[Travel Games] – 100+ Insanely Fun Games to Play on Your Next Trip

Word games

The following games all test how good you are with words and will keep you chatting for the duration of your trip!

27. Smurfing

This is another game that’s often referred to slightly differently, depending on the players! If you don’t know it by smurfing, you might recognize the rules: 

• Players need to choose the person to be the subject of the game. That person then needs to cover their ears. 
• The other players need to think of a verb and agree. 
• The subject then needs to replace the verb they’re trying to guess with the word ‘smurf.’ 
• For instance: “Is it fun to smurf in the sea during the summer?” The other players answer yes or no, and the subject has to guess the verb as quickly as possible from their answers. 

28. Bust a rhyme! 

Who doesn’t love a good rhyming game? One player gets things started by saying a word (don’t start with something like purple that is impossible to rhyme with!) Every other person in the group plays their turn by saying a word that rhymes with the one said by the previous player. You keep going until you run out of ideas, and you should set a ten-second time limit on each turn to keep things moving. 

29. The forbidden word

This is a game for the long-haul! As you’re starting your journey, decide on a word that players aren’t allowed to say. You could pick something like ‘please’ or ‘no,’ but it’s totally up to you! Someone needs to keep track of how many times each person says the forbidden word accidentally. Instead of using the word, you should all agree to say ‘forbidden’ in its place. The loser is the person that says it the most times and has to buy dinner for everyone when you arrive at your destination! 

30. The word association game

You might be surprised it’s taken us this long to get to the word association game! Someone begins by saying a noun like ‘pizza.’ Everyone takes a turn to say a word that’s associated with the first noun, and you see how far you can get before someone makes a mistake (or you get bored!) 

31. Say this sentence backward

Someone begins by saying a simple sentence. The next person then has to repeat that sentence backward without making a mistake. Each person gets sixty seconds to say as many short sentences backward as they can without making a mistake. 

32. Spelling test

No, you’re not back in the second grade! Spelling tests can be a fun way of learning new and ridiculously spelled words. Unless you have an English major in the car with you, someone should look on Google for unusually spelled words, and they become the question master. Prove to your friends that you’re the smartest by getting all the questions right!

33. Guess the language

Whoever can look on their phone is tasked with reading a random sentence in a foreign language. Making their best impression of a foreign accent, they then have to read the sentence in the language it’s written. The other players have to guess what the language is. 

34. Anagrams

Anagrams are a quirky way to spice things up during your travels. You can have themed anagrams if you like, or you can just look up different anagrams and ask people to guess what they are. For example, ‘Trod Length of Shire’ is an anagram of The Lord of the Rings. They can be tough to get, and it can take a long time between rounds! Certainly one for the thinkers. 

Imagination games

To a certain extent, most games require you to use your imagination. But these ones, in particular, allow you to get the creative juices flowing! 

35. Tell a story

Putting together a group story is the perfect way to test out your creativity. If you’re a group traveling on the motorway, you might start the story with something like, “Once upon a time at a service station in Greater Manchester…” The next person in the group takes the story on and delivers the next sentence. This then goes on until you run out of ideas. You could always ask someone to record the story and share it with friends back home!

36. Create scenarios

Although this might sound a little like something straight out of a job interview, creating scenarios can actually be a fun way to pass the time during a road trip. The idea is to create random scenarios that the other passengers then have to say what they would do in a particular situation. For example:

• You’re on the beach when you see a giant shark approaching a group of swimmers. What do you do? 
• You arrive in a new country on holiday, and your best friend gets mistakenly identified as a celebrity. You’re offered exclusive five-star luxury by the hotel. What do you do?
• You’re stuck in a lift with your celebrity crush. What do you do? 
• You’re down to your last $100 in Vegas. This is enough money to buy a bus ticket home. But a casino owner offers you the chance to put the $100 down on the roulette and gives you a generous three spins to double your money. What do you do?

37. Imagine the life of a fellow traveler

If you’re on public transport, this is an excellent way to imagine the person the life of the person who’s a few rows in front of you. Just be careful that they can’t hear you! Here’s what to do: 

• Select a random person close by. 
• Make up a short story about their life and why they’re traveling to the same place as you. 
• Everyone else in your party votes on the best story. 

