You and your friends have been planning this trip for months and can't wait to get there. A few minutes down the road and you realize there's something missing... "What could it be?," you ask. You have everything packed and have your snacks and the directions in hand. You even brought your favorite pillow and blanket along with you. Your friend turns the radio on to their favorite radio station that plays decent, but not great music and that's when it hits you. "Dude I totally forgot I made this awesome playlist for the car ride so we won't get bored!," you exclaim. The concept of the road trip playlist can instantly take your car ride from kind of fun to the most fun you've ever had in a car. A wise man once told me, "The point of a journey is not the destination, but how you get there." Part of getting there is either having fun on the ride or dreading it. Sometimes the car ride to wherever you are going ends up being more fun than the trip itself. So just in case the trip itself does not turn out like you had hoped, here are some tips to make sure the car ride is full of jamming out and having a good time.
Before going on the trip, try to gauge the musical interests of the people you are riding with. A great playlist appeals to more than one audience, so try to get as much variety as possible. Don't be afraid to put some heavy metal/screamo on there as much as it hurts to listen to. Not all of it is as scary as you think. Also, not all rap music sounds the same, so feel free to explore a little bit. You never know, you might find that you like a genre of music you never gave a chance until now. It's also OK to put country music on there even if you're not from Nashville, Tenn.
Another important component in making the perfect playlist is finding the perfect medium between songs to get lit to (no, I am not promoting the use of drugs) and songs to chill out/fall asleep to. It's OK to throw a little Coldplay in between Drake and Wiz Khalifa. Every car on a road trip has that one person who just wants to sleep the whole time, so you have to respect that. Although it may seem boring to listen to slower and calmer songs, it can serve as a break after turning up for an extended period of time. Trust me, if you were in their position, you'd want it to be the same way.
My personal favorite part of these kinds of playlists is finding old hit songs that I loved listening to years and years ago. For example, "Scenario" by A Tribe Called Quest (R.I.P. Phife Dawg) has probably been stuck in my head for over a week. I've also been listening to my fair share of David Bowie (R.I.P.) and Beastie Boys (R.I.P. MCA) recently. Playlists are more fun when you have throwbacks because admit it, you get tired of hearing the same songs on the radio over and over and over again. Also, one-hit wonders are perfect for this playlist. So yes, it's OK to put "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley and "The Humpty Dance" by Digital Underground on your playlist if you so desire. If you're really feeling adventurous, you could even place a mashup or two in your playlist.
The biggest tip I can give you to making the perfect playlist is to have fun with it. If you are not enjoying yourself while you are making the playlist, then there's no point in making it. Also, there is no way that you will get every song that everyone wants, but that's the beauty of playlists, you can simply add them on later. Now go on, make me proud and make the best, most fun playlist possible.
