MC Travel Special | Every great journey needs a soundtrack

Music and the road are made for each other. (Illustration by Suneesh K.)

Have summer, will travel. And every great journey needs a soundtrack. No matter where you’re going, or which part of the journey you’re at, we’ve got you covered. Each of these playlists below fit a certain type of holiday, and specific activities. Each of them is an hour long – so all you need to do is hit shuffle and repeat.

Family road trip

Getting out early to get ahead of traffic is a great idea, but sometimes several pots of coffee alone may not be enough to keep you revved up behind the wheel. Plus, music and the road are made for each other. This is your personal karaoke bar on wheels.

1. Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen

2. Firework by Katy Perry

3. I’m a Believer by The Monkees

4. Roop Tera Mastana by Kishore Kumar

5. Zombie by The Cranberries

6. Dil Chahta Hai title track

7. Tubthumping by Chumbawumba

8. Ice Ice Baby by Vanilla Ice

9. Old Town Road by Lil Nas X

10. Blank Space by Taylor Swift

11. Get Back by The Beatles

12. I Want It That Way by The Backstreet Boys

13. Aap Ki Dua by KK

14. Summer of 69 by Bryan Adams

15. We Didn’t Start The Fire by Billy Joel

16. Heartless by Kanye West

17. In the End by Linkin Park

18. Run This Town by Jay-Z, Rihanna and Kanye West

19. Ilahi by Pritam and Arijit Singh

20. Pasoori by Ali Sethi and Shae Gill

Romantic getaway

This list of songs has got just the right balance of sap, sentimentality, nostalgia and suggestiveness to add some charm to your special holiday for two.

1. Cold/ mess by Prateek Kuhad

2. Every Breath You Take by The Police

3. Zara Zara by Bombay Jayashree

4. She’s Got A Way by Billy Joel

5. Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman by Bryan Adams

6. Have I Told You Lately by Van Morrison

7. I’m Your Man by Leonard Cohen

8. Hey There Delilah by Plain White T’s

9. She Will Be Loved by Maroon 5

10. Don’t Know Why by Norah Jones

11. Gravity by John Mayer

12. Wicked Game by Chris Isaak

13. In My Place by Coldplay

14. Aisay Kaisay by Hasan Raheem (ft Abdullah Kasumbi)

15. Doobey by OAFF, Savera, Lothika and Kausar Munir

16. Eventide by Anoushka Maskey

17. Kiss Me by Sixpence None the Richer

18. I Want to Know What Love Is by Foreigner

19. Wild Thoughts by DJ Khaled (ft Rihanna & Bryson Tiller)

20. Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd

Solo session

Get far away from the madding crowds with a solo trip – no matter where you go, don’t disclose your destination to anyone, even if it’s the AirBnB next door. If introspection and inner peace is what you’re after, this music will help you get there.

1. Time In A Bottle by Jim Croce

2. Summer Skin by Parekh & Singh

3. Easy on Me by Adele

4. Come Together by The Beatles

5. Beginner’s Luck by Maribou State

6. Udhero Na by Arooj Aftab ft Anoushka Shankar

7. Hunger of the Pine by Alt-J

8. The Night We Met by Lord Huron

9. Budapest by George Ezra

10. Bittersweet Symphony by The Verve

11. Big Jet Plane by Angus & Julia Stone

12. Let It Go by James Bay

13. I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to be Free by Nina Simone

14. For the Good Times by Al Green

15. Never Catch Me by Flying Lotus ft Kendrick Lamar

16. Hours by Tycho

17. Myth by Beach House

18. Sleep Apnea by Beach Fossils

19. 22 (Over Soon) by Bon Iver

20. Sexy Boy by Air

Beach holiday

Working a glass of gin & tonic is enough activity on your Goan or island holiday, we agree. This music will act like the garnish to your extremely lazy beach holiday.

1. Love Me Do by The Beatles

2. Holiday by Madonna

3. Lovely Day by Bill Withers

4. Rehna Tu by AR Rahman

5. Butter by BTS

6. Dreams by Fleetwood Mac

7. Watermelon Sugar by Harry Styles

8. Africa by Toto

9. Hot Stuff by Donna Summers

10. Cake by the Ocean by DNCE

11. Three Little Birds by Bob Marley & The Wailers

12. Summertime by Gavin DeGraw

13. Break On Through (To The Other Side) by The Doors

14. Say So by Doja Cat

15. A-Punk by Vampire Weekend

16. Island in the Sun by Weezer

17. On My Own by Kayan

18. Steal My Sunshine by LEN

19. Baby Love by The Supremes

20. Other Side of the Game by Erykah Badu

Outdoor explorer

Nothing like a pair of headphones and a long path ahead of you to take in that new Seedhe Maut or Kendrick Lamar album you’ve been saving - perhaps for a moment just like this. But just in case, here’s a playlist that’s equal parts motivation, nostalgia and pure energy.

1. Mere Saath by Lifafa

2. Maya by Prabhdeep

3. N95 by Kendrick Lamar

4. Nayaab by Seedhe Maut & Sez On The Beat

5. Chicago by Sufjan Stevens

6. Nina Cried Power by Hozier ft Mavis Staples

7. The Less I Know The Better by Tame Impala

8. Fever by The Black Keys

9. Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings by Father John Misty

10. Glory Box by Portishead

11. Karmacoma by Massive Attack

12. Firestarter by The Prodigy

13. Rhiannon by Fleetwood Mac

14. Do You Realise?? By The Flaming Lips

15. I Will Possess Your Heart by Death Cab for Cutie

16. Be Here Now by Ray LaMontagne

17. Human by Rag n Bone Man

18. Summer Madness by Khruangbin

19. Heart of Gold by Neil Young

20. Here Comes the Sun by The Beatles

The commute

Bump up the BPM and get that anticipation running higher with this pure electronica playlist that’ll keep you moving on the move.