38. You won’t believe what happened when you were asleep…

Somewhere along the way, one of your group is bound to fall asleep. When they wake up, agree with the other passengers to tell an unbelievable story that occurred while they were snoozing. It can be as far-fetched as you like but try and make it a little bit believable. See how long you can stay in character and keep the person in the dark.

39. Am I telling the truth? 

This game is a test of how well your fellow passengers know you. Essentially, you tell them a story about your life, and they have to work out whether or not you’re telling the truth. Each person takes turns to be the storyteller, and they have to incorporate some true and some false stories about their life. To keep things competitive, ask someone to keep track of the scores. 

40. Design you dream house

Although this isn’t necessarily a game, it gives all players the chance to be creative and design their dream home. You should ask players to go into detail about their type of house, the layout, location, and any other funky features that make the house extra special. Bear in mind there are no limits to your budget, so get as creative as you like!

41. You’re President for the day… 

What would you do if you were president for the day? Would you try and end world hunger? Pass some new laws? Or just have a walk around the Whitehouse? Whatever you would do, share it with your friends and see what they would do if they could do the most powerful job in the world for 24 hours. 

42. If you could own a sports team… 

This is one for the sports fans! It’s the dream of every soccer, football, or baseball supporter to have the chance to own their favorite sports team. You should tell the other players which team you would own and what you would do to make changes to the way your team operates. Again, money isn’t an issue, so get creative! 

Humorous games

All of the following games have humor as the main ingredient! What better way to make your traveling companions laugh than by getting stuck into some of the following travel games?

43. Sorry I’m late, but…

This game can be adapted to song lyrics, movie plots, TV show episodes, or even incredible sporting achievements. It goes something like this: 

• The first player decides on a topic that they’re going to introduce. For example, you might choose something like the plot of The Big Bang Theory.
• You then explain why you were late, and the other players have to guess what your reasoning refers to. To take the same example, you could say something like this: 

“Sorry I’m late, but I was busy falling in love with my hot neighbor while trying to wind up my roommate with a ridiculous science experiment.”

• Each person gets a chance to explain why they were late, and the winner who guesses correctly takes the next turn. 

44. Hold my beer

The phrase ‘hold my beer’ comes from people doing incredibly stupid things! Playing hold my beer gives you the chance to share some of the ridiculous things you’ve done in your past. So, you might say something like, “Hold my beer while I jump off this trampoline into a paddling pool while breaking my arm.” The person who tells the daftest story wins! 

45. Mock accents

There’s something funny about mocking the accents of famous people or people from a particular place. Each player chooses a person to try and resemble, and the other players have to guess who they’re impersonating. 

46. Fortunately, unfortunately

This game gives you the chance to create silly statements based on the situation you currently find yourself in. Each person takes it in turns to complete the statements. For instance: 

“Fortunately, you put the sat nav on!” 

“Unfortunately, it has led us into Mordor.”

47. Don’t tell my mum, but… 

This game gives players the chance to come clean about certain things they’ve been up to that their parents wouldn’t approve of! It can really be anything you want to get off your chest, so feel free to dig deep into your past and find something that you’re particularly ashamed of! 

Memory and logic games

The following games will test how good you are at remembering and recalling certain things and take many formats. You should maybe play these at the start of your journey, as they get more difficult when you’re tired! 

48. I’m going on holiday

This one tests how good you are at remembering a list of items that you might take with you when you go on holiday. The first person begins by stating what item they would take, and it moves around the group. So, for example: 

• The first person says, ‘I’m going on holiday, and I’m taking my kindle.” 
• The next person would offer another item like ‘a passport.’ 
• The idea is to go around the group, and everyone has to remember what items have been mentioned and what order they are in. 
• If you get it wrong, you have to sit out. The last person standing is the winner. 

49. Who am I? 

Who am I? is a variation of 21 questions. Every person in the group decides on a famous person and writes the name down on a piece of paper. You pass your name to the person to your left, and they then stick it to their forehead. They have to ask yes or no questions to ascertain who the person is. The quicker you get the right answer, the better! 

50. Six degrees of separation

Your job here is to think about two people in the world who are seemingly unrelated. As a group, you have to find the connection between them with six people or less. You will be surprised at how well you can find connections between totally random people! 

