Are you bored while on the road? Do you need some road trip games to keep the sanity of your cohort buoyant?
Then come on in, as we explore 10 of the most fun and engaging of all the road trip games.
1. License Plate Game
This a classic road trip game that will no doubt be familiar to anyone with a parental figure who was present during their growing up. This is one of those fun car games that actually involve a car as well.
This is an incredibly simple game. The first person in the car points out license plates, then the next person tried to devise a phrase based on the letters and numbers on the license plate.
So, for an example, we can take the plate HA14ORD, which someone might read as Hats Are 14th On the Road to Damascus. No wonder this is such a favorite road trip game - it encourages creativity on another level entirely!
2. I'm Packing For Paris
No long car ride is complete without a little bit of packing for Paris. This game is as much a memory game and an alphabet game as a fun road trip game.
The first person says that they are packing for Paris and that they are bringing something that starts with the letter A. The next person then repeats this first thing before listing something that they will pack for Paris starting with the letter B.
This continues, with each subsequent person repeating the previous parts of the packing list until someone inevitably misremembers some part of the list.
3. 20 Questions
This fun game is a classic for long car rides, so no doubt you will not need to be reminded of the rules. Here they are anyhow:
One person will choose a person, place, or thing, and all of the others involved in the car can ask up to 20 yes or no questions to try to guess what the original player chose. Though it is common to start with broader questions, this does not have to be the case, especially if you feel you know the person well enough.
In this way, it is one of the best road trip games as it truly tests your knowledge of someone.
4. Categories Game
This game is, likewise, easy to play in the car as the only tools it uses are the mind and heart.
One person will choose a category and a letter of the alphabet. After this, each person names something within this category based on this letter of the alphabet, continuing until someone finally can't. This person loses and picks the next category and letter, the game continuing in this way until a way is sought out.
In this way, this can easily be made into a movie game (or any other for that matter).
5. Rock, Paper, Scissors
This family road trip game is so classic it is a mystery that it was invented at all. Rather, it feels as though it was handed down by an older generation of beings from up on high. If you do not know how to play this game, then perhaps you have been living under a rock, paper, or pair of scissors!
Usually between 2-4 people, rock, paper, scissors involves counting down to or from 3 and then revealing either a rock, paper, or scissors.
Rock beats scissors but is subsumed by paper. Scissors beat paper but are destroyed by rock. Paper subsumes rock but is cut up by scissors.
6. The Dot Game
While all the other games listed thus far only require the mind, this one does require some extra apparatus. This is only paper and some pens which you might even already have. Make it even easier by printing out dot paper.
Each player draws a line connecting two dots with play going back and forth until a square is closed. Whoever closed the square can lay claim to it by placing their initials within it. Once all the squares on the page are closed, count up all the points - whoever has the most squares wins.
7. Punch Buggy
This is a great way to bring all disparate factions in a family together. The rules in this game are far from set and, in fact, this game is a lot more fun if you make up your own rules.
By creating them yourself, you can customize the game to include even those members of your family who do not necessarily want to be involved.
The original involves the first person to see a Volkswagen Beetle punching the person next to them. This is, of course, not very conducive to keeping everyone sane on a long road trip.
8. The Alphabet Game
The rules of this game are relatively simple. You simply have to find each letter of the alphabet (in sequential order) in the signs of the road (though this can include license plates and the like).
The length of this game really varies depending on the kind of terrain you are traveling through. If you are going through a town or city, then you are likely to finish up within 5 minutes. If, however, you are in a more rural area, then it can take what feels like forever to find more obscure letters like X or Q.
9. The Name Game
This is another game that takes the alphabet as its foundational premise. In this way - and much like those other games here arrayed - there is little need for supplies to play.
The first player will say a name, leaving the next player to think of a name that starts with the last letter of the name previous. Any player that repeats a name or can't think of one altogether is out. This continues until only one is left reigning victorious. If you fancy a real challenge, you can add time constraints to the answers.
10. License Plate Game Mark 2
If you liked the original license plate game, then you are going to love this.
So, where the original was concerned with creativity and reinvention of license plates as they are witnessed on the road, this game is more concerned with the states of America. Thus, this game is perhaps limited to the US, though can be adapted to continents or other countries.
Try finding a license plate from each of the states of the US (or wherever else you are playing).
Final Words
So, there you have it! Hopefully, you are feeling more able to play and engage with all your fellow travelers.
FAQs Road Trip Games
WHAT ARE GOOD GAMES TO PLAY ON A ROAD TRIP?
This will depend on the kind of tools you have handy and the kind of atmosphere you are looking to engender in your vehicle. Thankfully, there are plenty of games that can be played with just the mind alone (and a willing attitude of course). One of the more creative road trip games involves finding license plates and then replacing each of the letters with other words to create humorous or thought-provoking statements. The winner is chosen by the person who chose the license plate initially, though there does not have to be a winner for this to be fun and engaging.
WHAT TO DO WHEN BORED ON A ROAD TRIP?
If you are wanting to socialize, then perhaps just talk your mind to the friends and family that you are with. If, however, you are traveling alone or would rather not socialize, then you can just as easily do something alone to occupy yourself. Try noting the clouds and inventing scenarios for them all. Learning how to travel alone is an art all its own.
