road trip games for car

30 Best Road Trip Games That Are Super Fun

Road trip games can make any journey more enjoyable and fun whether you're going on a long drive across the country or spending a few hours in the car with the kids.

Our list of the 30 of the best road trip games will provide entertainment for children and adults alike, ranging from music-related games and foodie challenges to word contests and devious pranks.

You will never have to think of what to do on a long car ride again! The following is the ultimate list of games you can play on a road trip.

1. The Story Game

Entertaining for adults and kids alike, this is storytelling with a twist - you go round the car and each passenger adds just one word following on from the player before.

See how crazy you can make the story, and get someone to record it on their phone so you can listen back to the hilarious progression of the plot as you make way along your road trip. You could go from sunbathing in Spain to training alpacas in Chile in a matter of seconds.

Trust us, you're in for a laugh with this one and if your passengers are good, these stories can get seriously long!

2. I'm Going On A Road Trip

This road trip game requires a bit more brain power than some of the others, but is still really entertaining and great for all ages. To play, passengers take it in turns to state 'I'm going on a road trip and I'm bringing…' followed by an item of their choice.

The next person has to repeat the phrase, saying the last person's item and adding one of their own and so on - eventually you'll have a really long list of crazy items to try and remember, and it's always amusing watching people try and get it right a few rounds in.

Be sure to throw in a few weird and wonderful items to confuse the rest of the players!

3. The Quiet Game

This game is a bit of a joke for the adults who want a few minutes of peace and quiet from their squabbling kids. The rules are hilariously simple - just say 'who can stay quiet the longest?' and breathe as the competitive siblings fall instantly silent.

Just a word of warning though: don't expect it to last very long, so have another kid-friendly car game lined up for when they get bored.

4. The Banana Game

This game is all about the color yellow and is super simple - points are awarded whenever a passenger spots a yellow vehicle.

Come up with a scoring system for different types of vehicle (e.g. one point for a car, two for a van, and three for a lorry) and whether you saw it parked (one point) or in motion (two points). Add any extra rules you fancy, and prepare to get competitive about who saw it first.

5. Never Miss A Beat

This game may be more of a singalong than a game, but it's still awesome!

Never miss a beat offers another chance to show off your singing skills and unusually gets everyone playing together rather than against each other.

All you need to do is stick on your family's favorite song or a song everyone knows the words to and start singing. Someone then needs to turn it down for 10 seconds whilst everyone keeps singing, before turning it back up again to see if you've kept the beat and stayed in time.

This game is mainly just a bit of fun, but you could always turn it into a competition by splitting into teams!

Another classic you've probably played a thousand times before but never get bored of.

Passengers take it in turns to find an object either inside or outside the car and say "I spy with my little eye something beginning with…" the first letter of whatever the object is.

The other passengers must then try and guess the answer (clues can be given if it's really hard), with the winner taking the next turn. This is an easy car game to play with kids and always a great one to keep bored passengers entertained for a surprisingly long time.

7. 20 Questions

This classic road trip game probably doesn't need much of an introduction - simply choose one passenger to start by thinking of a random object, and the other passengers take turns asking 20 yes-or-no questions to guess the object.

Whoever finds the answer first gets to think of the random thing in the next round, but if the object has everyone stumped, they get to keep their role for the next round.

There are no rules on the object you can pick, but lying in your answers is strictly forbidden!

8. Car Bingo

This kid-friendly game takes a little prep before you set off, but it's well worth it if you need to keep the kids entertained on a long journey.

Make a list of things the children might see along the road trip route - e.g. cows, a tractor, a red car etc, to give to them when you get into the car.

As you drive they can cross things off as they see them, not only distracting them from boredom but also encouraging them to look around and learn about the places they're visiting.

Make the list as specific to the place you're going as you want. In Texas you might have anything mentioning the Lone Star and in Wyoming you might be on the lookout for elk!

You can tailor the difficulty and number of things to find depending on the age of your children.

9. Sweet Or Sour

The rules of this road trip game are super simple: passengers take turns waving at passing pedestrians or people in nearby cars. If they wave back they're sweet, if not they're sour. You win a point for every sweet passerby you get, so aim to find as many friendly people as possible along the way.

For obvious reasons, the driver should opt out of this one, but it can be extra fun if they divert the car through a busy area of town to rack up some extra waving opportunities!

Remember not to distract other drivers!

10. Secret Place Race

Make use of that old road map that sits in the car seat pocket to entertain the kids. All you need to do for the secret place race is pick a place they're unlikely to know such as a tiny village, river, or mountain, and see how long it takes them to find it on the map.

This can be incredibly entertaining in a Where's Waldo kind of way, except their mission in finding the village can be made critically important for the driver to be able to find the right way!

Have a reward on hand if they're able to find it in less than 5 minutes, and watch as they're completely engrossed in the task. A simple yet satisfyingly effective game.

11. Punch Buggy

First gaining popularity as part of one of Volkswagen's marketing campaigns in the 1960s, the aim of this game is to give your fellow passengers a playful punch whenever you see a VW Beetle drive past.

This is one of those road trip games that is universally loved by children (as long as you monitor the punching to avoid disaster), although we don't see why the adults wouldn't enjoy it too.

Granted - in some parts of the world, seeing a Beetle is incredibly rare, so if you're struggling to see many Beetles, you could always choose a specific color of car or another funny model as the target instead to make it a touch easier.

12. Regional Car Pantry

One for the foodies. Stretching across the full duration of your road trip, collect as many local snacks as you can at every stop along the way to build up your car pantry.

Make sure you take pictures of each snack (or buy duplicates if they'll keep) so you can see what you've managed to collect at the end of the trip, and be sure to take some weird and wonderful treats home for friends and family to try.

Do some research beforehand and make a list of all the foods you want to find, or just wing it and see what local delicacies you stumble across as you go.

13. The License Plate Game

You'll need pens and paper for this game so make sure you've packed some before you head off. The aim is to spot license plates from as many different countries or US states (depending on where your road trip is taking place) as possible.

Write a list of the places you've seen and compare it with the other passengers at the end of the drive. This is the ideal game for those long stretches of boring motorway where you'll probably rack up a surprisingly long list, and the person with the most countries gets to ride shotgun for the next leg of the journey.

The end of this road trip game can get very controversial - if you spot a real game winner, photographic evidence is a good idea so get your phone out and take photos in secret!

14. The Fortunately - Unfortunately road trip game

This is similar to the Story Game (see #1 above), however players get a little more control and creativity. You can say more than one word this time!

One player starts off with a 'fortunately' sentence, and the next has to follow with an 'unfortunately' sentence to build a story of luck and misfortune. For example, one player might start with 'fortunately, the sun was shining' with the second player adding 'unfortunately they had a long drive ahead of them' and so on.

This game can make it a little easier to remember the long string as everything has to be either fortunate or unfortunate! Get as creative as you can and you'll find yourself at your destination in what seems like no time at all.

15. The Complete Food Menu Game

This is the perfect road trip game to play if you're passing through a few towns on your way although roadside restaurants and chains will do just fine.

Print out a sheet with all the food types you can think of in a grid against the names of people in the car.

Every time you drive past a restaurant of some kind, the first person to spot it gets to collect the tick for the food type it serves. Steaks and pizzas should be easy to collect by everyone, but you might just win if you're the only one who spotted the seafood restaurant in the middle of Oklahoma!

16. The Name Game

This is another simple game that keeps your brain occupied during a long drive without being too strenuous. One person simply says any name they can think of and the next person must say another name that begins with the last letter of the name before, and so on.

For example if passenger one says Tom, passenger two might say Mary. If you've made any friends during your road trip, try and include their names to make it a tad more topical.

Obviously adding the rule of not repeating the same names once they have been mentioned makes this a whole lot more interesting as the game progresses although you're guaranteed to have a disagreement over whether a name has or has not been mentioned already!

17. Guess The Song

If you're comfortable in your musical knowledge you'll definitely want to suggest playing this one. The rules are simple: get the front passenger to play the first few seconds of a song and whoever can guess the artist and song title the quickest wins a point.

This is much easier if you can connect your phone to the car for the road trip and play songs from there so you can easily search and pause the music.

The person with the most points after half an hour gets control of the music for the rest of the journey, so there's a lot at stake...

18. Sing The Next Line

A variation on the Guess The Song game above, except this game relies on your vocal chords.

Instead of just guessing the song after a few seconds, players have to rack their brains and try and sing the next line, and the person who successfully remembers it first wins a point. Think of a reward for whoever wins, and if you attempt it but get it wrong you have to do a forfeit chosen by the driver.

19. Radio Roulette

This game's a little less hands-on but no less entertaining. Use your road trip driving time to discover all the local radio stations of the place you're visiting by re-tuning every ten minutes and choosing a new station at random.

You'll probably find some pretty wacky programs and get to know traditional and popular music in that country - a great way to appreciate culture even when you're between destinations.

If you a radio station that is really wacky, let us know!

20. Would You Rather

This road trip game can be be as PG or as outrageous as you like depending on the age of the passengers.

Take turns asking the car whether they would rather do one thing or another (e.g. 'would you rather go to France or Spain?') and see what they answer. Make it as difficult as possible to choose between the two options for maximum entertainment value, whether that's making them equally amazing or equally horrible, it's up to you…

You can see how this game can get as interesting in group of adults as with kids - answering the question is compulsory and providing reasons is where it gets fun!

21. Car Rules Road Trip Game

Everyone in the car gets to make up a silly rule, e.g. whenever we cross a bridge everyone has has to touch their nose, or whenever we stop at a red light everyone has to touch the roof of the car.

The last person to join in when an action is enforced gains a point, and the person with the most points at the end of the drive loses. Get as creative as you like with the rules and try and catch people out where possible so you can take the victory.

The loser has to go pay for parking or buy ice creams at the next stop!

22. Hot Seat

If you're that nosy friend that wants to find out all of your companions' deepest secrets then you'll like this one. Passengers take it in turns to be in the hot seat and are asked 5 questions, one of which they're allowed to veto and the other four must be answered honestly.

This is best played in an adult-only car (questions get notoriously cheeky) and is the ideal way to pass the time finding out some interesting new facts about your road trip friends.

You can use it as a warm up or a step up from the car version of Truth or Dare (see #27 below) depending on how close your friendships are!

23. People Watching

Someone picks a car full of people that everyone can see (this works best if you're stuck in traffic), and together you make up a story about the people - who they are, where they're going, what they do for a living. The funnier and more far-fetched the story, the better - just make sure you're not staring too obviously at your subjects or it might get a little awkward...

Use your imagination to make the stories controversial and see how far you can go with making things up!

You might just surprise yourself how the most innocuous of road trip games will make you spot things you would never otherwise see just by looking at the cars around you.

24. Kiss, Marry, Avoid

Another one for the older crowd. Take turns listing three famous people and the other passengers in the car have to choose which person they would kiss, which they would marry, and which they would avoid.

Make it really hard to decide so that everyone has a bit of a laugh, and try to predict each other's answers to add an extra twist to the game.

If you want to add a little spice to the game, use people you all know or move to people in the car!

25. While You Were Sleeping

There's nothing more tempting than pulling a prank on a passenger who falls asleep en route, and whilst we don't dispute the whole drawing-a-mustache classic, we've got something even craftier.

Whilst they're taking a nap on the road trip, have a brainstorm with the awake members of the party and come up with an epic story or scenario of something that they missed during their nap.

The aim of the game is to get them to believe the story, so make sure nobody laughs or breaks character (come up with a forfeit if they do), and keep the lie going for as long as possible. If you manage to pull it off this is far better than a DIY mustache... but by all means, draw one on for good measure.

This classic road trip game can really take a turn for the worse if you want it to. A simple horror story about a truck that followed the car for miles that you just managed to pull away from before getting a flat tyre can go a long way as you're parked on the side of the road. Peer into the rear view mirror in horror and watch their face when a random truck appears on the horizon!

26. Categories

Popular with kids and adults alike the world over, Categories can be an awesome game to play on road trips as well.

The premise is simple - somebody picks a category which can have multiple different answers. Fruit or Beatles' songs can both be great options.

Players have to then take turns to name one item from the category at a time. Players are eliminated when they can't name one until there's one winner. Either the winner or the next person in turn gets to choose the next category.

That brings our list of the best road trip games to an end. Do you have other games you enjoy? Get in touch to let us know and we'll add it to our list!

27. Truth Or Dare (The Car Edition)

The old classic can and should be played on road trips! Players take turns to either answer an embarassing question truthfully or perform a dare set by other players.

The dares obviously have to be contained to the realms of the car or the roadside so you'll have to get creative.

Needless to say, this game is very different when played with kids as a family or with adult friends and is equally great in both cases!

28. 6 Degrees of Separation

This is a road trip game that will require some imagination and provide plenty of topics for conversation.

Take turns and pick two people who you may know or make them up (e.g. a Shaolin monk). The more different the background and location of these people the better!

