Solo Road Trip Playlist
Looking for some itinerary suggestions so you can get behind the wheel and sing your solo road trip songs? We have an entire road trip category! Here are some of the articles you'll find there:
- A Road Trip Alone: Top 10 Tips to Prepare
- A Road Trip Through Iceland
- Best Solo Road Trips: 10 Routes, All Solo Traveler Tested
- Solo Travel Destination: North Coast 500 Road Trip, Scotland
You can listen to all of these solo road trip songs right now from this playlist that I created for you on Spotify, or you can access it here.
What would you add to my road trip playlist? Please share your favorites in the comments section below.
