There’s no denying that there’s something wonderful about the the open road, with all of that possibility in front of you. At no other point in your travels, save for perhaps the open sea, will you have so many options open to you.

Whether you’re driving through the mountains, across the plains, through tiny villages or giant cities, having your own vehicle gives you the freedom to see and do whatever you want. That being said, if you’re not prepared, road trips can eventually get tedious and boring.

After years of long road trips under our belts, we’ve figured out that one of the best ways to make a road trip easier and more fun are via audiobooks.

A great audiobook can make a long drive fly by so when you’re stuck in the car for hours on end, with nothing but open prairies or four lane highways for as far as the eye can see, these great audiobooks for road trips can save your sanity!

The best audiobooks for road trips 2022

Looking for a great audiobook for the family, or the best audiobooks for fantasy, romance, comedy or even science fiction? We’ve got you covered. The first part of this article is for the best adult audiobooks for road trips, but scroll down to the end (or check out this post) to see our top audiobook choices for the family.

Tip! Always take a minute to listen to the audiobook sample in Best Audible books for road trips

While there are a lot of ways to listen to audiobooks, we’re fans of Amazon’s Audible service. It’s easy, and because it’s Amazon, there’s a huge selection of titles.

If you’re in the USA, you can sign up with Audible for the USA directly through the link below!

An Audible membership is FREE for 30 days, and that includes two audiobooks for free. After that, your membership gives you one credit per month, which is good for any audiobook.

There’s more information on membership at the end of this post.

Try Audible for free for one month.

Best nonfiction audiobooks 

The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business

New York Times business reporter Charles Duhigg focuses on how habits form and how they impact our lives. He delves into scientific discoveries that explain how habits are formed, and how habits are crucial to the success of our lives, communities, and businesses.

This audiobook is in my personal favorite’s list. It’s an easy listen, but there are plenty of great nuggets of inspiration and information in here.

Author: Charles Duhigg

Narrator: Mike Chamberlain

See it on Audible now.

Outliers: The Story of Success

This is a fascinating intellectual look at the world of our society’s outliers – the best, the most successful, and the most famous of us. Gladwell wonders: “why are they different”? As he carefully examines the lives of great athletes, successful business people, and tech geniuses, he uncovers some interesting and unexpected truths.

This is a great listen, and perfect for when you’re in an inquisitive, thoughtful mood. I’ve listened to it a couple of times now, and enjoy it anew every time.

Author and Narrator: Malcolm Gladwell

Listen on Amazon now.

Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead

Dr. Brené Brown tackles the cultural myth that vulnerability is weakness. Instead, she argues that vulnerability is, in truth, our most accurate measure of courage.

It’s another one of my favorites.

Author and Narrator: Brené Brown

Get it now.

What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions

I’m a big Wil Wheaton fan, from way back during his days as Wesley Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation. So, any time he narrates an audiobook, it’s a win for me. The author, Randall Munroe, is the creator of the popular xkcd webcomic, and answers interesting questions like “How fast can you hit a speed bump while driving and live?” and “If there were a robot apocalypse, how long would humanity last?”.

It’s an interesting listen, even if you’re not a huge science geek.

Written by: Randall Munroe

Narrated by: Wil Wheaton

Listen to a sample now.

Best fantasy audiobooks

A Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 1.

The Game of Thrones books are huge bestsellers and the entire series of Game of Thrones audiobooks are no different. Like the HBO TV series of the same name, they’re full of intrigue, great characters, and a gripping story. The book series, actually called A Song of Ice and Fire, in case you’re one of the few who hasn’t heard of it, chronicles two powerful families playing a deadly game for the rule of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros.

Narrator Roy Dotrice switches effortlessly between character voices and accents, and it’s a real treat.

This is perfect for long, epic road trips, with a whopping 33 hours and 46 minutes of listening time.

Author: George R. R. Martin

Narrator: Roy Dotrice

See The Game of Thrones: A Song of Fire and Ice audiobook here.

Check out the entire Song of Fire and Ice audiobook series here, including A Feast for Crows and more.

The Fellowship of the Ring: Book One in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

This is one of the most popular Fantasy audiobooks in Audible’s collection. This is the first book in the Lord of the Rings series, and follows the adventures of the Fellowship of the Ring – hobbits, elves, wizards, humans and dwarves alike – as they plunge into the beginning of the ultimate clash between good and evil.