Then proceed to discuss how these two people are connected through 6 connections or less. You don't have to know the whole chain - that's actually where the fun is.

How is a gaucho from a remote farm in southern Argentina connected to Prince Charles? The gaucho must know his ranch's boss (1). The boss knows the boss of the company that buys beef from local producers (2). That company has a liaison manager in a UK-based Argentinian beef importing firm (3). This manager has a colleague who imports fine wines from around the world for the same company (4). The colleague personally provides the fine wines to the Royal sommelier (5) and the sommelier personally knows Prince Charles (6). Bingo!

29. The Stop Joker Card road trip game

If you're going on a long trip and you're going to be driving all day or even longer than that, this is a great way to give everyone in the car, kids included, a way to have a bit of control.

At any point during the trip, each person can enact their Stop Joker Card - this means the car has to stop wherever they are passing and spend some time there doing an activity or just relaxing.

Your kids might see something really fun halfway along and use their card to break up the journey and everyone gets to have their stop along the route!

30. Pick One Car road trip game

This one is a game of patience and opportunity. Every person in the car has one chance during the journey to pick a car that you can see on your way as their ultimate One Car. The objective is to pick the coolest/fastest/most amazing car possible.

Once you've chosen a car, you can't change it - you only have one go so you better make it count - if you're passing something that is decent but not stellar, you might have to make a tough choice.

The game is made even more difficult by the fact that the first person to call the car out gets to have it so you have to be alert and on the lookout if you haven't got one yet.

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300+ Fun Road Trip Games to Play in the Car for Adults and Kids

Intro – Road Trip Games to Play

Are we there yet?! The dreaded question that inevitably comes up during any long car ride. But fear not, fellow road trip warriors, for I bring you a solution to keep boredom at bay and make the journey just as exciting as the final destination! Introducing our ultimate list of 300+ road trip games for adults and kids to play in the car. Gone are the days of mindlessly staring out the window or endlessly scrolling through social media. With these games, you’ll be laughing, bonding, and maybe even learning a thing or two along the way.

From classic favorites like “I Spy” and car scavenger hunts, to interactive challenges like “21 Questions” and “Name That Tune,” there’s something for everyone to enjoy.

So buckle up, pack your sense of humor, and get ready to make memories that’ll last long after the car ride is over. Let the fun road trip games begin!

It may seem obvious, but it’s been well analyzed that distracted drivers can result in serious accidents. So it’s important that you only play these games if they are not distracting the driver. For more information about distractions take a look at this useful NHTSA summary .

Jump to Games Lists

Feel free to read through some of the basics to start, or Jump straight to:

Kids Car Games List – 119 Games and Idea Teens & Adults Car Games List – 199 Games and Innovative Combinations

What are some classic road trip games that can keep everyone entertained?

Road trips are incomplete without classic road trip games that make the journey more fun. Road Trip Bingo involves spotting specific items or shapes along the road and marking them off a bingo card. It’s a fantastic way to pass the time and keep everyone engaged. Another great game is 20 Questions, where one player thinks of an object, and others have 20 questions to guess what it is.

As you hit the road, the License Plate Game is a must-try. Players aim to spot license plates from different states and mark them off a list. It’s exciting to see who finds the most plates during the trip!

Road Trip Bingo

Road Trip Bingo is a staple game during car rides, especially for families with kids. It keeps everyone on the lookout for specific items or landmarks, adding a competitive yet enjoyable element to the journey. This game is not only entertaining but also enhances observation skills as players scan their surroundings for bingo items.

Players can create their bingo boards with various road trip-related images to make the game more personalized and engaging. Whether it’s a red car, a rest area sign, or a cow in a field, the diversity of items keeps players entertained throughout the trip.

20 Questions

20 Questions is a mentally stimulating game that challenges players to think creatively and strategically. It encourages participants to ask well-thought-out questions to narrow down the possibilities and make an accurate guess. What makes this game exciting is the diversity of objects that can be chosen, ranging from everyday items to abstract concepts.

This game sparks lively discussions and fosters critical thinking skills, making it an ideal choice for long road trips where mental engagement is crucial. With each round revealing new insights about the players’ deductive abilities, 20 Questions promises endless entertainment for all ages.

License Plate Game

The License Plate Game is a classic road trip favorite that adds an element of competition to the journey. Players can create their unique rules, such as assigning points based on the rarity of each state’s license plate. This game not only entertains but also educates players about different states and their unique designs.

As players eagerly scan passing vehicles for elusive plates, the excitement builds, creating a lively atmosphere in the car. The License Plate Game turns mundane drives into exhilarating adventures, making it a must-play for road trips with friends and family.

Jump to the Games Lists

Kids Car Games List Teens & Adults Car Games List

How to play popular car games that are perfect for long rides?

Long car rides call for engaging car games that make the journey more enjoyable for everyone. The Alphabet Game is a simple yet entertaining choice where players find words starting with each letter of the alphabet in order. This game tests memory and quick thinking skills, keeping players alert throughout the ride.

For a nostalgic twist, the Memory Game challenges players to recall and repeat a growing list of items in the correct order. This game is not only fun but also exercises memory and concentration, making it ideal for long stretches on the road.

Alphabet Game

The Alphabet Game is a versatile choice for car rides, allowing players to explore their surroundings and think creatively. From road signs to passing vehicles, players can spot words beginning with each letter of the alphabet, adding variety to the gameplay. This game is not only entertaining but also educational, as players discover new words and objects along the way.

Players can set themed variations of the Alphabet Game, such as finding names of animals or cities, to tailor the gameplay to their interests. With each player contributing unique findings, the Alphabet Game creates a dynamic and interactive experience for all passengers, proving it’s among the best road trip games.

Memory Game

The Memory Game is a classic choice for car rides, engaging players of all ages in a challenging yet entertaining activity. As players take turns adding items to the list, the pressure to remember and repeat them correctly grows, creating an exciting gameplay dynamic. This game encourages focus and concentration, making it an excellent choice for lengthy car journeys where mental engagement is key.

Players can customize the difficulty level of the Memory Game by increasing the number of items to remember or setting time limits for recalling the list. Whether played competitively or cooperatively, the Memory Game promises hours of entertainment and mental stimulation for everyone in the car.

Scavenger Hunt

A Scavenger Hunt is a fantastic way to make long car rides more interactive and entertaining for everyone on board. Players can create a list of items to find along the road, such as specific road signs or unique vehicles, and compete to be the first to spot them. This game promotes teamwork and friendly competition, adding excitement to the journey.

Players can set time limits or point systems to enhance the challenge of the Scavenger Hunt, motivating participants to stay alert and observant throughout the trip. With surprises waiting to be discovered around every corner, the Scavenger Hunt transforms mundane car rides into thrilling adventures for passengers of all ages.

What are some fun and interactive games for the whole family during a road trip?

Road trips are the perfect opportunity for families to bond and have fun together. Would You Rather is a game that sparks hilarious discussions by presenting players with challenging dilemmas to choose between. It’s a great way to get to know each other better and share laughs along the way.

Next Person is a game where players take turns continuing a story one sentence at a time. This creative game encourages imagination and storytelling skills while keeping passengers engaged and entertained throughout the journey.

Would You Rather

Would You Rather is a lighthearted game that prompts players to make challenging decisions between two equally amusing or absurd options. It sparks lively debates and reveals unexpected preferences among players, leading to hilarious and memorable moments on the road. This game encourages creativity and humor, making it a favorite choice for family road trips.

Players can take turns presenting imaginative scenarios to keep the game engaging and unpredictable. From quirky dilemmas to thought-provoking choices, Would You Rather is a versatile game that guarantees laughter and entertainment for the whole family during long car rides.

Next Person

Next Person is a collaborative storytelling game that challenges players to build a cohesive narrative one sentence at a time. This game fosters creativity and cooperation among participants, encouraging them to listen and contribute to the evolving story. With each player adding a unique twist, the story unfolds in unexpected and humorous ways, keeping everyone entertained.

Players can introduce plot twists, quirky characters, and imaginative settings to make the story more engaging and entertaining. The collaborative nature of Next Person promotes teamwork and communication skills, making it an excellent choice for families looking to share creative adventures during road trips.

Next Road is a game that adds an element of surprise and anticipation to long car rides. Players take turns predicting the sights or events they will encounter after the next turn or along the upcoming road. This game encourages players to observe their surroundings and make creative guesses, sparking engaging conversations and enhancing the journey experience.

From imagining quirky roadside attractions to predicting the weather conditions ahead, Next Road keeps passengers entertained and involved in the journey. The game facilitates discussions about travel plans and destinations, making it a fun and interactive way to pass the time during family road trips.

How can you keep kids engaged and entertained during a road trip?

Keeping kids entertained during a road trip is essential for a smooth and enjoyable journey. Spy with My Little Eye is a game where one player secretly chooses an object within sight, and others have to guess what it is by asking yes-or-no questions. This game not only entertains but also sharpens children’s observational and deductive skills.

Take Turns Asking is a game where kids get to ask each other questions about anything, from favorite foods to dream vacation spots. This game fosters communication and bonding among siblings or friends in the car, creating a cheerful and engaging atmosphere.

Spy with My Little Eye

Spy with My Little Eye is a captivating game that challenges kids’ observation skills and deductive reasoning. By selecting items within the car or along the road, the designated spy prompts other players to think creatively and ask strategic questions to uncover the hidden object. This game not only entertains but also promotes cognitive development and critical thinking in young players.

Players can take turns being the spy, adding variety and excitement to the game as new objects are chosen for guessing. Spy with My Little Eye encourages active participation and engagement from all players, making it a must-have for keeping kids entertained and mentally stimulated during long road trips.

Take Turns Asking

Take Turns Asking is a simple yet effective game that encourages kids to express themselves and learn more about their fellow passengers. By taking turns asking questions and sharing answers, children bond and develop social skills while enjoying lighthearted conversations. This game fosters a sense of camaraderie and creates lasting memories for kids on the road.

Players can tailor the questions to suit the interests and preferences of everyone in the car, ensuring that the game remains engaging and enjoyable for all participants. Whether discussing favorite activities or imaginary adventures, Take Turns Asking sparks creativity and laughter, making it a wonderful addition to any family road trip.

Classic Road Trip Game

The Classic Road Trip Game is a timeless favorite that brings joy and excitement to kids of all ages. With simple rules and easy gameplay, this game involves spotting common objects or landmarks along the road and calling them out to earn points. The thrill of being the first to identify a designated item makes this game a hit among youngsters, turning the car ride into a spirited competition.

Players can customize the list of items to find based on the surroundings or create themed variations to add variety to the gameplay. The Classic Road Trip Game sparks enthusiasm and energy in the car, keeping kids engaged and entertained for hours on end. It’s a go-to choice for family road trips seeking simple yet enjoyable entertainment options.

What are the best games to play in the car that are suitable for different age groups?

Choosing the right games for respective age groups ensures that everyone in the car stays entertained and engaged throughout the journey. Games for Kids are specifically designed to cater to the interests and cognitive abilities of young passengers, offering simple and interactive gameplay that fosters creativity and learning.

Older Kids may enjoy more challenging and strategic games that test their observation, memory, and critical thinking skills. These games are designed to keep older children mentally stimulated and entertained during long car rides, offering a mix of fun and educational experiences.

For Younger Kids, games that focus on colors, shapes, and simple concepts are ideal for keeping them entertained and engaged in the car. These games nurture early learning skills and encourage active participation, ensuring that younger passengers have a delightful and enriching road trip experience.

Road trip games to play for Kids

Games for Kids are tailored to the interests and developmental stages of young passengers, offering engaging and interactive experiences that stimulate creativity and imagination. From color recognition to storytelling games, these activities provide children with opportunities to learn and have fun in a car-friendly setting. Games for Kids ensure that little passengers stay entertained and happy throughout the journey.

Players of Games for Kids can explore a variety of themed games, such as animal guessing games or alphabet challenges, to cater to different interests and preferences. With vibrant visuals and simple rules, these games create a cheerful and educational atmosphere in the car, making them ideal companions for young travelers on road trips.

Fun road trip games for older Kids

Older Kids can enjoy a range of challenging and thought-provoking games that keep them engaged and entertained during long car rides. From word puzzles to trivia quizzes, these games test cognitive abilities and knowledge, providing stimulating experiences for older children on the road. Older Kids benefit from games that offer a balance of fun and mental stimulation, ensuring an enriching and enjoyable journey.

Players can compete individually or in teams to solve puzzles and answer questions, fostering a sense of friendly competition and cooperation among passengers. With an array of games designed to appeal to older kids, the car ride becomes a dynamic and engaging environment that promotes learning and entertainment throughout the trip.

Younger Kids

Younger Kids thrive on games that emphasize colors, shapes, and basic concepts, engaging their curiosity and creativity during car rides. Simple matching games, counting exercises, and storytelling activities are perfect for younger passengers, offering playful and educational experiences that cater to their developmental needs. Younger Kids delight in interactive games that promote learning and skill development while keeping them entertained in the car.

