Americana stuff like The Band or Lone Justice was always good on highway drives through America, at least to me. Very evocative.

Here's a few that I would always take on cross-country trips:
Feelies--Crazy Rhythms or Good Earth
Anything from the Sun years of Johnny Cash
Beastie Boys--Check Your Head
Flaming Lips--In a Priest Driven Ambulance
Bjork--Post
Can--Tago Mago or Future Days (good at night)
Nick Drake--Pink Moon (definitely a night one)
Anything from King Tubby, Led Zeppelin, John Coltrane, or Thelonious Monk
Magnetic Fields--Charm of the Highway Strip
Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue

Those are a few and they're all kinda old. Some newer ones: the Earlies--These Were the Earlies, Richard Buckner--The Hill (countryish song cycle based on The Spoon River Anthology), Tinariwen--Amassakoul... I used to travel a lot. What also works well, especially if you become tired of music easily, are books on tape. Mysteries are wonderful for drives on boring stretches of highway. And, of course, all of the above is only relevant if your friend has the same musical taste that I do. Good luck.

Yes yes yes to books on tape. There is no way I could have gotten across the country without them. Actually had to stop in ... Nebraska? Or somewhere? to buy more. Cheesy mystery page-turners.

For music, I agree about Americana or Americana-esque. Lucinda Williams if she's into it. Red House Painters, because they always seem so California and I was moving out here. Can you maybe tie some songs into her destination? (That sentence structure seems to make no sense, but I haven't had coffee yet and therefore have not a clue as to how to fix it.)

Lucinda Williams if she's into it.

Second that. Some early 60's honky-tonk like Merle Haggard and Buck Owens might be good if she's not a twang-hater.

Can you maybe tie some songs into her destination?

"Sweet Home Chicago," the Elmore James version.

Other music I like on the rare occasion I get to drive a car: Neko Case, Gillian Welch, New Pornographers, Manu Chao when I'm in a boppy silly mood, Tracy Chapman when I'm in a nostalgic-for-driving-around-in-high-school mood, Otis Redding, Iron & Wine.

I agree that Led Zeppelin, if I had any, would also be awesome. I need to rectify the not-having part of that.

I like this stuff, as it's all about travelling. Some ska might be good for long drives as it's peppy and would keep you bouncing.
(The links in my reply are dead by now, but I can repost them if you'd like. The J. Sullivan is pretty mellow, though.)

I agree that Led Zeppelin, if I had any, would also be awesome. I need to rectify the not-having part of that.

You don't own any Zep? It's not too late for you, we can check you into a rehab or something...

Sigh. I know. It's sad. It's partly that I've moved so many times that I've gotten in the habit of keeping my CD and book collections very small, and there are therefore large gaping holes in both.

Which gives me many excuses for going to Amoeba Records, though, which makes me happy.

you do own some Dictators, though, right? right???

Thank you! Anything more in the modern line? Techie-ish?

not techno-ish. more electronica-ish.

I'm going to say Thievery Corporation and the Gorillaz, though neither may fit your genre.

I keep hearing singles from Deltron 3030 and really liking them, though I'm not sure that fits either.

(Sorry. I have this large bank of cross-over-y uncategorized music in my head, and that tends to be what I like as background/driving music, so that's what I'm tossing at you. Obviously, feel free to ignore anything that doesn't suit you.)

Deltron 3030 is fantastic stuff produced by Dan the Automator. Our friend Feedle is great great electronica-ish stuff and you can download songs from his site. A Chicago band that I really like and helped us through southern Idaho recently is the Notes and Scratches. Not electronica, but it's good, and the singer is mefi's verysleeping. I've also liked a lot of the M.I.A. album and Diplo's Florida in the electronica-ish, turntablist-ish realm of things of late. Oh, and one I forgot to mention before but is always a favorite no matter what I'm doing is De La Soul's 3 Feet High and Rising.

Thank you!

One of the best ever road CDs I've ever heard is Merle Haggard singing Jimmie Rodgers songs. I travelled with a friend from San Francisco to Yosemite with that playing, and it was just perfect.

Thanks essexjan! I'll check it out!

Small - I just got your post this morning. For ambient electronic travelling musique:

Kaly Live Dub
OTT - Blumenkraft
Infected Mushroom - In Dub
Entheogenic

All four of these bands I play a lot in my sets, so chances are good you've heard 'em before. But for travelling (either in headspace or on a highway), they can't be beat.