50 Best Rock Songs About Vacation
Best Rock Tracks for Road Trips and Vacations
There’s a kind of haze that hits once the bags are in the trunk and the road starts humming under the tires. It’s not freedom exactly, but something that leans close. That mix of exhaustion and rush where plans fade into the kind of noise that feels good. The right song fills the gaps—loud guitars, messy vocals, the sound of someone who’s halfway between running away and trying to start over. It’s the stretch of asphalt that smells like sunburn and gas stations, the open air bleeding through cracked windows while you yell the words to songs you barely know.
Not every track here talks about sandy beaches or lazy days. Some are crooked in tone, rough around the edges, carrying that restless pull to escape whatever’s been dragging too long. A few might be from pop, rock, country, and R&B songs that drift into that same headspace—music that feels like a vacation even if the lyrics don’t name it. These are the songs that fit long drives with too much time to think, motel rooms that hum with AC static, or nights that blur together in the best way.
The playlist catches that energy—the blur of motion, the noise, the stretch of hours that don’t quite feel real. Some tracks are loud enough to shake the windows, others sound like the quiet part of the trip when everyone’s half-asleep. They all tap into that strange freedom that happens when everything familiar is far behind you. Here are the best rock songs for vacation playlists.
Top 10 Vacation-Themed Rock Songs
1. 'Vacation' by The Go-Go's
2. 'Holiday Road' by Lindsey Buckingham
3. 'School's Out' by Alice Cooper
4. 'Permanent Vacation' by Aerosmith
5. 'Summer of '69' by Bryan Adams
6. 'Island in the Sun' by Weezer
7. 'Road Trippin'' by Red Hot Chili Peppers
8. 'Born to Run' by Bruce Springsteen
9. 'Take It Easy' by Eagles
10. 'The Boys of Summer' by Don Henley
Best Rock Songs for Escape and Freedom #11 to 20
11. 'Life Is a Highway' by Tom Cochrane
12. 'Born to Be Wild' by Steppenwolf
13. 'Runnin' Down a Dream' by Tom Petty
14. 'Surfin' U.S.A.' by The Beach Boys
15. 'California Dreamin'' by The Mamas & The Papas
16. 'Roam' by The B-52's
17. 'Sweet Home Alabama' by Lynyrd Skynyrd
18. 'Walk of Life' by Dire Straits
19. 'Magic' by The Cars
20. 'Here Comes the Sun' by The Beatles
Top Rock Songs for Road Trips and Summer Travel #21 to 30
21. 'Summer in the City' by The Lovin' Spoonful
22. 'Ventura Highway' by America
23. 'Rockaway Beach' by Ramones
24. 'I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)' by The Proclaimers
25. 'Road to Nowhere' by Talking Heads
26. 'Fly Away' by Lenny Kravitz
27. 'Soak Up the Sun' by Sheryl Crow
28. 'In the Summertime' by Mungo Jerry
29. 'I Can't Drive 55' by Sammy Hagar
30. 'The Passenger' by Iggy Pop
Rock Songs for Holiday Getaways and Adventures #31 to 40
31. 'Paradise City' by Guns N' Roses
32. 'Highway Star' by Deep Purple
33. 'Running on Empty' by Jackson Browne
34. 'All Summer Long' by Kid Rock
35. 'Sunny Afternoon' by The Kinks
36. 'Summertime Blues' by Eddie Cochran
37. 'Drive My Car' by The Beatles
38. 'We're an American Band' by Grand Funk Railroad
39. 'Two Tickets To Paradise' by Eddie Money
40. 'Already Gone' by Eagles
Must-Have Rock Songs for a Relaxing Break #41 to 50
41. 'Long, Long Way from Home' by Foreigner
42. 'Blue Sky' by The Allman Brothers Band
43. 'American Girl' by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
44. 'Sunshine of Your Love' by Cream
45. 'A Horse with No Name' by America
46. 'Paradise By the Dashboard Light' by Meat Loaf
47. 'Come Sail Away' by Styx
48. 'Here I Go Again' by Whitesnake
49. 'Everyday Is a Winding Road' by Sheryl Crow
50. 'Ramble On' by Led Zeppelin
© 2025 Carson McQueen