Narrator Rob Inglis switches effortlessly between characters accents.

This unabridged edition is a whopping 19 hours and 7 minutes, so get comfy and settle in.

Author: J. R. R. Tolkien

Narrator: Rob Inglis

Listen on Audible now.

Best fiction audiobooks

Crazy Rich Asians

This is a huge bestseller. Like the movie of the same name, Crazy Rich Asians is a hilarious look at the life of three super-rich Chinese families. There’s back-stabbing, gossip and scheming galore, and it makes an entertaining and easy listen.

Author: Kevin Kwan

Narrator: Lynn Chen

Listen to it on Audible now.

The Outsider

Yet another thriller by Stephen King, The Outsider lives up to his reputation for unsettling and gripping stories.

The story follows Detective Ralph Anderson’s investigation into the death of an 11-year-old boy. The investigation’s suspension and tension will keep you following closely.

Not suitable for kids.

Author: Stephen King

Narrator: Will Patton

Get it on Audible now.

Ready Player One

This is one of my all time favorite audiobooks. We listened to it as a family on our epic Oregon Coast road trip. It had every single one of us transfixed and we hesitated every time it was time to get out of the car and turn it off.

If, like us, you’re fans of video games and 1980’s movies, personas and nostalgia, it’s a must listen.

Ready Player One is set in the year 2044, and it follows the story of Wade Watts, who escapes the grim reality of his dystopian world by spending his waking hours in the realistic cyber world of the OASIS. Brilliant and eccentric OASIS creator James Halliday has left his immense fortune to the first person to find a well hidden Easter egg in the OASIS. There’s plenty of action, adventure, and even romance as Wade races to win the contest.

There’s now a movie of the same name directed by Steven Spielberg (which I hate to say was entertaining, but doesn’t do the book justice at all).

You’ll either love it intensely or hate it. Give the sample a listen before you buy.

Author: Ernest Cline

Narrator: Wil Wheaton

Here a sample of Ready Player One.

Best sci fi audiobooks

Fahrenheit 451

Beautifully narrated by Academy Award-winning actor Tim Robbins, this is a great favorite of mine.

Fahrenheit 451, written by Ray Bradbury, is set in a bleak, dystopian world where books are almost extinct and television rules. This tells the story of fireman Guy Montag, tasked with destroying printed books and the houses where they’re hidden. In time, Guy meets a young neighbor, Clairisse, who introduces him to a past where people didn’t live in fear, and the ideas in books weren’t forbidden.

Author: Ray Bradbury

Narrator: Tim Robbins

Get it on Amazon’s Audible now.

Ender’s Game Alive: The Full Cast Audioplay

This is an all-new, original script written by Orson Scott Card for the Hugo award winning Ender’s Game (which was also made into a movie with Harrison Ford as Colonel Hyrum). Join Andrew “Ender” Wiggin as he trains in Battle School to fight the Formics alien threat.

This gets 4.5 out of 5 stars in over 9,000 reviews. That said, it wasn’t my favorite, but I think a lot of folks may enjoy it, so I’ve included it here.

Listen to a sample now to see if you like it.

Author: Orson Scott Card

Narrator: Full Cast Recording

Get it now on Audible.

We Are Legion (We Are Bob): Bobiverse, Book 1

The entire family really enjoyed the geekiness that is Bob. This quirky sci-fi comedy audiobook spans centuries as Bob, once a normal, living, breathing human being dies. When he comes back as a computer a century later, he never imagined he would one day be humankind’s only hope for survival. This audiobook delves into everything from space exploration to what it means to be considered human.

The narrator, Ray Porter, does a great job giving life to all of Bob 2.0’s emerging personalities and the story is incredibly fun to listen to. We’re almost done book 3 and are sorry the ride is coming to an end.

With 4.6 stars of five from 1,900 reviews, you know people are enjoying this one.

Listen to a sample now, but just be warned, you won’t want to turn it off.

Author: Dennis E. Taylor

Narrator: Ray Porter

Get it now on Audible.

Best mystery and horror audiobooks for road trips

Origin: A Novel

At the top of the best seller charts this year, Origin is the newest novel by The Da Vinci Code author Dan Brown. Like his other novels, Origin is an inventive thriller that navigates hidden history, religion, and technical advances.