Players can introduce interactive elements like singing, clapping, or acting out prompts to enhance the engagement and enjoyment of younger kids during the games. By incorporating familiar themes and activities, Younger Kids stay focused and entertained throughout the journey, creating a positive and enriching road trip experience for the entire family.

119 Fun Road Trip Games for Kids

Jump into this big list of 119 car games for kids all about making the most of the ride with creativity, learning, and fun stuff to see, hear or even smell. It’s all the cool things they can do without needing anything fancy.

Games for Kids Contents

Top 20 for Kids Storytelling Observation Games Hand Games Singing Games Drawing Games Paper Games

Jump to Teens & Adult Car Games Section Back to Top

Top 20 Best Road Trip Games for Kids

Here is my absolute top 20 great game to play on a road trip with the kids, but don’t stop there, make sure you look at the other sections for inspiration and laughs!

A classic observation game where one person describes an object they can see, and others guess what it is. 

Instructions Choose an object you see and give a descriptive clue without naming it. 

Example “I spy something green.”

Players think of an object, and the others have up to 20 questions to guess what it is. 

Instructions One player thinks of an object, and the others ask yes/no questions to guess it. 

Example Is it bigger than a breadbox? Is it alive?

License Plate Bingo

Create bingo cards with different categories like states, colors, or numbers, and spot license plates that match. 

Instructions Make or print bingo cards with various license plate criteria. Spot them to win. 

Example A card might have “A blue plate,” “Out of state plate,” or “Plate with number 7.”

Find objects outside the car that start with each letter of the alphabet, in order. 

Instructions Spot and call out objects seen outside that start with each letter of the alphabet. 

Example “A is for Airplane, B is for Bridge…”

Story Round-Robin

One person starts a story, and each passenger adds a sentence or two, building a tale together. 

Instructions Start a story with one sentence. Each person adds on to create a continuous narrative. 

Example “Once upon a time, a cat found a magic collar…”

Name That Tune

Hum or describe a song without saying its title for others to guess. 

Instructions Hum the melody or describe the song’s theme without using its title or lyrics. 

Example “This song is about dancing in the dark.”

Guess the Artist

When a song plays on the radio, the first person to identify the artist wins a point. 

Instructions Listen to the song on the radio, and be the first to correctly name the artist. 

Example “That’s ‘Shape of You’ by Ed Sheeran!”

Finish the Lyric

Play a song and pause it, challenging passengers to finish the lyrics correctly. 

Instructions Pause a song at a certain point. Others must continue the lyrics from where it stopped. 

Example “Despacito, quiero respirar tu cuello despacito…” – participants continue the lyrics.

Tic-Tac-Toe

A simple and quick game that can be played on paper or with a reusable board. 

Instructions Draw a grid and take turns marking Xs and Os in an attempt to get three in a row. 

Example Player 1 chooses X and places it in the center. Player 2 places O in the top left corner.

A word game where players guess letters to fill in the blanks of a hidden word before the drawing of a hangman is completed. 

Instructions One player thinks of a word and draws blanks for each letter. Others guess letters. 

Example Word is “CAMPFIRE,” so draw 8 blanks. Players guess letters until the word is revealed or the hangman is drawn.

Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament

A fun way to make decisions or just for a quick game, with a tournament twist for more players. 

Instructions Players pair off to play Rock, Paper, Scissors. Winners advance until a champion is crowned. 

Example If there are 8 players, it takes 3 rounds to determine a winner.

Word Association

A player says a word, and the next person has to say a word related to it, keeping the chain going. 

Instructions Start with any word. The next person says a word that is associated with the previous word. 

Example “Water” might lead to “Ocean,” then to “Fish,” and so on.

The License Plate Decoder

Invent a backstory or meaning for the letters and numbers on a license plate you see. 

Instructions Choose a license plate and create a funny or interesting story based on its letters and numbers. 

Example For “LUV 123,” “Lions Under Volcanoes, 123 of them.”

Map Reading Race

Give kids maps and have them track the journey, learning to read key map symbols and distances. 

Instructions Provide a map and have kids follow along, marking landmarks as they pass. 

Example Mark the starting point, and each child tracks the route, identifying major roads and landmarks.

Pictionary Telephone

A combination of drawing and guessing where each person’s interpretation is passed down the line to see how it evolves. 

Instructions The first person draws something based on a word, and each subsequent person guesses the word and redraws based on their guess. 

Example The word “Dog” starts and might end up interpreted as “Wolf” after several turns.

Musical Geography

Identify songs that mention cities, states, or countries and discuss them. 

Instructions When a location is mentioned in a song, shout it out and talk about the place. 

Example “New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of,” from “Empire State of Mind.”

Spot the Difference

Players find differences between two seemingly identical pictures prepared beforehand. 

Instructions Look at two similar pictures and find all the differences between them. 

Example One picture has a dog with a collar, and the other picture’s dog does not have a collar.

Pose two scenarios and have each passenger choose which one they would prefer, with explanations for their choices. 

Instructions Present two options and discuss which one each person would choose and why. 

Example “Would you rather be able to fly or be invisible?”

Two Truths and a Lie

Each person shares three statements about themselves, two truths and one lie, while others guess the lie. 

Instructions Think of two true facts and one false fact about yourself. Others guess which one is the lie. 

Example “I’ve been skydiving, I’ve met a celebrity, and I’ve never been out of the country.” (If you’ve never met a celebrity, that’s the lie.)

A classic game of commands where players must only follow instructions that begin with “Simon says.” 

Instructions One person is Simon and gives commands. If Simon says “Simon says jump,” everyone jumps. If Simon just says “jump,” those who jump are out.  Example “Simon says touch your toes,” followed by “Jump up.” Only follow the first command.

That’s my top picks for Kids, keep reading for a huge number more of great games.

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Car Games for Kids – Storytelling

Embark on a journey of imagination and storytelling with these engaging activities. Perfect for young minds eager to explore, create, and invent, these games offer endless opportunities for adventure and creativity.

Once Upon a Time

Use classic story starters to inspire new tales. Children can draw cards with characters, settings, or objects to include in their stories.

Roll dice with pictures on them to determine elements of the story, such as characters, settings, and actions.

Finish the Story

Start a story and have each child add a sentence or two, taking turns to build on the narrative.

Magical World

Create stories set in magical or fantasy worlds with mythical creatures and enchanted objects.

Time Travel Adventures

Invent stories that involve traveling to different historical periods or to the future.

Superhero Sagas

Kids create their own superhero characters, including their powers, origins, and adventures.

Mystery Tales

Develop a mystery for characters to solve, including clues, suspects, and a surprising resolution.

Space Odyssey

Set stories in outer space, involving aliens, space travel, and distant planets.

Fairy Tale Reimagining

Take classic fairy tales and twist them with new perspectives or unexpected endings.

Animal Antics

Stories where animals are the main characters, possibly with human-like qualities or abilities.

Pirate Adventures

Tales of treasure hunts, sea monsters, and pirate ships on the high seas.

Journey to the Center of the Earth

Explore underground worlds, ancient civilizations, or fantastic landscapes below the surface.

Island Survival

Characters must survive and solve mysteries on a deserted or mysterious island.

Haunted Tales

Spooky but not too scary stories involving ghosts, haunted houses, or supernatural events.

Secret Agent Missions

Stories of espionage, secret gadgets, and undercover operations.

Lost Civilization

Discover an ancient or lost civilization, with stories about their culture, technology, and downfall.

Parallel Universe

Characters find themselves in a parallel universe where things are familiar yet distinctly different.

Eco-Warriors

Tales of heroes fighting to protect the environment or save endangered species.

Characters embark on a quest to find a magical object, solve an ancient riddle, or rescue someone in distress.

Invent a Planet

Kids create a story about discovering a new planet, including its environment, inhabitants, and cultures.

These storytelling prompts are designed to unleash the creative potential within every child, guiding them through worlds of their own making.

Observation road trip games to play

Explore the world around you with these fun and engaging observation and memory games. Perfect for enhancing children’s attention to detail, these activities are great for both indoor and outdoor play, encouraging curiosity and exploration.

A classic game where one person describes an object they can see, and others guess what it is using the clue.

Create a list of items or themes to find, either indoors or outdoors. Players mark off items as they find them.

Lay out a series of objects, let the kids study them for a minute, then cover them up and ask the kids to recall what they saw.

Provide two seemingly identical pictures and challenge kids to find small differences between them.

Nature Bingo

Create bingo cards with pictures or names of things to find in nature, such as specific types of leaves, insects, or birds.

Pick a color and have kids find objects that match the color as they walk or drive.

On road trips, look for license plates from different states and check them off a list.

Cloud Shapes

Observe the clouds and encourage kids to describe or guess what shapes they see.

Sit quietly in a park or garden (or car), and have kids draw a map of sounds they hear around them.

Storyteller’s Box

Fill a box with various small items. Kids pick an item without looking and tell a story about it.

What’s Missing?

Display several objects, have kids study them, then remove one object and ask them to identify what’s missing.

Photo Observation

Show kids a detailed photo for a short time, then ask questions about specific details in the picture.

While traveling, look for objects that start with each letter of the alphabet, in order.

Animal Watching

Observe animals (in the wild, at a zoo, or even pets) and discuss their behaviors, patterns, and habits.

Describe a person in the room or a character from a story with as few details as possible, and have others guess who it is.

Nature Walk Observation

On a walk, challenge kids to notice something new they haven’t seen before, even if it’s a familiar path.

Silhouette Guessing Game

Show the silhouette of an object, animal, or character, and have kids guess what it is.

Detail Detective

Describe a scene in detail (real or imaginary) and then ask specific questions about it.

Texture Scavenger Hunt

Find objects that match textures on a list, such as smooth, rough, bumpy, or soft.

What’s That Smell?

Blindfold players and have them guess objects or foods by their smell.

These games are designed to sharpen observational skills, enhance memory, and inspire creativity among children, making every day an adventure filled with discovery and learning.

Hand Games to play on a road trip

Hand games offer a playful way to engage minds and fingers, fostering coordination and laughter in equal measure.

Rock, Paper, Scissors

A classic hand game where players simultaneously form one of three shapes with an outstretched hand.

Instructions: Players count to three together and simultaneously show one of three shapes (rock, paper, or scissors) with their hand. Rock crushes scissors, scissors cut paper, and paper covers rock. This really is an easy to play road trip game.

Two players grasp hands and try to pin the other’s thumb down for a count of three.

Instructions: Players hook their hands together and chant “1, 2, 3, 4, I declare a thumb war!” and then try to pin the opponent’s thumb for a count of three.

Hand Clapping Games

Such as “Miss Mary Mack” or “A Sailor Went to Sea,” where players clap their own and each other’s hands in a sequence.

Instructions: Players face each other and clap their own hands together, then each other’s, in a set rhythm and pattern, often while reciting a rhyme.

Shadow Puppets

Using hands to form shadows on the wall or car ceiling, creating figures like animals or faces.

Instructions: In a dimly lit room, use a flashlight or lamp to cast a light on a wall. Shape your hands to form shadows that resemble animals or other figures.

Finger Knitting

Using fingers to weave yarn or string into simple bracelets or chains.

Instructions: Loop yarn around your fingers in a weaving pattern to create a knit chain, then slide off to finish the piece.

Hand Signs Game

Competing to quickly show a series of hand signs or gestures.

Instructions: Players take turns calling out specific hand signs (peace sign, thumbs up, etc.), and the other player must quickly replicate the sign.

Silent Animal Gestures

Players guess the animal someone is miming with their hands.

Instructions: One player uses hand gestures to mime an animal without making a sound, while others guess which animal it is.

Finger Spelling

Using sign language or invented gestures to spell out words for others to guess.

Instructions: Spell out a word using finger movements from sign language or a made-up system, while others try to guess the word.

Snap Battle

Players snap their fingers as quickly as possible in a playful competition.

Instructions: On a signal, players snap their fingers as fast as they can for a set time period. The one with the most snaps wins.

Number Guess

Hide a number of small items in your hand, and others guess how many there are.

Instructions: Hold a few small objects in your closed hand. Players guess the number of items without seeing them.

Hand Symphony

Creating a musical composition by clapping, snapping, and tapping hands in different rhythms.

Instructions: Assign different hand sounds (clap, snap, tap) to players and conduct them to create a rhythm or song together.

A quick-reflex game where players slap their hand down on a stack of cards when a jack is played (can be mimicked with hand gestures).

Instructions: Spread a deck of cards face down. Players take turns flipping cards. When a Jack appears, the first to slap it collects the cards. Mimic with hand gestures if no cards are available.

Concentration 64

A rhythm and memory game where players must keep up with the sequence of hand movements without making a mistake.

Instructions: Players sit in a circle and clap a beat. Taking turns, each player adds a hand movement to the sequence without breaking the rhythm.

The Mirror Game

Players mirror each other’s hand movements, trying to keep in sync.

