Top 8 Travel Songs from the 90s (The Ultimate Playlist) with Rob Harvilla
What road trip songs get you pumped for your travels?
Rob Harvilla has been a professional rock critic for 20+ years whose writing has appeared in Pitchfork, Spin, and Rolling Stone. He is also the host of the hugely popular podcast 60 Songs That Explain the ’90s and author of a book by the same name.
In this episode, Rob shares his ultimate 90s road trip playlist along with a fun conversation about the inevitable intersection of music and travel.
Rob shares his thoughts on how music embeds itself into our lives, the lost art of mixtapes, and how road trip playlists define our travels. Plus, we swap stories about the bands that made us fall in love with music in the first place.
What song would you add to this list? Is there an album that instantly transports you back to a specific time and place? I'd love to hear what it is, and I hope you’ll share by sending me an audio message.
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Tune In To Learn:
Why road trips and music are so deeply connected
The power of nostalgia and how music imprints on our memories
How the shift from physical albums to streaming changed the way we experience music
The role of critics in shaping music culture
What it was like to live through Brooklyn’s indie rock explosion in the 2000s
How Rob picked the songs for 60 Songs That Explain the '90s (and why that number quickly expanded)
If he could time travel to one concert in history, which show Rob would pick and why
And so much more
Resources:
Join Zero To Travel Premium Passport
Sign up for our FREE newsletter
Visit Rob’s website
Best Travel Songs of the 90’s Spotify playlist
Want More?
Top 10 Road Trip Albums With Jason Law from Festy GoNuts
America’s Greatest Road Trip! Key West to Deadhorse: 9,000 Miles Across Backroad USA With Tom Cotter
Life-Changing Trips, Interviewing Music Legends, Backpacking the World, and Fostering Transformative Connections with Tony Fletcher
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1:27:26
Life Lessons from Nature, Best Travel Lists, Happiness Hacks, a CTA on Dual Citizenship, + More
I’m bringing you a roundup of the most popular and community-loved highlights from the Zero To Travel newsletter this month, offering practical travel tips, lifestyle insights, and some good old-fashioned wanderlust inspiration.
You’ll hear science-backed strategies for boosting happiness, why now might be the time to take action on a second passport, a few under-the-radar travel destinations you’ll want to add to your list, why college towns can make great travel destinations, and more.
What’s your takeaway from this episode? I'd love to hear your thoughts, and I hope you’ll share them by sending me an audio message.
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Tune In To Learn:
How a pine tree sparked two powerful questions for making big decisions
Why happiness by subtraction might be more effective than adding more to your plate
How dual citizenship pathways are tightening and why you might want to move quickly
Advice to find new travel inspiration through "otherworldly" destinations
Why this city might just be the ultimate food destination
The unexpected perks of visiting college towns (beyond cheap eats and sports games)
What countries topped the list for best places to raise a family and why I think they missed a few key ones
How to quickly check if you’re owed money when your U.S. flight is delayed or canceled
And so much more
Resources:
Join Zero To Travel Premium Passport
Sign up for our FREE newsletter
11 Ways to Be Happier
Italian Citizenship Article
Best Cities for Food
Otherworldly Destinations
Best College Towns
Countries for Raising a Family
Airline Cancellation and Delay Dashboard
Best Travel Cards
Want More?
Listener Questions: Reverse Engineering a Move Abroad, How to Choose a Location-Independent Business, and Smart Ways to Travel a Continent
Hell on Earth: Top 7 Otherworldly Destinations with Erika Engelhaupt
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24:49
Top 11 Ways To Rock Your Music Festival Experience with Jason and Kelly Law
Have you traveled just to go to a music festival? What one realization can lead to a life of travel?
Jason Law and his wife Kelly are the duo behind Festy GoNuts and GoNuts Marketing, the ultimate resource for enhancing your music festival experience. They’ve been to countless festivals, created a tight-knit community of festival lovers, and know exactly what it takes to go from a good time to a legendary one.
In this episode, they're sharing their top 11 music festival tips to rock the experience - from campsite best practices to festival fashion to embracing your "fest self."
You’ll get practical advice for planning, packing, and participating in a way that turns a few days of live music into an unforgettable adventure. Jason and Kelly’s tips aren’t just about gear and logistics but connection, community, and letting your guard down in the best way possible.
What music festival are you looking forward to? I'd love to hear about it, and I hope you’ll share by sending me an audio message.
*This is a previously released episode from the archives! Zero To Travel interviews are timeless, offering valuable insight whenever you listen.
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Tune In To Learn:
Why doing your homework before the festival can save your whole experience
How to set up a campsite that feels like home (and why it matters)
Advice to make new friends through games, shared meals, and theme nights
What it means to build a “team” and create your own mini tribe
How to add some flair and bring out your wild side
How to let go and fully enjoy the moment
Stories from staying up all night until sunrise (and why it's worth it)
How to carry your "fest self" energy into your everyday life
And much more
Resources:
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Sign up for our FREE newsletter
Visit their website
Northwest String Summit
Fruition String Band
How To Recover From A Music Festival
Telluride Bluegrass Festival
Want More?
Top 10 Road Trip Albums With Jason Law from Festy GoNuts
Music Festivals 101: Travel, Culture and Music With Festy Go Nuts
Ireland: Travel, Music, and History w/ Garvan Rushe
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1:02:53
A 2,190+ Mile Mother-Son Adventure: Thru-Hiking the Appalachian Trail after a Decade of Nomadic Family Travel with Jessica and Largo Sueiro
What is it like to hike over 2,000 miles on the Appalachian Trail… with your teenage kid?