As the book starts, Robert Langdon, Harvard professor of symbology and religious iconology, arrives to the unveiling of a discovery that’s supposed to “change the face of science forever.”

Author: Dan Brown

Narrator: Paul Michael

Get it now.

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War

World War Z tells the story of the Zombie War that almost eradicated humanity. Max Brooks travels the world to get first hand experiences of survivors, from cities destroyed in the heartland of the USA to the most remote and inhospitable parts of the globe.

FYI, it was eventually adapted into the movie World War Z starring Brad Pitt however like most movies based on books, loses something intangible in the retelling.

Author: Max Brooks (Narrator, Author), Alan Alda (Narrator), John Turturro (Narrator), Rob Reiner (Narrator)

Narrators: Max Brooks, Alan Alda, John Turturro, Rob Reiner

Listen to a sample here.

Classic audio books for the road

Pride and Prejudice

Admittedly, I’m personally not a huge Jane Austen fan, but this gets 4 and a half stars (out of five) from a whopping almost 8,000 reviews. The narrator, Karen Savage, does a nice job switching between character voices with an English accent and an American accent as narrator.

Well worth a listen if you’re an Austin fan, and if you’re heading out on a long road trip, since the total length of this Pride and Prejudice audiobook is a considerable 11 hours and 1 minute.

Author: Jane Austen

Narrator: Karen Savage

See it on Amazon now.

Best romance audiobooks

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine: A Novel

Eccentric and awkward Eleanor Oliphant’s life spirals out of control after a chance encounter with Raymond.

This witty and uplifting quirky romance is soon to be made into a movie starring Reese Witherspoon.

I really love narrator Cathleen McCarron’s spot-on accents and the timbre of her voice here.

Author: Gail Honeyman

Narrator: Cathleen McCarron

Listen to Eleanor Oliphant now.

Outlander: Outlander, Book 1

This hugely popular historical romance is a great listen. It begins in 1945 when Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is instantly transported to 1743 Scotland by touching an ancient stone ruin. There, she’s thrown into a romance with gallant James Fraser and warring border clans as she tries to make her way home.

Sure, unlike the TV show, you won’t be able to see Sam Heughan (who plays love interest Jamie on the TV show) shirtless, but it’s still worth a listen.

Diana Gabaldon (Author), Davina Porter (Narrator).

See it on Amazon now.

Best funny audiobooks for road trips

There’s nothing like a good laugh to break up a long drive. This list of comedy audiobooks for road trips features some of the best comedians around.

Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood

In this audiobook, The Daily Show host Trevor Noah tells the story of his journey from his childhood during the dwindling years of apartheid in South Africa to his life in the USA hosting The Daily Show.

His stories are in turn comical, dark, poignant, hilarious and sometimes simply weird. Whatever they are, it’s pretty clear that Trevor Noah is a voice well worth listening to.

Author and Narrator: Trevor Noah

Listen now.

Bossypants by Tina Fey

If you’re a Tina Fey fan, you’ll love this book. It’s full of her usual quick wit, sardonic reflections and self depreciating humor.

Don’t let the cheesy first minute of the sample turn you off, this is Tina Fey at her funniest.

Author and Narrator: Tina Fey

See it on Audible now.

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)

This is classic Mindy Kaling: full of funny observations on friendship, weight, romance, and coworkers.

If you like her standup or tv roles, you’ll like this audiobook.

Author: Mindy Kaling

Narrators: Mindy Kaling, Michael Schur, B. J. Novak

See it now.

Best free audio books

It’s honestly tough to find good free audiobooks, but I’ve tracked down a few. Give these free Audible audiobooks a try to give your wallet a rest.

FREE: The Jester (A Riyria Chronicles Tale)

In this fantasy adventure short story, lead character Riyria is hired to get a jester’s treasure, and Royce and Hadrian are trapped in a booby-trapped cave.

While this is a companion story to The Riyria Revelations and The Riyria Chronicles, you don’t need to be familiar with them to enjoy the story. Narrator Tim Gerard Reynolds is a pleasure to listen to, and the hours listening to this passes quickly.

Author: Michael J. Sullivan
Narrator: Tim Gerard Reynolds

Get it free on Audible.

