When I was little, road trips were quite different than what kids might experience today. We didn’t have an I-Pad to play games on, a TV to watch, or individual MP3 players plugged into our ears. My parents had the radio, and sometimes had cassette tapes, but usually the music we sang to were songs right from memory. One road trip we went on was to Yellowstone National Park, when I was about nine years old. We didn’t have the comfort of a RV and spent half the drive with our heads hanging out the window because the air conditioner didn’t work. When things started getting a little boring, my younger brother and I began singing from the top of our lungs, causing my older siblings to place their hands over their ears and become very annoyed.
I can still see my mom quietly chuckling in the passenger seat as my dad joined in with his best-off-tune voice that he could manage. Eventually, my older sister begged us to at least sing something other than “99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall,” and my mom happily put an end to the song and started The Beach Boys. It set a mood, and from there the road trip seemed to fly by as we would occasionally all join in singing together, or just stare peacefully out the window and simply enjoy the drive. The entire road trip is still one of my favorites and seeing “Old Faithful” only added to the excitement.
Today, it is easy to download your favorite songs right on your phone and listen to them while in the comfort of all (motorhomes). Here are 25 best (road trip) songs that will get you singing along in your RV and make your family’s road trips unforgettable.
Soak Up the Sun – Sheryl Crow
Don’t Stop Me Now – Queen
Don’t Stop Believin’ – Journey
All Summer Long – The Beach Boys
Drive My Car – The Beatles
Unchained – Johnny Cash
Hello L.A., Bye Bye Birmingham – John Randolph Marr
Ain’t No Sunshine – by Will Withers
Carry On My Wayward Son – by Kansas
Country Roads – by John Denver
You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ – The Righteous Brothers
The Distance – Cake
Hit the Road Jack – by Ray Charles
Highway to Hell – by AC/DC
Life Is a Highway – Rascal Flatts
On The Road Again – by Willie Nelson
Sweet Home Alabama – by Lynard Skynard
Dancing Queen –Abba
Live Forever– Oasis
Rolling in the Deep – Adele
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For – U2
Free Fallin’ – Tom Petty
Born to Run – Bruce Springsteen
Stairway to Heaven – Led Zeppelin
Thriller – Michael Jackson
Years later, I still enjoy going out on road trips with friends and family. Even with working air conditioning, we will let the windows down and feel the wind whipping our hair while music blasts around the car. There is something truly amazing about the way music can make you feel so alive and is a must for the best road trip experience. What songs do you have to listen to when you travel in the car or RV? Two staples of any road trip for me are the Beatles and Michael Jackson. The fun thing about motorhomes is even after arriving to the destination, you can keep listening to your favorite road trip songs while relaxing, preparing food, or just enjoying the scenery.
