Few films have done more for wanderlust among Indian audiences than Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, and its title track sets the mood from the very first note. The song captures the carefree spirit of three friends road-tripping across Spain — La Tomatina, skydiving, deep-sea diving and all — and it's near impossible to hear it without wanting to book flights immediately. Spain, with its vibrant festivals, sun-drenched coastlines and extraordinary food scene, remains a top bucket list destination for Indian travellers.

This evergreen track does exactly what it promises. It sends you on your way! The sweeping, folk-tinged energy of the song pairs beautifully with the kind of landscapes you'd find in Ladakh: vast, barren and breathtakingly dramatic. If high-altitude passes, shimmering salt lakes and Buddhist monasteries perched on cliffsides speak to your soul, queue this one up and start planning your trip.

A R Rahman's soulful composition from Highway is one of Bollywood's finest odes to the Indian outdoors. As Alia Bhatt's character finds liberation on the open road, the song channels the raw, untamed beauty of Himachal Pradesh — snow-capped peaks, pine forests, rushing rivers. It's the kind of track that makes you want to pack a bag and chase the mountains.

This achingly beautiful track from Raabta has a haunting, otherworldly quality — and its music video makes the destination choice easy. Shot across Budapest's grand boulevards, thermal baths and baroque architecture, the city looks every bit as cinematic as the song sounds. Hungary's capital has become one of Europe's most compelling travel songs for Indian travellers, offering stunning riverfront views along the Danube, magnificent heritage buildings and a thriving cafe and ruin bar culture. If Ik Vaari Aa is on your playlist, put Budapest on your itinerary.

Bollywood rarely captures the quiet beauty of the Indian countryside as well as Swades does, and this reflective track is the film's beating heart. Shot largely around the village of Menawali — roughly 233km from Mumbai in Satara district — the film and its music remind you that some of India's most moving landscapes aren't on any tourist brochure. A road trip through rural Maharashtra is a soul-stirring experience and this is the perfect travel song to go along with it.

A timeless anthem for anyone who has ever felt the pull of the open road, Born to Be Wild was practically written for Route 66. The historic highway stretching from Chicago to Los Angeles — nearly 4,000km of diners, desert towns and wide-open skies — is the definitive American road trip, and Steppenwolf's thundering classic is its unofficial soundtrack. For Indian travellers with a taste for the epic, self-driving Route 66 is a bucket list experience unlike anything else on the planet.

The definitive Bollywood road trip song. Dil Chahta Hai's breezy title track captures the exact feeling of three friends piling into a car and heading for the coast — with Goa as the irresistible destination at the end of it. Sun, sea, good food and better company: the film made Goa aspirational for an entire generation of Indian travellers, and it very much still delivers on that promise.

For the traveller finally heading home after a long trip, there is no better send-off than John Denver's enduring classic. The song's warmth and longing for familiar places translate perfectly to the feeling of returning to the lush, misty hills of Coorg — one of India's most beloved "home away from home" escapes. Sometimes the best part of any journey is the return.

Shaan's eternal anthem for an independent generation still resonates deeply with the solo traveller setting out on their own terms. The song celebrates carving your own path — and Thailand is one of the best places in the world to do exactly that. From the buzzing street food lanes of Bangkok to the mist-covered temples of Chiang Mai and the sun-drenched islands of the Andaman coast, Thailand offers an effortlessly navigable solo circuit that suits every pace and budget.

A quirky, irresistible track about a city that has reinvented itself across centuries, Istanbul by They Might Be Giants is the perfect introduction to one of the world's great crossroads destinations. The city straddles Europe and Asia and that duality is everywhere: Byzantine basilicas beside Ottoman mosques, sleek rooftop bars overlooking ancient minarets, bustling bazaars selling spices alongside designer boutiques. For Indian travellers, Istanbul is surprisingly accessible, with a strong food culture, relatively affordable prices and an e-visa process that takes minutes.