Road trips are among the best ways to experience the country. Hitting the road allows you to see all the places between point A and point B. Additionally, driving to your final destination gives you an opportunity to really bond with your travel buddies, and if you travel with an RV, you can take your time, stopping whenever and wherever you like to rest.
Of course, there are some downsides to road trips as well. One of the biggest drawbacks is the boredom that can set in when the scenery becomes uninteresting and listening to music is no longer cutting it. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to solve this problem.
Our favorite way to bust the road trip boredom is by playing road trip games. Unfortunately, some road trip games are really meant for children and aren’t all that entertaining for the adults in the vehicle. That said, not all road trip games fall into this category, and finding games that’ll appeal to the whole travel party is 100% possible.
Below are some of our favorite games that kids and adults can enjoy together.
21 Questions
A classic game that everyone loves, 21 questions gives you the chance to try to read the mind of your opponents. This might seem like an impossible feat, but many are surprised at just how often they are able to do just that.
To play:
- One person thinks of something.
- The other players take turns asking yes or no questions.
- The first player must answer all questions truthfully.
- Those asking questions try to figure out what the first player is thinking of in under 21 questions.
- Whoever guesses correctly starts the next round.
The Alphabet Game
The Alphabet Game is another classic that many know and love. It’s simple enough that even the youngest riders can participate, but interesting enough to keep the adults engaged. The goal? To find every letter in the alphabet in order.
To play:
- Watch road signs carefully, looking for the letter “A”.
- When the letter “A” is found, move on to letter “B”.
- Continue in this way until the entire alphabet has been found on road signs.
- License plates do not count.
The Singing Game
People who love music will adore the Singing Game. Not only will you get to sing to one another, you’ll also get to show off your repertoire of songs, making this the ideal game for those who know a lot of different kinds of music.
To play:
- One person sings a song.
- The next person has to pull a lyric from the first person’s song and jump in to connect it to another song.
- The next player does the same.
- Play continues until somebody messes up or is stumped.
Categories
This is a game of quick thinking that is sure to challenge everyone in your vehicle and give everyone a few giggles to boot. The idea is to list items in a preselected category in alphabetical order without skipping a beat.
To play:
- Decide on a category such as food, cars, animals, or anything else you like.
- Everyone begins clapping an agreed-upon rhythm together.
- The first player says something within the category that starts with the letter “A”.
- The second person says something within the category that starts with the letter “B” while staying on the rhythm and without skipping a beat.
- The play continues this way until someone messes up or the alphabet is complete.
Cows on My Side
Cows on My Side is an absolutely ridiculous game that can be played for the duration of the trip, even when other games are going on. It’s totally silly, yet challenging—in that it requires players to pay attention—and is sure to get some laughs going.
To play:
- When you see a cow on your side of the road yell, “cows on my side” before the players on the opposite side notice and collect a point for your side of the vehicle.
- When you see a cow on the opposite side of the road yell, “cows on your side”. If you say it before the players on the opposite side you gain a point for your team.
- When anyone sees a cemetery that can call, “ghost cow” and steal all the points from the other side of the vehicle.
Fortunately/Unfortunately
The final game on our list is just as fun as every other game listed, and requires just as much fast thinking as Categories and just as much silliness as Cows on My Side. Fortunately/Unfortunately gives players a chance to make a fortunate situation from an unfortunate one.
To play:
- One person starts by saying something is fortunate. Example: “Fortunately, we’re in an RV right now.”
- The next person follows up by saying something unfortunate about the situation. Example: “Unfortunately, the RV belongs to a witch.”
- The next player will then point out something fortunate. Example: “Fortunately, the witch has no idea we’re here.”
- Keep playing at a fast pace until someone is stumped.
- Statements can be true or completely fictional, but fictional ones tend to be more fun.
Clearly, those long stretches on road trips don’t have to be boring at all. These games, plus store-bought games such as road trip bingo and Mad Libs, can make time fly by and give you an excellent opportunity to spend quality time with those you love.
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