Music has the power to transport us, change our moods, and conjure memories. And, for many travelers, music is closely linked to travel. It can helps us understand the people and culture of a place, break down language barriers, and sear certain moments into our memories forever.
With help from members of our Travel Community and Going staff, we've created the ultimate travel playlist of 100 travel songs. Some reference specific places, others showcase the musical talent of a specific country, and others simply celebrate the joy of exploration.
Here, in no particular order, are 100 of our favorite travel songs.
56 songs that reference specific places in the title or lyrics
Sure, some of these songs, such Paris by the Chainsmokers or Toto’s Africa, actually have little to do with the specific place; it’s just used as the title or the setting for the story. But others not only reference a country or city, they also evoke a specific sense of that particular place or tell a story about that destination.
For example, in Marrakech Express, Crosby, Stills & Nash recount scenes from a train ride Nash actually took in 1966. In London Calling, the Clash sing about the social issues facing London in the late 70s. In Walking in Memphis, Marc Cohn croons about his experience wandering the city. And Simon & Garfunkel's America was inspired by a road trip that Paul Simon took with his girlfriend.
Here are some of our favorite songs that mention a specific city or country, and a snippet of the lyrics.
Listen when: you're on a $388 flight to Vienna, or a $671 flight to Johannesburg, or a $353 flight to Paris, or...
1. Kathmandu – Bob Seger
I think I'm going to Katmandu
That's really, really where I'm going to
If I ever get out of here
That's what I'm gonna do
I know my plane is due
The one that's going to Katmandu
Up to the mountain's where I'm going to
If I ever get out of here
That's what I'm gonna do
K-k-k-k-k-k Kathmandu
2. One Night in Bangkok – Murray Head
One night in Bangkok and the world's your oyster
The bars are temples but the pearls ain't free
You'll find a god in every golden cloister
A little flesh, a little history
I can feel an angel sliding up to me
3. I've Been Everywhere – Johnny Cash
I've been everywhere, man
I've been everywhere, man
Crossed the deserts bare, man
I've breathed the mountain air, man
Travel, I've had my share, man
I've been everywhere
I've been to
Reno
Chicago
Fargo
Minnesota
Buffalo
Toronto
Winslow
4. Africa – Toto
The wild dogs cry out in the night
As they grow restless, longing for some solitary company
I know that I must do what's right
As sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti
I seek to cure what's deep inside, frightened of this thing that I've become
It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you
There's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do
I bless the rains down in Africa
Gonna take some time to do the things we never have
Bonus: Check out the 2018 cover by Weezer and this awesome 2016 video from Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard.
5. Marrakech Express – Crosby, Stills & Nash
Take the train from Casablanca going south
Blowing smoke rings from the corners of my my, my, my, my mouth
Colored cottons hang in air
Charming cobras in the square
Striped jellabas we can wear at home
Don't you know we're riding on the Marrakesh Express
6. Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) – Shakira
Today's your day
I feel it
You paved the way
Believe it
If you get down get up oh oh
When you get down get up eh eh
Tsamina mina zangalewa
This time for Africa
7. San Francisco – Scott McKenzie
If you're going to San Francisco
Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair
If you're going to San Francisco
You're gonna meet some gentle people there
8. London Calling – The Clash
The ice age is coming, the sun is zooming in
Engines stop running, the wheat is growin' thin
A nuclear era, but I have no fear
'Cause London is drowning, and I, I live by the river
9. Galway Girl – Ed Sheeran
You know, she played the fiddle in an Irish band
But she fell in love with an Englishman
Kissed her on the neck and then I took her by the hand
Said, "Baby, I just wanna dance"
With my pretty little Galway girl
You're my pretty little Galway girl
10. Istanbul (Not Constantinople) – They Might Be Giants
Every gal in Constantinople
Lives in Istanbul, not Constantinople
So if you've a date in Constantinople
She'll be waiting in Istanbul
Even old New York was once New Amsterdam
Why they changed it I can't say
People just liked it better that way
11. Ramblin’ Man – the Allman Brothers Band
I'm on my way to New Orleans this mornin'
I'm leavin' out of Nashville, Tennessee
They're always having a good time down on the bayou
Lord, them Delta women think the world of me
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
12. Aux Champs-Élysées – Joe Dassin
Aux Champs-Elysées, aux Champs-Elysées
Au soleil, sous la pluie, à midi ou à minuit
Il y a tout ce que vous voulez aux Champs-Elysées
In English:
Champs-Elysees, Champs-Elysees
In the sun, in the rain, at noon or midnight
There is everything you want on the Champs-Elysées
13. Lovers in Japan – Coldplay
Tonight, maybe we're gonna run
Dreamin' of the Osaka sun
Ohh, ohh, ohhh
Dreamin' of when the morning comes
14. Barcelona – George Ezra
Every time you have to go
Shut my eyes and you know
I’ll be lying right by your side
In Barcelona
15. April in Paris – Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong
I never knew the charm of spring
I never met it face to face
I never knew my heart could sing
I never missed a warm embrace
Till April in Paris, chestnuts in blossom
Holiday tables under the trees
April in Paris, this is a feeling
16. Blue Hawaii – Elvis Presley
Come with me
While the moon is on the sea
The night is young
And so are we, so are we
Dreams come true
In blue Hawaii
17. Back in the U.S.S.R. – The Beatles
Well the Ukraine girls really knock me out
They leave the West behind
And Moscow girls make me sing and shout
That Georgia's always on my mind
Aw come on!
