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Best Audiobooks for Long Flights: Immersive Stories to Make Hours in the Air Disappear

 

A woman wearing noise-canceling headphones relaxes in an airplane window seat at sunset while listening to an audiobook.

Long flights can feel endless. Six, eight, or even fourteen hours 

in a cramped seat, with spotty Wi-Fi and the same handful of in-flight movies, can test anyone’s patience.

But for book lovers, a long flight is actually a rare gift: hours of uninterrupted time with nothing else you need to do. With the right audiobook, you can lose yourself in a great story and step off the plane wondering where the time went. Here’s how to choose audiobooks for long flights, plus picks to download before your next trip.

What makes an audiobook good for long flights?

Flights create a unique listening environment. The best picks for air travel usually have:

  • Length. A big book means you won’t run out of story halfway across the ocean.
  • Immersion. Rich worlds and strong characters help you forget you’re in a cramped seat.
  • Strong narration. A great narrator can carry you through hours of listening.
  • Easy re-entry. Meal service, turbulence, and naps will interrupt you, so clear storytelling helps you pick right back up.

Epic novels for the longest flights

When you’ve got a long-haul flight ahead, go big.

  • Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, narrated by Davina Porter. A sweeping time-travel romance set in 18th-century Scotland, and one of the longest popular audiobooks you can find. Porter’s narration is a fan favorite.
  • The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. A classic tale of betrayal, imprisonment, and revenge that’s long, gripping, and endlessly satisfying.
  • A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles, narrated by Nicholas Guy Smith. A charming, elegant story of a count confined to a Moscow hotel for decades, and a perfect companion for a quiet overnight flight.

Gripping stories that keep you hooked

If you want the hours to fly by, choose something you can’t stop listening to.

  • The Martian by Andy Weir, narrated by R.C. Bray. An astronaut stranded on Mars must use science and humor to survive. Fast-paced, funny, and hard to pause.
  • The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid, narrated by Alma Cuervo, Julia Whelan, and Robin Miles. A glamorous Hollywood legend finally tells her life story, full of secrets and surprises.
  • Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, narrated by Rebecca Soler and Teddy Hamilton. A popular fantasy with dragons, danger, and romance that has kept millions of listeners hooked.

Mythology and history to expand your world

Long flights are a great time to dive into big ideas and ancient stories.

  • Circe by Madeline Miller, narrated by Perdita Weeks. A beautifully told retelling of Greek mythology through the eyes of the witch Circe.
  • Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari, narrated by Derek Perkins. A sweeping, thought-provoking look at the history of humankind, perfect for curious listeners.

If you’d like to try a few of these before your trip, you can start a free Audible trial and download your first book today.

Travel stories to set the mood

Sometimes the perfect flight listen is about travel itself.

  • Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, narrated by the author. A memoir about a year of travel through Italy, India, and Indonesia that’s ideal for daydreaming about your own destination.

How do you prepare audiobooks for a flight?

A little preparation makes all the difference at 35,000 feet:

  1. Download before you leave. In-flight Wi-Fi is often slow, expensive, or unavailable. Download your books at home, then check that they play in airplane mode.
  2. Download more than you think you need. If you finish one book or simply aren’t in the mood for it, you’ll want a backup.
  3. Bring noise-canceling headphones. Engine noise is surprisingly loud. Noise-canceling headphones let you listen at a lower, more comfortable volume.
  4. Charge everything. Fully charge your phone and headphones, and consider bringing a portable power bank. Power banks generally need to go in your carry-on bag, not checked luggage.
  5. Use the sleep timer. On overnight flights, set a timer so the book stops if you doze off.
  6. Bookmark your place. Meal service and turbulence will interrupt you, so quick bookmarks help you find important moments again.

How much listening does a long flight allow?

A lot. An eight-hour flight could cover most of a typical novel, and a round trip could easily finish one or two complete audiobooks. For frequent travelers, flights can add up to dozens of books a year.

If you travel often or listen regularly, a 12-month Audible Premium membership gives you a full year of credits and usually works out to better value than paying month to month.

Let the story carry you

You can’t make a long flight shorter, but you can make it more enjoyable. Download a great audiobook, put on your headphones, and let the story carry you across the miles. By the time you land, you may wish the flight had been a little longer.

Looking for more ways to fit books into a busy life? Read our complete guide: How to Read More Books When You Don’t Have Time to Sit Down and Read.


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