For those in the adventurous summer spirit like myself, a road trip may be in the works for you. Here are some tunes to get you from Point A to Point B so you can skillfully avoid talking about Kate Middleton’s second royal baby with anyone in the car who feels the need to discuss it.

Some highlights from this playlist are:

“Shuffle” – Bombay Bicycle Club

When I listen to this song, I imagine driving in a muscle car through the farmlands of Idaho with no clouds and my hair in a tizzy with the physics of the produced wind. Eventually I get so frustrated that I pull over and put it in a ponytail, but the jumpy, upbeat style of this song keeps me jamming the whole time. I imagine this song as some mutated spawn of a mellow Matt & Kim with its alternative, laid back indie style.

“Walking the Dog” – Fun.

Up until recently, the only song by Fun. that I knew of was “We Are Young”. This song is guaranteed to unleash some awkward head twerking to go along with the synthesized beats and distinct crooning of the lead singer. But no one said road trips would be a calm, cool and collected affair. In fact, if there isn’t some awkward dancing involved in your trip, you need to reconfigure how you do road trips.

“Don’t Want To Be” – Gavin DeGraw

A throwback to some weird middle school days (my non-emo ones), this song has the perfect guitar line and righteous pull of chill vocals to be the background music to your journey down the sun-baked road.

“I Wish” – Skee-Lo

For anyone wanting to jam to some old school rap, take a listen to “I Wish”. After I first heard this song, I found myself rapping (however badly) along with it whenever I heard it. It has the perfect beat and rhyme to be cohesive with a summer road trip list of songs.

“Summer of ‘69” – Bryan Adams

If you don’t listen to this song at least once every summer, you need to start a new tradition. In an ‘80s rock fashion, this song has a distinct energy, but also a chill vibe to it. Imagine listening to it with the hot, humid air of summer rushing through your car as you blast it. That lady in the minivan who gives you a glare at the red light? She just wishes she could be a cool cat like you.

“Strong As An Oak” – Watsky

Known for his extremely fast rapping, George Watsky has offered numerous powerful, fun and impressive songs. This song in particular is positive in a way that isn’t super cheesy, but still makes you want to sing along and smile. Did a fly just zoom in through your car window and get swallowed by you as you were trying to rap? Well, as the lyrics say, “Everything is A.O.K., ‘cause I’m strong as an O.A.K.”.

“Teardrop” – Massive Attack

For fans of the medical drama “House”, this song is very familiar, as it is the opening song. The deep tones and heavy bass have an ebb and flow unmatched by anyone that isn’t Massive Attack itself. Its elongated energy is perfect for the lengthy roads ahead.

“Summer Light” – The Cave Singers

I had never heard of The Cave Singers until I went on my quest to find the perfect summer road trip playlist. Luckily, I stumbled upon them, because their light, happy tone has enough intrigue that it makes me want to be driving at sunset with a cold, unsweetened iced tea in my cup holder.

“Son Of A Preacher Man” – Dusty Springfield

A true turn of the decade into the seventies toned down doo-wop jive with a soulful undertone, this song will make you feel like you are part of some poetic movie ending where the hero of the story drives off into the haze of heat with this song playing. There may or may not be a hula girl on the dashboard, but we’ll leave that to the director’s choice.

“Let’s Get Loud” – Jennifer Lopez

When I first heard the opening of this song, I thought I had accidentally clicked on a Ricky Martin song. Its latino fashion is infused with enough shouts and catchy brass instruments that you can’t help but groove to it. Lopez’s singing is sub-par at best, but lucky for her, the rest of the song drowns her out when you start really getting into it.