51. Guess the cost of fuel

Just before you reach a service station, everyone takes a guess at the cost of fuel. The person who’s closest gets a free drink from the other passengers when you next make a stop. If you want to make things tough for the loser, agree that the person with the worst guess has to put $10 worth of fuel in at the next stop. 

52. Rock, paper, scissors

This game is usually played to find out which person has to do something, but it can also be played in a tournament format. However you decide to play it, you could all agree that the winner has to buy the first round of drinks when you arrive wherever you’re going. 

53. Pub quiz

Who doesn’t love a good pub quiz? You can either download a generic quiz from Google, or you can get creative and make your own. Take it in turns to be the quizmaster and see who out of your traveling companions is the smartest! Make sure you tell everyone to turn their phones on Airplane mode for the duration of the quiz! You don’t want any cheating. 

54. How well do you know each other? 

This game is known by different names and has lots of variations, but it’s a fantastic way of putting your friendships to the test! Here’s how it works: 

• You nominate someone as the quiz master. 
• Each person writes between 5-10 statements about themselves on a piece of paper that are true. 
• They then pass them to the quizmaster, who reads the statements anonymously. 
• Everyone then has to guess which person the statement is about. 
• The winner is the person who guesses the most times correctly. 

Observational games

These games ensure everyone in your group keeps their eyes on the road! They’re best played from a car, but can also be played when you’re using public transport, providing you have a good view of the road. 

55. The license plate game

Some people know this game to have different rules, and there are many variations, but to keep things simple, you can follow the basic rules and mix things up however you choose: 

• Begin by agreeing on how to note down the different license plates that you notice. Some players prefer using pen and paper, but the notes section of your phone works perfectly fine. 
• The idea of the game is to identify as many different license plates as you can from various states. 
• Each plate can only be spotted and noted down by one player, so the first to see the plate gets to add it to their list. 
• The winner is the person with the most license plates from as many different places as possible when you arrive at your destination. 

56. Spot the car

Before you set off, agree with your fellow passengers on the make and model of a specific car. It could be a sports car or just a regular everyday car, whatever you decide. When you’re driving along, every time someone spots the designated car, the first person to shout out gets the point. Set a point tally (five or ten) to win. 

57. The alphabet game

This game is best played as a team, but you can play it against fellow passengers if you prefer. It’s played in the following way: 

• Starting with the letter ‘a,’ you have to identify a road sign that has a place name or advertisement beginning with that letter. 
• You need to keep your eyes peeled and work your way through the alphabet. 
• It’s helpful if someone keeps a note of the places that you note down to work your way through the alphabet. 
• For a twist, once you get to the end of the alphabet, try and put together a story about the places and advertisements that you’ve listed! 

58. Yellow car

Every time you see a yellow car, you have to call it and give the person next to you a (gentle) punch on the arm! Of course, you have to agree in advance that you’re going to play this, as it’s not fair just to punch your friend without prior warning! 

59. Dirty I spy

Everyone has heard of the classic family game ‘I spy,’ but not everyone has heard of the dirty adults-only version of the game. It goes like this: 

• The first person states: ‘I spy with my little eye, something beginning with (a – or whichever letter that they choose.)’
• The other players need to look around outside the window and thinking of what the person is seeing. 
• To play with a dirty twist, the person who is ‘spying’ can add a variation of the truth to spice things up and make things interesting!

Best Travel Games for Children

Depending on the age of your children, some of the games that we’ve already introduced would be appropriate to play with them, particularly if you simplify or miss out the lewd bits! But the following games are tried and tested ways of keeping the kids entertained throughout the course of your journey! You can thank us later. 

60. Smile and wave

This is a great game to play while you’re traveling on the highway. When you zoom past a car with other passengers, smile and wave at the occupants of the other car. If they wave back, great job! If they ignore you, pull a funny face or frown at them in return. 

61. Spot the tractor! 

This one is pretty self-explanatory but is a great one for younger kids. Ask them to shout out every time they spot a tractor and tell them to describe its color and size to you. You can even tell them to wave at the driver and see if he reciprocates. 

