The Ultimate Summer Road Trip Playlist

DCT and I are hitting the road this holiday weekend!

We’ll be flying out to DC and then taking the following week to cruise the coast line and drive up into the Appalachian mountains, for a “mini-moon” of sorts

(Get ready for some killer landscape shots on Instagram)

I love a good road trip, especially in the summertime.

Something about cruising the open road makes me feel both at ease and full of excitement.

There are several essentials that’ll make a summer road trip epic.

From the basic – maps, water, & snacks – to the extra details – cameras, books, & blankets.

But at the top of everyone’s list is an epic playlist of summer jams.

You simply can’t enjoy a good road trip without some bumping tunes.

I remember making mixed CDs all the time (does that age me?) whenever we had plans to take an extended road trip. I still have some of them, and they make for a good laugh listening to what I liked back in middle/high school (3LW anyone? That was my jam).

There’s an art to making a road trip playlist. It’s got to be an eclectic mix to suit all tastes in music (unless it’s just you, then by all means listen to Bey on repeat – I won’t judge).

The best road trip playlist has the perfect combination of throwback jams mixed with your favorite tunes from today.

Follow the 80/20 rule – 80% throwback jams, 20% tunes from today – and you can’t go wrong.

In honor of this road trip and a nod to my middle school days, I made my own version of the ultimate summer road trip playlist.

It’s a fun mix of 90’s throwbacks, classic rock jams, and tunes from today. There are 80 songs total, making it about 5.5 hours of music you can rock out to.

Put it on shuffle and hit play below.

Or download it for your own summer road trip, work commute, or anytime you just want to jam.

You can also listen to it on Spotify.

(please note there are songs with explicit lyrics)

Thanks for reading/listening – Enjoy!

The Ultimate Summer Road Trip Playlist

1. “Hit the Road Jack” – Ray Charles

2. “Jack & Diane” – John Mellencamp

3. “Everyday is a Winding Road” – Sheryl Crow

4. “Life is a Highway” – Rascal Flatts

5. “Don’t Stop Believin’” – Journey

6. “Home” – Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros

7. “Little Red Corvette” – Prince

8. “Crazy in Love” – Beyonce, Jay Z

9. “Gold Digger” – Kanye West, Jamie Foxx

10. “99 Red Balloons” – Nena

11. “Ring of Fire” – Johnny Cash

12. “Piano Man” – Billy Joel

13. “Dog Days are Over” – Florence & The Machine

14. “Rolling in the Deep” – Adele

15. “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” – Marvin Gaye

16. “Thriller” – Michael Jackson

17. “Man in the Mirror” – Michael Jackson

18. “Black or White” – Michael Jackson

19. “Bohemian Rhapsody” – Queen

20. “Jump Around” – House of Pain

21. “Let Me Clear My Throat” – DJ Kool

22. “Just a Friend” – Biz Markie

23. “Escapade” – Janet Jackson

24. “Ain’t 2 Proud 2 Beg” – TLC

25. “I Will Always Love You” – Whitney Houston

26. “Ridin’” – Chamillionaire

27. “Ignition (Remix)” – R.Kelly

28. “POWER” – Kanye West

29.“Rumour Has It” – Adele

30. “Take Me To Church” – Hozier

31. “Bad Romance” – Lady Gaga

32. “Get Ur Freak On” – Missy Elliott

33. “All About That Bass” – Meghan Trainor

34. “Freedom!” – George Michael

35. “(I’ve Had) The Time of my Life” – Bill Medley

36. “Ghost” – Ella Henderson

37. “Pumped Up Kicks” – Foster The People

38. “Budapest” – George Ezra

39. “7/11” – Beyonce

40. “Treasure” – Bruno Mars

41. “Locked Out of Heaven” – Bruno Mars

42. “Put Your Records On” – Corinne Bailey Rae

43.“I Wanna Dance With Somebody” – Whitney Houston

44. “Always Be My Baby” – Mariah Carey

45. “Say My Name” – Destiny’s Child

46. “Love on Top” – Beyonce

47. “Not a Bad Thing” – Justin Timberlake

48. “Senorita” – Justin Timberlake

49. “Work B**ch” – Britney Spears

50. “The Edge of Glory” – Lady Gaga

51. “Firework” – Katy Perry

52. “California Love” – 2Pac

53. “Got Your Money” – Ol’ Dirty Bastard

54. “Doo Wop (That Thing)” – Lauryn Hill

55. “Ghetto Superstar” – Pras, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Mya

56. “Hypnotize” – The Notorious B.I.G.

57. “Rosa Parks” – OutKast

58. “Big Pimpin’” – JAY Z

59. “B.O.B.” – OutKast

60. “Move Bitch” – Ludacris

61. “Country Grammar” – Nelly

62. “Live Your Life” – T.I., Rihanna

63. “Super Bass” – Nicki Minaj

64. “Honey” – Mariah Carey

65. “All For You” – Janet Jackson

66. “Gossip Folks” – Missy Elliott, Ludacris

67. “I’m Every Woman” – Whitney Houston

68. “Good Life” – Kanye West, T-Pain

69. “Party Like a Rockstar” – Shop Boyz

70. “Dirt Off Your Shoulder” – JAY Z

71. “U Remind Me” – Usher

72. “It Wasn’t Me” – Shaggy

73. “Hit ‘Em Up Style (Oops!)” – Blu Cantrell

74. “Hey Ma” – Cam’Ron

75. “Rock Your Body” – Justin Timberlake

76. “Bills, Bills, Bills” – Destiny’s Child

77. “Hotel” – Cassidy, R. Kelly

78. “Video” – India.Arie

79. “You Make Me Wanna” – Usher

80. “The Boy is Mine” – Brandy, Monica

Hope you have a great holiday weekend! Happy 4th!