JOE’s guide to the perfect international travel playlist

Let's be honest, we've all done it, right?

You go on vacation, pop in your earphones and just drift off into your very own cinematic universe where you're the star of the show. The movie you've manifested in your head is soundtracked by whatever it is blasting through the tiny speakers in your ears, and it feels pretty damn good. You might be an undercover cop in a baking hot location hunting down a criminal making counterfeit cocktail umbrellas. Or perhaps you're a once doting housewife who has finally decided to leave domestic bliss in her rearview in exchange for a life being the wheel of a monster truck on one of America's many super highways. I myself often fantasise about being an international spy who travels from city to city looking for one of our government's most treacherous defectors. With sunglasses sitting low on the bridge of my nose and rocking a short sleeved Hawaiian shirt unbuttoned (as to expose the imaginary Ruger P89 sitting around my waist to anyone thinking about trying me), my soundtrack is often some slick sounding Hip Hop record built using drums but with an eerie string arrangement to give it that feeling of danger - think Nas' "The Message". Occasionally I switch it up and put myself bang in the middle of a mafioso movie where my fellow street soldiers and I are busy helping our boss build a criminal empire in the hope that he'll promote some of us from runners to capos on the strength of our loyalty and actions. So again, maybe some Nas, or going old school, maybe some Perry Como or Vic Damone might play through my headphones as my mind drifts off to this fantasy. But sometimes it's as simple as wanting to listen to a song that best represents the city, town or country I'm travelling to. So while I'm going to leave your intricate fantasies to you to soundtrack I've prepared a list of 35 songs that prove a good starting point for you as you create a travel playlist for various locations around the world.

CALIFORNIA

2Pac (Feat. Dr. Dre & Roger Troutman) - "California Love" https://youtu.be/5wBTdfAkqGU 2Pac - "To Live and Die in LA" https://youtu.be/Wz2wVLyTar4 Beach Boys - "Surfin' U.S.A."

SPAIN

Ed Sheeran - "Barcelona" https://youtu.be/OVO4LhrOFiY

LONDON

The Clash - "London Calling" https://youtu.be/EfK-WX2pa8c

AFRICA

Toto - "Africa" https://youtu.be/FTQbiNvZqaY Bob Dylan - "Mozambique" https://youtu.be/BYywEVzyVLI

JAMAICA

Damian Marley - "Welcome To Jamrock" https://youtu.be/_GZlJGERbvE UB40 - "Kingston Town" https://youtu.be/9c4KAnQpdGw

ARGENTINA

Madonna - "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" https://youtu.be/KD_1Z8iUDho

LIVERPOOL

The Beatles - "Strawberry Fields Forever" https://youtu.be/HtUH9z_Oey8 Gerry & The Pacemakers - "Ferry Cross The Mersey" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08083BNaYcA Gerry & The Pacemakers - "You'll Never Walk Alone" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OV5_LQArLa0

MOSCOW

Michael Jackson - "Stranger In Moscow" https://youtu.be/pEEMi2j6lYE

EAST ASIA

David Bowie - "China Girl" https://youtu.be/_YC3sTbAPcU Shawn Mendes - "Lost In Japan" https://youtu.be/ycy30LIbq4w

PARIS

JAY-Z & Kanye West - "Ni**as In Paris" https://youtu.be/gG_dA32oH44

TORONTO

Drake - "5AM In Toronto" https://youtu.be/3t195yz9xCc

EGYPT

The Bangles - "Walk Like An Egyptian" https://youtu.be/Cv6tuzHUuuk

NEW YORK

Frank Sinatra - "New York, New York" https://youtu.be/EUrUfJW1JGk Billy Joel - "New York State Of Mind" https://youtu.be/ol0dPJdzm1M Sting - "Englishman In New York" https://youtu.be/d27gTrPPAyk

MIAMI

Will Smith - "Miami" https://youtu.be/IwBS6QGsH_4

AMSTERDAM

Rick Ross - "Amsterdam" https://youtu.be/zf4ZiJPsU3w

IRELAND

Thin Lizzy - "Whiskey In The Jar" https://youtu.be/wyQ-tScuzwM

AMERICA

Bruce Springsteen - "Born In The U.S.A." https://youtu.be/EPhWR4d3FJQ Supertramp - "Breakfast In America" https://youtu.be/HLEo7blDIss David Bowie - "Young Americans" https://youtu.be/KSHY1_ux8rs

BUDAPEST

George Ezra - "Budapest" https://youtu.be/VHrLPs3_1Fs

LAS VEGAS

Elvis Presley - "Viva Las Vegas" https://youtu.be/ui0EgRsFVN8

PANAMA

Van Halen - "Panama" https://youtu.be/fuKDBPw8wQA

PHILADELPHIA

Bruce Springsteen - "Streets Of Philadelphia" https://youtu.be/4z2DtNW79sQ

SAN JOSE

Dionne Warwick - "Do You Know The Way To San Jose" https://youtu.be/CnzTgUc5ycc

GEORGIA

Ray Charles - "Georgia On My Mind" https://youtu.be/yZceOIAh1i0

BARBADOS

Rihanna - "Pon De Replay" https://youtu.be/oEauWw9ZGrA