Tis the season for road tripping, but this summer road trip playlist isn’t just for the weekend warrior—it’s for the eternal road warrior.
It’s for the wanderlusters and the wanna be’s. Just crank ’em up and get inspired to live a life on wheels. Disclaimer: I’m a country girl through-and-through so don’t expect anything less.
“Anywhere With You” by Jake Owen
“If your dream house is a double wide trailer” or a fifth wheel or a camper van or has wheels of any sort, this song is for you. Jake Owen puts the romance in the road with this flirty, carefree love melody.
“Lost” by Chris Young
OK, so maybe you aren’t a full-timer, but you still have that foot-loose-and-fancy-free attitude. Well, this song is the perfect gateway drug that could introduce you to long-term roaming. Start off slow, just getting lost on the back roads and work your way up to the major highways and bi-ways that crisscross the country.
“Airstream Song” by Miranda Lambert
You may know Miranda Lambert for her vengeful lyrics, which usually involve psychotic episodes of fitful female rage, but she’s so much more than “Gun Powder and Lead”—she’s a roaming free spirit with a gypsy soul. (If you don’t believe me, just check out her clothing collection on www.gypsyville.com.) Words like “unbridled” and “unanchored” incite goose bumps for a fellow free spirit with a zest for adventure and the unknown. Altogether, I’d say “Revolution” is Lambert’s best album, by far. Be sure to check out “Makin’ Plans” and “Love Song,” which may also cause nomadic swoon sessions.
“Trailer Hitch” by Kristian Bush
This song puts the phrase “You can’t take it with you when you go” to a melody. Kristian Bush, the Y chromosome in the Sugarland duo, split from Jennifer Nettles for a solo album, and this was the song that stuck—for good reason. Bush’s catchy tune is an anthem for those looking to live simply, as it drives home the experiences-not-stuff mantra in a new way and makes a very valid point: You’ve “never seen a hearse with a trailer hitch,” have you? Ultimately, this song not only fulfills the ideals of living simply on the road, but it also mentions a trailer hitch; therefore, it made the Romad Playlist cut.
“My House” by Kacey Musgraves
I am forever indebted to Kacey Musgraves for this song. It paints the perfect picture of the romadic lifestyle. “Any KOA is A-OK,” as long as there’s a “place to drain the spectic.” Yep, pretty much. Don’t forget the fact that you “don’t ever have to mow the yard” and the perk of seeing “the whole world from your living room.” Of course, there’s a love song dynamic to it with Musgraves finishing with the statement: “Don’t matter where we go, we’ll never be alone—anywhere beside you is a place that I’ll call home.” “The Trailer Song” is also relevant. Just wait, you’ll see. If you ever live in an RV you’ll realize that your neighbors are always watching, always judging. Plus, for a girl that grew up in an 800-square-foot mobile home, it really tugs at the ole heartstrings. The follow up to that song is “Biscuits,” which offers the useful advice that you should “Mind your own biscuits and life will be gravy.”
“Free and Easy” by Dierks Bentley
This road trip anthem has a special place in my husband Spanky’s heart because it speaks to his lineman lifestyle with one phrase: “Hanging memories on the highline poles.” But, it’s not just a song for the pole monkeys and line tramps. It’s for anyone wanting to get away and live a carefree existence where memories are more important than things.
“Home” by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
OK, so this isn’t a country song. I lied. This song just had to make the cut, as it’s been a go-to on the road. When life on four wheels gets rough and I start to feel disconnected and yearn to be grounded, this song reminds me that “home is wherever I’m with you.” Home is a relative term when you’re nomadic, but it’s doable when you surround yourself with love (or smoke lots of dope, like this band obviously does).
“Free ” by Zac Brown Band
“We live out in our old van, travel all across this land.” The first line certifies this song as a gypsy anthem. The title is the most ideal word selection, because if you have chosen the romad lifestyle, it’s probably because you desire freedom. Freedom from a mortgage. Freedom from a 9-to-5. Freedom to explore. Whatever it may be, I hope you feel free. Dang, maybe I should be a songwriter. Other notable ZBB songs for the simply living romad include “Highway 20 Ride” and “Homegrown,” which provides my favorite line: “I got everything I need and nothing that I don’t.”
“Good Life” by One Republic
This song reminds you that life is what you make it. You can travel. Be free. Make friends all over the world. Be grateful. Spread love and good vibes. It reminds you that “This could really be a good life.” It’s more of an overall travel-themed song but applicable, nonetheless. Another notable One Republic jam is “I Lived,” which is a sequel to “Good Life” proclaiming, “I did it all. I owned every second that this world could give. I saw so many places, the things that I did. With every broken bone, I swear I lived.”
