“Without adventure, civilization is in full decay.” – Alfred North Whitehead
If you’re looking for the best songs about adventure, you’ve come to the right place.
In this article, we’re sharing a collection of songs that describe the excitement, freedom, and danger of going on adventures.
Being adventurous is not limited to simply saying yes to spontaneous travel or ticking off adrenaline-pumping activities from your bucket list.
You can also have adventures of the mind. These manifest when you are thrilled about learning something new, discovering innovative solutions to problems, or being immersed in creative work.
So, why is being adventurous a big deal?
It turns out that tapping into our inner adventurer has several benefits.
The Benefits of Being Adventurous
Continue reading to check out today’s collection of songs that will help you celebrate your adventurous spirit.
1. What We Live For, American Authors
via American Authors
“You can take me anywhere the wind blows, right into the great unknown. We can throw our hands up out the window. This is what we live for.”
How does an adventure begin? Sometimes, just the act of stepping out of your door is a prelude to meeting with something unknown and exciting.
The best adventures are often shared with great company or someone you love. This song is an example of how a person will willingly go into the great unknown as long as they have their loved one by their side.
2. Reckoning Song (One Day), Asaf Avidan
via Asaf Avidan
“One day, baby, we'll be old. Oh baby, we'll be old and think of all the stories we could have told.”
This song is about the wistfulness that comes when we’ve missed doing something we knew could have been wonderful. It tells of the stories we could have told when we are older, if only we’d taken the leap and embraced a more adventurous life.
3. Rio, Michael Nesmith
via Michael Nesmith's Video Ranch
“So I think I will travel to Rio, using the music for flight. There's nothing I know in Rio. But it's something to do with the night.”
Adventure travel takes you to exotic places. In this song, the singer considers Rio to be an extraordinary place where exciting things happen at night.
4. Anywhere, Passenger
via Passenger
“If you get up on a jet plane or down in a submarine. If you get onto the next train to somewhere you never been. If you wanna ride in a fast car and feel the wind in your hair. Darling, just look beside you. Oh, I'll go with you anywhere.”
As we mentioned earlier, adventures are best shared with the people we love. In this song, the singer expresses his willingness to go anywhere, using every means of transport available, just to be with the person he cares about.
5. Free, Donavon Frankenreiter
“We could let this love be the fading sky. Or we could drift all night until the new sunrise. Pass me a drink or maybe two. One for me and one for you. And we'll be free. Free.”
For some listeners, this song reminds them of the exhilarating freedom that comes with surfing. Even when weather conditions aren’t perfect, one can still enjoy spending time in nature and the company of good friends.
6. On My Way, Phil Collins
via Maddy Coller
“Tell everybody I'm on my way, new friends and new places to see. With blue skies ahead, yes I'm on my way. And there's nowhere else that I'd rather be.”
This song is featured in Disney’s 2003 animated movie Brother Bear. It is about looking forward to new adventures, where one can meet new friends and discover wonderful new places.
7. Permanent Holiday, Mike Love
via Mike Love
“So I'm on a permanent holiday. I'm going outside to play. I ain't gonna slave away, no.”
What if you had all the time in the world to do what you truly want? Many people would probably like to go on a permanent holiday, where they no longer have to go to work.
8. Every Day Is a Winding Road, Sheryl Crow
via Sheryl Crow
“Every day is a winding road. I get a little closer. Every day is a faded sign. I get a little bit closer to feeling fine.”
This song reminds us that we are ultimately in control of how we view life. Each day can be an adventure, or it can be boring and monotonous, depending on our outlook.
9. Road Less Traveled, Lauren Alaina
via Lauren Alaina
“If you trust your rebel heart, ride it into battle. Don't be afraid, take the road less traveled. Wear out your boots and kick up the gravel. Don't be afraid, take the road less traveled on.”
We mentioned earlier that adventures can also happen on an intellectual level. This song is about going inward on a journey of self-discovery and empowerment.
10. Fly Away With Me, Tom Walker
via Tom Walker
“So come on fly away with me, to a place where we could be anyone we wanna be. And we can bottle up our fears, brew a taste so sweet. Knock us off our feet or more. Burn our troubles inhale them all. Paint our future on a fractured wall. So come on fly with me to a place where we can be anyone we wanna be.”
