The best road trip books

Have you ever thought of giving up work and heading off into the sunset with surfboards on your roof? If you answer 'Yes' – or you just like dogs, travel, or recreational vehicles, this book is for you.

Year 1 – Fur Babies in France follows the true story of how my husband Mark and I accidentally bought a caravan – then decided to rent out the house, sell most of our possessions and tour Europe full-time with our four dogs, Cavapoodles Kai, Rosie, Ruby, and Lani. Described as ‘Laugh out loud funny and a great travel guide’, discover whether we survive the breakages and near-death experience to find peace and tranquillity on the back roads of France – with a bit of windsurfing thrown in!

When dying alone on the hot sands of the Mohave Desert, Cyrus has no regrets. He loves a challenge. Being tasked with running from San Francisco to Boston in fifteen days, while the United States government and a host of bounty hunters hunt for him, sounds like fun. Being at death’s door only a day into his trip doesn’t faze him either. It’s when he’s joined by fellow runner Eve, bringing new emotions to the surface, his confidence cracks.

The Agora Files follows Cyrus Rhodes, a smuggler in a dystopian near-future, as he unwillingly works to take down a corrupt government. This series is a non-stop thrill ride of a road trip across America that looks to expose who the real villains are.

Fifteen-year-old Ramie Redfeather leaves Cheyenne with music in his pocket and his thumb in the air. He’s looking to find his father, a man he’s never met. Ramie gets a ride with Chas Sweeney, a seventeen-year-old driving a “borrowed” Cadillac Eldorado with Maryland tags, who happens to be passing through Cheyenne, on his way to Denver, running away from the wreckage that is his world, sixteen hundred miles away. In Denver, Ramie and Chas meet Mae B. LaRoux, an enchanting young singer from Baton Rouge. LaRoux, who struggles with a learning disability, is on a mission to become a professional musician. The three runaways band together and set out on a fast-paced road trip to get LaRoux to the Austin Music Festival, looking for Ramie’s father on the way. 

In the summer of 2013, journalist Kevin James Shay was ready for a different kind of two-week family vacation. His kids had reached the ages where they sought their independence. They had been to Disney and the likes. A single dad, Shay wanted to take his kids on a trip they would really remember. So they left the Washington, D.C., area in Shay’s trusty 2001 Honda CRV that had about 165,000 miles, with the rough idea of somehow reaching the Pacific Ocean. Covering 6,950 miles in 17 days, they set a record for the longest family road trip in a roughly two-week span, certified by RecordSetter, the Wikipedia generation's version of Guinness World Records.

The book attempts to humorously recall that odyssey, while offering historical references, tips, resources, and other information to help others plan their own Great American Adventure. 

What Ben Franklin Would Have Told Me explores the story of Lee, a vibrant thirteen-year-old boy who is facing premature death from Progeria (a premature aging disease); his caretaker Tomás, a survivor of Argentina’s Dirty War, who's searching for his missing wife, who was pregnant when they were both "disappeared;" and Lee's single mother, Cass, overwhelmed by love for her son and the demands of her work as a Broadway makeup artist. When a mix-up prevents Cass from taking Lee on his "final wish" trip to Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia to pursue his interest in the life of Ben Franklin, Tomás – who has discovered potential leads to his family in both cities – offers to accompany Lee on the trip. One flees memories of death and the other hurtles inevitably toward it. 

Fifteen-year-old Ramie Redfeather leaves Cheyenne with music in his pocket and his thumb in the air. He’s looking to find his father, a man he’s never met. Ramie gets a ride with Chas Sweeney, a seventeen-year-old driving a “borrowed” Cadillac Eldorado with Maryland tags, who happens to be passing through Cheyenne, on his way to Denver, running away from the wreckage that is his world, sixteen hundred miles away. In Denver, Ramie and Chas meet Mae B. LaRoux, an enchanting young singer from Baton Rouge. LaRoux, who struggles with a learning disability, is on a mission to become a professional musician. The three runaways band together and set out on a fast-paced road trip to get LaRoux to the Austin Music Festival, looking for Ramie’s father on the way. 

A year after losing her family in an accident, musician Miriam Tedesco stumbles across a program written by her daughter to send her on a cross-country road trip. Armed with her husband’s guitar, her daughter’s cello, and her son’s unfinished piano sonata, she embarks on a musical pilgrimage to honor the family she fears she never loved enough. But nothing ever goes according to plan. Tornadoes, impromptu concerts, and an unlikely friendship… ready or not, Miriam’s world is coming back to life. But as she struggles to keep her focus on the reason she set out on this journey, she has to confront the possibility that the best way to honor her family may be to accept the truths she never wanted to face.

In the summer of 2013, journalist Kevin James Shay was ready for a different kind of two-week family vacation. His kids had reached the ages where they sought their independence. They had been to Disney and the likes. A single dad, Shay wanted to take his kids on a trip they would really remember. So they left the Washington, D.C., area in Shay’s trusty 2001 Honda CRV that had about 165,000 miles, with the rough idea of somehow reaching the Pacific Ocean. Covering 6,950 miles in 17 days, they set a record for the longest family road trip in a roughly two-week span, certified by RecordSetter, the Wikipedia generation's version of Guinness World Records.

The book attempts to humorously recall that odyssey, while offering historical references, tips, resources, and other information to help others plan their own Great American Adventure. 

Have you ever thought of giving up work and heading off into the sunset with surfboards on your roof? If you answer 'Yes' – or you just like dogs, travel, or recreational vehicles, this book is for you.

Year 1 – Fur Babies in France follows the true story of how my husband Mark and I accidentally bought a caravan – then decided to rent out the house, sell most of our possessions and tour Europe full-time with our four dogs, Cavapoodles Kai, Rosie, Ruby, and Lani. Described as ‘Laugh out loud funny and a great travel guide’, discover whether we survive the breakages and near-death experience to find peace and tranquillity on the back roads of France – with a bit of windsurfing thrown in!

Sergeant George Sueño and his partner, Ernie Bascom, are stationed in Korea with the US 8th Army in the 1970s. They investigate crimes in which US Army personnel might have been involved. Meanwhile, George finds Korea and its culture fascinating, and does what he can to soften the bad opinion of Americans in Korea.

When a senior NCO goes missing with a top-secret document that even a glance at could get a soldier court-martialed, Sergeants Sueño and Bascom take it upon themselves to find him. Meanwhile, they are tasked with getting reporter Katie Byrd Worthington out of a Korean jail cell—and preventing the publication of a story about the mistreatment of women in the military that could incriminate important officials. But what they learn will make it hard for them to stay silent.