I used to date a guy who wished his life was a movie. Not for the whole picture-perfect aspect (although I’m sure he –or anyone- wouldn’t be opposed), but for the soundtrack. Always a perfect song to set the scene, mood, or tone. Always a song where you can sit back and think of a specific time, and music plays in your head as the memory unfolds. Always a song for the moment. (After all, someone once said to seize the moment, freeze it, and own it.)

Music has the ability to affect and influence you, and there’s where the magic lies. Everyone’s experience to music is different and can trigger different events and memories in your brain. Maybe the actual song was playing at the time, maybe it shares a line that coincides with an inside joke, maybe the song just plain takes you there. Music can link to moments, but it’s all dependent on you.

While music can be a shared experience, it’s you who chooses to mark the song as part the soundtrack to your travels because everyone has different musical tastes and triggers.

What songs belong on the soundtrack to your travels? Below are a few of mine*.

*Disclaimer: I take no shame in my musical tastes.

Song: So Obvious by Runner Runner

Why it’s on my soundtrack: Every time I hear this song (or more correctly, the whole album), I am taken back to Orlando, Florida. It was literally the soundtrack of the trip, replaying from start to finish as my mom and I drove to Disney World, to Universal, to the shopping outlets. Sometimes I was disappointed to arrive at our destination because it meant the music was temporarily over.

Song: MMMbop by Hanson

Why it’s on my soundtrack: Hanson were the first boys I ever truly loved and to feel closer to them, I played their CD on repeat for more years than my parents care to remember. Every summer when we made the seven hour drive from Chicago to our cabin in the thumb of Michigan, Hanson played. And they still do – a fundamental road trip song for me. You can’t help but bop along, even if you sadly still can’t get all the mmmbop doowops correct.

Song: Timber by Pitbull Feat. Kesha

Why it’s on my soundtrack: On a trip to Kalamazoo to visit friends, I was worried that a friend on the other side of the state wouldn’t be able to see me while I was around from Minneapolis. She convinced me she had to work, and while I was preparing to go out to the bars that night, she arrived, pulling off a fantastic surprise. Timber was playing when she walked in, and the song always makes me feel as gleeful as when she appeared before me.

Song: Africa by Toto (and/or the Jay-Z version)

Why it’s on my soundtrack: Africa always takes me back to riding in my friend’s powder blue mustang. Whether we were road tripping to Grosse Ile, Port Huron, or just cruising around Kalamazoo, this song was a staple in that car, and that time period of my life. Roof down, hair flying, warm weather. The song just puts you in a good, happy mood.

Song: Eenie Meenie by Justin Bieber and Sean Kingston

Why it’s on my soundtrack: I do not admit to Bieber Fever with this song, only that I put up with it for my cousins and friends who were in love with him. We were driving to Grindstone for ice cream with the song blasting on repeat. And occasionally rewinding to listen to Justin ‘seductively’ sing the word paradise. Twenty minutes of the Biebs on repeat and you might find yourself bopping along.

Song: 867-5309 (Jenny) by Tommy Tutone

Why it’s on my soundtrack: My friend and I actually call the song 867-5309 (Viktor). Bored while staying at a strange motel, my friend and I decided to change song lyrics to match the motel manager’s name, who we decided we were in love with. Other hits include ‘…Hit Me Viktor One More Time’ (Britney Spears), ‘Dancing Vitkor’ (ABBA), and ‘Can You Feel the Vitkor Tonight’ (Elton John).

Share your travel soundtrack songs in the comments below!

Brianna Krueger is the Chief Editor for Wandering Educators