Instructions: Two players face each other. One leads by making hand movements, while the other tries to copy them exactly like a mirror.

One player uses their finger to trace a path on the other player’s palm, who must guess the shape or letter.

Instructions: Trace a letter, number, or simple shape on the other player’s palm with your finger. The other player guesses what was traced.

Finger Races

Players slide their fingers across a surface, pretending they are racing.

Instructions: On a flat surface, players use their fingers as “legs” to race to a finish line.

Stacking hands on top of one another and trying to keep the tower from collapsing.

Instructions: Players take turns stacking one hand on top of the last, trying to build the tallest tower without it toppling over.

Finger Puppets

Creating simple puppets using fingers and playing out stories or scenarios.

Instructions: Use markers or stickers to decorate fingers as characters and act out stories or scenes.

Guess the Object

One player shapes their hand like an object and others guess what it is.

Instructions: Use your hands to mimic the shape of an object, and have others guess what you’re trying to represent.

Finger Twister

Players call out colors and a finger (e.g., “Right index finger, green”), and participants must touch the designated spot or color with that finger.

Instructions: Designate colors or spots on a surface. Players take turns calling out instructions for which finger to move to which color, trying not to get tangled.

Through these simple gestures and movements, many games and laughs can be had.

Singing for a fun road trip game

These singing games not only entertain but also educate, helping children learn numbers, letters, animal sounds, body parts, and more while enhancing their memory and attention skills. All makes for a fun road trip game.

Old MacDonald Had a Farm

Kids sing about different animals and the sounds they make, adding more animals with each verse.

Here is the first verse: Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O, And on his farm he had a cow, E-I-E-I-O, With a moo moo here and a moo moo there, Here a moo, there a moo, everywhere a moo moo, Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O.

The Wheels on the Bus

A classic song where children mimic the movements and sounds of different parts of the bus.

Here is the first verse: The wheels on the bus go round and round, Round and round, round and round, The wheels on the bus go round and round, All through the town.

If You’re Happy and You Know It

Children express their happiness through song, clapping hands, stomping feet, etc.

Here is the first verse: If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands (clap clap), If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands (clap clap), If you’re happy and you know it, then your face will surely show it, If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands. (clap clap)

Hokey Pokey

Kids follow the song’s instructions to put different body parts in and out of the circle, turning themselves around.

Here is the first verse: You put your right hand in, You take your right hand out, You put your right hand in, And you shake it all about, You do the hokey pokey and you turn yourself around, That’s what it’s all about.

Five Little Ducks

A counting song where ducks go out to play, gradually decreasing in number.

Here is the first verse: Five little ducks went out one day, Over the hill and far away, Mother duck said “Quack, quack, quack, quack,” But only four little ducks came back.

Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes

This song teaches body parts while encouraging kids to touch each part as it’s sung.

Here is the first verse: Head, shoulders, knees, and toes, knees and toes, Head, shoulders, knees, and toes, knees and toes, And eyes, and ears, and mouth, and nose, Head, shoulders, knees, and toes, knees and toes.

A song about a dog named Bingo, with clapping to replace letters of the dog’s name in each verse.

Here is the first verse: There was a farmer who had a dog, And Bingo was his name-O, B-I-N-G-O, B-I-N-G-O, B-I-N-G-O, And Bingo was his name-O.

Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed

A fun counting song about monkeys’ misadventures and the consequences of jumping on the bed.

Here is the first verse: Five little monkeys jumping on the bed, One fell off and bumped his head, Mama called the doctor and the doctor said, “No more monkeys jumping on the bed!”

Ring Around the Rosie

A group circle game with singing and falling down at the end.

Here is the first verse: Ring-a-round the rosie, A pocket full of posies, Ashes! Ashes! We all fall down.

London Bridge is Falling Down

Kids form an arch with their arms while others pass under as the song plays, capturing someone at the end of the song.

Here is the first verse: London Bridge is falling down, Falling down, falling down, London Bridge is falling down, My fair lady.

I’m a Little Teapot

Children act out the lyrics, pretending to be a teapot with spout and handle.

Here is the first verse: I’m a little teapot short and stout, Here is my handle, here is my spout, When I get all steamed up, hear me shout, “Tip me over and pour me out!”

Row, Row, Row Your Boat

Can be sung in rounds, mimicking rowing actions in pairs, sitting opposite each other.

Here is the first verse: Row, row, row your boat, Gently down the stream, Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, Life is but a dream.

Down by the Bay

A rhyming song that encourages creativity, with kids coming up with new verses.

Here is the first verse: Down by the bay, Where the watermelons grow, Back to my home, I dare not go, For if I do, My mother will say, “Did you ever see a bear, combing his hair, Down by the bay?”

Itsy Bitsy Spider

Mimicking the spider’s movements, this song tells the story of its climb up the water spout.

Here is the first verse: The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the water spout, Down came the rain and washed the spider out, Out came the sun and dried up all the rain, And the itsy bitsy spider climbed up the spout again.

Skip to My Lou

A simple, playful song that can involve dancing or skipping around in a circle.

Here is the first verse: Lost my partner, what’ll I do? Lost my partner, what’ll I do? Lost my partner, what’ll I do? Skip to my Lou, my darling.

A modern favorite with repetitive verses and hand motions representing different members of the shark family.

Here is the first verse: Baby shark, doo doo doo doo doo doo, Baby shark, doo doo doo doo doo doo, Baby shark, doo doo doo doo doo doo, Baby shark!

The Farmer in the Dell

A singing game with selections of different characters (the farmer, the wife, the child, etc.) during the song.

Here is the first verse: The farmer in the dell, The farmer in the dell, Heigh-ho, the derry-o, The farmer in the dell.

The Ants Go Marching

A counting and marching song, with verses for each number of ants.

Here is the first verse: The ants go marching one by one, hurrah, hurrah, The ants go marching one by one, hurrah, hurrah, The ants go marching one by one, The little one stops to suck his thumb, And they all go marching down to the ground, To get out of the rain, BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Do Your Ears Hang Low?

A silly song with accompanying gestures about ears, encouraging laughter and movement.

Here is the first verse: Do your ears hang low? Do they wobble to and fro? Can you tie them in a knot? Can you tie them in a bow? Can you throw them over your shoulder Like a continental soldier? Do your ears hang low?

These activities bridge generations and cultures, proving that when we sing together, harmony extends beyond the music.

Drawing Games You can Play

Embark on a journey of creativity and fun with drawing games that unleash the imagination and bring artwork to life.

Players draw a word on a piece of paper while others guess what it is.

Instructions:

• Divide players into teams.
• One team member draws a word on paper without speaking or gesturing.
• The team has a minute to guess the word for points.

Draw in the Dark

Players try to draw an object or scene in the dark or with their eyes closed, and then share the hilarious outcomes.

• Players close their eyes or turn off the lights.
• Each player tries to draw a predetermined object or scene.
• Share and laugh at the outcomes.

Exquisite Corpse

A collaborative drawing game where players fold a paper into sections and each person draws a part of a body (head, torso, legs) without seeing the other parts until the end.

• Fold a paper into sections, enough for each player.
• The first player draws a head at the top section, folds it to hide, and passes it on.
• Continue with each player adding parts of the body.
• Unfold to reveal the collaborative creature.

Draw the Song

Listen to a song and draw what you imagine the song is about.

• Play a song for everyone to listen to.
• Each player draws their interpretation of the song’s story or theme.
• Share drawings and discuss interpretations.

Drawing Relay

Players take turns adding to a drawing within a set time limit, creating a unique collaborative artwork.

• Start with a simple drawing.
• Players take turns, each adding to the drawing for a minute.
• Continue until everyone has added to the drawing.

Copycat Drawing

One player draws something, and the others try to replicate it as closely as possible.

• The first player draws an image.
• Other players try to copy the drawing as closely as possible.
• Compare drawings to the original.

Drawing Dictation

One player describes a scene or object without naming it, while others try to draw it based on the description.

• The describer thinks of a scene or object but doesn’t name it.
• They describe it in detail while others draw.
• Reveal the described object or scene and compare drawings.

Blind Contour Drawing

Without looking at the paper, draw the outline of an object or person in one continuous line. Instructions:

• Choose an object or person to draw.
• Without looking at your paper, draw its outline in one continuous line.
• Share and discuss the results.

Scribble Drawing

Start with a random scribble and then turn it into a detailed drawing by adding features and elements.

• Make a random scribble on your paper.
• Look at the scribble and imagine a detailed scene or object.
• Develop the scribble into a detailed drawing.

Memory Drawing

Look at an object for a certain period, then try to draw it from memory.

• Study an object for one minute.
• Without looking again, draw the object from memory.
• Compare the drawing to the object.

Draw the Word

Players write down a word or phrase, and others must illustrate it.

• Write down a word or phrase on a piece of paper.
• Pass the paper to another player who illustrates the word or phrase.
• Guess the original word or phrase from the illustration.

Opposite Drawing

Given a theme, players draw the opposite (e.g., draw cold when given the word hot).

• Choose a theme or concept word.
• Players draw something that represents the opposite of the theme.
• Share and explain your drawings.

Dot-to-Dot Drawing

One player makes dots on a paper, and another connects them to create a picture.

• One player places dots on a sheet of paper.
• Another player connects the dots to create an image.
• Reveal the final picture to the dot placer.

Story Drawing

One player starts a story, and each subsequent player adds a drawing to continue the tale.

• The first player draws a scene starting a story.
• Pass the paper; the next player adds to the story with another drawing.
• Continue until the story concludes.

Two-Line Drawing

Players can only use two lines to create a recognizable object or scene.

• Think of an object or scene to draw.
• Using only two continuous lines, create your drawing.
• Share and guess what each drawing represents.

Shape Challenge

Everyone starts with the same basic shape and must turn it into a unique drawing.

• All players start with the same basic shape on their paper.
• Transform the shape into a unique drawing.
• Share and discuss the creative outcomes.

Drawing with Scissors

Inspired by Matisse, players cut shapes out of colored paper to create a composition.

• Choose a variety of colored paper.
• Cut out shapes to create a composition or scene.
• Arrange and glue the shapes onto a background.

Nature Drawing

Incorporate an element found in nature (a leaf, a twig) into a drawing.

• Find an element from nature to include in your artwork.
• Draw a scene or object incorporating the natural element creatively.
• Share your nature-inspired artwork.

Alphabet Drawing

Choose a letter and draw objects that start with that letter, an easy and fun game to play on a road trip.

• Select a letter of the alphabet.
• Draw as many objects as you can think of that start with that letter.
• Share and compare drawings.

Fantasy Creature

Mix parts of different animals or objects to create a new fantasy creature.

• Think of different animals or objects to combine.
• Draw a creature that incorporates elements of your chosen animals or objects.
• Present your fantasy creature and explain its features.

Drawing games not only spark joy and creativity but also connect us through the universal language of art, making every sketch a shared adventure.

Car Games for Kids – Paper Games

Here’s a collection of classic and creative paper games, perfect for entertainment without the need for screens. These activities not only offer fun but also stimulate imagination and critical thinking. These overall principles make for a great game to play when on a road trip with the kids.

A classic game where players take turns marking Xs and Os in a 3×3 grid, aiming to get three in a row.

• Draw a 3×3 grid on a piece of paper.
• Players choose their marker, either X or O.
• Taking turns, each player places their marker in an empty square.
• The first player to align three of their markers vertically, horizontally, or diagonally wins.

Dots and Boxes

Players take turns connecting dots with lines. When a player completes a box, they mark it with their initial. The player with the most boxes wins.

• Fill a paper with a grid of dots.
• Players take turns drawing a single line (vertical or horizontal) between two adjacent dots.
• If a player completes the fourth side of a box, they initial it and play again.
• Once all boxes are completed, the player with the most initialed boxes wins.

One player thinks of a word, and the others guess letters. For each wrong guess, part of a hangman drawing is added.

• The word chooser thinks of a word and draws a blank line for each letter.
• Guessing players suggest letters.
• If the letter is in the word, the chooser writes it in the correct spots. If not, they add a part to the hangman drawing.
• The game ends when the word is guessed or the hangman is fully drawn.

Paper Fortune Teller

A folded paper game where players choose colors and numbers to reveal a hidden message or fortune.

• Fold a paper into a fortune teller shape with eight flaps inside.
• Write colors on the four outer flaps and numbers on the eight inner flaps.
• Hide fortunes or messages under the inner flaps.
• Players choose a color, spell it out while manipulating the fortune teller, choose a number, and then reveal their fortune under the flap.

Each player draws two grids. On one grid, they place ships. They take turns guessing coordinates to “hit” the opponent’s ships.

• Each player draws two 10×10 grids, labeling rows and columns.
• Secretly place ships on one grid.
• Players take turns calling out grid coordinates.
• Mark hits and misses on your grids. The first to sink all opponent’s ships wins.

Players draw a word on paper while others try to guess what it is.

