Make Holiday Travel a Breeze with E-media

An audiobook can make a grueling drive or plane ride much more bearable while traveling to a vacation destination.

If you are traveling by car and your vehicle has a disc player, you will find a sizable collection of both new and old music CDs and CD audiobooks here at CPL. Unfortunately, many newer automobiles lack this feature.

Fortunately for CPL cardholders, our hoopla and Libby collections contain thousands of e-materials. Libby and hoopla both offer downloadable e-audiobooks, and hoopla also has music. 

We encourage patrons to thoroughly explore these platforms because there are massive amounts of streaming music and e-audiobooks on them, but below are just a few features that may be handy during the travel season.

For example, hoopla now offers BingePasses, which allow user access to many items at once using only one of their 10 monthly credits available. You could check out Fancy Nancy books for kids to try to beat boredom on a long drive or maybe all of The Great Courses for those looking to quench their thirst for knowledge while taking a long flight.

You can also find a sizable music library on hoopla, which includes new releases and curated collections. If your family likes to burst into song on long car rides, then have a look at the Best Movie Soundtracks collection. For those seeking something relaxing to nod off to or keep your brain stimulated (depending on how you feel about classical music), then hoopla has collections like Classical Music: Piano.

Libby also does an excellent job of organizing e-audiobooks by genre and theme. Scrolling down the homepage will reveal many thoroughly curated book lists to help those of you who are not quite sure what to read next. To get you started, check out our list of e-audiobooks for family road trips.

If it's just you and older family, we also recommend some of the titles below for adults and teens. 

One CPL librarian remembers a long drive to a cabin in northern Michigan made much more fun by listening to the first book in the humorous Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy sci-fi book series. For YA and fantasy fans looking to travel to far-off places while traveling to far-off places, Legendborn should satisfy.

Normal People is a pick for those seeking some literary fiction of the dramatic romance variety on their trip. If you have already read that one, Sally Rooney’s newest book, Intermezzo, has been out since September and is available as a CD audiobook as well. 

Daisy Jones and the Six is a fun audiobook because it is read by a full cast. While this isn't for everyone, we think it may make the experience a bit more immersive on a long car ride. 

Lastly, World Travel by Anthony Bourdain will provide an engaging and self-aware travel experience. It may give listeners a framework by which to explore their own travel journeys.