Recently I went on a roadtrip with some friends. The trip stretched from Southeastern Wisconsin to Nashville, TN; a total driving time of 27 hours there an back. And, just like any good roadtrip, you need music that will keep you awake and keep you pumped throughout the drive.

Of course, just like any type of occasion, setting a music playlist to set the mood varies depending on the person. But for us, we went for the more nostalgic music. So here are my suggestions:

1. Disney Music. Everyone knows the songs, everyone loves the songs (whether or not you like to admit it) So getting the trip started with something you know and is universal is a great idea. Turning on the Disney music is also a great way to fill the “lull” in music selection. If you’ve been listening to a certain genre of music for a while and are unsure what to listen to next, pop on Disney. It gets everyone is a good mood and who doesn’t want to sing “The Circle of Life” at the top of their lungs while the sun is setting/rising??
2. Musicals/Movie Soundtracks. Like Disney music, songs from musicals are also great universal music to put on in the car. If not everyone likes musicals, then think of some movies that you really enjoy and put the soundtrack to those on. On our trip we listened to the soundtrack of “Into the Woods” one that we all enjoyed.
3. Comedy Central Radio. This isn’t music but it was one of our favorite things to listen to on the trip. When we were all tired from driving, listening to music was something that was just putting us to sleep. So we put on the Jerry Seinfeld radio on Pandora and listened stand up comedy. It kept us awake and laughing so hard we cried! It even set the mood for the time we were down in Nashville; we ended up watching a show from one of the comedians we heard on the radio.
4. Throwback music. Throwback music is probably the best driving/roadtriping music you could listen to! When a song comes on that reminds you of something from your past (something good that is) you get excited and pumped up. This will keep you awake on the drive and also give the song new meaning. We played a lot of throwback songs on our trip and it struck up conversations of the memories we each had with the song.

Those are the categories that we listened to on our trip to Nashville, but if you want to check out specific songs that I think are great for any roadtrip, you can check out my Spotify Playlist called “Roadtrip” and get some ideas to create your own!