• Prepare a list of words or phrases.
• Players take turns drawing a selected word for their team to guess within a time limit.
• No letters, numbers, or verbal clues allowed. The team with the most correct guesses wins.

Paper Airplane Contest

Kids design and fold paper airplanes, then see whose can fly the farthest or perform the best tricks.

• Each player folds a paper into an airplane.
• Decide on the contest criteria (distance, accuracy, tricks).
• Take turns launching your airplanes according to the contest rules. The best performance according to the criteria wins.

A classic fortune-telling game where players find out about their future jobs, spouses, car, and living situation.

• Write M.A.S.H. at the top of a paper (Mansion, Apartment, Shack, House).
• List categories (partner, car, number of kids, job) and options under each.
• Draw a spiral and count the lines to get a number. Count through the options, crossing out the option each time you hit the number.
• Your future is determined by the last options left.

Folded Story

Players write a sentence on a paper, fold it to hide most of it, and pass it on. The next player continues the story.

• The first player writes a sentence on the top of the paper and folds it to hide all but the last word.
• Pass the paper to the next player, who writes another sentence starting with that word.
• Continue until the paper is full, then unfold and read the story aloud.

Word Search

Create a grid of letters with hidden words for players to find and circle.

• Draw a grid on a piece of paper and fill it with random letters.
• Hide words within the grid by writing them vertically, horizontally, diagonally, forwards, or backwards.
• Players search for and circle the hidden words.

Crossword Puzzles

Design simple crossword puzzles related to themes or subjects the kids are interested in.

• Create a grid on a piece of paper.
• Fill in words horizontally and vertically, creating intersecting words.
• Write clues for each word and number them according to their position in the grid.
• Players fill in the grid based on the clues.

Fill a 9×9 grid so that each column, row, and 3×3 section contain all digits from 1 to 9.

• Draw a 9×9 grid, subdivided into 3×3 sections.
• Pre-fill some of the cells with numbers 1-9.
• Players fill in the empty cells, ensuring each row, column, and 3×3 section contains all numbers 1-9 without repetition.

Cipher Games

Create coded messages for kids to decode, using simple substitution ciphers.

• Write a message.
• Replace each letter with another letter, number, or symbol based on a key.
• Players use the key to decode the message.

Comic Strip Creation

Provide a theme or story starter, and let kids create their own comic strips.

• Decide on a theme or story starter.
• Draw a series of empty comic panels on a piece of paper.
• Fill in the panels with your story, using drawings and dialogue.

Folding paper to create shapes, animals, or objects. Beginners can start with simple models like cranes or boats.

• Choose an origami model to make.
• Follow step-by-step folding instructions to shape your paper into the model.
• Decorate your origami if desired.

Scavenger Hunt Lists

Create lists of items for kids to find and check off. They can draw or write when they find each item.

• Create a list of items to find.
• Distribute the list to players.
• Players search for items and check them off or draw them as they find them.

Create two similar drawings with slight differences for kids to find.

• Draw two similar pictures with a few subtle differences.
• Players look for and point out the differences between the two pictures.

Maze Design

Draw mazes on paper for kids to solve, or have them design their own for others to try.

• Design a maze with a clear start and finish.
• Players attempt to solve the maze by drawing a path from start to finish.

Storybook Creation

Kids write and illustrate their own stories, making a small book out of paper.

• Fold and cut paper to create a booklet.
• Write a story across the pages, adding illustrations.
• Share the completed storybook with others.

Symmetry Art

Fold a paper in half, draw a design on one side, then paint or color it. Fold again to transfer the design to the other half, creating a symmetrical artwork.

• Fold a paper in half to create a crease, then unfold.
• Draw a design on one half or add paint.
• Fold the paper back over while the paint is still wet to transfer the design to the other half.
• Unfold to reveal the symmetrical artwork.

These games prove that all you need is paper, pens, and a bit of creativity to unlock hours of fun and learning. Each game, from the strategic to the artistic, offers a unique way to engage the mind and foster creativity.

120 Fun Road Trip Games To Play in the car – Teens and Adults

Stepping up from the kids’ games, our teens and adults section brings a twist with challenges that test strategy, wit, and teamwork. It’s about diving deeper into fun, with a touch of complexity and a lot more laughs.

Games for Teens and Adults Contents

Fun Car Games for Teens and Adults – Top 20 Alphabet Theme Ideas 20 Questions Ideas Classic Car Games Combined Longer Running Games Pre-Planned Games Educational Games Word and Riddle Games Number Plate Game Ideas Brain Teasers and Logic Puzzles True or False Game Ideas Pop Culture Trivia and Radio

Back to Kids Games Section Back to Top

Top 20 Best Road trip Games for Teens and Adults

Kick off your road trips with this collection of games designed for teens and adults, focusing on creative, strategic, and interactive fun that goes beyond the simplicity of children’s games. Perfect for keeping the energy high and making those long drives fly by.

Car Karaoke

Instead of “Guess the Song,” passengers take turns singing their favorite songs while others guess the title or artist.

Instructions

• Choose a passenger to sing first.
• The singer selects a song and performs a portion of it.
• Other passengers guess the song’s title and artist.

Adapted from a classic guessing game, one player thinks of something, and others have up to 20 questions to guess what it is.

• One player thinks of an object, animal, or person.
• The others take turns asking yes or no questions.
• The group tries to guess the answer within 20 questions.

Pose two scenarios and have each passenger choose which one they would rather do, with explanations for their choices.

• Present two different scenarios to the passengers.
• Each passenger chooses their preferred scenario and explains why.
• Rotate who poses the next set of scenarios.

Each passenger says three statements about themselves, two truths and one lie, while others guess the lie.

• A passenger states two truths and one lie about themselves.
• The others guess which statement is the lie.
• Reveal the correct answer before moving to the next person.

Adaptation of a campfire storytelling game where one person starts a story, and each passenger adds a sentence or two.

• Begin a story with a single sentence.
• Pass the story to the next passenger, who adds to it.
• Continue until the story reaches a natural conclusion or every passenger has contributed.

License Plate Lingo

Create sentences or a story using the letters from license plates spotted on the road.

• Spot a license plate and read its letters.
• Create a sentence or story starting with those letters.
• Take turns and try with different plates.

Travel Bingo

Make bingo cards with items or events likely to be seen on the road (like a red car, a cow, or a billboard). First to get a line wins.

• Prepare bingo cards before the trip with common road trip sights.
• Mark off items as you spot them during the journey.
• The first to complete a line shouts “Bingo!” and wins.

The Alphabet Game

Find words outside the car that start with each letter of the alphabet, in order, from A to Z.

• Start with the letter A and find a word seen outside that starts with it.
• Continue through the alphabet in order.
• The first to reach Z or the furthest along wins.

Adaptation of the observation game where players compete to spot items from a pre-determined list, like different types of vehicles, road signs, or animals.

• Create a list of items to spot before the trip.
• Players call out and mark off items as they spot them.
• The player who spots the most items wins.

The Movie Game

One player names an actor, the next names a movie that actor was in, then the next names another actor from that movie, and so on.

• Start with naming an actor.
• The next person names a movie the actor was in.
• Continue with movies and actors, keeping the chain going.

The Singing Game

Someone sings a line from a song, and the next person has to start their song with the last word of the previous song.

• Sing a line from a song.
• The next person starts their song with the last word sung.
• Continue, linking songs through their final words.

Play the first few seconds of a song on your device, and the first person to guess the song wins.

• Play a short clip of a song.
• The first person to correctly guess the song title and artist wins.
• Take turns playing song clips.

Whisper a message to the person next to you, and have it passed along through whispers. The last person says it out loud to see how much it changed.

• Whisper a message to the person next to you.
• Pass the message down the line through whispers.
• The last person says the message out loud to compare with the original.

I’m Going on a Trip

A memory game where the first person says, “I’m going on a trip and I’m bringing…” followed by an item. Each person repeats the list and adds their own item.

• Start the game with “I’m going on a trip and I’m bringing…” followed by an item.
• Each subsequent player repeats the list and adds an item.
• Continue until someone forgets an item or the list becomes too long.

One person says a word, and the next person has to say a word related to it. The game continues with associations to the previous word.

• Start with any word.
• The next person says a word associated with the previous word.
• Continue, building a chain of associated words.

Pick a category, and players take turns naming items that fit into it until someone gets stumped.

• Choose a category (e.g., fruits, countries).
• Take turns naming items within the category.
• Continue until someone can’t name an item.

The Picnic Game

Similar to “I’m Going on a Trip,” but each item must begin with the next letter of the alphabet. One of my favorite fun road trip games to play with the kids.

• The first player starts with “I’m going on a picnic and I’m bringing…” followed by an item starting with A.
• The next player repeats the first item and adds something starting with B.
• Continue through the alphabet.

Guess the Animal

One player thinks of an animal, and others ask yes/no questions to guess what it is.

• Think of an animal but don’t reveal it.
• Others ask yes/no questions to deduce the animal.
• Continue until the animal is guessed or questions run out.

Finish the Lyrics

Say a line from a song, and another player has to finish the next line.

• Recite a line from a song.
• The next player completes the lyric.
• Confirm the correct lyrics and continue with different songs.

Spin the Bottle (Q&A Edition)

Adapt it by having a “spinner” (using a phone app or imaginary bottle) and whoever it “points” to must answer a question from the group.

• Use an app or mimic spinning a bottle.
• The person the bottle points to must answer a group question.
• Rotate the spinner and continue with questions.

That’s just my top Picks, keep reading for more Fun games.

Fun Car Games for Teens and Adults – Alphabet Theme Ideas

Games based on using the Alphabet are almost endless. But here are 20 ideas which can help with your creativity.

Players must name an animal for each letter of the alphabet.

Cities of the World

Name cities around the globe, from A to Z.

Foods and Drinks

Each letter corresponds to a food or drink item.

Movie Titles

Players come up with movie titles for every letter.

Famous People

This can include celebrities, historical figures, or fictional characters.

Book Titles

Great for book lovers, name a book title for each letter.

Name a song title for each letter of the alphabet.

Identify brands that correspond with each letter.

Household Items

Find items around the house or that you’d typically find in a home, for each letter.

Sports and Activities

Any sport, exercise, or physical activity fits into this category.

Test your geography skills by naming countries from A to Z.

Plants or Flowers

Ideal for nature enthusiasts, name plants or flowers for each letter.

Come up with titles of TV shows, past or present.

Professions

Name a job or profession for each letter of the alphabet.

Instruments

Musical instruments that start with each letter.

for an easy to play game, Identify colors or shades that correspond with each letter.

Name languages spoken around the world, from A to Z.

Video Games

Great for gamers, name a video game for each letter.

Name an invention or discovery for each letter.

Mythological Creatures

Dive into mythology by naming creatures from legends and folklore for each letter.

Fun Car Games for Teens and Adults – 20 Questions Ideas

The game of 20 Questions is a classic guessing game where one player thinks of an item, and the other players have up to 20 yes-or-no questions to guess what it is. This game can be adapted to various themes to make it more interesting or educational. Here are 20 ideas or themes for playing 20 Questions

Think of an animal, and others must guess it with questions related to habitat, diet, characteristics, etc.

Historical Figures

For a fun game to play, choose a person from history, and players ask questions to figure out who it is based on their achievements, era, nationality, etc.

Geographical Locations

This could be a country, city, landmark, or natural feature, with questions revolving around location, cultural significance, or physical characteristics.

The mystery item is a movie, and questions can be about the plot, characters, actors, or awards.

Pick a book, and players ask questions related to genre, author, plot, or characters.

Celebrities

Choose a well-known public figure, and questions can relate to their profession, notable works, or personal life.

Think of an invention, and questions could be about its inventor, era of creation, purpose, or impact on society.

The item to guess could be a type of plant, flower, or tree, with questions focusing on habitat, appearance, and uses.

Choose a specific dish or food item, and questions can be about ingredients, origin, or taste.

The mystery item could be a sport, athlete, or sports team, with questions about rules, achievements, or famous figures associated with it.

Musical Instruments

Pick an instrument, and players ask questions regarding its family, how it’s played, or its sound.

Choose a creature from mythology, and questions could explore its origins, powers, or stories.

Technological Gadgets

Think of a gadget, and questions can be about its use, features, or the era it was popular.

Choose a famous work of art, and questions can revolve around the artist, era, medium, or subject matter.

Scientific Theories

Pick a scientific theory or concept, and questions could be about the field of science it belongs to, its implications, or key figures associated with it.

Board Games

The item could be a board game, with questions about gameplay, the number of players, or components.

Choose a language, and players ask questions about the region it’s spoken, number of speakers, or its writing system.

Holidays and Traditions

Think of a holiday or cultural tradition, and questions can be about how, where, or why it’s celebrated.

Choose a type of vehicle, and questions could cover its mode of transportation, use, or features.

Clothing and Fashion

Pick an item of clothing or a fashion trend, with questions about the era it was popular, materials, or associated culture.

Hopefully that helps with your creativity and spurs you on to find even more great ideas.

