By Jon Collier, Leadership Consultant

Just the other day I looked down at the odometer at my car and saw a scary sight – 40,000 miles. While this might not seem very high, understand that at this same exact time last year, my car had approximately 12,000 miles on it.  Needless to say, I’ve done a bit of driving since I took the job leading to endless hours by myself in the car. While I highly recommend listening to audiobooks (just downloaded John Adams) to pass the time, there are certain songs that are always good to listen to while driving and even fewer that get at the true essence of what it’s like to be a “travelin’ man.” Below is my list of the top ten travelin’ songs. Love them or hate them, these play a part in keeping me sane and actually on the road during those many hours spent in between chapters.

10.  I’ve Been Everywhere – Johnny Cash – Does this need explanation? It’s what I feel like after a long semester.

9.  Good Times, Bad Times – Led Zeppelin – A good band to listen to in general while traveling for many reasons, not the least of which is the fact that many of their songs are like ten minutes long.

8.  Free Fallin’ – Tom Petty – All of Tom Petty is good to listen to while driving but this sums it up well…

7.  Free Bird – Lynyrd Skynyrd – “Sweet Home Alabama” is also a strong play if you happen to be driving through this enormous state.

6.  Free and Easy – Dierks Bentley – I’m normally a big country guy, so I have to give Dierks some credit with this one. Fun song.

5.   Carry On – Kansas – If you can listen to this and not sing along at the top of your lungs, we can no longer be friends.

4.  Easy Rider – Jimi Hendrix – This song requires dark sunglasses and constant gentle head nod to get the full effect.

3.  Midnight Rider – Allman Brothers – Close call between this and Ramblin’ Man but this is one is particularly good when I’m driving at night.

2.  Take It Easy – The Eagles – “Don’t let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy.” So much truth to that.

1.  Travelin’ Man – Bob Seger – Trust me. Just listen to it on your next long drive. And to be perfectly honest, many of my drives are filled with nothing but Seger. The man knows how to speak to those of on the road.