It’s vacation time!
Everything is packed, and the van is loaded. By the third time you hear “mom” from the back seat, you may already be questioning your decision to drive twenty hours with a vehicle full of kids.
This is when you sit back, pop in your earbuds, and press play on one of these audiobooks that are perfect for traveling:
Beach/Travel Fiction for your Vacation
The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
Two enemies are given the perfect Hawaii honeymoon when an entire wedding party gets food poisoning. This book has it all, enemies to lovers, the perfect paradise, and lots of laughs. The perfect lighthearted audiobook for your long drive.
More Options:
- Heart Bones by Colleen Hoover
- Beach Read by Emily Henry
- People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
- The Simple Wild by K.A. Tucker
- A Lie for a Lie by Helena Hunting
Mystery/Thriller/Suspense
Verity by Colleen Hoover
Verity is one of the most suspenseful and insane books I’ve ever listened to. You won’t want to stop this one until the end credits. It’s a dark listen and will have you thinking about it long after you stop listening.
More Options:
- The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave
- Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
- Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
- The Guest List by Lucy Foley
- The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn
Romance
Heidi’s Guide to Four Letter Words by Tara Sivec and Andi Arndt
Heidi is an innocent, former kindergarten teacher who finds herself thrown into a world of dirty talk.
This book is funny and light. Andi Arndt is one of the best narrators in the romance world for a reason. Heidi is from Minnesota, so it was fun to hear a character who sounds like people I know here in the Midwest, don’tcha know. (Though, I still don’t appreciate the jokes at Iowa’s expense.)
More Options:
- Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuinston
- Meet Cute by Helena Hunting
- Bridgerton Series by Julia Quinn
- Anything narrated by Sebastian York or Zachary Webber
Fiction
It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover
Sorry for another Colleen Hoover book, but I feel this is a book everyone should read. There are trigger warnings for this book, so maybe Google these before starting. I think giving too much away about this book takes away from the journey that this book takes you on. The subject matter is something I didn’t completely understand until I listened to this book, but the amazing writing had me feeling everything the characters felt.
Even better, Justin Baldoni from Jane the Virgin and director of Five Feet Apart has signed on to develop this book into a movie.
More Options:
- The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
- Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
- Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah
Personal Development
Man Enough by Justin Baldoni
This book could be a great listen with a partner. Justin Baldoni takes a look at masculinity and how it is defined in our society, and the roles men are expected to play. This book has also inspired his new podcast by the same name if you need more.
More Options:
- Girl Stop Apologizing by Rachel Hollis
- The Whole-Brain Child by Daniel J Siegel
Audiobooks not your thing? Try these podcasts
- Bananas– A podcast meant to help you escape bad news of the world by discussing the craziest news stories they can find.
- Drunk Woman Solving Crime– As one woman discusses a true crime case, her drunk friends put their detective skills to the test and try to solve the crime.
- Office Ladies– A must for any fan of The Office.
- Stuff Mom Never Told You– This podcast discusses topics important to being a woman.
- Stuff You Should Know– This offers a wide range of interesting topics on things you might have never given much thought to.
- The Murder Squad– A former cold-case detective and an investigative journalist discuss cold cases and ask for help from the public as they attempt to solve the crimes.
Are the kids now awake or getting bored with their phone/tablet?
Here are some books you can listen to with the kids.
- Luca– The Disney movie loved by so many kids is an audiobook as well.
- Amelia Bedelia Audio Collection– Who doesn’t love Amelia Bedelia?
- My Weird-est School series– My son loves this series, and they always make me laugh as well.
- The Last Kids on Earth– This series is a campy apocalypse story written for middle schoolers/preteens. There is also a Netflix series based on these books.
I would love to hear about your favorite audiobooks for your long road trips. Also, if you give any of these a try, please let me know what you think.
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Great list! I love to see what others are reading!
I have never read Colleen Hoover but you have me wandering for the book, It Ends With Us.
I don’t want to land in the middle so I must ask, does this book fair by itself, or is there a book that pairs well with it?
Yes! I love to see what people are reading too. Some of her books are part of a series, but It Ends with Us is a standalone.