Plan your drive with the best audiobooks for road trips
Do you enjoy a good mystery? Or would you rather learn about a historical figure? No matter your taste, audiobooks come in a variety of titles and topics to help you make the most of your road trip. Take a look at some of the best audiobooks for road trips to ensure that you’re always entertained on your drive to the top destinations in the United States.
1. Get your thrills and chills with ‘Bird Box’
If you’re worried about falling asleep on long stretches of serene highway, “Bird Box” by Josh Malerman will scare you awake. This terrifying novel is even scarier in audiobook format, slowly building the tension of a post-apocalyptic world in the grips of some unknown adversary that turns people mad and violent after laying eyes upon it.
2. Laugh with Sedaris’ ‘Me Talk Pretty One Day’
One of the rare audiobooks read by its author, “Me Talk Pretty One Day” is a collection of essays that chronicle author David Sedaris’ attempt to learn French in Paris. Told with his own tone and experience, the audiobook is sure to keep you in stitches for your whole road trip as you enjoy his self-deprecating humor.
3. Immerse yourself in high-seas adventure with ‘Destiny’s Captive’
A fun, lighthearted romance, “Destiny’s Captive” chronicles an Afro-Spanish merchant and shipowner who runs afoul of a female pirate on a trip in the Caribbean, bringing plenty of battles, sword fights, and fun. A little swashbuckling, drama, and romance in one, “Destiny’s Captive” will keep you enthralled for your whole trip.
4. Live vicariously with the road trips in ‘Carsick’
Another audiobook narrated by its author, “Carsick” is a hilarious and fascinating story about author John Waters’ hitchhiking journey across the country. You’ll hear fantasies of the best — and worst — experiences, followed by the actual story of what he saw and did during the trip. If you’re looking for something different to listen to on your road trip, this is it.
5. Dive into riveting nonfiction with ‘White Girls’
If nonfiction is more your style but you still want the drama and engagement of a story, “White Girls” by Hilton Als is the best choice. A mix of fictional vignettes, essays, and critiques, this book provides analysis on the category of “white girls” that includes Malcolm X, Michael Jackson, and Truman Capote, along with interpersonal relationships.
6. Unravel the mystery with ‘Everything I Never Told You’
Mysteries are a must for audiobooks for road trips. Celeste Ng’s “Everything I Never Told You” is an immersive mystery that involves family dynamics and racial identity in 1970s Ohio. The novel centers on a mixed-race family and the disappearance of their eldest daughter, told from different family members’ perspectives.
7. Catch up with the classics with ‘The Adventures of Tom Sawyer’
Mark Twain’s classic tales earned their spot among the greats of American literature, and with good reason. For an all-American storytelling experience about a wholesome boy from the Midwest as you explore the US countryside, give “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” on audiobook a listen on your road trip. Better yet, add all of Mark Twain’s work to enjoy on a long road trip.
8. Experience wartime romance with ‘End of the Affair’
Hailed as one of the most moving novels of its time, “End of the Affair” by Graham Greene is a wartime romance that takes place in London after World War II. The story focuses on the end of an affair as well as the obsessions and jealousies among a writer, a civil servant, and his wife.
9. Explore a little magic with ‘Harry Potter’
If you’re bringing the kids and looking forward to long hours on the road, the Harry Potter series is a great option for keeping things interesting. There are not only plenty of books to choose from about the young wizard-in-training and his antics, but you also have a wide range of brilliant narrators to choose from.
10. Cheer for the underdog with ‘Unbroken’
Written by Laura Hillenbrand, renowned author of “Seabiscuit,” “Unbroken” is a beautiful story about a man who survived incredible challenges — from running track in the Olympics to being a prisoner of war to surviving on a raft in the open sea. Bring this audiobook on your road trip and listen to the story of hardship and triumph.