What is it like to live out of one’s comfort zone?
In this song, we are introduced to a homeless busker who describes his experience of living on the streets. Although homeless, his situation gives him the freedom to imagine being anyone he wants to be.
11. Here I Go Again, Whitesnake
via Whitesnake TV
“Here I go again on my own, going down the only road I've ever known. Like a drifter, I was born to walk alone.”
Sometimes, people are inspired to have unexpected adventures in order to forget about heartbreak. This song is an example of such an experience.
In this song, we are introduced to a drifter who has become used to going down the road of life alone because of all the heartbreaks he’s experienced.
12. Buffalo River Home, John Hiatt
via HiattHouse
“Now there's only two things in life but I forget what they are. It seems we're either hanging from a moonbeam's coattails or wishing on stars. Just when you think that you've been gypped, the bearded lady comes and does a double backflip. And you run off and join the circus. Yeah, you just let the pony ride.”
We often go on adventures in search of places that give us a sense of belonging. In Buffalo River Home, Hiatt describes how many of us try to navigate and figure out what life is all about.
He tells about how we wander, trying to find the place where we feel we belong that place that finally feels like home to us.
[Check out the collection of songs about home in this post.]
13. Ramblin' Man, The Allman Brothers Band
“Lord, I was born a ramblin' man. Tryin' to make a livin' and doin' the best I can. And when it's time for leavin', I hope you'll understand that I was born a ramblin' man.”
Here’s another song about someone who’s used to going through life alone. He is warning someone who cares about him that he might eventually leave.
14. We Are Tonight, Billy Currington
via Billy Currington
“The night's still young, never gonna get old. Livin' for today like there's no tomorrow. Follow the grooves, the tires in the grass. Stayin' on the gas like we're never comin' back.”
Remember when you were younger and every day seemed like an adventure? This song perfectly describes those moments.
Perhaps those days are long gone for you, but wonderful memories can still be recalled when you play this track.
15. Born to Wander, Rare Earth
“I just got to get away. Got to hear the wind song, singin' in my ear. Got to get it on, girl. And I'll never make it here. ‘Cos the wind was my mother. The highway is my brother. And it's time for movin' on. I was born to wander.”
Looking for a song that celebrates a love for adventures and the great outdoors? Here’s one from Rare Earth.
This song is about the urge to get going and connect with nature and the open road. It recognizes our connection with the earth.
16. No Roots, Alice Merton
via Alice Merton
“I like standing still, but that's just a wishful plan. Ask me where I come from, I'll say a different land. But I've got memories and travel like gypsies in the night. And a thousand nights I've seen this road. A thousand times. I've got no roots, but my home was never on the ground.”
Here’s a song about spending life being constantly on the move. For some, having a nomadic lifestyle makes them feel lost. However, there are those who discover their true selves by constantly moving from place to place.
17. Going Up the Country, Canned Heat
“Now, baby, pack your leaving trunk. You know we've got to leave today. Just exactly where we're going I cannot say. But we might even leave the USA. ‘Cause there's a brand new game that I wanna play.”
This song is about traveling around, perhaps with good friends or the person you love. It is about spontaneous travel, not something that you plan for weeks ahead of time.
18. Runnin' Down a Dream, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
via Tom Petty
“Yeah, runnin' down a dream that would never come to me. Workin' on a mystery, goin' wherever it leads. Runnin' down a dream.”
Some people think of life as one great road trip. This song is sometimes equated with the different stages of our journey through life, and people use it as an anthem or soundtrack for their personal journeys.
19. Sleep on the Floor, The Lumineers
via The Lumineers
“Pack yourself a toothbrush, dear. Pack yourself your favorite blouse. Take a withdrawal slip. Take all your savings out. ‘Cause if we don't leave this town, we might never make it out.”
This song invites listeners to take a journey to discover better things than what the place they’re currently staying in has to offer. It’s about diving into the unknown to see whether or not life is better somewhere else.
20. The World Ain’t Slowing Down, Ellis Paul
via Ellis Paul Official Channel
“You gotta get gone, you gotta get going. Hey, the world ain't slowing down for no one. It's a carnival callin' out to you. It sounds like a song, hits you like scripture. You paint the picture with colors squeezed from your hand. Weren't you the kid who just climbed on the merry-go-round? Hey, hey, the world ain't slowing down.”
