Create a Family Holiday Soundtrack: Playlist Ideas

Music is one of the most powerful memory triggers there is. A song heard on the car radio on holiday can bring the whole trip flooding back years later: the heat, the views, the backseat singalongs. A family holiday soundtrack is a simple, enjoyable way to capture those memories, and building one together makes the journey more fun too.

Why make a holiday playlist?

• It makes the journey easier. A playlist everyone has helped choose cuts down on arguments over what to listen to.
• It builds excitement. Playing it in the weeks before you go gets children counting down the days.
• It keeps the holiday alive. Afterwards, the songs act like an audio photo album, lifting the mood on a grey day at home.

How to build it as a family

1. Give everyone picks. Let each person choose a few songs. Agree a rule that nobody complains about anyone else's choices, within reason.
2. Mix the generations. Children's favourites alongside parents' classics introduce everyone to something new.
3. Add the holiday's own songs. Leave room for tracks you hear while you're away: on the radio in the hire car, at the hotel or in a beach bar.
4. Name it. A playlist titled with the destination and year makes it easy to find later.
5. Download it before you leave. Streaming abroad can use mobile data and signal may be patchy on the road, so save the playlist for offline listening.

Song ideas to get you started

Every family's playlist will be different, but here are some popular choices that tend to go down well across the ages.

Setting off

• "Holiday" by Madonna
• "Summer Holiday" by Cliff Richard and the Shadows
• "Life Is a Highway" by Tom Cochrane, or the version by Rascal Flatts
• "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" by The Proclaimers
• "On the Road Again" by Willie Nelson

Sunshine songs

• "Here Comes the Sun" by The Beatles
• "Walking on Sunshine" by Katrina and the Waves
• "Mr. Blue Sky" by Electric Light Orchestra
• "Three Little Birds" by Bob Marley and the Wailers
• "Kokomo" by The Beach Boys

Singalongs for the whole car

• "Happy" by Pharrell Williams
• "Can't Stop the Feeling!" by Justin Timberlake
• "Dancing Queen" by ABBA
• "Shake It Off" by Taylor Swift
• "Sweet Caroline" by Neil Diamond

Film favourites for younger children

• "Under the Sea" from The Little Mermaid
• "How Far I'll Go" from Moana
• "Hakuna Matata" from The Lion King

Add a local flavour

Local radio is one of the best ways to discover the songs that end up defining a trip. Whatever is in the charts where you are often becomes "the holiday song" without anyone planning it. Children can also look up a well-known song from the country you're visiting, which is a fun way to hear a bit of the local language.

Keeping the soundtrack going

• Add to the playlist as soon as you get home, while the memories are fresh.
• Pair it with your holiday photos, or play it while you put together a photo book.
• Keep one playlist per trip, or one long family soundtrack that grows every year.
• Play it on the first grey day back at work and school. It's a quick lift for everyone.

For more ideas on holding on to that post-holiday glow, see how to keep that holiday feeling, and if you're planning a long drive, add a few car games to the mix. Start your playlist a few weeks before you travel, keep adding as you go, and you'll come home with a soundtrack that brings the holiday straight back.