Some of my fondest childhood memories are from family road trips. But if I think really hard, I also remember the younger version of me being impatient to just get there already. Beat car boredom and keep everyone happy and engaged with these family road trip games.
Best Road Trip Games for Younger Children
Younger kids, especially before they’ve figured out how to entertain themselves, will need a little help keeping boredom at bay. The games below are quick and simple with endless variations so every minute in the car feels fresher than the last.
1. I Spy
It’s a classic for a reason. Someone picks an item and says, “I spy with my little eye, something that ..." is red/tastes yummy/flies and so on. Then everyone in the car guesses until they figure out what was spied.
Because you’re in a moving vehicle, you might stick to items that are in the car or something that you see repeatedly on the roadside. The game keeps everyone attentive and taking in their surroundings, something that’s extra special in a new environment.
2. Animal Bingo
This one’s great for little ones who are learning their animals. Create or print out a few bingo cards with pictures of animals (or signs, plants, trucks, anything you might see during your road trip). Bonus points if, as they mark off their finds, they make the sounds to go along with the animals. Mooooo!
3. Story Round-Robin
Start a story and then let each person in the car keep it going with a line or two of their own. You’ll end up with a wacky tale, leaving everyone in fits of giggles.
4. Alphabet Game
Working on letters and the alphabet with your young adventurer? One option is to name a letter — let's say D — and have them find as many things as they can that start with that letter. Dog, door, donut shop ...
Another option is to have them go all the way through the alphabet — airplane, bank, cow, ... When you reach the end, just start over. Depending on their age and vocabulary, you might challenge them to not repeat a word from a previous round.
5. Number Hunt
This might be in the road trip games for young kids category, but I willingly admit to playing it as an adult (it can also help you stay awake and alert as the driver). Start at one and keep searching until you find all the numbers in order. It could be a 1 on a mile marker sign, a 2 in the phone number on a billboard, a 3 on someone’s license plate, and so on. When you see it, shout it out!
Best Road Trip Games for Older Children
Road trips are a great way to bond with your kids and build stronger connections with them as they get older. These are just a few games that can help you do that (while also keeping screen time to a minimum).
1. Would You Rather?
I’ve played this game at everything from a teenage sleepover to a corporate ice breaker. That’s because people usually enjoy it and it gets you interacting in a fun way.
Someone poses a question with two options — “Would you rather have the ability to fly or be invisible?” — and then someone else has to say which they’d prefer. You could direct the question to a specific individual or have everyone in the car answer the same question. Sometimes, the more absurd the options, the better.
2. 20 Questions
The round leader picks something — a person, place, thing — and then everyone else has 20 yes/no questions to guess what the leader is thinking of. Unlike “I Spy,” it doesn’t have to be something that you see around you.
Tailor the complexity of the game to your kids’ abilities. You might be thinking of something as simple as their favorite restaurant back home or more obscure like a historical figure.
3. Conversation Starters
If bonding with your teen on a road trip is the goal, a conversation starter game could be exactly what you want. You might come up with your own list of prompts, use ChatGPT to give you some ideas, or use an app that generates options.
Be sure to let them ask you some questions, too. Remember, it’s a conversation, not a grill session.
Here are some of our favorite starters, some fun and others on the more thought-provoking side:
- If you could be any superhero, who would you choose and why?
- What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you in school?
- If you could swap lives with any animal for a day, which animal would you pick?
- Would you rather have a pet dragon or a pet unicorn, and what would you name it?
- If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
- If you had to live in a cartoon world, which one would you pick and why?
- If you could invent any kind of gadget or app, what would it do?
- If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?
- What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
- If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
- What’s something you’re really proud of but don’t talk about often?
- What do you think is the most important quality in a friend?
4. Scavenger Hunt
You know the rules. Make a list of things everyone has to find while on the road. Make it as simple or tricky as you want. Red barn, yellow truck, group of three cows, a pizza place attached to a gas station.
You might have your kids take pictures of their finds. At the end of the trip, create a photo album that will only make sense to you and your family.
5. Road Trip Pictionary
Pack a travel-size dry erase board and take turns drawing pictures that the others have to guess. They can create their own prompts or use a random word generator for ideas. Alternatively, you could download an app with similar creative games if that’s more your family’s style.
Need Travel Insurance for Your Next Road Trip?
A lot can happen on a road trip. Sometimes it’s a great experience that makes incredible family memories. Other times, it’s a mishap that you would have rather avoided. For the unexpected that leaves you disappointed, there’s travel insurance.
You might be surprised by how travel insurance can help protect your money, health, and belongings, even when you’re traveling by road in your own country. Talk to a licensed agent to find the right plan for your trip or get a quick quote online.