Life transitions can be hard, and many of us choose to remain stuck in old patterns, relationships, or places that no longer serve us well.
This song encourages listeners to get unstuck and begin moving forward again. Perhaps it’s time to board that train to a brand-new life.
The lyrics also remind us that the world is not slowing down for anyone.
21. Road Trippin', Red Hot Chili Peppers
“Road trippin' with my two favorite allies. Fully loaded, we got snacks and supplies. It's time to leave this town. It's time to steal away. Let's get lost somewhere in the USA. Let's get lost…”
Nothing beats taking a road trip with your friends. Friends make a long trip (with the attendant stopovers and possible car breakdown) more bearable.
A road trip is also a great way to strengthen your relationships with your friends. This song is a tribute to that experience.
22. Running on Empty, Jackson Browne
via Jackson Browne
“Looking out at the road rushing under my wheels. Looking back at the years gone by like so many summer fields. In sixty-five I was seventeen and running up one-oh-one. I don't know where I'm running now. I'm just running on.”
Is there a downside to being adventurous? Sometimes, being constantly on the move and in search of new adventures causes us to lose our connection with others.
Traveling too much can feel like we’re constantly pulling up our roots instead of letting them grow and flourish. This song describes that feeling.
The singer got used to running and just kept on going, even if it isolated him from others. In the end, he’s just running on empty.
23. Ends of the Earth, Lord Huron
via Lord Huron
“Out there's a world that calls for me, girl. Headin' out into the unknown. Wayfarin' strangers and all kinds of danger. Please don't say I'm goin' alone. To the ends of the earth, would you follow me? There's a world that was meant for our eyes to see. To the ends of the earth, would you follow me? Well, if you won't, I must say my goodbyes to thee.”
This song invites listeners to share in the excitement of going to the ends of the earth. It is also an open invitation to journey with the narrator to discover what’s there. Are you ready to go?
24. The Open Road, Hollow Coves
via hollowcoves
“It's been years since I've been gone. I miss the way it feels to roam. This urge that's grown inside my heart, to pack my bags and hit the road. I'm dreaming of the road again. Set free in the wind again. Feels like we've found home again, on the road that's grown within.”
Here’s a song that awakens the wanderlust in you. Perhaps you’ve been cooped up for too long at home. This song makes you want to pack your bags and go on a long journey.
25. Waves, Jeremy Loops
via Jeremy Loops
“I want to be water, skipping rocks in my soul again. Pebbles on Long Beach, slowly turning into sand. And the waves came, washed over me.”
If you’re looking for a song about adventure in the water, here’s a track from Jeremy Loops. It celebrates the joy of surfing.
There’s a certain thrill in catching waves, feeling the sand under your feet, and enjoying the warmth of the sun on your skin.
26. Step Out (The Secret Life of Walter Mitty OST), José González
via Republic Records
“House on fire, leave it all behind you. Dark as night, let the lightning guide you. Step outside. Time to step outside, time to step outside. Time to step outside you.”
This song invites listeners to step outside of their comfort zones. It urges them to leave everything behind.
What awaits us beyond the great unknown? Is it our destiny? Are we going to stumble on fame and fortune? Nobody knows. The only way to find out is to step outside.
27. Follow the Sun, Xavier Rudd
via Xavier Rudd
“Follow, follow the sun. And which way the wind blows. When this day is done. Breathe, breathe in the air. Set your intentions. Dream with care.”
The final song in this collection is a gentle reminder for us to remain mindful even as we are in the midst of great adventures.
Living in the present moment allows us to appreciate and recall our experiences better.
Final Thoughts
There you have it—27 songs about adventure. Which one’s your favorite?
Whether through travel or pursuits of the mind, adventures are a wonderful way to learn something new and discover more about ourselves and our traveling companions.
We hope you enjoyed this collection of songs, and that you’re inspired to go on a new adventure.
If you’re looking for other collections of songs for specific topics, you might want to check out the following posts:
Finally, if you want to use these songs to make a lasting change to your life, then check out these 100 LIFE GOALS that can help you wake up each morning with a sense of enthusiasm about making progress toward what's important..