Yeah I'm back in the U.S.S.R.
You don't know how lucky you are boys
Back in the U.S.S.R.
18. Rio – Netsky featuring Macklemore
It’s the “Rio” remix, you should see us
Swimming in the ocean like the pool is hella heated
Expedited Visa and I’m posted with my feet up
Parasailing over beaches, got my girl from Ipanema
19. Barcelona – Ed Sheeran
And you and I we're flying on an airplane tonight
We're going somewhere where the sun is shining bright
Just close your eyes
And let's pretend we're dancing in the street
In Barcelona
Barcelona
20. Havana – Camila Cabello
Havana, ooh na-na
Half of my heart is in Havana, ooh na-na
He took me back to East Atlanta, na-na-na, ah
Oh, but my heart is in Havana
21. In America – Neil Diamond
Everywhere around the world
They're coming to America
Every time that flag's unfurled
They're coming to America
Got a dream to take them there
They're coming to America
Got a dream they've come to share
They're coming to America
22. Tennessee – Arrested Development
They tell me my ears are so young
Go back, from whence you came
My family tree, my family name
For some strange reason it had to be
He guided me to Tennessee
Take me to another place, take me to another land
Make me forget all that hurts me, let me understand your plan
23. Paris – The Chainsmokers
We were staying in Paris
To get away from your parents
You look so proud
Standing there with a frown and a cigarette
Posting pictures of yourself on the internet
24. Graceland – Paul Simon
The Mississippi Delta was shining
Like a National guitar
I am following the river
Down the highway
Through the cradle of the civil war
I'm going to Graceland
25. Carolina in My Mind – James Taylor
In my mind I'm gone to Carolina
Can't you see the sunshine?
Can't you just feel the moonshine?
And, ain't it just like a friend of mine
To hit me from behind?
Yes, I'm gone to Carolina in my mind
26. New York State of Mind – Billy Joel
Some folks like to get away
Take a holiday from the neighborhood
Hop a flight to Miami Beach or to Hollywood
But I'm takin' a Greyhound on the Hudson River line
I'm in a New York state of mind
27. Walking in Memphis – Marc Cohn
Saw the ghost of Elvis
On Union Avenue
Followed him up to the gates of Graceland
Then I watched him walk right through
Now security they did not see him
They just hovered 'round his tomb
But there's a pretty little thing
Waiting for the King
Down in the Jungle Room
When I was walking in Memphis
I was walking with my feet ten feet off of Beale
Walking in Memphis
But do I really feel the way I feel?
28. America – Simon & Garfunkel
Cathy, I said as we boarded a Greyhound in Pittsburgh
Michigan seems like a dream to me now
It took me four days to hitchhike from Saginaw
I've gone to look for America
29. Mexico – James Taylor
Way down here you need a reason to move
Feel a fool running your stateside games
Lose your load, leave your mind behind Baby Jane
Oh, Mexico
It sounds so simple I just got to go
The sun's so hot I forgot to go home
Guess I'll have to go now
30. California – Phantom Planet
Hustlers grab your guns
Your shadow weighs a ton
Driving down the 101
California here we come
Right back where we started from
California, here we come.