Fun Car Games for Teens and Adults – Classic Car Games Combined

Get ready to level up your road trip entertainment with these innovative car games that blend classic fun with fresh twists. Perfect for all ages, these games promise to keep everyone engaged and laughing from start to finish.

Karaoke Charades

Players sing a song while acting out the lyrics, and others guess the song and artist.

• One player selects a song and starts singing while also acting out the lyrics.
• The other passengers guess the song and the artist based on the performance.
• Rotate roles after each song.

Start with a word or phrase, draw it, then the next person guesses what it is and draws their interpretation, continuing down the line to see how it evolves.

• The first player writes down a word or phrase and then draws it on a piece of paper.
• The next player guesses what it is and then draws their interpretation of that guess on another piece of paper.
• Continue passing and drawing down the line, then compare the first and last drawings.

20 Questions + Storytelling

The object guessed in 20 Questions becomes the protagonist in a spontaneous group storytelling session.

• Play a classic game of 20 Questions until the object is correctly guessed.
• Use the guessed object as the protagonist of a group storytelling session, with each passenger adding to the story.

Alphabet Road Trip Bingo

Create bingo cards with the alphabet, and players must find objects starting with each letter outside the car to fill their card.

• Before the trip, create bingo cards with each square representing a letter of the alphabet.
• As you travel, players spot and call out objects that start with the letters on their card.
• The first player to complete a row or column wins.

Musical Scavenger Hunt

Compile a playlist where each song title or artist is a clue to find a specific object or perform an action.

• Create a playlist with songs where the titles or artists relate to objects or actions.
• Play each song, and passengers must figure out the clue and either find the object or perform the action.
• Keep score of who completes the most tasks.

Guess the Emoji Story

One player creates a short story using only emojis, and others must decipher the story or continue it with their own emoji sequence.

• One player composes a short story using a sequence of emojis.
• Other players attempt to decipher the story from the emojis.
• Players can then add to the story with their own sequence of emojis.

Trivia Treasure Hunt

Combine trivia questions with a treasure hunt, where each correct answer leads to a clue or location of the next hidden item.

• Prepare a list of trivia questions related to the trip or general knowledge.
• Correct answers lead to clues or the location of hidden items along the trip.
• The player who finds the most items or solves the final clue wins.

Drawing Pictionary with a Twist

Use concepts from “Taboo” where certain obvious clues or words cannot be drawn, making it harder to guess.

• Similar to Pictionary, but with a list of words or concepts that are “taboo” and cannot be used in the drawings.
• Players take turns drawing while others guess, without using the taboo clues.
• Points are awarded for correct guesses under time limits.

Soundtrack of My Life Challenge

Players choose songs that represent different moments in their life, and others have to guess the event or period it correlates with.

• Each player selects a series of songs that represent significant moments in their life.
• Play snippets of each song, and the other passengers guess the life event or period it represents.
• Share stories behind each song choice.

Dance-Off Simon Says

Mix “Simon Says” with a dance-off, where players must follow dance moves only when “Simon says” but with added competition for the best dancer.

• One player is “Simon” and calls out dance moves followed by “Simon says.”
• Players only move if “Simon says” is used before the move; otherwise, they stay still.
• Add competitive elements by voting on the best dancer for each round.

Story Dice + Improv Theater

Use story dice to roll for story elements, and then perform an impromptu skit based on the results.

• Roll story dice to determine elements like setting, character, and conflict.
• Players collaborate to perform a short, improvised skit using the rolled elements.
• Take turns rolling dice and performing different skits.

Lip Reading Song Battle

Mute a song’s audio, and one player tries to lip-sync the lyrics while the others guess the song.

• Play a song with the audio muted.
• One player lip-syncs the lyrics.
• Others guess the song based on the lip-sync performance.

Crafty Spies

Combine “I Spy” with crafting, where players create a simple craft based on something they spy with their eyes.

• Play a round of “I Spy” to choose an object.
• Using crafting materials, players create a simple representation of the spied object.
• Share and explain your crafts with the group.

Emoji Charades

Act out the meaning of emojis for others to guess, adding a modern twist to traditional charades.

• Choose an emoji and act out its meaning without speaking.
• Other players guess the emoji based on the actions.
• Rotate actors and continue with different emojis.

Musical Hangman

Play hangman using only song titles or artist names, and the guesser has to sing the song if they solve the puzzle.

• Choose a song title or artist and draw blanks for each letter.
• Players guess letters; incorrect guesses result in drawing parts of the hangman.
• If a player correctly guesses, they sing a line from the song.

Alphabetical Lip Sync Battles

Participants perform lip-sync battles but must choose songs that start with the next letter of the alphabet each round.

• Start with the letter A and choose a song that begins with A for the first lip-sync battle.
• The next round moves to B, and so on through the alphabet.
• Judges or audience vote on the best lip-sync performance for each round.

Movie Mashup Madness

Players describe a movie plot using details from two different films, while others guess the movies involved.

• Pick two movies and combine elements from both into a single plot description.
• Other players guess which two movies are being described.
• Take turns creating and guessing movie mashups.

Recipe Roulette

Combine “20 Questions” with cooking, where players ask questions to guess the dish, then attempt to cook it with only the guessed ingredients.

• Think of a recipe but don’t reveal it.
• Players ask yes/no questions to guess the dish.
• Attempt to cook the dish with the ingredients identified through the questions.

Celebrity Heads Road Trip Edition

Adapt “Celebrity Heads” for the car by guessing the celebrity based on traits or accomplishments, using road signs or objects seen outside for hints.

• Think of a celebrity and give hints based on traits, accomplishments, or related road signs and objects.
• Players ask yes/no questions and guess the celebrity.
• Rotate the role of the hint giver.

Historical Figure Daydreams

Players choose a historical figure, then play a round of “Fortunately/Unfortunately” to create humorous scenarios about what could have happened in their lives.

• Choose a historical figure.
• Start with a scenario involving the figure.
• Players take turns adding to the story with alternating “fortunately” and “unfortunately” scenarios.

I hope you enjoyed that section of creative combinations of car games. That’s just the tip of the iceberg, I’m sure you can come up with some yourself.

Fun Car Games for Teens and Adults – Longer Running Games

Longer-running games are great for keeping interest and excitement alive over extended periods, such as during road trips, vacations, or even over a summer break. Here are 20 ideas for longer-running games that involve ongoing tasks, collection, or points tallying, providing continuous fun and engagement

Regional Snack Collection

At each stop, collect a snack or item unique to that area, aiming to gather the most diverse collection of treats by trip’s end.

• Plan to stop at various regional locations along your route.
• At each stop, select a snack or local item unique to the area.
• Compare collections at the end of the trip to see who has the most diverse assortment.

Travel Journal Doodles

Each participant maintains a doodle journal, adding a drawing for every place visited or sight seen, comparing journals at the end of the trip.

• Provide each traveler with a journal at the trip’s start.
• Encourage drawing a doodle for each significant sight or location visited.
• Share and compare the doodle journals at the journey’s conclusion.

Create bingo cards with states, countries, or unique characteristics of license plates. The first to complete their bingo card wins.

• Before the trip, prepare bingo cards featuring different states, countries, or unique license plate features.
• Mark off each item on your card as you spot it during the trip.
• The first to complete a row or card shouts “Bingo!” and wins.

Mini Travel Olympics

Hold a series of short physical challenges or games at rest stops or parks, keeping a tally of winners to declare an overall champion at the trip’s end.

• Identify suitable rest stops or parks for physical activities.
• Organize a variety of short games or challenges.
• Keep score of each participant’s wins to determine the overall champion by the trip’s end.

Scenic Photography Contest

Participants take photos of scenery, landmarks, or quirky finds along the journey. Vote on categories like “Most Beautiful” or “Most Unusual” at the trip’s end.

• Throughout the trip, take photos of interesting sights, landmarks, or scenery.
• At the journey’s end, organize a voting session for various categories.
• Declare winners for each category based on votes.

Car Ride Story Building

Start a collaborative story at the beginning of the trip, and each person adds a sentence or paragraph in turns. Read the entire story aloud at the journey’s end.

• Begin a story with an opening line.
• Pass the story around, with each person adding to it in turn.
• Read the completed story together once the trip concludes.

Travel Trivia

Keep track of interesting facts, landmarks, or learning moments encountered during the trip. Hold a trivia quiz on the last day to recall what everyone learned.

• Throughout the trip, note down interesting facts or landmarks.
• Organize a trivia quiz based on these notes on the last day.
• Quiz each other to see who remembers the most.

Postcard Chronicles

Send a postcard to yourself from each major stop, writing about what you did or saw there. Collect them at home as a keepsake of your travels.

• At each significant stop, choose a postcard and write a brief account of your experiences.
• Mail the postcard to your home address.
• Collect and reminisce over the postcards once home.

Nature Scavenger Hunt

Maintain a list of animals, plants, and natural phenomena to spot over the trip. Tally who spots the most items on the list by the end.

• Create a list of natural items to spot during your travels.
• Keep a tally of who spots each item first.
• Count up the tallies at the end of the trip to find the winner.

Culinary Explorer

Try a different local dish at each stop and rate them. Compile a food diary or blog to summarize the culinary adventure.

• At each stop, try a local dish or specialty.
• Rate each dish based on taste, presentation, and uniqueness.
• Compile your ratings and experiences into a diary or blog.

Podcast or Book Club

Select a podcast series or a book to listen to or read together during the journey. Discuss it at various intervals or at the trip’s end.

• Choose a podcast or book for the trip.
• Listen or read in segments during the journey.
• Hold discussions at predetermined intervals or at the end of the trip.

Landmark Bingo

Similar to License Plate Bingo but with landmarks or types of locations (e.g., museums, bridges, national parks). First to complete their card wins.

• Create bingo cards with various landmarks or location types.
• Spot and mark off these landmarks during your travels.
• The first to complete their card wins.

Fit Challenge

Use fitness trackers to monitor steps or activity levels, setting daily goals. The person with the most consistent achievement or improvement wins.

• Set daily step or activity goals for each traveler.
• Use fitness trackers to monitor progress.
• Review achievements at the end of the trip to determine the winner.

Souvenir Swap

Collect souvenirs from each location, then have a swap meet at the end of the trip to exchange items and stories.

• Collect souvenirs from each stop on your journey.
• At the trip’s end, organize a swap meet to exchange souvenirs and share stories behind each item.

City Builder

Like your idea, participants choose items or landmarks they see and describe how they’d incorporate them into their ideal city. Sketch or list ideas and share at the trip’s end.

• As you travel, note down interesting items or landmarks.
• Imagine and describe how each could be part of your ideal city.
• Share your city concepts with fellow travelers at the end of the trip.

Travel Playlist Compilation

Each person adds songs to a collaborative playlist throughout the trip, aiming to encapsulate the journey’s mood or memorable moments.

• Create a collaborative playlist accessible to all travelers.
• Add songs throughout the trip that capture moments or moods.
• Share and discuss the playlist at the journey’s conclusion.

Cultural Immersion List

Make a list of cultural activities to experience, such as attending a local event or trying a traditional craft. Document each activity with photos or entries in a travel diary.

• Before the trip, research and list cultural activities available along your route.
• Participate in these activities and document the experience.
• Share your cultural immersion experiences through photos or diary entries.

Historical Marker Hunt

Take note of historical markers or sites visited. Research and share a brief history at the day’s end or trip’s conclusion.

• Keep an eye out for historical markers and sites during your travels.
• Research and learn about the significance of each.
• Share your findings with fellow travelers at the end of the day or trip.

Roadside Attraction Bingo

In my opinion, this is one of the best road trip games. Start by Creating bingo cards with common and uncommon roadside attractions (e.g., giant statues, unique local businesses). First to spot and document each with a photo wins.

• Prepare bingo cards with various roadside attractions listed.
• Spot and photograph these attractions during your journey.
• The first to complete a bingo row or card wins.

Travel Vlog or Blog

Document the trip through videos or blog posts, with each person responsible for capturing or writing about different segments or aspects of the journey.

• Assign different travel segments or topics to each traveler for documentation.
• Capture the journey through videos or blog entries.
• Compile and share the complete vlog or blog at the trip’s conclusion.

These games encourage exploration, creativity, and physical activity, making long journeys or extended periods more engaging and memorable for all involved.

Fun Car Games for Teens and Adults – Pre-Planned Games

Games that require a bit of pre-planning can add an enriching layer to your journey, transforming a simple trip into an adventure filled with discovery and learning. Here are several themes and ideas for games and activities that can be planned in advance to enhance long journeys.

Movie Set Road Trip

Research and plan visits to filming locations of favorite movies or TV shows. Create trivia or scavenger hunts based on those movies to play en route or at the location.

• Research and list filming locations of interest along your route.
• Plan your visit to these locations.
• Create trivia questions or a scavenger hunt related to the movies or TV shows for additional fun.

Historical Trails

Choose a historical trail or route, such as the Oregon Trail, Route 66, or the Freedom Trail, and plan stops at significant landmarks. Prepare related games, stories, or quizzes for each landmark.