62. Old Macdonald had a farm… 

We all know the popular nursery rhyme, and it’s a super fun song to sing along with your youngest kids. However, the travel game is also a great way to keep your kids entertained during the journey. Here’s how to play it: 

• Tell your kids to shout out every time they see an animal out of the window. It doesn’t have to be a farmyard animal; it can be anything that they see. 
• Every time they spot a new animal, sing the nursery rhyme together and include the latest animal in the first verse. 
• Continue adding new animals to the rhyme whenever the kids spot a new animal that hasn’t yet been mentioned. 

63. Guess who? 

Pick a specific type of vehicle for your kids to pay attention to. It can be fun to select trucks or buses, for example. Before you pull out to overtake if you’re on the highway, ask the kids to describe what they think the driver looks like. Whoever’s remotely close wins! 

64. I went to the supermarket to buy… 

This is a popular memory game that keeps your kids entertained but also gives them the opportunity to boost their knowledge of what’s in a supermarket! Here’s how to play it:

• The first person begins by saying, ‘I went to the supermarket to buy … cheese.’ 
• The next player has to remember what was said beforehand and add their own products to the list. 
• You continue for as long as you can or until someone makes a mistake.
• To make things more interesting and to test your kids’ knowledge of different shops, you can change ‘supermarket’ to any type of store. 

65. Guess the commercial

It’s amazing how perceptive kids are, particularly when it comes to things like commercials. When the radio is playing, instead of turning it off when the commercials come on, turn it into a game. After the first couple of seconds have played, ask the kids to guess the name of the company that’s being sponsored. Nobody likes listening to ads, so turn it into a game to keep things interesting! 

66. I spy

We’ve already introduced dirty I spy for adults. Well, this is the toned-down version for kids. You already know how to play. 

67. Harry Potter and the… 

J.K. Rowling came up with some incredible titles for the Harry Potter books! If you have a family of Harry Potter fans, ask the kids to come up with their own titles and give them the chance to create their own plot lines. We all have our issues with how the story ended at the end of the Deathly Hallows, so this is your kids’ chance to re-write the Harry Potter storyline for themselves. 

68. The name game

There are so many different ways you can play the name game, so it’s ideal for kids with different interests. Here are the rules in their simplest form to get you started: 

• Begin naming names of specific people.
• Each person gets three seconds to come up with a name. If you fail to come up with one, then you’re out. 
• When you’ve done with names, you can mix it up and use countries, cities, etc. 

69. Name the nursery rhyme

Open up YouTube or Spotify on your phone and play the opening twenty seconds of a popular nursery rhyme. The kids have to guess the name of the rhyme, and if they get it right, you sing along as a reward! 

70. Disney sing-a-long

Who doesn’t love a Disney movie or soundtrack? Whether it’s Frozen or Lion King, the kids will just love joining in with a sing-a-long from their favorite Disney movie. If your kids are huge Disney fans, you might even decide to download the musical version of each song without any words, so the floor is totally theirs. 

71. Road trip bingo

Bingo is such an easy game to play with kids, as the rules are super simple to understand. What’s more, you can mix things up and add educational elements to each of the games if you want to make things more interesting for the kids. Here’s how to play road-trip bingo: 

• Before you set off, create your bingo boards with the sites that you hope to see along the way. For instance, you could include farmyard animals, specific points of interest, and generic things like gas stations.
• At the start of your journey, give your kids their bingo boards and a marker. They have to pay attention for the duration of the trip to note down the different things they see. 
• The winner is the first to mark all of the sites that they see. It’s nice to have a chocolate bar or set prize for the winner. 

72. Hangman

Hangman is a popular game played by kids when they’re at school, and it’s an excellent way of passing the time when you’re on the road. All you need is a notepad and a pen. Here’s how to play Hangman if you’re not familiar with the premise: 

• The person who begins thinks of a word and puts the correct amount of dashes on the paper.
• The other players have to guess which letters are in the word. 
• If they guess correctly, the person who started has to write the letter in the word. If they guess incorrectly, you make a note of the letter at the side and start forming your stick hangman. 
• To win, the players need to guess the word before the man is hung! 

73. Once upon a time… 

Somebody begins by saying, ‘Once upon a time…’ The idea is to put together a totally hilarious and random story as a family. Each person takes turns to contribute and ending to the previous sentence, and then begin a new one of their own. Somebody should record the story on their smartphone, so you can listen back to the finished article when you’ve had enough. Whatever the outcome, it will certainly produce a barrel of laughs! 

