This week’s Wanderlust Wednesday is a guest post by Susan Crown.  I am very impressed by her writing and I’m very glad to hand over the reigns for my very first guest writer for Wanderlust Wednesday!  Enjoy!

10 Songs That Inspire Wanderlust

My love of travel is followed quite closely by my love of music.  One of my favorite things to do when traveling to new places is to turn on the radio and listen what the local culture has to offer.  A few months ago, my husband and I planned a family road trip to New York.  Just for kicks, I decided to put together a playlist of travel songs to entertain the kids.  Here’s a sample of the massive list I compiled:

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       1.     Around the World – Red Hot Chili Peppers

Funk rock with a touch of rap, this song is easily one of my favorites.  Luckily for me, Anthony Kiedis sings too fast for my kids to pick up on the f-bomb in the third verse.   I don’t shelter them or anything, but it’s still nice to not have them swearing up a storm at school.

Most Wanderlust Inspiring Verse:

I know, I know for sure

That life is beautiful around the world

I know I know it’s you

You say, “Hello” and then I say, “I do”

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       2.     Come Fly With Me – Frank Sinatra

There’s just something so fun about big band music.  I’ve worked hard to nurture a love of the classics in my kids and it really paid off when I heard them singing along with ol’ blue eyes in the car.  The fact that we’ve been to Acapulco only makes it that much more meaningful.

Most Wanderlust Inspiring Verse:

Weather-wise it’s such a lovely day

Just say the words and we’ll beat the birds

Down to Acapulco Bay

It’s perfect for a flying honeymoon, they say

Come fly with me, let’s fly, let’s fly away

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       3.     Going Up The Country – Canned Heat

Going Up The Country is affectionately known as the unofficial anthem of the Woodstock Music Festival.  With its cheerful flute and carefree lyrics, it’s not hard to see why.

Most Wanderlust Inspiring Verse:

Now, Baby, pack your leaving trunk, you know we got to leave today

Just exactly where we going I cannot say

But we might even leave the U.S.A.

‘Cause it’s a brand new game, and I want to play

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       4.     Here I Go Again — Whitesnake

Holy mother of power ballads, Batman!  Is it possible to hear this song and not envision Tawny Kitaen gyrating on the hood of a car?  Back when I was in college and gloriously single, this was my travel anthem.  Much to my kids’ horror, I still rock out pretty hard when I hear it. 

Most Wanderlust Inspiring Verse:

An’ here I go again on my own

Goin’ down the only road I’ve ever known,

Like a drifter I was born to walk alone

An’ I’ve made up my mind

I ain’t wasting no more time

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       5.     I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) – The Proclaimers

Despite the fact that it was voted one of the worst songs of all time, I love this song.  It’s so damn catchy!  You just can’t beat a song that charted in three different decades.

Most Wanderlust Inspiring Verse:

But I would walk 500 miles

And I would walk 500 more

Just to be the man who walked a thousand miles

To fall down at your door

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       6.     Island in the Sun — Weezer

We spend a lot of time in the Caribbean, so this song is really close to my heart.  You know the feeling you get when you’re on vacation, having an amazing time and then it dawns on you that you have to go home eventually?  Yeah, this song is the embodiment of that feeling.

Most Wanderlust Inspiring Verse:

When you’re on a holiday

You can’t find the words to say

All the things that come to you

And I wanna feel it too

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       7.     King Of the Road – Roger Miller

Traveling on a budget lands you in some interesting if not downright creepy places.  They never seemed very exciting in the moment, but I look back on the experiences fondly and usually with lots of laughter. 

Most Wanderlust Inspiring Verse:

Ah, but, two hours of pushin’ broom

Buys an eight by twelve four-bit room

I’m a man of means by no means

King of the road

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       8.     Ramble On – Led Zeppelin

Name me a harder rocking song that references Lord of the Rings.  Can’t do it, can you?  This song always got to the travel bug in me (not to mention the literary nerd) and in my opinion, no road trip playlist is complete without it. 

Most Wanderlust Inspiring Verse:

A-ramble on, and now’s the time, the time is now

Sing my song, I’m goin’ ’round the world

I’ve gotta find my girl

On my way, I’ve been this way ten years to the day

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        9.     Ramblin’ Man – The Allman Brothers Band

A little southern rock is important to a well-rounded travel song playlist.  I waffled between this song and Sweet Home Alabama by Lynyrd Skynyrd.  I decided to go with the Allman Brothers just because I dig the extended guitar solo.  It just screams road trip to me.

Most Wanderlust Inspiring Verse:

Lord, I was born a ramblin’ man,

Tryin’ to make a livin’ and doin’ the best I can.

And when it’s time for leavin’,

I hope you’ll understand,

That I was born a ramblin’ man

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       10.  Take It Easy — Eagles

I don’t really like steel guitars, but I can handle them in Eagles songs for some reason.  The mellow and uplifting mood of this song jives perfectly with my feelings about traveling.

Most Wanderlust Inspiring Verse:

Take it easy, take it easy

Don’t let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy

Lighten up while you still can

Don’t even try to understand

Just find a place to make your stand

And take it easy

For my family, music and travel go hand in hand.   What are your favorite travel songs?  Let me know in the comments section below!

As a freelance writer for Holiday Place, Susan Crown delights in embarrassing her children in as many exotic locales as possible.  When she’s not on the open road, she enjoys reading, watching movies and arguing Tolkien with literary scholars.

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*Photo from http://www.flickr.com/photos/x-ray_delta_one/