Kelsey Bettis discovered the Fleuria Audiobook Walking Club the way people discover many things they didn’t know they needed: Instagram’s algorithm served it to her. Perhaps, she suspects, the app had picked up on how many romance novels she was reading. Bettis had been looking for ways to be more social, but she was also struggling with anxiety and finding it difficult to connect with people. A walking club seemed manageable. She could talk if she wanted to—or retreat into her book if she didn’t.
“The audiobook walks allowed me to be social in a way that didn’t require talking to other people if I didn’t want to,” she says. “I had the option.”
Bettis soon became part of the small army of women wearing headphones that gathers at least once a month—sometimes more often—on beaches and trails across Southern California. She ended up going for coffee with some of the women she met on her first walk. “The best part is the connection with other people,” she says. She kept coming back, and eventually began inviting friends, too. There was something irresistible, she says, about watching “a bunch of women mobbing down the beach” while enjoying something they collectively loved.
The person responsible for that delightfully strange scene was Stephanie Pao, who owns The Fleuria, a mobile bookstore housed in a book truck. Pao has loved audiobooks since the cassette-tape era, and in July 2025, she invited her social-media followers to join her for a walk. She had no idea whether anyone planned to come. If five people appeared, she decided, it would be fun. As it turned out, 50 showed up. At a later event in Long Beach, nearly 200 people joined. “Reading is often such a solitary hobby,” Pao says. “But readers want to meet other readers.”
Audiobook walking clubs are now emerging around the country, turning an activity typically enjoyed solo into a low-pressure social event. For about an hour, everyone listens to a book of their choosing as they walk, then gathers afterward to compare notes, trade recommendations, and—in many cases—make plans to see each other again. It’s a book club without assigned reading, a walking group without racing, and a social activity that allows you to stop socializing whenever you’d like.
In a conventional book club, people read the same book by a specific date, then arrive prepared to say something reasonably intelligent about it.
Audiobook walking clubs require no such advance planning—or the social pressure of sitting around in a circle. All you need is a book on your phone, a pair of headphones, and comfortable shoes.
At Pao’s events, people often spend about 30 minutes mingling before the walk. Then they put on their headphones and separate into faster and slower groups, each person absorbed in a different story. “Everyone can participate, no matter your book taste,” Pao says. When the group is small enough, she asks people to share what they’ve selected—and inevitably, someone lights up because another walker is listening to the same book or adds a new title to their list.
When the walk ends, many linger around the book truck to discuss what they listened to or make plans for coffee. Pao sometimes organizes walks in conjunction with craft markets, bookstores, or library events. After one of her favorite events, everyone enjoyed the sunset together. “We all got to watch something beautiful together,” Pao says.
In the Washington, D.C., area, Morgan Menzies runs a similar group called Pages on the Path. Menzies moved to D.C. from New Jersey and wanted to make friends, so she started the group with one other person. Now, around 30 readers typically attend its monthly outings.
Participants have ranged in age from 13 to around 80; new parents push babies in strollers or carry them strapped to their chests.
“There are like a thousand run clubs in D.C.,” Menzies says. But not everyone wants—or is able—to run. An audiobook walking club offers another route to the same basic destination: movement, fresh air, and potential new friends.
The rise of these groups also coincides with a long-running audiobook boom. U.S. audiobook sales reached $2.43 billion in 2025, up 9% from the previous year, according to the Audio Publishers Association. “It’s not quite a rocket ship, but it’s pretty nice growth,” says Jim Dinegar, the association’s executive director.
Part of the appeal of audiobooks is their efficiency: People can listen while driving, exercising, cooking, cleaning, or unloading the dishwasher. But Dinegar has also noticed that people are becoming more open about their enthusiasm. Listeners once admitted they loved audiobooks almost sheepishly. “It’s OK. It’s not a confession,” he would tell them. “You’re not alone.” Now, he says, those people are finding one another.
Why audiobook walking clubs make socializing easier
Silently walking next to strangers while wearing headphones might sound antisocial. Yet for some, it can make socializing feel more natural.
At Pages on the Path events, participants can talk with one another, or they can simply “press play and just be in [their] own world,” Menzies says. There are no forced introductions or icebreakers. Sometimes she’ll ask what everyone is listening to, who their favorite author is, or whether they’ve recently encountered a five-star book. “It’s fun to hear when someone loved a book and a different person hated that book,” she says.
A group of women who met on one walk formed a text chain and began getting together outside the club. Menzies has watched similar connections unfold countless times. “I think the meaning of life is to form human connections,” she says. “Whatever that looks like.”
At Hedberg Public Library in Janesville, Wis., young-adult librarian Gabrielle Draxler and programming librarian Amy Christian organize an audiobook walking club called These Books Are Made for Walkin’.
“At first, it was a little awkward,” Draxler says. “We’re walking all together, but nobody’s talking to each other.” As soon as the walk ended, however, everyone started talking so fast that it was difficult to keep up. They ate snacks, compared books, and swapped recommendations. “It’s very low-stakes social engagement,” she says.
Once the earbuds come out, everyone has an obvious conversation starter: “What are you listening to?” That question can feel especially refreshing in Washington, D.C., Dinegar says, where strangers often lead with what you do and where you live. Talking about a book comes with “no baggage” and “no pressure.”
An audiobook walk can be exercise, entertainment, alone time, family time, social time, or all of the above, depending on what someone needs that day.
Dr. Mariah Stump, a primary-care physician at Brown University Health who specializes in lifestyle medicine, sees such walks as a form of “social prescribing”—connecting people with community activities that support their health and well-being. They combine several things known to help people feel better: physical movement, time outdoors, and contact with other people.
The pace doesn’t need to leave anyone huffing and puffing. Walking at a speed that allows people to chit-chat still counts as physical activity, Stump says. “Five minutes a day can go a long way,” she says. “Any movement for your body is helpful.”
Of course, the headphones that make these clubs possible come with a risk: It’s easy to tune out more than intended. Listeners need to remain alert to traffic, other people, and changes in the terrain, Stump cautions. In other words: Enjoy the plot twist, but don’t let it make you miss the curb.
Being part of a crowd can help people feel more comfortable. Pao has heard from women who are more at ease walking with headphones when they’re surrounded by a large group. A solo walk on an empty path might feel unnerving, but a walk with 199 other audiobook fans is a different story.
How to start your own audiobook walking club
If an audiobook walking club doesn’t exist nearby, “just start it,” Menzies says. If only one person shows up, congratulations—you’ve got a walking buddy. “There’s been a lot online about wanting a village, but not being a villager,” she says. “It takes effort to build a village.”
Organizers recommend choosing a flat or paved route, clearly identifying the meeting place, and giving participants a chance to chat before or after the walk. Conversation during the actual walking portion should remain optional. It’s also smart to have a bad-weather backup: When Wisconsin’s limited outdoor-walking season ends, the Hedberg club moves to the local mall.
Partnering with a library can also help people access audiobooks for free. Hedberg brings Playaways, small devices preloaded with a single audiobook, along with earbuds and spare batteries. Patrons can also download digital audiobooks through library apps like Libby.
Christian believes the format works particularly well for people who want to be around others but find large social gatherings overwhelming. During the walk, “no one’s really talking to each other,” she says. Afterward, everyone chats for a little while—a manageable dose of socializing for people who’d rather not work a crowded room.
“You’re going to go out, you’re going to enjoy nature, and you’re going to listen to a book,” Draxler says. “Just do it. I think you’re going to find your people.”
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