Raise your hand if you love and dread family road trips! With summer break coming up, it’s time for many of us to pile into SUVs and minivans with kids, more bags and snacks than a well-stocked Target, and destinations with names like “Ocean City” and “Grandma’s House.”

Even though these trips tend to be rewarding — and cost-effective, compared to flights these days, right?! — they’re not without trials. Hours upon hours in the car, even by yourself, can end in boredom. Add a few more people, especially young ones, and there are bound to be arguments, spilled drinks and maybe a few tears.

The key to a harmonious road trip, I’ve found, is having good music to jam out to. And not just radio music, with all its commercials and its tendency to crackle when you’re a little too far from the nearest town. Spotify, or any reliable streaming service, is a huge asset on our family trips. Beyond the music itself, lyrics can be great conversation starters when you’re done playing license plate bingo.

One beauty of Spotify is that you can choose how you want to be encouraged based on what you listen to. You may attend a church that sings old hymns or contemporary Christian music, but in the car, you can listen to whatever fits your mood. After breakfast, a pop-Christian soundtrack can get everyone excited for the day. After lunch, gentle hymns may help ease everyone into naps (as long as they don’t make the driver sleepy!). And a country playlist is appropriate at any time — hey, I’m a Texas girl!

Here are a few of my favorite lists to get you started.

Family Road Trip Fun

https://open.spotify.com/user/1213160360/playlist/4516zwe2iky3IZw1Ge2MDT

Ready for some upbeat, fun, faith-centered jams? This is the perfect playlist to kick off your trip and get everyone dancing in their seats.  

Craving Summer Fun

https://open.spotify.com/user/1213160360/playlist/4NioSgKUC17GAPLBnvvkbt

This is the soundtrack you’ll want to turn on after your first coffee stop. Roll the windows down, put on your sunglasses, and get ready for some Biblical encouragement in the form of music!

Fresh Life Worship

https://open.spotify.com/artist/3lspjc5pri1bNeok8vsG5E

Fresh Life Worship is a ministry of Fresh Life Church in Montana. I just love worship groups that record and share the music they write to encourage their own congregations! To top it off, their music comes in a diversity of tempos and moods.

Elephant Revival

https://open.spotify.com/artist/3OwOKwd5FsfOD5qlH2tnzs

OK, I had to include a Colorado band. Elephant Revival is a favorite group out here in our bluegrass-loving state, and their folksy sound is perfect for both naptime and family singalong time.
Once you make it back home and need some recovery time, go back to my Bubble Bath Soundtracks for some more #soulcare!