How is it that the perfect summer feeling doesn’t set it when I see palm trees, hear the ocean or sip on a colourful cocktail? For me, I need the right bubbly tunes to go with the whole picture (or sometimes just with the pictures in my head) and I am all set. Let’s just think about that for a second.

This means that wherever you are, all you need is a decent set of headphones as well as a playlist to move your weary feet in the seat and make you break into a silly smile. Preferably a place where you can just put on crazy dance moves and sing along out of tune. It’s usually not that easy and I found two ways to be able to do that.

First, just travel. Knowing that people will never see you again, they see you as someone foreign and strange anyway and you can just up and leave once it gets too embarrassing is surprisingly freeing. Sometimes I just walk down the street with a bouncy step and some silent singing lip movements, head dancing to an upbeat tune. I like to pretend that people think I am eagerly talking on a headset (who are they to know I don’t possess one?).
Second, go crazy in your own room, dance in the shower (but don’t slip), shake your booty while cooking or do some improve zumba when no one’s there. Works both at home and in hostels. Just make sure to draw the blinds or curtains and lock the door to avoid embarrassing walk ins. You could also head out for a jog and since you’re super fast, people will not bother looking at your body movements too closely or can’t even.
Third, get your ultimate summer playlist together. Find some inspiration through random youtube video clicking, spotify or last.fm lists or online radio channels. You can even use twitter to see what random people are #listento. And then put the list together. To easiest is the shuffle mode, then you don’t have to listen to an alphabetical order of artists or a tedious numbering of the tracks. Don’t forget to load the playlist on al devices where you are usually listening to and update them every now and then to avoid the “radio overexposure syndrome” (just made that term up).

And now, here’s my personal ultimate summer playlist of 2015

Demi Lovato – Cool for the Summer
Girls’ Generation – Party
Jack Johnson – Escape
One Republic – I Lived
Calvin Harris – Summer
Loreen – Paper Light (Revisited)
Hilary Duff – My Kind
Leighton Meester – Heartstrings
Zara Larsson – Lush Life
Kraak & Smaak – How We Gonna Stop The Time (Monitor 66 Remix) (feat. Stee Downes)