31. Chicago – Sufjan Stevens
I fell in love again
All things go, all things go
Drove to Chicago
All things know, all things know
32. Kokomo – The Beach Boys
Off the Florida Keys, there's a place called Kokomo
That's where you want to go to get away from it all
Bodies in the sand, tropical drink melting in your hand
We'll be falling in love to the rhythm of a steel drum band
Down in Kokomo
Aruba, Jamaica, oh I want to take you to
Bermuda, Bahama, come on pretty mama
Key Largo, Montego, baby why don't we go
down to Kokomo, we'll get there fast and then we'll take it slow
That's where we want to go, way down in Kokomo
33. Sweet Home Alabama – Lynyrd Skynyrd
Sweet home Alabama
Where the skies are so blue
Sweet home Alabama
Lord, I'm coming home to you
34. Vertigo – FM Belfast
We are going far away
We are going far away
We are going far away
From Utah
Don't you look down
Don't you look down
You are high above ground
We are driving with our friends
We are driving to a faraway place
35. California Love – Tupac and Dr. Dre
Say what you say, but give me that bomb beat from Dre
Let me serenade the streets of L.A
From Oakland to Sacktown
The Bay Area and back down
Cali is where they put they mack down give me love!
California, knows how to party
California, knows how to party
In the city of L.A.
In the city of good ol' Watts
In the city, the city of Compton
We keep it rocking
36. Malibu – Miley Cyrus
But here I am
Next to you
The sky is so blue
In Malibu
Next to you
In Malibu
Next to you
37. Midnight Train to Georgia – Gladys Knight and the Pips
He's leaving
On that midnight train to Georgia
And he's goin' back
To a simpler place and time
And I’ll be with him
On that midnight train to Georgia
I'd rather live in his world
Than live without him in mine
38. California Dreaming – The Mamas and the Papas
All the leaves are brown
And the sky is grey
I've been for a walk
On a winter's day
I'd be safe and warm
If I was in L.A.
California dreamin'
On such a winter's day
39. New York Groove – Ace Frehley
Many years since I was here
On the street I was passin' my time away
To the left and to the right,
Buildings towering to the sky
It's outta sight in the dead of night
Here I am, and in this city, with a fistful of dollars
And baby, you'd better believe
I'm back, back in the New York groove
40. Miami – Will Smith
Party in the city where the heat is on
All night, on the beach till the break of dawn
Welcome to Miami
Bienvenidos a Miami
Bouncin' in the club where the heat is on
All night, on the beach till the break of dawn
I'm goin’ to Miami
Welcome to Miami
41. Vienna – Ultravox
The music is weaving
Haunting notes, pizzicato strings
The rhythm is calling
Alone in the night as the daylight brings
A cool empty silence
The warmth of your hand and a cold grey sky
It fades to the distance
The image has gone only you and I
It means nothing to me
This means nothing to me
Oh, Vienna
42. Viva Las Vegas – Elvis Presley
Bright light city gonna set my soul
Gonna set my soul on fire
Got a whole lot of money that's ready to burn
So get those stakes up higher
There's a thousand pretty women waitin' out there
And they're all livin' devil may care
And I'm just the devil with love to spare
Viva Las Vegas, viva Las Vegas
43. Rocky Road to Dublin – The Irish Descendants
Well in Dublin next arrived, I thought it'd be a pity
To be so soon deprived a view of that fine city
So then I took a stroll down among the quality
Me bundle it was stolen in a neat locality
Something crossed me mind, then I looked behind
No bundle could I find upon me stick a-wobblin'
Inquiring for the rogue, said me connaught brogue wasn't much in vogue
On the rocky road to Dublin
44. Beverly Hills – Weezer
Beverly Hills
That's where I want to be (gimme, gimme)
Livin' in Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills
Rollin' like a celebrity (gimme, gimme)
Livin' in Beverly Hills
45. Surfin' USA – The Beach Boys
Haggerties and Swamies
Pacific Palisades
San Anofree and Sunset
Redondo Beach L. A.
All over La Jolla
At Waimea Bay
Everybody's gone surfin'
Surfin' U.S. A.
46. I'm Shipping Up To Boston – Dropkick Murphys
I'm a sailor peg
And I've lost my leg
Climbing up the top sails
I've lost my leg!
