Ready for a vacation? Take one—better yet, take eight great trips with these travel-themed romance audiobooks.
Audiobooks are such a comfortable way to travel—expert narrators ensure listeners never get lost. They introduce listeners to destinations far and near with clarity and an innate affection that will make listeners want to book their own trip to each story’s locale. And just as vacations come in all shapes and sizes, this great group of travel-related romance audiobooks feature both a destination and a narrator perfect for every listener.
Vacations should be relaxing. A.H. Cunningham’s OUT OF OFFICE, narrated by Marissa Hampton and Jesus E. Martinez, provides the perfect break for Genevieve Raymond as she visits Colón, Panama. Hampton provides a strong, steady voice for Genevieve, a self-contained businesswoman, while Martinez, who voices Genevieve’s driver and love interest Adrián, has a pleasant, mid-range voice. Both narrators handle Spanish language elements and Latinx accents well.
Vacations should involve culinary delights. In the Earphones Award winner THE PAIRING by Casey McQuiston with narration from Emma Galvin and Max Meyers, bisexual former partners Theo and Kit are reunited on a culinary trip across France, Spain, and Italy. There’s so much narrative goodness here—listeners will have to experience it for themselves with accents for multiple languages and trip participants paired with descriptions of delectable foods. Galvin is an appealing anchor for the performance while Meyers brings emotional depth as the two find their way back to love.
Vacations should have at least a touch of excitement. And what greater thrill than a voyage to outer space? THE STARS TOO FONDLY by Emily Hamilton is part adventure, part mystery as Cleo and her friends “borrow” a spaceship to look for information on its missing captain and crew. Narrator Vico Ortiz performs this sapphic romance that earned an Earphones Award for its exuberant humor, snappy dialogue, and character differentiation.
There’s always room for a road trip vacation. HERE WE GO AGAIN by Alison Cochrun isn’t your traditional road trip, as two former students hit the road to satisfy their old English’s teacher’s last request. Narrators Natalie Naudus and Jeremy Carlisle Parker alternate narration for the two women, Logan and Rosemary, balancing their internal reluctance toward the trip with the growing realization the trip will change their lives. Thoughtful, bittersweet, and sometimes funny, this is a story that should be enjoyed on audio.
Sometimes, a destination wedding doubles as a vacation. And here are two audiobooks with travel weddings! A WEDDING IN LAKE COMO by Jennifer Probst sounds like paradise on Earth. But narrator Carlotta Brentan shows listeners that the three women who arrive for the wedding have a ton of history to deal with. The women, in past reminisces and present day, are differentiated in conversation, and listeners will relish both Italy and the intricacies of their friendship.
In MAYA'S LAWS OF LOVE by Alina Khawaja, Maya is traveling for her own arranged marriage in Pakistan but meets someone else along the journey. Narrator Mayuri Bhandari’s flexible voice is a great guide to Maya’s changing feelings and to the bumpy journey she endures.
Let’s end with working vacations. LOVE AT FIRST BOOK by Jenn McKinlay is an Earphones Award-winning listen narrated by Brittany Pressley. Try to resist Pressley’s tour de force Irish accent as she presents Emily and her trip to Ireland to work in a bookstore, despite the manager’s objections.
And, in a nod to the Olympics, press play on LET THE GAMES BEGIN by Rufaro Faith Mazarura, read by Shaniqua Okwok. This sports romance is set during the Summer Olympics and stars employee Olivia Nkomo and track and field star Zeke Moyo. A delight to listen to, Okwow captures their mutual competitive spirit as well as their chemistry.
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