There are many considerations that go into planning the perfect road trip. Practicalities such as planning a route and ensuring your hire car arrangements are in place ensure the trip runs smoothly. Booking accommodation and knowing where you’re going to eat or what tourist attractions you want to see make it easier still when you’re actually there. However, it’s the road trip playlist that really defines whether or not your adventure is destined for success.

With so much pressure on the music choice, how do you go about crafting the ultimate road trip playlist?

dirt road in the outback with blue skies
The success of a road trip is all down to the playlist.

1) Multiple categories

Picking awesome songs by your standards should be pretty easy, but when you’ve got a car full of music tastes to satisfy, things can get a little tricky. Keep everyone happy by choosing songs from a multitude of genres. First, pick a few classics – songs that the whole car knows the words to and get everyone singing along at a party. Next, work your way through songs from movies, TV shows, current hits, golden oldies and the cheese that everyone likes to pretend they don’t enjoy but secretly really do.

You want songs to repeat over the course of the trip, not over the course of every single car journey.

2) Know the length of your journey

Sometimes, the very reason a particular song evokes such great memories of a past trip is because you heard it throughout your journey. It reminds you of multiple moments, people and feelings. There is a fine line, though, between a song being a fond recollection and starting to grate when it’s on repeat.

Timing is everything when it comes to the success of your playlist. If your Australia road trip plans mean you’re going to be driving for hours on end, your playlist needs to be just as long. You want songs to repeat over the course of the trip, not over the course of every single car journey. A two-hour journey with three songs on repeat is going to get tiresome quickly, even if it’s your all-time favourite artist.

three women in the back seat of a car.
Factor in the length of your journeys when planning your playlist.

3) Create something new

Tempting as it can be to head online and find an existing playlist to nab songs from, your creativity is what will win you the ultimate playlist crown. Everyone’s heard the top 100 Eighties classics and best dance floor hits many times before. Thinking outside the box makes your mix unique and keeps it fresh and exciting for your road trip comrades. Too much of anything gets boring, but if you’re never quite sure what’s coming next, any song can be a surprise.

4) Destination playlists

Get your fellow passengers ready for your destination by picking songs about it. If you’re on a road trip to the beach, crank up the tunes about summer, sunshine and the seaside to get everyone in the right mood.

It’s not all about the destination though. The journey is just as important. There are plenty of classic songs about highways and roads that your road buddies would be hard-pressed not to sing along to.

Before you get too carried away creating your ultimate playlist, get your Australia car rental sorted. With our wide variety of pick up destinations, we can help you with a real east coast adventure.