Remember the good old days of fighting with your siblings over which radio station the family listened to in the car?

However, the almost worldwide takeover of the personal music collection by Apple and the ubiquitous iPod has changed the landscape of travel music forever, with barely a soul on earth now not owning one of their tiny music devices.

But has this been a real benefit to the individual or is it at the cost of personal preference? Sure, everyone has a music collection dozens of megabytes in size, but the ability to share, and thereby devalue you treasured listening, has left many lamenting the standardisation of travel music. Gone are the days of making a special mix tape for that special holiday, but has that music disappeared as well?

So what is the best, as opposed to most commonly accessible or downloadable, travel music? The traditional soft-rock, middle of the road, easy listening rock will always be popular, with its guitar-led melodies and tales of love and escape most suited to long road trips. Oldies such as The Eagles, Credence Clearwater Revival and the Doobie Brothers are all essential for touring the United States, while the British seem to favour rock bands such as Blur, Oasis, Coldplay, the Stone Roses and U2 for getting around.

Few people can think of heading into New York without imaging Frank Sinatra crooning, while Edith Piaf is synonymous with old time Parisian travel. No trip to Jamaica or any island resort in Southeast Asia is complete without the obligatory Bob Marley soundtrack, although beach bums have tuned into ambient and down-tempo dub and chill, with the likes of kiwi band Fat Freddy’s Drop and the west coast sounds of Sublime and DJ Mark Farina ideally suited for the ultimate driving cruise.

Of course, sing along artists such as Ronan Keating, Van Morrison and Elton John remain popular with female drivers, while red-blooded males still get their testosterone kicks to Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Guns and Roses and Elvis Presley.

So it seems that old, easy listening, favourites are still the most played, evoking a sense of impending escape or adventure that comes with the knowledge that you are finally heading somewhere new.