Do you remember being a kid and helping your parents to load up the car on your road trips? Do you remember stopping at motels and being bored because the cable was glitchy, so your mom would pull out board games and puzzles to keep you entertained? You’re not alone if so. So many of us have precious memories of taking long car journeys with family and instead of watching screens while the car was moving, we played games. We laughed and sang camp songs despite not being at camp and it was the memories of the board games that keep us coming back to it.
Now you’re older and the car is loaded up, you need to have games to play on your road trip that give you all the nostalgic feels. You didn't watch screens back then, so you shouldn't watch them now. Instead, you should focus on the games you can play and the songs that you can sing. You should think about whether you have packed the printable word searches for when you stop at the motels and you should consider which games will get everyone engaged and involved. Just like camp songs, you cannot take a road trip without games to play. So, with this in mind, here are some of the top games that you should play on your next one.
I Spy
A classic game reserved not just for road trips, I Spy is the game the entire group can get involved in. If you have children, you can adjust it to talk about spotting things of a certain color rather than beginning with a certain letter. I Spy is a classic game so try to get everyone on board with the rules before you play.
Spotto
If you haven't heard of this one, you’ll love it when you play! It’s a game of spotting things and you can preplan a list. Basically, everyone tries to look for the same thing, whether it be a personalized number plate or a certain color car (such as pink!) on the road. The person who spots it should say something along the lines of ‘I see a pink car, a pink car I see’ faster than anyone else in the car can say it. That’s how you win!
The License Plate Game
This is a game that everyone can be involved in and it’s a long standing tradition in the car on a road trip. Everyone can play as long as they can read and it’s a game best played in traffic. You see a sequence of letters on a license plate and you come up with a phrase to match. XLE could be ‘xylophones love elephants’ for example, and it can be as mild or as spicy as you like depending on the age of the people in the car. It’s a game that’s good for a laugh and everyone can enjoy it as the word combinations get funnier and funnier.
Honk
Do you remember waving at the lorry drivers on a long journey? Well in this game, you count how many honks you get from lorry drivers on the road, not just waves. The obvious winner is the one with the greatest number of honks. If you want to have a variation on this one, and you don't fancy waving at strangers, count the honks you hear anyway. Those loud honks from giant 18-wheeler trucks can be counted through the journey and everyone guesses how many you’ll hear at the start.
The Alphabet Game
Every child from here to kingdom come has heard of this one! You choose a topic, and then you take turns running them through the alphabet until you run out of ideas. For example, animals beginning with A, B and so on. You can do the same with female and male names, countries, plants, car makes, toys, brands - you name it, you can do it! The rest of the group has to remember what the person before them has said. Anyone who says the same word in the same category is out for the rest of the round.
Who Am I?
This one is a relatively easy game, but not one that works for young children. Playing Who Am I involves describing a celebrity, a cartoon character or a book/TV character that the others may or may not know. You each take turns describing their features without saying their name or the names of movies they’re in. It’s a good one to play on a road trip as it keeps the brain engaged and keeps everyone on alert.
Punch Buggy
This one isn't too friendly so maybe don't teach the kids this one. It’s usually played with yellow cars, specifically yellow VW Beetles. Every time you see a yellow Beetle, you say punch buggy and then, well, punch the person next to you! It can get pretty aggressive, though, so make sure that everyone is happy to play. Don't go punching your friends for a game when they are unaware of what’s coming!
The Story Game
If you want a fun game to play, you play a game known as the ‘one word game’. The only two words not allowed with this game are ‘and’ or ‘but’. Someone gives two sentences of a made up story and then each member of the group adds a word until the story is built up. Connection words can be used but not the specific two I've mentioned. The Story Game can go on for a while if you’ve got some savvy storytellers among you.
Puzzles & Word Games
For the moments you stop to take a breather or to eat, you’re going to need word searches and other games that enable you to have fun together but keep you engaged. Word searches, Sudoku and puzzle boards can really do that and keep everyone having fun whenever you have to stop and sleep overnight. You could even pass around a Rubik’s cube!
