Summer Travel & Road Trips

On one hand, the thought of taking my toddler daughter on a family road trip sounds like an amazing family bonding experience, ripe with educational and fun opportunities. On the other hand, the very thought makes me want to ... stay home.

Of course, family road trips aren't without a few hiccups no matter how old your children -- it's all part of the beauty of the experience. However, there are a few steps parents can take ahead of time to better pave the way. First up: A playlist of music for the trip.

This should be a mix that EVERYONE in the car can enjoy. It means a good, fun, non-X-rated (that means my running tunes get nixed) selection of songs that makes everyone want to sing along (or at least not kill each other). If nothing else, you can turn it up really loud to drown out the fussing in the backseat.

If you're planning a family road trip, here are 15 songs to consider to make the miles go a little more smoothly.

"Party in the U.S.A." -- Miley Cyrus

"I Want Candy" -- Bow Wow Wow

"Y.M.C.A." -- The Village People (everyone, sing!)

"You Can't Always Get What You Want" -- The Rolling Stones (this should sound familiar to them even if they've never heard the song)

"Country Roads" by John Denver

"One Way or Another" -- Blondie

"Mean" -- Taylor Swift (mostly because my daughter is currently obsessed with this song, and loves to sing to her brother, "Why you gotta be so mean?!")

"Life Is a Highway" -- Tom Cochrane

"Yellow Submarine" -- The Beatles

"Pig on Her Head" -- Laurie Berkner (You've got to give in to a few kids' tunes, and this one is pretty fun no matter how old you are.)

"On the Road Again" -- Willie Nelson

"Respect" -- Aretha Franklin

"Bye Bye Miss American Pie" -- Don McLean (this is particularly car dance worthy)

"I've Got You Babe" -- Sonny & Cher

"Shiny Happy People" -- R.E.M.

What great family road trip songs would you add to this list?

Image via - Patxi Izkue -/Flickr