Family road trips may be a nicer option to get to your destination, but they are often tiring, stressful, and boring for long periods of time. To stop yourself from losing your mind and your kids from asking “Are we there yet?” one last time, here are 5 games that you can play on a road trip that keeps your family engaged and entertained (it doesn’t include “I Spy”!).
1. Storytelling
This game is a great choice for nearly all ages, so adults can have fun with this too. It starts off with someone beginning the story with a couple sentences, then another person continuing the story, and so on. The stories can be completely wacky and non-linear and anyone can change it up to something completely unrelated from when you first started. This game brings out the creativity in people and is guaranteed for some laughs. There’s no ending to this game; just keep going until your brain hurts.
2. 20 Questions
The uber-popular guessing game certainly deserves a place on this list. Players pick a card and give clues to guess what object/person is on the card. The goal is to figure out the object/person on the card. For instance, if my card was describing chopsticks, I’d read the clues given to me (“I am Asian”, “Some people catch flies with me,” or “People expect to see me in Chinese restaurants”) to help the other players guess my card.
3. City, Country, River (or whatever variation you choose)
This game is played by picking 3 or 4 categories (which aren’t just limited to cities, countries, or rivers). For instance, you can use movies, food, shoes, cars, etc. You play by challenging a player to guess a city, country, and river that starts with a specific letter. Say that I am challenged to do the letter “N”. I could say New York City as the city, Nepal as the country, and the Nile as the river. You need to say your answers in under 60 seconds to avoid getting eliminated.
4. Name That Song
Perfect for those who know their music. Whistle or hum a tune (or pick a song on the radio) for the other players to guess. First person to guess it right wins the round and now gets to hum or whistle a new song.
5. Hide and Seek… In A Car…
It’s the most unusual game on this list, but it’s probably the most creative. Designate someone to be the seeker and all the other players imagine they are hiding somewhere in their house. The seeker asks yes-or-no questions to determine where everyone is “imagining” they’re hiding.
These are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to games to play on a road trip. There are many creative and inventive ideas for you to choose from. If none of these games work for you, then don’t be afraid to go ahead and make up a new game! One game can be a player saying Disney Quotes and the other players have to guess where it’s from (for instance, Tangled quotes or Cinderella quotes). The possibilities are endless when it comes to playing road games in the car.