I'm shipping up to Boston, whoa
I'm shipping up to Boston, whoa
I'm shipping up to Boston, whoa
I'm shipping off to find my wooden leg
47. Hello Seattle – Owl City
Hello Seattle, I am a manta ray
Deep beneath the blue waves
I'll crawl the sandy bottom of Puget Sound
And construct my summer home
48. God Blessed Texas – Little Texas
God blessed Texas
With His own hand
Brought down angels from the promised land
Gave 'em a place where they could dance
If you want to see heaven, brother, here's you chance
I've been sent to spread the message
God blessed Texas
49. Taj Mahal – Sam Roberts Band
Sitting with you on the banks of the Ganges
Stealing a kiss on the streets of Bombay
Caressing your hair like the wind through the palm trees
I never dreamed that anyone could take you away
Keep on keep on keep on singing
Taj Mahal
I'm building a beautiful statue
To make sure that no one forgets you
50. Alaska – Maggie Rogers
I was walking through icy streams
That took my breath away
Moving slowly through westward water
Over glacial plains
And I walked off you
And I walked off an old me
Oh me, oh my, I thought it was a dream
So it seemed
51. Miles from Minnesota – The Lower 48
Yes next year we'll go traveling
Our escapades so baffling
Our sovereign love returning to the sea
We'll be miles from Minnesota then
Writing letters we won't send
For no words shall contain what will be
Well your sweet voice and my rough hands
When darkness prowls we will dance
Through bluffs and fields and orchards with the moon
Yes next year we will leave this place summer's kiss is just a taste
Fall's warm embrace is coming to us soon
Oh! We've got everywhere to go
You should sleep, I'll see you in the morning
52. Take Me Home Country Roads – John Denver
Almost heaven, West Virginia
Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River
Life is old there, older than the trees
Younger than the mountains, blowing like a breeze
Country roads, take me home
To the place I belong
West Virginia, mountain mama
Take me home, country roads
53. Miles Away – The Maine
I took a trip up the west coast
LAX to SFO
Was searching for a temp so low
And a summer high
The Sun swayed and set slow
Made waves with some friends I know
Got lost in the ebb and flow
Of the drifting tide
(And I)
I didn't ever want to come down
From that west coast rush and summer high
And easy, peaceful sense of time
54. Brazil – Declan McKenna
I wanna play the beautiful game while I'm in Brazil
'Cause everybody plays the beautiful game while out in Brazil
'Cause it's all you've ever wanted, and it's all that you want still
Don't you wanna play the beautiful game out in Brazil?
55. Under African Skies – Paul Simon
Joseph's face was as black as the night
And the pale yellow moon shone in his eyes
His path was marked
By the stars in the Southern Hemisphere
And he walked the length of his days
Under African skies
56. Take It Easy – The Eagles
Well I'm a standin' on a corner in Winslow, Arizona
Such a fine sight to see
It's a girl, my lord, in a flatbed
Ford slowin' down to take a look at me
Come on baby
Don't say maybe
I gotta know if your sweet love is gonna save me
We may lose and we may win
Though we will never be here again
So open up, I'm climbin' in
Take it easy
26 awesome international songs
A song’s title or lyrics don’t need to explicitly mention a specific place; sometimes it's the artist, the melody, the language, or simply the emotion of the song that ties it in our memories to a place we love.
Whether it’s the sultry sounds of Gotan Project’s Amor Porteno taking us back to a tango club in Buenos Aires, or the ethereal sounds of Hoppípolla from Sigur Rós transporting us to the otherworldly landscapes of Iceland, these international songs make us think of the places they are from or written about.
Listen when: you're on your cheap flight to Iceland, or packing for your trip to Seoul, or strolling the streets of Paris, or driving the backroads of Scotland, or...
57. The Last – Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra
58. Let the Music Play – Shamur
59. La Vie En Rose – Edith Piaf
60. Gangnam Style – Psy
61. Immigrant Song – Led Zeppelin
62. Money (That's What I Want) – Cheryl K
63. Royals – Lorde
64. Rewrite – Asian Kung Fu Generation
65. Redemption Song – Bob Marley
66. Dreams – The Cranberries
67. Little Busters – The Pillows
68. Jai Ho – A.R. Rahman
69. Counting Stars – Nujabes
70. I’m Gonna Be (500 miles) – The Proclaimers
71. Sni Bong – Dengue Fever
72. Jungle Drum – Emiliana Torrini
73. On and On – VIXX
74. Beds are Burning – Midnight Oil
75. Amor Porteño – Gotan Project
76. Dui bu Qi – Transition
77. Sirocco – Ulrich Schnauss and Jonas Munk
78. Mi Gente – J Balvin
79. Hoppípolla – Sigur Rós
80. Somewhere Over the Rainbow – Israel Kamakawiwoʻole
81. Land Down Under – Men at Work
82. Guantanamera – Celia Cruz
18 great songs about travel and wanderlust
Finally, the last songs on the list are those that inspire us to get out and see the world, that commiserate with those us of suffering from the travel bug, and that celebrate the beauty of a life less ordinary.
Listen when: you're suffering from an acute case of wanderlust or dreaming of your next great adventure.