1. Lucky I Got What I Want by Jungle

2. One More Time by Daft Punk

3. Running to the Sea by Royksopp

4. Star Guitar by The Chemical Brothers

5. SeeSaw by Jamie XX (ft Romy)

6. Teenage Birdsong by Four Tet

7. Caves of Paradise by Actress

8. Pick Up by DJ Koze

9. Recess by Skrillex

10. Romeo by Basement Jaxx

11. Hot Music by SO:HO

12. Channel 42 by Deadmau5 & Wolfgang Gartner

13. Jaded by Disclosure

14. We Are All Made of Stars by Moby

15. Right Here Right Now by Fatboy Slim

16. I See You Baby by Groove Armada

17. Eat Sleep Rave Repeat by Riva Starr

18. NEON RATS by Moderat

19. Nacho by Anyasa & Bawari Basanti

20. Sirens of the Sea by OceanLab

The Sundowner

Every great holiday comes with a memorable sunset. And the elements that make it so include good company and the songs that you’ve all loved together. Countdown to a boisterous night with this bunch of acoustic numbers.

1. Sham by Nikhil D’Souza, Amit Trivedi & Neuman Pinto

2. Floated By by Peter Cat Recording Co

3. As It Was by Harry Styles

4. All The Stars by Kendrick Lamar & SZA

5. Roobaroo by AR Rahman and Naresh Iyer

6. Tanha Tanha by AR Rahman & Asha Bhonsle

7. Yaaron by Ankur Tewari & The Ghalat Family

8. Khwabon ke Parindey by Alyssa Mendonsa & Mohit Chauhan

9. Lost by Frank Ocean

10. Take Me Home, Country Roads by John Denver

11. Pani Da Rang by Ayushmann Khurrana

12. Boogie Nights by Heatwave

13. Crazy by Gnarls Barkley

14. Crazy Little Thing Called Love by Queen

15. Counting Stars by OneRepublic

16. Malibu by Miley Cyrus

17. I Heard It Through The Grapevine by Marvin Gaye

18. Viva Las Vengeance by Panic! At the Disco

19. Hotel California by Eagles

20. Heroes by David Bowie

Game night

Scheduled a game of poker for the gang on holiday? This playlist, along with beers and pizza, is the perfect companion piece.

1. No Diggity by Blackstreet ft Dr Dre & Queen Pen

2. Brown Sugar by D’Angelo

3. Starboy by The Weeknd

4. Wait for You by Future

5. STAY by The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber

6. Dua Lipa by Jack Harlow

7. No Role Modelz by J Cole

8. Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat) by Digable Planets

9. Scar Tissue by Red Hot Chilli Peppers

10. Blitzkrieg Bop by Ramones

11. Brown Munde by AP Dhillon and Gurinder Gill

12. Believer by Imagine Dragons

13. Can’t Hold Us by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

14. (Night Time Is) The Right Time by Ray Charles

15. Bloody valentine by Machine Gun Kelly

16. Electric Relaxation by A Tribe Called Quest

17. Renaissance Man by Jay Electronica

18. NY State of Mind by Nas

19. Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes

20. Whole Lotta Love by Led Zeppelin

Dance party

What vacation with friends and family doesn’t culminate in a no-holds-barred rave? Make it wild with these chart-toppers that everyone already knows the steps to.

1. Tareefan by Badshah

2. Thriller by Michael Jackson

3. Single Ladies by Beyonce

4. Industry baby by Lil Nas X

5. Muqabala Muqabala by AR Rahman, Mano & Swarnalatha

6. Sauda Khara Khara by Sukhbir

7. Me Porto Bonito by Bad Bunny and Chencho Corleone

8. I Can’t Get Enough by benny blanco, Tainy, Selena Gomez and J Balvin

9. Aaj Ki Raat by Alisha Chinai, Mahalakshmi Iyer & Sonu Nigam

10. Crazy In Love by Beyonce ft Jay-Z

11. Hypnotize by The Notorious B.I.G.

12. Kala Chashma by Amar Arshi, Badshah, Neha Kakkar & Indeep Bakshi

13. Mi Gente by J Balvin & Willy William (ft Beyonce)

14. One Dance by Drake ft Wizkid & Kyla

15. Auva Auva Koi Yahan Nache by Bappi Lahiri & Usha Uthup

16. Badtameez Dil by Pritam, Benny Dayal & Shefali Alvares

17. Party All Night by Yo Yo Honey Singh

18. Aaj Mera Jee Kardaa from Monsoon Wedding

19. Kajra Re by Alisha Chinai, Javed Ali and Shankar Mahadevan

20. Despacito by Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee

Pool party

No dive and dunk session is complete without a set of bangers that’ll get the party started. Find here the gold hits and new ones climbing charts to vibe along to as you frolic a summer day away.

1. Fly As Me by Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak & Silk Sonic

2. Paper Planes by MIA

3. All That She Wants by Ace of Base

4. Thank u, next by Ariana Grande

5. Royals by Lorde

6. Rude by MAGIC!

7. Empire State of Mind by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys

8. Wonderwall by Oasis

9. Happier by Marshmello and Bastille

10. Memories by David Guetta (ft Kid Cudi)

11. Cold Water by Major Lazer ft Justin Bieber

12. Easy Bake Easy Wake by The F16s

13. What Is Love by Haddaway

14. Don’t Phunk With My Heart by Black Eyed Peas

15. Pumped Up Kicks by Foster the People

16. Superstar by Jamelia

17. No You Girls by Franz Ferdinand

18. Still D.R.E. by Dr Dre ft Snoop Dogg

19. Spice Up Your Life by Spice Girls

20. Dancing on My Own by Robyn