The Hospital: The FREE Short Story: The First Mountain Man Story

The Hospital is a great, fast-paced listen, especially for a free Audible book. This is a dystopian tale of “Mountain Man” Augustus Berry who survives in an undead suburbia. There’s some strong language and potentially disturbing graphic violence. Narrator R. C. Bray has a rough, deep voice that I really enjoyed in this story.

Author: Keith C. Blackmore

Narrator: R. C. Bray

Get it free on Audible now.

Gabriel: Zero Point: The FREE Prequel Novella: Evan Gabriel Trilogy

This is an engaging drama adventure that follows recruit Evan Gabriel trying to make his way in the the elite Naval Special Forces of the North American Federation Navy. In this first book of a series, he’s on his way to becoming a respected North American Federation Navy Commander, but first he must work his way through a difficult journey as part of a top secret military experiment.

This book is set in a science fiction world of Mars and more remote planets, but it feels more like the personal journey of a military man.

Author: Steve Umstead

Narrator: Ray Chase

Listen free on Audible now.

Best audiobooks for family road trips

Audiobooks are a fantastic way to keep kids entertained on long drives, without resorting to a lot of screen time, or hearing endless bleats of “I’m bored” from the back seat. It also gives rise to meaningful family conversations as the stories are shared and topics you might never discuss (though are worth discussing) come up during breaks and meals.

I’ve included what we think are the best children’s audiobooks for road trips, but you can read our full list of the best audiobooks for family road trips here.

The list starts with the best audiobooks for older kids, but scroll further down to find some picks for great audiobooks for younger children.

Best audiobooks for teens and tweens

Listening to audiobooks with teens and tweens is an entirely different beast than listening with younger children. Once kids are in their tweens, there’s a whole world of tween and young adult audiobooks that are also entirely entertaining for adults.

Here are our very favorite audiobooks for road trips with tweens and teens.

Coraline

Coraline is an inventive, dark children’s fantasy. Heroine Coraline finds herself trapped in a lost world behind the mirrors with other lost children.

This is narrated by the author Neil Gaiman, and he does an excellent job.

Author and Narrator: Neil Gaiman

See prices and details for Coraline now.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Book 1

The Harry Potter series of audiobooks are probably our favorite family audiobooks. To date, we’ve listened to five of the seven books in the series and have just started book 6.

We really love the audiobooks narrated by Jim Dale. He does a great job with all the voices, even Hagrid and Hermione Granger though some people prefer the Harry Potter audiobooks narrated by Stephren Fry. To be honest, we’ve listened to them both and you can’t go wrong with either of them.

Written by: J.K. Rowling

Narrated by: Jim Dale

See Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone on Audible

See the complete Harry Potter series on Audible

The Lightning Thief: Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1

I’m personally not a huge fan of the narrator’s voice, but Charles and the kids loved it.

This series is a great choice for tweens, in particular, and both our son and daughter loved the Percy Jackson books during the tween years.

The best part is the books in this series can stand on their own, so you’re not forced to listen to every single one of them.

Written by: Rick Riordan

Narrated by: Jesse Bernstein

Series: Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Listen to a sample of The Lightning Thief.

Check out the complete Percy Jackson and the Olympians series here.

Peter and the Starcatchers

This take on the Peter Pan origins story is read by Jim Dale, who narrates the Harry Potter series.

It’s imaginative and engaging, and adults should enjoy it as well.

Written by: Dave Barry and Ridler Pearson

Narrated by: Jim Dale

Hear a sample of Peter and the Starcatchers here.

Audio books for younger children

While some audiobooks for little kids are excruciating for parents, these picks should keep the adults happy as well.

Treasury of Classic Children’s Stories

These are sweet and nostalgic, and both parents and kids should enjoy these classic stories.

Written by: Oscar Wilde, Brothers Grimm

Narrated by: Audrey Hepburn, John Ritter, Sharon Stone and Orson Welles

Listen to a sample on Amazon.

The Ralph S. Mouse Audio Collection

This story of a mouse on the lookout for more excitement honestly couldn’t be more adorable.

Written by: Beverly Cleary and Tracy Dockray

Narrated by: B.D. Wong

Get it on Audible here.

Julie Andrews’ Collection of Poems, Songs, and Lullabies

If you love Julie Andrews, this is the collection for you and your little ones. It’s both charming and sweet.

