We drive up to the mountains each weekend to ski as a family. That is a 2 hour drive up and a 2 hour drive down. It is not uncommon to see the video screens of cars flashing their cinematic charm to the children in the back seats. No judgement here. We do it too. But recently we have turned to audio books for the ride back to Boulder. They watch a movie on the way up and listen on the way down.

The best part is the kids are mesmerized by the audio books. We love listening too! We are listening to some amazing classics right now and our whole family is enjoying this opportunity. Audio books can be expensive if you buy them in the bookstore or online. But here are some other ways to get them:

1. Boulder Public Library offers them for FREE. Go to their website and find the “Audio books” icon on the upper right side of the homepage. Click on it and you head to Overdrive which is a service that offers books you can download on your MP3 device, computer, burn to CD. The options are endless.

2. Audible.com offers subscriptions to their ebooks and audio books. You can sign up for a 30 day trail here.

Audio books are a great way to unplug kids. Let them really listen and melt into a good book while traveling. I like them for quiet time for kids too.