74. True or false

This is an excellent way to introduce your kids to some cool facts while testing their knowledge of particular topics. You could make your game follow a specific theme (like geography or sports) and use Google to help you find some crazy statistics about certain things! You can then add a random false statement to the mix and see which your kids think is actually true.  

75. Scavenger hunt

Plan a real-life scavenger hunt for your kids to enjoy while you’re on the road. Although it requires a little bit of planning, it’s totally worth it to see your kids scurrying around at service stations and looking contentedly out the window, trying to spot different things on the way to check off their lists. 

76. Who am I? 

Each player has to think of a well-known movie character or TV star. You then take turns to say a factual statement about the character that you’re impersonating. Anyone can guess at any time who the person is impersonating, but be careful because if you guess incorrectly, you’re out! The winner is the person who stays in for the longest. 

77. School would be so much more fun if… 

Give your kids the chance to sit on the school board! This game allows them to create scenarios about how to improve their school. Whether it’s a school without teachers or one that’s floating on water, it’s awesome to listen to their imagination run wild and hear how they would like to improve their school. 

78. Disney’s newest movie

Another great game to test your kids’ imagination is to get them to plan Disney’s newest movie. They need to think of characters, settings, and plot twists, and you can even ask them to draw the characters they want to see on a pad and paper. 

Best Travel Mobile Games & Apps

Given the incredible rise of mobile technology in recent years, we’re spoiled for choice when it comes to games and apps that we can download on our smartphones. Downloading some of the following apps before leaving home will be sure to keep you entertained for hours during your road trip. Here are some of the best apps for iOS and Android. 

79. Psych! 

Psych is a little like an app version of Balderdash, albeit a little simplified and with some slight variations. The primary user creates a group and invites others to join, then you select some categories and start writing your fake answers! The winner is the person whose fake answer gets chosen the most by other players. 

80. Scrabble Go

Scrabble can get super competitive, particularly if you’re on the road and traveling with other players! The app allows you to play with up to four players, and you have little chance of getting away with made-up words, thanks to the in-built dictionary that comes with the app! 

81. 8 ball pool

It might not be the first type of travel game that people think of, but it’s an excellent game to play while on the road. Just make sure you’re not traveling off-road, as a steady hand is required! 

82. Football Manager

One of the most popular games with men in Britain, Football Manager allows you to take control of your favorite football (or soccer, depending on where you’re from!) team and lead them to glory! You get to sign your own players, set your tactics, and control every aspect of running your team. It’s super addictive, so be sure to play only on long journeys, as you won’t want to put it down! 

83. UNO

UNO is one of the most popular card games in the world, and you can now play it online via an app. This is ideal for those that want to challenge their friends and family to UNO on the go. Lucky for us, the developers have included a number of cool features to the app version, including 2v2 and tournament modes, giving you lots of options to choose from while you’re on the road. 

84. Yahtzee

Another super popular family game, Yahtzee, is also available as an app on both iOS and Android. When you’re traveling with others, each player will need to download the app on their respective phones, and you can easily connect with one another via Facebook. 

85. Boggle

You can get your Boggle fix on the go, thanks to the awesome app that allows you to compete with friends, random opponents, or even enter live head-to-head tournaments! The app also includes a daily challenges feature, which gives you the chance to mix up the format and play different variations of the original game. 

86. Scattergories

Scattergories comes with so many more features than the original board game version. Players can enjoy multiplayer mode, duels, access power-ups, rank on the leader board, and connect online to play with their friends. It’s another excellent app version of a super-popular board game and one which you should consider to keep you entertained during your road trip. 

87. Dual

This game requires two devices, and you need to be sitting next to the player you’re up against. Each player operates a spaceship, and the aim of the game is to destroy your opponent’s ship by shooting at it. It’s awesome to see the shots fire from one phone to another, and it is a great way to get competitive while traveling. 

88. 12 Orbits

Because of the nature of the game, 12 Orbits is much better enjoyed on a tablet as opposed to a smartphone. Every player is responsible for a different section of the screen, and the goal is to pick up the white dots to leave a dot of your color that will take out other players if they accidentally hit it. Although it sounds confusing when described, as soon as you download it and play it, you will quickly get the hang of it. 

