Thinking of leaving on a jet plane? Can't wait to get on the road again or simply dreaming of a summer holiday? You're not alone, more than one in three Australians have been inspired to travel by a song, according to the latest survey by Australia's favourite online travel destination, Wotif.com.

Wotif.com spokesperson Kirsty La Bruniy said the survey of 11,747 revealed the emotional effect of music inspired almost 40% to travel and also triggered mostly fond holiday memories.

“Travellers have revealed that music is a powerful inspiration for travel, with Leaving on a Jet Plane votedthe top travel-inspiring song, followed by New York, New York, On the Road Again and Empire State of Mind,” Ms La Bruniy said.

“The results show that travel-inspiring songs are most likely to encourage people to take an adventure or outdoor holiday (22%), closely followed by a relaxing holiday (21%).

“41% of those respondents said the song was about a particular destination, with the top location being New York, and a massive 82% of those said they had been or were planning to go there soon.”

Ms La Bruniy said the lyrics, emotion or mood of the music inspired people to travel.

“Of the 77% who associated emotions with travel-inspiring music, it overwhelmingly made them feel bright, energetic and happy,” Ms La Bruniy said.

“With so many respondents associating positive emotions with travel-inspiring music, it's no surprise Pharrell's Happy is the song currently at the top of their holiday playlist.

“Music can also be extremely nostalgic. It can connect us with our past and take us back to fond memories, with more than half of the respondents admitting a particular song reminds them of a holiday memory.

“Songs can also remind us of home when we're travelling and when asked what song most reminded people of Australia, I Still Call Australia Home made it to number one on the list, followed by Land Down Under.”

Associate Professor of Psychology at Monash University and President of the Australian Music Psychology Society (AMPS), Nikki Rickard, said a high proportion of respondents had been inspired to travel by music. 

"Music influences our thoughts and emotions, and it can motivate action, compelling us to move in time, dance or exercise. Wotif's research also reveals it can be a trigger for us to explore the world," Assoc. Prof. Rickard said. 

"The results of the Wotif.com survey show that music is a powerful inspiration for travel, with more than a third of people claiming a song had inspired them to holiday.

"The overwhelmingly positive emotions and memories respondents said could be elicited by particular travel-related songs also suggests that music and travel are being used in a way that is likely to be beneficial for people's well-being even, when they're not actually travelling."