83. Born to be Wild – Steppenwolf
Get your motor runnin'
Head out on the highway
Lookin' for adventure
And whatever comes our way
Yeah Darlin' go make it happen
Take the world in a love embrace
Fire all of your guns at once
And explode into space
84. Roam – The B52s
Roam if you want to
Roam around the world
Roam if you want to
Without wings, without wheels
Roam if you want to
Roam around the world
Roam if you want to
Without anything but the love we feel
85. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For – U2
I have climbed the highest mountains
I have run through the fields
Only to be with you
Only to be with you
I have run, I have crawled
I have scaled these city walls
These city walls
Only to be with you
But I still haven't found
What I'm looking for
86. Come Fly with Me – Frank Sinatra
Come fly with me, we'll fly, we'll fly away
If you can use some exotic booze
There's a bar in far Bombay
Come on fly with me, we'll fly, we'll fly away
87. On the Road Again – Willie Nelson
On the road again
Goin' places that I've never been
Seein' things that I may never see again
And I can't wait to get on the road again
88. Road to Nowhere – Talking Heads
We're on a road to nowhere
Come on inside
Taking that ride to nowhere
We'll take that ride
I'm feeling okay this morning
And you know
We're on the road to paradise
Here we go, here we go
89. Life is a Highway – Tom Cochran
Life's like a road that you travel on
When there's one day here and the next day gone
Sometimes you bend, sometimes you stand
Sometimes you turn your back to the wind
There's a world outside every darkened door
Where blues won't haunt you anymore
Where the brave are free and lovers soar
Come ride with me to the distant shore
We won't hesitate, break down the garden gate
There's not much time left today
90. When I’m Gone (Cups Song) – Anna Kendrick
I’ve got my ticket for the long way ‘round
The one with the prettiest of views
It’s got mountains, it’s got rivers, it’s got sights to give you shivers
But it sure would be prettier with you
When I’m gone
When I’m gone
You’re gonna miss me when I’m gone
You’re gonna miss me by my walk
You’re gonna miss me by my talk, oh
You’re gonna miss me when I’m gone
91. Born to Run – Bruce Springsteen
Someday girl I don't know when
We're gonna get to that place
Where we really wanna go
And we'll walk in the sun
But till then tramps like us
Baby we were born to run
92. Send Me On My Way – Rusted Root
Well, I would like to hold my little hand
And we will run, we will, we will crawl, we will
I would like to hold my little hand
And we will run, we will, we will crawl
Send me on my way (on my way)
93. Margaritaville – Jimmy Buffett
I blew out my flip flop
Stepped on a pop top
Cut my heel had to cruise on back home
But there's booze in the blender
And soon it will render
That frozen concoction that helps me hang on
Wastin' away again in Margaritaville
Searchin' for my lost shaker of salt
Some people claim that there's a woman to blame
But I know it's my own damn fault
94. Moon River – Audrey Hepburn
Two drifters, off to see the world
There's such a lot of world to see
We're after the same rainbow's end, waitin' 'round the bend
My huckleberry friend, moon river, and me
95. Leaving on a Jet Plane – Peter Paul, and Mary
My bags are packed
I'm ready to go
I'm standing here outside your door
I hate to wake you up to say goodbye
But the dawn is breakin'
It's early morn
The taxi's waitin'
He's blowin' his horn
Already I'm so lonesome
I could cry
So kiss me and smile for me
Tell me that you'll wait for me
Hold me like you'll never let me go
I'm leavin' on a jet plane
I Don't know when I'll be back again
Oh, babe, I hate to go
96. The Passenger – Iggy Pop
I am a passenger
And I ride and I ride
I ride through the city's backside
I see the stars come out of the sky
Yeah, they're bright in a hollow sky
You know it looks so good tonight
I am a passenger
I stay under glass
I look through my window so bright
I see the stars come out tonight
I see the bright and hollow sky
Over the city's ripped-back sky
And everything looks good tonight
97. Vacation – The Go-Go's
Vacation
All I ever wanted
Vacation
Had to get away
Vacation
Meant to be spent alone
98. Homeward Bound – Simon & Garfunkel
Every day's an endless stream
Of cigarettes and magazines
And each town looks the same to me, the movies and the factories
And every stranger's face I see reminds me that I long to be
Homeward bound
I wish I was
Homeward bound
Home where my thought's escaping
Home where my music's playing
Home where my love lies waiting
Silently for me
99. No Roots – Alice Merton
I like standing still, but that's just a wishful plan
Ask me where I come from, I'll say a different land
But I've got memories and travel like gypsies in the night
I count gates and numbers, then play the guessing game
It's just the place that changes, the rest is still the same
But I've got memories and travel like gypsies in the night
And a thousand times I've seen this road
A thousand times
I've got no roots, but my home was never on the ground
100. Fly Away – Lenny Kravitz
I want to get away
I want to fly away
Yeah, yeah, yeah
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