• Select a historical trail or route and identify key landmarks to visit.
• Research the history and significance of each landmark.
• Prepare interactive games, stories, or quizzes related to each stop.

Geocaching Adventure

Use a geocaching app to plan a route with caches along the way. Geocaching combines treasure hunting with navigation skills, making for a thrilling journey.

• Download a geocaching app and locate caches along your travel route.
• Plan your stops around these geocache locations.
• Use the app to navigate to the caches and log your finds.

Cultural Heritage Tour

Select a route that goes through areas rich in cultural heritage. Learn about the local traditions, cuisines, and crafts in advance, and plan activities or visits around them.

• Research areas rich in cultural heritage along your route.
• Learn about local traditions, cuisines, and crafts.
• Plan visits or activities that allow you to experience the cultural heritage firsthand.

Nature Exploration

Plan a trip around national parks, nature reserves, or scenic landscapes. Prepare a nature bingo or scavenger hunt that includes flora, fauna, and geological features to look for.

• Identify national parks, nature reserves, or scenic landscapes to visit.
• Prepare a nature bingo or scavenger hunt with items to find or observe.
• Explore the natural beauty and mark off items on your bingo card or scavenger hunt list.

Art and Architecture Quest

Focus on exploring art galleries, street art, and architectural wonders along your route. Develop an art journal or photo challenge to capture and reflect on the art seen during the trip.

• Map out art galleries, street art locations, and architectural wonders to visit.
• Create an art journal or initiate a photo challenge for the trip.
• Document and discuss the art and architecture you encounter.

Literary Journey

Choose a route that follows the settings of a novel or the life of a famous author. Prepare discussions, readings, and activities based on the book or author’s works.

• Select a novel or author with strong ties to specific locations.
• Plan your route to follow the settings or significant places in the author’s life.
• Organize discussions, readings, and activities related to the book or author at each stop.

Music Trail

Plan to visit places of musical significance, such as the birthplaces of famous genres (e.g., jazz in New Orleans, country in Nashville) or iconic music venues. Include a playlist of related music to listen to as you travel.

• Identify places of musical significance to visit on your trip.
• Compile a playlist of music related to these places or genres.
• Visit the locations and immerse yourself in the music history and culture.

Science and Innovation Tour

Include stops at science museums, observatories, tech companies, or historical sites of scientific discoveries. Prepare trivia questions or experiments related to each stop.

• Plan visits to science museums, observatories, and other related sites.
• Prepare trivia questions or simple experiments related to the science or innovation at each location.
• Engage with the science and technology through interactive learning at each stop.

Foodie Road Trip

Map out a route based on regional cuisines, famous restaurants, or food festivals. Plan to try specific dishes at each location and rate them, or even take a cooking class.

• Research regional cuisines, famous restaurants, and food festivals along your route.
• Make a list of must-try dishes or restaurants.
• Sample the local cuisine at each stop, rate the dishes, and possibly take a local cooking class.

Sports History Tour

Visit stadiums, halls of fame, or hometowns of famous athletes. Create fantasy sports teams or sports trivia based on the locations visited.

• Identify stadiums, halls of fame, and significant sports locations along your route.
• Research the sports history of each location to create trivia questions or fantasy sports teams.
• Engage in trivia challenges or discussions about sports history at each stop.

Ghost Towns and Legends

Explore abandoned towns, haunted locations, or sites of local legends. Research stories in advance for storytelling sessions.

• Map out ghost towns, haunted locations, or legendary sites to visit.
• Gather stories, legends, and histories of each place before the trip.
• Share these stories with your travel companions as you explore each site.

Astronomy Road Trip

Plan stops at observatories, planetariums, or dark sky parks for stargazing. Learn about constellations and celestial events that may occur during your trip.

• Locate observatories, planetariums, and dark sky parks along your travel route.
• Research constellations, stars, and any celestial events happening during your trip.
• Schedule stargazing sessions and use the opportunity to learn and share astronomy knowledge.

Eco-Challenge

Focus on sustainable travel, visiting eco-friendly sites or engaging in conservation activities. Plan challenges around minimizing your carbon footprint or learning about ecology.

• Choose eco-friendly destinations and activities that emphasize conservation and sustainability.
• Set personal or group challenges to minimize your carbon footprint during the trip.
• Engage in activities that educate on environmental conservation and document your eco-friendly practices.

Fitness Challenge

Map out a route with opportunities for hiking, biking, swimming, or other physical activities. Set personal fitness goals or challenges for each location.

• Identify stops along your route where you can engage in physical activities like hiking or biking.
• Set fitness goals or challenges for each activity or location.
• Track your progress and celebrate achievements as you meet your fitness goals during the trip.

Photography Challenge

Choose a theme or subject for photography (e.g., landscapes, urban life, sunrise/sunset) and plan stops accordingly. Share tips and critique photos to improve skills along the way.

• Decide on a photography theme or subject for your trip.
• Plan your route to include stops that offer opportunities to capture photos related to your theme.
• Share photography tips among your group and critique each other’s photos to improve your skills.

Gardens and Botanics Tour

Visit botanical gardens, arboretums, or wildflower trails. Prepare a plant identification guide or a botanical sketchbook activity.

• Research and plan visits to botanical gardens, arboretums, and trails known for their flora.
• Prepare a plant identification guide or create a botanical sketchbook for drawing the plants you see.
• Explore the beauty of plant life, documenting and sketching as you go.

Film Festival Tour

Attend film festivals in different cities if your trip coincides with their schedules. Discuss themes, cinematography, and performances.

• Research film festivals happening along your route and plan your itinerary to attend them.
• Watch films and participate in festival activities.
• Hold discussions about the films’ themes, cinematography, and performances after viewing.

Craft Brewery Tour

For adults, plan a route that includes visits to craft breweries, with tastings and tours. Learn about the brewing process and regional specialties.

• Identify craft breweries along your route and plan visits.
• Participate in brewery tours and tastings to learn about the brewing process and regional beer specialties.
• Discuss the flavors, brewing techniques, and your favorite brews from each stop.

Railroad History Trip

Follow historic railroad routes, visiting train stations, railroad museums, and scenic railway journeys. Prepare related games or model train building sessions.

• Research historic railroad routes and significant railway locations to visit.
• Plan stops at train stations, museums, and scenic railway journeys that highlight railroad history.
• Engage in railroad-themed games or model train building activities to deepen your appreciation of railway heritage.

These themes not only add structure and purpose to your journey but also enrich the experience with education, culture, and fun, making the journey as memorable as the destination.

Fun Car Games for Teens and Adults – Educational Games

Educational games that engage Older Kids and Teens (or even Adults) into thinking critically about their surroundings can be both fun and informative, helping them learn about economics, history, architecture, and more. Here are several ideas for games that can educate kids during a journey, categorized by different themes.

Architecture and Urban Planning

Building functions guess.

Spot different buildings, and have kids guess their purposes. Discuss why certain designs are used for specific functions.

• Point out various buildings along the route.
• Ask kids to guess each building’s function based on its design.
• Discuss the architectural features that indicate the building’s purpose.

City Planning Basics

Discuss why certain areas have more of a specific type of business or building and talk about zoning, city planning, and community needs.

• Observe the distribution of businesses and buildings in different areas.
• Initiate a discussion on zoning laws, city planning, and why certain areas develop specific business types.
• Talk about how these decisions impact the community.

Economics and Business

Business success or failure.

When passing by businesses or abandoned buildings, speculate why a business might have succeeded or failed.

• Identify businesses or buildings that are thriving or abandoned.
• Discuss potential reasons for their success or failure.
• Consider factors like location, competition, and market demand.

Supply and Demand on the Road

Discuss why certain products or services are more common in some areas than others, relating it to the concept of supply and demand.

• Notice the prevalence of certain types of businesses or products in different regions.
• Discuss how supply and demand influence these patterns.
• Talk about factors that affect supply and demand in various locations.

Environmental Science

Eco-detectives.

Identify different types of landscapes (urban, rural, forest, desert) and discuss the ecosystems and how humans impact them.

• As you travel, identify and categorize the landscapes you see.
• Discuss the characteristics of each ecosystem.
• Talk about human impacts on these environments.

Recycling and Sustainability Quest

Spot recycling bins, solar panels, wind turbines, or other signs of sustainable practices and discuss their importance.

• Look for signs of sustainable practices and renewable energy use.
• Discuss the importance of each practice spotted.
• Talk about ways to incorporate sustainability into daily life.

History and Culture

Historical marker scavenger hunt.

Look for historical markers and research or discuss the significance of each location.

• Keep an eye out for historical markers along your route.
• Stop to read the markers and research further if needed.
• Discuss the historical significance of the locations.

Cultural Diversity Explorer

Notice and discuss cultural markers that indicate the heritage of the communities you pass through (e.g., architectural styles, restaurants offering various cuisines).

• Observe and identify cultural markers in different communities.
• Discuss what these markers reveal about the community’s heritage.
• Explore the cultural diversity and history of the places you visit.

Science and Technology

Engineering wonders.

Identify and talk about the engineering behind bridges, tunnels, dams, and skyscrapers.

• Spot engineering marvels like bridges and skyscrapers.
• Discuss the engineering principles and challenges involved in their construction.
• Explore the impact of these structures on society and the environment.

Technology Timeline

Notice and discuss the evolution of technology, from old factories to modern wind farms or tech companies.

• Identify examples of old and new technology along your route.
• Discuss how technology has evolved over time.
• Consider the future direction of technological development.

Mathematics

Math in motion.

Calculate travel times, distances, or fuel consumption as a practical application of math skills.

• Use maps and travel information to calculate distances between stops.
• Estimate travel times based on distance and speed.
• Discuss fuel consumption and how to calculate it.

Budgeting Game

Give kids a hypothetical budget for a day’s journey. Have them manage expenses like food, souvenirs, and activities.

• Assign a hypothetical budget for the day.
• As you make stops, have kids decide how to spend their budget.
• Discuss choices and the importance of budgeting.

Health and Nutrition

Healthy choices challenge.

Discuss the nutritional value of different foods when stopping for meals, encouraging healthy choices.

• At meal stops, evaluate the available food options.
• Discuss the nutritional value of different foods.
• Encourage making healthy food choices.

Exercise Exploration

Talk about the importance of physical activity and brainstorm ways to stay active during stops.

• Discuss the benefits of regular physical activity.
• Brainstorm quick exercises or activities that can be done at rest stops.
• Encourage everyone to participate in physical activities during stops.

Provide kids with maps and have them track the journey, learning to read key map symbols and distances.

• Distribute maps to the kids.
• Teach them how to read map symbols and measure distances.
• Have them track the journey’s progress on their maps.

Landmark Legends

Research and share stories about natural landmarks you pass, enhancing geographical and cultural knowledge.

• Identify natural landmarks along your route.
• Research and prepare stories or facts about each landmark.
• Share these stories as you pass by the landmarks.

Government and Civics

Local government glimpse.

Discuss the role of local government in maintaining roads, parks, and public services spotted along the way.

• As you travel, identify public services and infrastructure.
• Discuss the role of local governments in providing these services.
• Talk about the importance of civic responsibility and community involvement.

Public Services Hunt

Identify and talk about different public services (fire stations, schools, libraries) and their roles in the community.

• Spot various public service facilities during your journey.
• Discuss the function and importance of each service.
• Consider how these services contribute to community welfare.

Arts and Creativity

Artistic inspirations.

Encourage kids to sketch or describe landscapes, buildings, or scenes they find interesting, discussing artistic elements.

• Provide sketchbooks or notebooks for drawing or describing scenes.
• Encourage observation and depiction of interesting sights.
• Discuss the artistic elements of the scenes captured.

Music and Movements

Discuss the influence of music on culture and personal identity, exploring different genres and artists.

• Create a playlist featuring a variety of music genres and artists.
• As you listen, discuss the cultural significance and personal impact of different musical styles.
• Encourage exploration of new music and artists.

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

What-if scenarios.

Pose hypothetical situations related to the journey or locations (e.g., “What if this bridge wasn’t here? How would it affect the town?”).

• Present hypothetical scenarios to the group.
• Discuss possible outcomes and impacts of these scenarios.
• Encourage creative thinking and problem-solving discussions.

Invent a Solution

Spot a problem or challenge a community might face (like traffic congestion, pollution) and brainstorm innovative solutions.

• Identify visible community challenges during your trip.
• Discuss the causes and potential solutions to these problems.
• Encourage innovative and practical ideas.

Language and Communication

Language spotting.

Identify different languages on signs, businesses, and public spaces. Discuss where these languages are from and basic greetings or phrases.

• Look for signs or businesses featuring different languages.
• Discuss the origins of these languages and their global presence.
• Learn and share basic greetings or phrases in the languages spotted.

Storytelling from Surroundings

Create stories based on interesting sights or landmarks seen, encouraging creativity and narrative skills.