89. Out of the Loop

This is an excellent game to play while traveling. Basically, as the name would suggest, every player but one is given specific information. All players are given questions to ask different players about the information, and the player who is out of the loop needs to respond in a way that doesn’t give away the fact that they don’t know the required information. 

90. Evil Apples

Disclaimer: this one isn’t suitable for kids! If you’ve ever played Cards Against Humanity, you may have heard about Evil Apples. It’s essentially the same premise but is all online. Whatever you do, don’t play with people who are easily offended, as it will ruin the game and could even destroy your friendship! 

91. Spaceteam

Spaceteam requires players to shout out what can only be described as gibberish. Or at least that’s what it sounds to other people who aren’t playing! In fact, you’re tasked with shouting out very specific commands that the other players need to follow in order to progress through each level. If you don’t mind causing a scene, this is a good one to play on public transport, as nobody will understand what all the fuss is about! 

92. Licence plate game app

We’ve already introduced you to the license plate game, but if you’re a tech-savvy family, you can download the app version. The best thing about using the app is that it tracks each player individually, and it keeps track of your score. Essentially, it deters any would-be cheaters from getting ahead! 

93. Don’t starve

Don’t starve is a pretty unique game, as it doesn’t come with any tutorial. You have to work out how to survive in the wilderness that your character is created in, and if you die, you get spawned in a totally new place from the last time, often having to work out the controls and how to interact with the virtual world all over again! It’s definitely one to pass the time while you’re traveling long distances and can keep you entertained for hours. 

94. Heads up

Anyone who has played a drinking game at a party has likely played some variation of heads up. Each player has to download the app to their phone, and whoever starts has to hold their phone up to their forehead. The other players have to try and help them guess the word that’s on their screen without mentioning the word. 

95. What if… 

We touched upon scenarios earlier on in this post, but What if… is ideal if you’re not overly creative and don’t have the energy to think up scenarios for yourself. The app poses a number of strange scenarios that you could find yourself in, and it requires players to say what they would do when faced with that situation in real life. 

96. Trivia crack

Trivia crack gives players the perfect opportunity to show off their general knowledge while competing against their loved ones during a long journey. The game comes with questions from so many different categories, including sports, geography, art, science, and so on. You can set the level of difficulty depending on who you’re playing with, and you can either play as a team against the computer or against your family members directly. We would advise playing against each other, as things get competitive really quickly! 

97. Monopoly Go

Love it or hate it, Monopoly is a family classic that causes no end of arguments! You can download the Monopoly app on your phone and connect to other players in the car. The great thing about Monopoly is that it keeps you occupied for hours and makes those long journeys pass a little more quickly. 

98. Sporcle quizzes

Sporcle is a fantastic free resource that you can access via the web browser on your smartphone. There are countless quizzes that test the knowledge of all players on a variety of topics. You can choose to play as a team or play against one another. There are also loads of options for kids, so you can keep the little ones entertained by testing what they know about a certain topic. 

99. Who wants to be a millionaire?

This popular quiz show can be enjoyed via the app while you’re on the road. The questions start out nice and easy and become more and more difficult as you progress through the levels. The lifelines that players are given – ask the audience, 50/50, and phone a friend, can be used through the app. However, to make it more interactive, you could actually do those things in real life! Phoning a friend at home to ask them quiz questions is a great way to make the game even more fun. 

100. Deal or No Deal

This is one of the simplest TV gameshows around, but it’s also one of the most popular. Each contestant is given a box, and they have to open the other boxes within the game methodically. The idea is to find and remove the boxes with the lowest amount of money. As the game progresses, you get a call from the banker who makes you an offer, depending on the amount of money left in the game. This is an excellent game to play with friends while traveling, as you seek to find the most amount of money possible! 

Conclusion

Even on the most exciting of road trips in a foreign country, the boredom can creep in during long, tiresome stretches. However, with these 100 travel games, you have absolutely no excuse to sit there in silence and let boredom take over. 

Instead, these games should keep you entertained for the length of your trip and ensure that you get to your destination after a fun-filled journey with your fellow travel companions. 

Don’t just stick to this list, though! One of the best things about travel games is that the more creative you get, the more fun they can be! Add variations, wacky rules, and crazy concepts to these 100 travel games to have even more fun with your friends.

Hopefully, they will get everyone to their destination in a good mood and will help you bond with your companions as a result.