I was thinking the other day about the time I was hoofing it through South America. I was in Argentina, alone way
out on the Peninsula Valdez where the elephant seals waddle up on the beach and lie around like massive two-ton
sausages, and they burp and fart like a herd of beer-fed frat boys on Spring Break. There was this shallow cliff
over-looking the water where the waves pounded against the rocks below and I stood there for an hour listening to
music. At one point, a song came on – Pearl Jam’s Off He Goes – and I thought to myself, this is one of the best songs
I’ve ever heard. It really seemed to poetically capture how I felt about things, about living a wanderlust lifestyle.
Another time, I was hiking the Inca Trail to Macchu Picchu and was listening to Willie Nelson’s version of Peter
Gabriel’s Don’t Give Up, and there was something about that song and that moment too, that was somehow magical.
Well, now I have a real job…if you call freelancing a real job…but I was thinking about all the songs that have
inspired me over the years as they relate to travel. I came up with a list of my top ten favorites…these are
songs that inspire you to see other places, and to appreciate the world as well as the lifestyle of the traveler. The
list is my own, based on personal experience and taste (and yes, I realize many of these are oldies…what can I say? I’m
a fan of the 60s and 70s), so you may beg to differ and find others better suited to your own travels. If so, We’d
love to hear which songs have inspired you along the road.
10. Gotta Travel On – Bob Dylan
9. Guitar Man – Elvis Presely
8. Melissa – The Allman Borthers
7. Running on Empty – Jackson Browne
6. Take It Easy – Eagles
5. Until the End of the World – U2
4. American Tune – Paul Simon
3. Flugufrelsarinn – Sigur Rós
2. Don’t Give Up – Willie Nelson
1. Off He Goes – Pearl Jam