33 Songs About Travel, from Come Fly with Me to Africa

What is the best song about travel?

"Come Fly with Me" by Frank Sinatra is the classic song about travel, and "Leaving on a Jet Plane", written by John Denver and made a hit by Peter, Paul and Mary, is the most famous song about flying away. "Africa" by Toto and "Kokomo" by The Beach Boys are the favorite songs about faraway places.

Classic songs about travel

1. "Come Fly with Me", Frank Sinatra: an invitation to see the world together.
2. "Leaving on a Jet Plane", Peter, Paul and Mary: a goodbye at the airport.
3. "I've Been Everywhere", Johnny Cash: a fast list of places across America.
4. "Travelin' Man", Ricky Nelson: a love in every port.
5. "Ticket to Ride", The Beatles: a lover with a one-way ticket.
6. "Back in the U.S.S.R.", The Beatles: coming home from a long flight.
7. "Kokomo", The Beach Boys: a dream island getaway, from the film Cocktail.
8. "Sloop John B", The Beach Boys: a sea voyage gone wrong.
9. "Walking in Memphis", Marc Cohn: a pilgrimage to the home of the blues.

Rock songs about travel

10. "Ramble On", Led Zeppelin: a wanderer's song.
11. "Wherever I May Roam", Metallica: life on the road.
12. "Jet Airliner", Steve Miller Band: a classic flying song.
13. "The Passenger", Iggy Pop: watching the world go by from a seat.
14. "Down Under", Men at Work: an Australian traveling the world.
15. "Africa", Toto: the most famous song about a faraway place.
16. "Graceland", Paul Simon: a road trip to Memphis.
17. "Come Sail Away", Styx: setting off on an adventure.

Pop songs about vacation and travel

18. "Holiday", Madonna: the call for a break.
19. "Vacation", The Go-Go's: a summer away.
20. "Around the World", Daft Punk: a hypnotic dance track.
21. "Airplanes", B.o.B featuring Hayley Williams: wishing on airplanes at night.
22. "Fly Away", Lenny Kravitz: the urge to take off.
23. "Island in the Sun", Weezer: an easy, sunny getaway.
24. "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)", The Proclaimers: walking any distance for love.
25. "A Whole New World", from Aladdin: a magic carpet ride over the world.

Folk, country and indie songs about travel

26. "Travelin' Thru", Dolly Parton: an Oscar-nominated song from Transamerica.
27. "Mexico", James Taylor: a breezy trip south.
28. "Southern Cross", Crosby, Stills and Nash: sailing under southern stars.
29. "Sailing", Christopher Cross: a calm song about the sea.
30. "Postcards from Italy", Beirut: dreamy and nostalgic.
31. "Mykonos", Fleet Foxes: named after the Greek island.
32. "Holiday in Spain", Counting Crows: escaping to somewhere new.
33. "Big Jet Plane", Angus and Julia Stone: a gentle song about flying off together.

Why do we love songs about travel?

Songs about travel capture the feeling of possibility: a new city, an open sea or a plane taking off into the unknown. They work just as well when you are going somewhere as when you are stuck at home dreaming about it, which is why so many of them became hits in the middle of winter. Many were written by musicians on tour, who spent more time in airports and hotels than at home.

Songs for a flight or airport

For a flight, start with "Come Fly with Me" and "Jet Airliner" during takeoff, then switch to quieter songs like "Big Jet Plane" and "Sailing" once you are in the air. Download the playlist before you board, since many flights do not have reliable Wi-Fi.

Travel songs for a honeymoon

For a honeymoon or a trip as a couple, "Come Fly with Me", "Kokomo", "Island in the Sun" and "A Whole New World" set the mood. For songs about the open road instead, see our road trip songs, and for rail journeys, our songs about trains.

Songs about specific places

For a trip to one destination, look for songs about that place: "Mykonos" for Greece, "Postcards from Italy" for Italy, "Down Under" for Australia, "Kokomo" for the Caribbean and "Walking in Memphis" for Tennessee. For a trip to the Big Apple, see our songs about New York.

Travel songs for a family trip

For a family vacation, "A Whole New World", "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" and "Island in the Sun" are easy sing-alongs, and kids love trying to keep up with all the place names in "I've Been Everywhere". Let each person pick one song for the playlist so everyone gets a turn.

Songs for a farewell before a big trip

For someone leaving to study abroad, take a gap year or move overseas, "Leaving on a Jet Plane" and "Ramble On" make bittersweet send-off songs. See our farewell songs for more ideas.

A song about your adventures together

A personalized song can turn your travels into music: the places you have been, the trip where everything went wrong and the one you are still planning, with their name in the chorus. It makes a great gift for a travel-loving partner, a friend leaving for a big adventure or a couple celebrating an anniversary trip.

How to create a personalized song

1. Choose a style from 14 genres: pop, acoustic, country and more.
2. Add their name.
3. Share three travel memories you have together.
4. Review the lyrics and edit or regenerate them for free before any music is made.
5. Listen to 4 free 45-second previews and choose your favorite.

The full 3 to 4 minute song costs $24.99, or $29.99 for Premium with four full versions and editable lyrics. You get the MP3, a gift page and the lyrics as a PDF.

Turn your adventures into a song: create a song and hear four previews for free.