Written by: Emma Walton Hamilton, Julie Andrews

Narrated by: Emma Walton Hamilton, Julie Andrews

Listen to Julie Andrews’ Collection here.

About Audible membership plans

You can order books on Audible without a monthly membership, but I’m actually a fan of the monthly membership.

An Audible membership is FREE for 30 days. 

Click here to sign up for free!

Audible has two membership types, Plus and Premium Plus. Both membership types offer a 30 day free trial, and you can cancel anytime.

Plus membership includes access to thousands of Audible Originals, podcasts, audiobooks and more.

An Audible Premium Plus membership includes one free title in the Audible premium selection, 30% off all additional premium selection titles, access to exclusive sales, plus everything you get with Audible Plus. The one free title is credit is good for any audiobook, at any price.

Sign up for a free month of Audible Plus or Premium Plus.

You keep your audiobooks even if you cancel. If you want to buy more books, you save 30% on any additional purchases.

I especially love this last part – if you find you don’t like an audiobook once you’ve started it, Audible will let you exchange the book. I’ve returned an Audible book a couple of times with no hassles once I’ve started a book and realized I didn’t care for it.

Do you have any favorite audiobooks for road trips? Let us know your favorites below!

The post The Best Audiobooks for Road Trips first appeared on The Barefoot Nomad.]]> https://www.thebarefootnomad.com/travel-tips/the-best-audiobooks-for-road-trips/feed/ 6 https://www.thebarefootnomad.com/travel-tips/the-best-audiobooks-for-family-road-trips/ https://www.thebarefootnomad.com/travel-tips/the-best-audiobooks-for-family-road-trips/#comments Wed, 13 Sep 2017 20:00:00 +0000 https://www.thebarefootnomad.com/?p=14913 Our picks for great family audiobooks for the road.

The post The Best Audiobooks for Family Road Trips on Audible first appeared on The Barefoot Nomad.]]> Every year we drive thousands of kilometers across Canada to visit friends and family. Many years, we drive from Kelowna to Winnipeg, and then back again. Within a few weeks, we log in over 40 hours and four thousand kilometers behind the wheel.

That’s why audiobooks are an absolute lifesaver on those trips. When we start a great audiobook, the hours fly by as we drive across our gorgeous country. It’s a great way to keep the kids entertained, and keep us from going stir crazy.

See audiobooks on Audible here.

Also, unlike watching movies alone in the backseat, the audio books allow our kids to watch the countryside, play with their things and most of all, not get car sick. It also gives us all something to talk about when we stop to refuel or while grabbing a bite to eat as we drive.

Looking for great audiobooks for adults as well? Check out our new post on the best audiobooks for road trips.

A quick note on Audible

Owned by Amazon, Audible has the largest library of audiobooks in the world and is a great place to get audiobooks for any of your devices. What we love most about them is if you don’t like an audiobook, you can just swap it for another for free.

An Audible membership (both the Plus and Premium Plus) is FREE for 30 days.

There are two Audible membership options:

• Audible Plus
• Audible Premium Plus

An Audible Plus membership gives you access to the Audible Plus library, but it DOES NOT give you 1 credit to purchase any title in the Audible premium selection, and it DOES NOT give you an 30% off all additional premium selection titles.

An Audible Premium Plus membership gives you access to the Audible Plus library, and it gives you 1 credit to purchase any title in the Audible premium selection (regardless of price), and it also gives you an 30% off all additional premium selection titles.

You can get a FREE one month trial of either Audible Plus or Audible Premium Plus.

Get your one month free now.

The best audiobooks for family road trips

We’ve listened to dozens of audiobooks over the years and the kids actually look forward to long drives in the car now since they know we’ll put one on. The trick is having a few to choose from and letting the kids decide which one appeals to them the most.

With audiobooks, we find that the narrator can make or break your experience. Even if the book is fantastic, a poor (or irritating!) narrator can make it miserable. On the other hand, if you love a narrator’s voice you can listen to just about anything they say, so choose wisely.

For example, Charles once got his parents excited to listen to some audiobooks on their yearly 34 hour drive down to southern Texas, but stressed that getting the right narrator was critical. A big fan of westerns, his parents chose a few narrated by a fellow with a slow, heavily accented southern drawl that literally made them pull over and take a nap after listening to him for a few hours.