Jessica and Largo are part of the adventurous WorldTowning family, who’ve been living a full-time travel lifestyle for over a decade. From sailing across the Atlantic to road-tripping Europe in an RV, they’ve redefined “home” and “school” many times over.
Jessica and her son Largo share their experience tackling one of the USA’s most iconic long-distance hikes: the Appalachian Trail. We talk about what led them there, what they expected, and how it all unfolded over nearly 2,200 miles of trail from Georgia to Maine.
This conversation isn’t just about hiking but navigating challenges, family dynamics, and transitions. You’ll hear how Jessica and Largo balanced remote work and school on the trail, how it deepened their relationship, and why this adventure changed how they view their home country after a decade abroad. From logistical headaches and emotional breakthroughs to unexpected trail magic, this episode shows that you don’t need ideal conditions to pull off a bold adventure.
If you had six months to disconnect from your normal life and reconnect with nature, how would you spend it? Who would you take? I'd love to hear about it, and I hope you’ll share by sending me an audio message.
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Tune In To Learn:
Why they decided to hike the Appalachian Trail with limited experience
Largo’s experience growing up nomadic and how it’s shaped his mindset going into a challenge like this
What it took to balance school, work, and 2,000+ miles on foot
How thru-hiking impacted Jessica’s health, mindset, and work habits
How Largo ended up hiking solo and what that was like for him
What surprised them most about returning to the U.S. after 10 years abroad
How the trail community and “trail magic” kept them going
What changed in their relationship after six months in a tent together
Advice to parents on adventuring with teens and letting them lead
And so much more
Resources:
Join Zero To Travel Premium Passport
Sign up for our FREE newsletter
Visit their website
Following WorldTowning on Instagram
Watch on YouTube
Listen to their podcast, The WHY Matters
Want More?
10 Years on the Road, Self-Care for Long-Term Travelers, Excitement and Challenges of Different Travel Modes, and Creating Your Own “Dream Day” with Will and Jessica Sueiro
World Towning: 5 Years Of Full-Time Travel
Worldschooling 101, Leveraging FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early), and Family Travel Advice with Maxwell Lee
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1:17:47
Immersion Travel: Becoming a Porter in Nepal with Nate Menninger
Nate Menninger has chased experiences around the world, from running with the bulls in Spain to diving the Blue Hole in Belize. Most recently, he became one of the first foreigners to work as a Himalayan porter in Nepal, an experience he documented in his first-ever film, The Porter.
In this episode, Nate shares the wild story of becoming a porter in Nepal, working side-by-side with local Nepalese porters on a 23-day trek. We talk about how he pulled it off, what it taught him, and the unexpected impact it had on his mental health, perspective, and purpose.
Nate's experience challenges a lot of what we assume about ethical travel, cultural immersion, and even our own motivations as travelers. We unpack what it means to be fully present in a different culture, the power of learning a local language, and how intention and humility can open doors to deeper connection. Whether you're planning a trek in Nepal or just thinking about how to be a more thoughtful traveler, this episode will give you a lot to chew on.
How have your travels challenged your assumptions about other cultures? I'd love to hear about it, and I hope you’ll share by sending me an audio message.
*This is a previously released episode from the archives! Zero To Travel interviews are timeless, offering valuable insight whenever you listen.
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Tune In To Learn:
Why he chose to live the experience instead of just documenting it
How he taught himself Nepali in a matter of weeks
The surprising benefits of taking a two-week vow of silence
How the idea for the film came together and what it took to actually make it happen
What really goes on behind the scenes in Nepal’s trekking industry
The economics of porter life and why many actually lose money on treks
Advice to travelers on tipping, hiring porters, and doing ethical research
How immersive projects can create access to authentic cultural experiences
Why communication is the key to better travel
And so much more
Resources:
Join Zero To Travel Premium Passport
Sign up for our FREE newsletter
Visit Nate's website
Watch The Porter
Follow The Porter Film on Instagram, YouTube
Want More?
Trekking Nepal Series
From Wall Street to Nepal, Life-Changing Moments, and What It Means To Have Enough With James C. Hopkins
Beyond the Summit: Climbing Mt. Everest, Filming at 29,000 Feet, a Cultural Journey through Nepal, and Taking Your Childhood Dreams to Heart with Alex Harz
Thanks To Our Sponsors
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✈️ The Zero To Travel Podcast has been downloaded 12+ million times and named a "Best Travel Podcast" by The Washington Post, Travel + Leisure, The Telegraph, and Forbes.
Packed with life-changing perspectives, inspiration, and practical advice for everyone from travel newbies to nomads, this podcast will give you everything you need to travel the world on your terms, regardless of your situation or experience. Welcome to our amazing global listening community!
Since 2013, "Travel Ambassador" Jason Moore from zerototravel.com has been picking the brains of adventurous people living an unconventional life on the road so you can discover new ways to travel endlessly.
Along the way, you'll get actionable advice and key resources that will improve your life AND help you travel more as we get down and dirty on topics like; starting and running an online business from anywhere, the best off-the-beaten-path destinations to visit, travel and work opportunities, gutsy budget travel strategies, surprising ways to earn free travel, the digital nomad life, unconventional travel based lifestyles, fun travel jobs, how to plan epic adventures, backpacking, remote work, how to take a gap year or a career break, 4-hour work week inspired topics, ex-pat life, slow travel, travel hacking, sustainable travel, human-powered adventures, trips worth planning, and everything in between.
Host Bio: Jason wandered the planet as a nomad for over a decade and spent 15+ years on the road as a tour manager in events/music, a seasonal adventure travel tour guide, and a digital nomad. Originally from the USA, he is now a dual citizen (Norway/USA) based in Oslo. He is obsessed with helping YOU explore our planet on your terms.
Follow the show (it's FREE!) and welcome to the global community. 🙏
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