Every year, usually in December, I edit down all the raw video I’ve collected of family activities over the last 12 months into a “family movie” that I force let family and friends watch. This year is no exception. I’m particularly excited about the Marvel-style opening segment I built.

I break my movies into chapters by subject such as Christmas related activities, Sports, Theater & Art, Graduations (if any of the kids have graduated from a school that year), etc. Each segment is comprised of edited, relevant video, and, occasionally, a photo montage.

Most years my family goes on a family vacation, so naturally I include video and photos of our exploits. Any photo montage I include is only complete if I set it to music and as these photos are vacation-related, the music should be vacation-themed in some way. To that end, then, here is a list I’ve compiled of vacation-themed songs I look to when editing my family vacation media for the family video:

Holiday Road — Lindsey Buckingham

“Holiday Road” is the theme song of National Lampoon’s Vacation–the quintessential family vacation movie. The movie documents just about everything that can go wrong during a family vacation. I find it cathartic that, while things often go wrong during my family vacations, they never go as off-the-rails as the Griswolds’.

Vacation — The Go-Gos

A classic from the great band of the 80s and perfect for your vacation segments in your videos.

Island in the Sun — Weezer

The opening line to this song is: “when you’re on a holiday…”. I’d say that fits my criteria. This is a laid-back song that definitely evokes stress-free days on the beach or somewhere far away from your daily toils.

Come Away with Me — Norah Jones

Here’s another breezy song that exhorts you to grab your favorite people and head out to “fields where the yellow grass grows knee-high” or other such remote destinations.

Going Up the Country — Canned Heat

Here’s a little ditty from the 60s about leaving the city and going to some place you’ve never been to before.

Bang the Drum all Day — Todd Rundgren

One could argue that this really isn’t a vacation song: sure, the singer doesn’t want to work, but he doesn’t want to play, either. He just wants to bang his drum all day. Nevertheless, the song is funny and feel-good and should work well under vacation footage.

Come Go With Me — Exposé

Another 80s tune about getting away from your mundane realities.

Sailing themed songs

If your vacation happens to include some sailing adventures, here are a few options that might work for you:

Vacation — Connie Francis

I am a sucker for oldies songs that hit on the themes I need, and this certainly fits the bill.