I’ve included links to the Audible listings for each of these books, because each book offers an audio sample. To listen to the sample, just follow the link to the book, and the sample play button is right below the book image.

I’ve also tried to pick audio books here that adults should enjoy as well, making listening a pleasant family experience. However, everyone’s tastes differ, so check out the samples and read some reviews before making a choice.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Book 1

The whole family really loves the Harry Potter series narrated by either Jim Dale or Stephen Fry. This was our first real foray into family audiobooks, and the 20+ hour car ride to visit family seems to fly when we listen to the Harry Potter audiobooks. Even though the kids have read the entire series and watched all the movies, they still enjoy listening to the audiobooks. We’re almost done book five and plan to keep listening until we reach the conclusion in book seven.

Unlike most audio books, the Harry Potter series has two narrators that do all seven books. Jim Dale reads the US version and Stephen Fry the UK version. Both are English, both are amazing and each excels at different things, however you can’t go wrong with either.

Written by: J.K. Rowling

Narrated by: Jim Dale

See Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone on Audible

See the complete Harry Potter series on Audible

The Golden Compass: His Dark Materials, Book 1

This is a fantastic book, and kept us all engaged for the full time we listened. However, some of the themes are a bit dark, and it may not be the best for young children. I had my doubts about letting our eight year old continue to listen, but she made it through OK. That said, she’s a pretty stoic little person, and I’ve never seen her upset by a book or movie.

Written by: Philip Pullman

Narrated by: Philip Pullman however there is a full cast for each character that really makes this audiobook shine.

Series: His Dark Materials

See more information about The Golden Compass here.

See Philip Pullman’s complete His Dark Materials series here.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe: Chronicles of Narnia, Book 2

There’s a whole series for The Chronicles of Narnia, and the narrators differ. We’ve listened to a few (not in order) and enjoyed them all however that said, I’m excited to try The Last Battle, narrated by Patrick Stewart of Star Trek (plus much more!) fame.

Written by: C.S. Lewis

Narrated by: Michael York

Series: The Chronicles of Narnia

Get The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe now.

Check out entire The Chronicles of Narnia series by C. S. Lewis here.

How to Train Your Dragon

We loved the How to Train Your Dragon movies, the Netflix series and the kids loved the books, so this is a natural choice. Even better? It’s narrated by the 10th doctor himself, David Tennant.

Written by: Cressida Cowell

Narrated by: David Tennant

Series: How to Train Your Dragon

See the How to Train Your Dragon audiobook.

Check out the complete audiobook series of How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell.

How to Eat Fried Worms

This one’s a little shorter, at just under two hours. Kids love it, and it’s an easy listen for a shorter road trip.

Written by: Thomas Rockwell

Narrated by: Jay O. Sanders

Listen to a sample here.

Eragon: The Inheritance Cycle, Book 1

This is an engaging audiobook and the writer was only in his teens when he wrote the first one. It will capture the minds of every one in the car from the very beginning where a poor farm boy finds a polished blue stone that becomes a dragon hatchling to him becoming the next dragon rider.

Written by: Christopher Paolini

Narrated by: Gerard Doyle

Series: The Inheritance Cycle.

See it on Audible.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

At just under two hours, this is a shorter audiobook that both old and young Harry Potter fans should adore. We haven’t listened to this yet, but I think it would be a good book on tape for a family road trip.

Written by: J.K. Rowling, Newt Scamander

Narrated by: Eddie Redmayne

See Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them here.

Charlotte’s Web

Over on Audible.com, this book rates almost five stars. It’s a touching classic narrated by the author in his raspy New England accent and will make your children both happy and sad in equal measure.

Written by: E.B. White

Narrated by: E.B. White, George Plimpton

See Charlotte’s Web on Audible.

The Lightning Thief: Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1

I’m personally not a huge fan of the narrator’s voice here, but the kids loved it, and the narration did grow on me after a while as we drove. Our 12 year old son, in particular, loves all Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson books so this one was a natural for us. A nice bonus is that most of the books in this series can stand on their own, so you’re not forced to listen to every single one of them.

Written by: Rick Riordan

Narrated by: Jesse Bernstein

Series: Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Listen to a sample of The Lightning Thief here.

Check out the complete Percy Jackson and the Olympians series here.

