If you weren’t yet in the know, Amazon Audible is amazing!
An audiobook app managed, unsurprisingly, by Amazon, this is the service that allows you to download a huge range of fiction and non-fiction books that have revolutionised the way I “read” when I travel.
Taking up zero space, offering incredibly good value and perfect for those who are on the go a lot, here’s why everyone I know is talking about Amazon Audible.
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My Love for Audiobooks
I just want to say from the off, that I was basically brought up on audiobooks.
From car journeys, to bedtime nod offs, there was always an audiobook running somewhere in the background of my childhood – it was far more educational than television of course and my brother and I are still able to quote, verbatim, whole sections from what were our childhood favourite titles.
I’m telling you this to illuminate the point that I still have a very soft spot for audiobooks.
I love the way audiobooks wrap you in their world.
The way the story comes to you, surrounds you, warms you.
It’s like a soft metaphorical cup of tea, a hot water bottle and a blanket being delivered to all you at once.
And that’s coming from someone who studied English Literature and loves a physical book in their hand normally!
Audiobooks are a different sort of experience, but no less valuable or worthwhile in the way they bring a story to life.
Great for Travellers
But my real love for audiobooks as an adult began when I knew I was going to be taking a long overland trip through Africa.
As someone who struggles to read on bus journeys due to nausea, I knew I was going to have to find an alternative way of getting my literature fix.
Enter Amazon Audible, which I learnt about from googling what alternatives may be open to me.
Immediately I knew I was onto a winner!
Working via an app on your phone, there was no chance of travel sickness from this way of absorbing a book.
All I had to do was get the app, sign up, download the chosen titles to my phone and off I could go.
Suddenly I became aware that I could have more books at my disposal than I could ever carry in my backpack.
There was a whole world open to me that wouldn’t take up an inch or a kg in my bag!
All I needed was my smartphone, a pair of headphones and I was away.
And let me tell you, for that African adventure Amazon Audible was a complete game changer!
Every bus journey I could simply watch the amazing landscape pass me by out the window while my ears were filled with facts and stories from across the world.
I was in heaven!
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Large Collection
And it really was heaven, because I soon realised it wasn’t just fiction I could listen to as I travelled across the African plains, but a whole heap of non-fiction too.
I could listen to Bill Bryson talk about a Short History of Everything, just as much as I could listen to the latest Man Booker winner.
And I could swap too.
Depending what I felt like that day or afternoon or hour, it could be Bryson one minute and Man Booker winner the next.
And for someone who likes to have a lot of options in life, this was an added novelty!
Of course, this was all due to the fact that Amazon Audible’s selection of titles is huge.
Seriously just go online and check for yourself – I guarantee you’ll be spoilt for choice and far more likely to find yourself struggling to choose one title over another than nothing at all!
Sold already? Grab your Amazon Audible membership right here, right now.
Easy to Use
And the other thing I like about Amazon Audible is that it’s so incredibly easy to use.
If you’re a covert technophobe like me (ha ha, disclosure here despite my profession!) then you’ll be delighted to know Amazon Audible is super easy to use.
Simply logon via a web browser to sign up for the service and choose your title(s) from the huge range on offer.
Then download the Amazon Audible app onto your smartphone, log in and download the titles you’ve ordered onto your phone.
And then get listening people, that’s all there really is to it!
If you love a number crunch, then you’ll also be pleased to know you can track your listening time via the app too as well as select the download quality you want.
The app of course allows you to pause your listening, skip forward or back, choose between chapters, change the narration speed and even action a sleep timer (my favourite) so you can listen while you nod off and not miss whole heaps of the book or drain your battery while doing so.
Literally brilliant… all puns intended!
Cheap
And the best thing for us budget travellers, is that Amazon Audible is incredibly cheap!
For just $14.95 USD a month (that’s £7.99 GBP or $16.45 AUD) you get 1 free title per month – which essentially means you’re getting a free service and 1 book a month for under $15 USD.
If your New Year’s resolution is to read more, than this is a complete winner!
Subscription runs on a monthly basis, but can be cancelled anytime and can even be paused for up to 3 months once a year.
After this, you can rejoin the service for the same amount… and the best thing?
You get to keep all the titles you’ve paid for and downloaded even when you pause or cancel the service, which basically means you’ve got these audiobooks for life.
A complete bargain in my book!
But wait there’s more, Amazon Audible even offer a free 30 day trial membership, meaning you really do have nothing to lose!
So if you’re interested in giving Amazon Audible a go like me, then click here to sign up for your free trial and get choosing which titles are going to accompany you on your next adventure!
