These Fun Road Trip Games Will Make the Miles Go By in a Flash
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Summer is upon us, and do you know what that means? Road trip season! It’s the very best time of year to pack up the family and pile into the car for an adventure. Even Ree Drummond has taken a road trip with her crew from time to time. Whether you’re traveling to a place within your state or a destination that’s thousands of miles away, there are some things you simply can’t hit the road without. Think: road trip-friendly snacks, books, music, and lots and lots of games!
Road trip games are one of the easiest ways to make the miles fly by in the blink of an eye, and if you used to take road trips when you were little, you likely have several car games that you still love today. Perhaps you’re heading out with your whole family in tow or going somewhere fun with a group of gals or your main squeeze (talk about a cute summer date idea!). No matter what type of trip you’re taking, road trip games are a must. The nice thing about road trip games is that they don’t require a ton of items to bring along—just your brains, a few rules to follow, and plenty of giggles. If you’d like to tuck away those smartphones and kick it old-school, turn to these 25 boredom-busting road trip games.
While You Were Sleeping
It’s not just a favorite movie from the ‘90s! For this game, one person will be asleep (which happens pretty frequently on road trips). Once they’re asleep for at least five minutes, the ones who are awake will start making up a story, and each person will take turns adding to that story. After the person wakes up, the group’s job is to make them believe that it’s a true story. If someone starts giggling, they’ll lose a point. But if each one tricks the sleeper into believing the story, every person gets three points.
The Singing Game
This is for the family and pals who love to bust out a tune! One person in the car will start singing a song. The next person will pick up a lyric from that song and will link it up with another song (i.e. “Should I stay or should I go…” can link to “…your own way, go your own way.”) The words can connect to one another going round and round until someone can’t think of a new lyric or sings the incorrect words.
I Spy
This might be one of the most classic car games of all time. You know the rules: someone in the car will spot something by the road and say, “I spy with my little eye, something that is…” and then will give a hint, whether it’s a color or general direction. The other players will ask questions until someone discovers what it is.
20 Questions
One person will choose a noun (a person, place, or thing) and the other players will get 20 questions to find out what it is. Simple and fun!
License Plate Game
A game that’s always a favorite! The aim of this game is to spy all 50 states on license plates throughout your journey. You can keep track on a piece of paper, a phone, or you can use a board with markers for each state.
Scavenger Hunt
Similar to “I Spy,” a road trip scavenger hunt involves bringing along a list of items that are typically seen along the road. Your pals or little ones will spot the items, like stop signs or blue cars, and check them off the list. The first one to check them all off wins.
Two Truths and a Lie
For this, one player will make three statements, and one of them will be false. The other players will try to guess which one is the untrue one. It’s a great way to discover new things about a friend or family member!
Word Trail
This game is great for older kids and adults. Focusing on compound words, each person will link to the previous word and keep going around until someone can’t come up with anything. For example, notebook, bookstore, store-bought, etc.
Never Have I Ever
Each player will start a statement by saying, “Never have I ever…” Then they’ll finish the statement by saying something like, “Fallen asleep in class,” or “Flown on an airplane.” The rest of the crew has to decide if it’s a true statement or not.
Road Trip Bingo
It’s just like the bingo you play at home, except this game has a road-trip spin. Bring along some bingo cards (you can even purchase ones that are road trip-themed) and look for all the items on the board. The first one to get BINGO wins!
The Name Game
This game is all about naming as many “names” as you can, but you’ll each only have three seconds to answer! There are lots of ways to play: focus on first letters, go with last names only, etc. Or change the category to dog breeds, books, types of flowers, or anything else you can come up with.
Story Starter
Here’s a classic game. One person will start a story but won’t finish the sentence. The next player will finish that sentence, but won’t finish it, and so on. By the end, you’ll probably have a pretty funny story going!
Alphabet Game
This is a game to play when you know there will be a lot of signs and billboards along the way. Starting with “A” and so on, players will find words on the route that start with each letter of the alphabet. You can play with the letters in order, or you can cross them off as you see them.
The Grocery Game
The first player will come up with an item they would buy at the grocery store. Without telling anyone, the rest of the car will take turns asking questions to discover what it is. Is it red? Can it be found in the produce department? It’s an apple!
Name That Tune
This one goes out to the music lovers out there! For this game, someone will start playing music on the radio or on a smartphone. In only five seconds, you have to guess what song it is. The first person to answer gets a point!
What Color Is It?
This game is perfect if you have young kiddos. The adults will list several items that are the same color: for instance, leaves, frogs, money, and so on. The kids have to guess the color!
Triple Threat
Someone in the car will choose three random nouns, like “alligator,” “flute,” and “mashed potatoes.” Everyone else in the car will have to make up a story based on these three nouns!
Car Color Search
Keep track of car colors as you spot them, including all the colors of the rainbow and some less-common ones, like pink, lime green, and gold.
Would You Rather?
These are questions that you make up as you go along, and you might learn some new things about each other, too! Ask questions like, “Would you rather eat a too-hot slice of pizza or a too-cold popsicle?” or “Would you rather win a million dollars or have the ability to fly?” Each person gets to answer these fun questions.
In My Suitcase
It’s a memory game! Start a sentence with, “I’m going on vacation, and I packed…” and begin with an item that starts with the letter A. The next player will choose an item that starts with B, but they have to add the previous player’s item onto their sentence. For example, you could say, “I’m going on vacation, and I packed accessories.” Next, the person could say, “I’m going on vacation, and I packed accessories and a brush.” See how long you can go until someone forgets.
Name the Most…
Pick a category, like vacation destinations or pets, and see if each player can “name the most” things for that category within 10 seconds.
The Movie Game
Starting with any letter of the alphabet, see how many movies you can come up with as a group that begin with that letter. If the letter is C, you could say, City Slickers, Cinderella, Casablanca, and so on.
Count the Animals
Choose a category of animals, like cows or seagulls, and see how many of them you can count throughout an entire road trip!
Top 10 Game
Come up with any category, like hotels, snacks, or T.V. shows, and as a family or group, come up with a list of your favorite “Top 10” things that fit into that category.
Name That Artist
Play the radio or stream some music on a smartphone. As soon as a song comes on, the first one to correctly guess the name of the band or artist wins.
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