The Spiderwick Chronicles, Book 1

This is a special treat, as it’s narrated by the rich voice of Andrew McCarthy and it’s a childhood classic.

Written by: Tony DiTerlizzi, Holly Black

Narrated by: Andrew McCarthy

Hear a sample of The Spiderwick Chronicles here.

See the Spiderwick Chronicles series on Audible.

Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole Guardians of Ga’Hoole, Books One, Two, and Three

This is a great value, as it has three books in one, and over 16 hours of audiobook.

Written by: Kathryn Lasky

Narrated by: Pamela Garelick

Get it on Audible here.

Peter and the Starcatchers

My husband, Charles, loved this take on the Peter Pan origins story and its read by the fantastic Jim Dale, the same person who does the Harry Potter series. The kids enjoyed it as well.

Written by: Dave Barry and Ridler Pearson

Narrated by: Jim Dale

Hear a sample of Peter and the Starcatchers here.

See all the books in the Peter and the Starcatchers series here.

Audio books for younger kids

While most audiobooks for little kids can be about as much fun as nails on a chalkboard for parents, these children’s audio books should keep the adults happy as well.

Treasury of Classic Children’s Stories

This is an especially great choice for nostalgic parents, but the kids will love these classic stories as well. Jack and the Beanstalk narrated by John Ritter is especially good.

Written by: Oscar Wilde, Brothers Grimm

Narrated by: Audrey Hepburn, John Ritter, Sharon Stone, Orson Welles

Listen to a sample here.

The Ralph S. Mouse Audio Collection

This is the story of a mouse always on the lookout for more excitement.

Written by: Beverly Cleary, Tracy Dockray

Narrated by: B.D. Wong

Get it on Audible here.

Julie Andrews’ Collection of Poems, Songs, and Lullabies

If you love Julie Andrews, this is the collection for you and your little one. It’s as lovely and charming as you’d imagine.

Written by: Emma Walton Hamilton, Julie Andrews

Narrated by: Emma Walton Hamilton, Julie Andrews

Listen to Julie Andrews’ Collection here.

Audiobooks for the adults

While listening with the kids is a lot of fun, I’ve started to become a real fan of audiobooks on my own.

I spend hours on the computer each day, and while I love the ease of reading on my Kindle, I do sometimes want to give my eyes a rest. My favorite time to listen to audiobooks is when I’m lying in bed, relaxing before sleep.

About Audible membership plans

You can order books on Audible without a monthly membership, but I’m actually a fan of the monthly membership.

An Audible membership is FREE for 30 days.

Click here to sign up for free!

Audible has two membership types, Plus and Premium Plus.
Both membership types offer a 30 day free trial, and you can cancel anytime.

Plus membership is $7.95 a month, and includes access to thousands of Audible Originals, podcasts, audiobooks and more.

An Audible Premium Plus membership is 14.95 a month, and includes one free title in the Audible premium selection, 30% off all additional premium selection titles, access to exclusive sales, plus everything you get with Audible Plus. The one free title is credit is good for any audiobook, at any price.

I especially love this last part – you can exchange any audiobooks you don’t love, anytime. Sure, there’s a five minute sample of an audiobook you can listen to, which is great, but it’s possible to get further into a book and decide you don’t like the book or narrator. In that case, just exchange the audiobook. Easy!

Common Audible questions

When we first started with Audible, I had quite a few questions about how it works.

Do I need to have Internet access to use Audible?

If you choose to stream your audiobooks, you need Internet access whenever you want to listen to them. However, if you choose to download your audiobooks, you only need Internet access for your download and then you don’t need Internet access when you listen to your audiobooks.

Can I download my Audible books?

Yes! The easiest way to download your audiobooks is to go to the Audible library and click the Download button.

How do I listen to Audible?

You can listen to Audible on your Smartphone, tablet or computer. You can also download audiobooks.

Can I listen to Audible books in my car?

Of course. There are several ways to do this. The easiest way is to cast your Audible audiobook to your car’s stereo via Bluetooth.

Have you tried Audible? Let us know what you think!

The post The Best Audiobooks for Family Road Trips on Audible first appeared on The Barefoot Nomad.]]> https://www.thebarefootnomad.com/travel-tips/the-best-audiobooks-for-family-road-trips/feed/ 1