• Choose a landmark or sight as the story’s setting or inspiration.
• Encourage each participant to create and share a story based on the chosen sight.
• Discuss the creative process and narrative elements of each story.

Social Studies

Community roles and jobs.

Observe different jobs people are doing in the communities you pass through and discuss their importance to society.

• Notice various jobs and roles performed by people in different communities.
• Discuss the significance of these jobs to the community and society at large.
• Reflect on the diversity of roles and their contributions to community life.

Historical Impact Analysis

Speculate on how historical events might have shaped the landscapes, towns, and cities you visit.

• Research the history of the places you plan to visit.
• As you travel, discuss the historical events that have influenced these places.
• Consider the long-term impacts of these events on the landscape and community.

Environmental Awareness

Conservation conversations.

Discuss the importance of conservation efforts visible during your journey, such as protected areas, wildlife crossings, and conservation signs.

• Identify conservation efforts and protected areas during your travels.
• Discuss the purpose and importance of these conservation measures.
• Reflect on how individuals and communities can contribute to environmental conservation.

Climate Zones

Talk about the different climate zones you travel through and their characteristics, including the types of vegetation and wildlife that can survive there.

• Research the climate zones along your route.
• Discuss the characteristics of each climate zone, including vegetation and wildlife.
• Reflect on how climate affects the natural world and human activities.

Astronomy and Space

Skywatching stories.

If traveling at night, identify constellations and share myths or facts about them.

• Prepare constellation maps or apps for night travel.
• Identify constellations and share their myths or scientific facts.
• Discuss the significance of these constellations in different cultures and science.

Space Exploration Discussion

Discuss how certain landscapes you pass through resemble other planets or moons and the basics of space exploration.

• Compare and contrast Earth’s landscapes with known landscapes of other planets or moons.
• Discuss human space exploration efforts and achievements.
• Explore the possibilities of future space travel and discovery.

These educational games and discussions can turn a long journey into a moving classroom, sparking curiosity and a love for learning in various subjects. They encourage observation, questioning, and critical thinking, making travel an enriching experience beyond just reaching a destination.

Fun Car Games for Teens and Adults – Word and Riddle Games

Here are 20 word or riddle games designed to entertain teens and adults during long car trips. These games are perfect for stimulating the mind and sparking lively discussions.

Start with one word, and each person says the first word that comes to mind. Keep going until you can’t think of any more associations.

• Someone says a starting word.
• The next person says the first word they think of that’s associated with it.
• Continue around until no one can think of a related word.

Example “Car” might lead to “road,” which might lead to “travel,” and so on.

Each person shares three statements about themselves—two truths and one lie. The others have to guess which statement is the lie.

• Each player thinks of two truths and one lie about themselves.
• They share all three statements in a random order.
• The others guess which one is the lie.

Example “I’ve been to Australia, I have two siblings, I can play the guitar.” (If the lie is about playing the guitar.)

Movie Synonyms

Describe a movie title with synonyms (e.g., “Gigantic” for “Big”), and others guess the movie.

• Think of a movie title.
• Describe it using synonyms without saying the actual title.
• Others guess the movie based on your description.

Example “Nighttime in the Museum” for “Night at the Museum.”

Choose a word, and everyone takes turns saying a word that rhymes with it until someone gets stumped.

• Take turns saying words that rhyme with the starting word.
• Continue until someone can’t think of a rhyming word.

Example If the starting word is “cat,” responses might include “hat,” “bat,” “rat,” etc.

Alphabet Story

Start a story where each sentence begins with the consecutive letter of the alphabet. “A long time ago…” “But then…”

• Begin a story with a sentence starting with “A.”
• The next person continues the story with a sentence starting with “B.”

Example “A cat walked into a bar. But it wasn’t an ordinary bar…”

Riddle Me This

Share riddles for others to solve, ranging from simple to complex. You can prepare a list of riddles beforehand.

• Think of or look up a riddle.
• Share the riddle with the others.
• They try to solve it.

Example “What has to be broken before you can use it?” (An egg.)

License Plate Decoder

Invent a backstory or meaning for the letters and numbers on a license plate you see.

• Choose a random license plate.
• Create a story or meaning behind its letters and numbers.
• Share with the others and see who can come up with the most creative interpretation.

Example For “4JMP2,” “Four jugglers made pancakes too.”

Start with a word, and each person changes one letter to make a new word. The goal is to see how far you can veer from the original word.

• Begin with any word.
• The next person changes one letter to form a new word.
• Continue, with each person altering one letter of the latest word.

Example “Cat” could change to “bat,” then to “bit,” “bite,” and so on.

These games are great for keeping the energy up and making long car trips more enjoyable and engaging for teens and adults alike.

Fun Car Games for Teens and Adults – Number Plate Game Ideas

Elevate your road trip entertainment with these imaginative number plate car games. Each game transforms ordinary license plates into puzzles, stories, and challenges, making the miles fly by.

Alphabet Soup

Find license plates in alphabetical order, starting with A and working your way to Z.

Example First, spot a plate with an ‘A’, then look for a ‘B’, and continue until you reach ‘Z’.

State Bingo

Create bingo cards with different states. Spot license plates from those states to mark off your squares.

Example If your card has Texas, Florida, and California, and you spot a plate from Texas, mark that square off.

License Plate Limericks

Create a short, funny limerick using the letters from a spotted license plate.

Example For a plate reading “D4N,” a limerick could be: “A dog named Dan, who could tan, in the sun he’d span, until he ran, after the mailman.”

License Plate Math

Use the numbers on a license plate to create and solve math problems. Add, subtract, multiply, or divide the digits in creative ways.

Example If a plate is “X32G4,” you could create: 3 + 2 – 4 = 1.

Plate Color Hunt

Look for license plates of a specific color. The first to spot a predetermined number of them wins.

Example Find five blue license plates while traveling through the city.

Plate Pictionary

Draw a scene or object that the letters on a license plate remind you of, and have others guess what it is.

Example A plate “CAT” might inspire a drawing of a cat lounging in the sun.

License Plate Stories

Create a short story or sentence using the letters of a license plate as the first letter of each word.

Example For “GFT,” a story could start: “Giant frogs trembled…”

Around the World

Spot license plates from as many different states or countries as possible, aiming to “travel” through continents or across the U.S.

Example Spotting a plate from California, then one from New York, and imagining the coast-to-coast journey.

Plate Detective

Guess the profession or personality of the vehicle’s owner based on the license plate and the car’s appearance.

Example A plate that reads “4RTIST” on a brightly painted van might belong to an artist.

Invent a funny or interesting meaning behind the letters and numbers on a license plate.

Example A plate “123 XYZ” could be decoded as “One-two-three, Xylophone Yodeling Zebras.”

Plate Categories

Pick a category (e.g., animals, foods, movies). Use the letters on a license plate to name something within that category.

Example For “BGR,” in the food category, you could say “Burger.”

License Plate Scramble

Rearrange the letters in a spotted license plate to form new words or phrases.

Example A plate “LVE” could be scrambled to “EVL” (Evil).

Secret Mission

Pretend each spotted license plate is a clue or code for a secret mission. Create the mission’s objective based on the plates you see.

Example A plate “007” might inspire a spy mission to uncover a mystery.

License Plate Haiku

Use the letters on a license plate to inspire a haiku. The letters can dictate the theme or specific words to use.

Example For “SNW,” a haiku could be: “Silent night whispers, Snowflakes dance on cold breezes, Winter’s breath holds tight.”

Plate Chain

Spot a license plate, then find another plate where the last letter or number of the first plate is the first letter or number of the next.

Example If you see a plate ending in “4,” find another starting with “4.”

License Plate Tag

When you see a license plate from a new state, shout it out. No repeats allowed. The person with the most unique states wins.

Example Spotting plates from Florida, then Texas, and so on, each called out once.

Number Pursuit

Choose a number (e.g., 7), and then find license plates with numbers that add up to it.

Example A plate with “313” because 3 + 1 + 3 = 7.

License Plate Bingo Deluxe

Make a bingo card with a mix of states, numbers, and colors. For example, “A blue plate from Texas” or “A plate with ‘123’.”

Example Creating a bingo card that requires spotting a green plate, a plate from Nevada, and a plate containing “567.”

Alphabetical Sentences

Use the letters from a plate to start each word of a sentence, in order. The more coherent the sentence, the better.

Example For “CAT,” a sentence could be: “Cats adore tuna.”

License Plate Riddles

Create riddles based on the letters and numbers of a license plate. For example, if the plate is “4JMP2,” the riddle could be “I jump but never play. What am I?” (Answer: A basketball).

Example For “SUN1,” a riddle might be: “I shine and rise but never run. What am I?” (Answer: The sun).

These variations of the number plate game provide a fresh and engaging way to pass the time on long car journeys, turning every new plate spotted into a mini-adventure.

Fun Car Games for Teens and Adults – Brain Teasers and Logic Puzzles

Here are 20 brain teasers and logic puzzles designed to challenge and entertain during long car trips. These puzzles are perfect for teens and adults looking for a mental workout on the road.

Answers at the bottom of section.

Missing Dollar

Three friends check into a hotel room that costs $30. Each friend pays $10. Later, the clerk realizes the room was only $25 and gives $5 to the bellboy to return to the friends. The bellboy, however, decides to keep $2 for himself and gives $1 back to each friend. Now, each friend has paid $9, totaling $27, and the bellboy has $2. Where is the missing dollar?

Crossing the Bridge

Four people need to cross a bridge at night. The bridge can only hold two people at a time, and they have only one flashlight. The group’s speeds are 1 minute, 2 minutes, 5 minutes, and 10 minutes. How can they all cross the bridge in 17 minutes?

Farmer’s Challenge

A farmer needs to transport a wolf, a goat, and a cabbage across a river. His boat can only carry him and one other item at a time. He can’t leave the wolf alone with the goat or the goat alone with the cabbage. How can he get all three across safely?

The Three Doors

You’re in a game show with three doors. Behind one door is a car, and behind the other two are goats. You pick a door, say No. 1, and the host, who knows what’s behind the doors, opens another door, say No. 3, revealing a goat. He then asks if you want to switch to door No. 2. Should you switch?

The Hat Puzzle

Three people are captured by a bandit king. The king lines them up and places a hat on each of their heads, either black or white. Each person can only see the hat of the people in front of them, not their own or those behind. The king promises freedom to anyone who can correctly state the color of their hat. How do they figure it out?

Water Jug Problem

You have a 5-liter jug and a 3-liter jug and need to measure exactly 4 liters of water. How do you do it?

The Monty Hall Problem

Similar to the Three Doors puzzle but explore variations. For instance, what if there were 100 doors instead of three?

Two Fathers and Two Sons

Two fathers and two sons go fishing. Each catches one fish, so why do they bring home only three fish?

The Poisoned Wine

A king has 1000 bottles of wine, and one is poisoned. He has 10 prisoners to find out which one is poisoned. The poison takes effect in an hour, and the king needs the answer by the next morning. How does he figure out which bottle is poisoned with the least number of deaths?

Infinite Quarter Toss

If you toss a quarter an infinite number of times, what are the odds that you will eventually flip heads ten times in a row?

The Liar and the Truth Teller

You come to a fork in the road with two individuals. One always tells the truth, and the other always lies. You can ask one question to find out which road leads to your destination. What do you ask?

The Sock Drawer

In a dark room, you have a drawer containing 10 red socks and 10 blue socks. How many socks must you pull out to ensure you have a matching pair?

Birthday Paradox

In a room of 23 people, what’s the probability that at least two people share the same birthday?

The Escalator

A man walks up an escalator moving downward and counts 50 steps. When he walks up the same escalator, now moving upward, he counts 75 steps. How many steps would he count if the escalator were not moving?

The Four Prisoners

Four prisoners are lined up, and each has a hat placed on their head, either black or white. They can’t speak, move, or see their hat but can see the hats in front of them. How can at least one guarantee to guess their hat color correctly?

The Dropped Egg

You have two eggs and access to a 100-story building. The eggs can survive falls from certain floors without breaking. What’s the least number of drops you need to find out the highest floor from which an egg can be dropped without breaking?

The Silent Agreement

Two people, who have never met, are placed in separate rooms and can’t communicate. They are told that if they both write down the same positive whole number, they will each win that amount in dollars. However, if one writes down a number one higher than the other, that person wins $1,000,000. What number do they choose?

Locked Box with a Key Inside

You have a locked box that is transparent enough to see a key inside. The box has a hole too small for the key to fit through. How do you open the box?

Dividing the Gold

Five pirates discover a treasure of 100 gold coins. They must divide it under the rules that the most senior pirate proposes a distribution, and all pirates, including the proposer, vote on it. If half or more of the pirates vote for it, the gold is distributed that way. Otherwise, the proposer is thrown overboard, and the process repeats. How does the gold get divided?

The Racing Horses

You have 25 horses, and you want to find out the three fastest horses. You can race up to 5 horses at a time, but you don’t have a stopwatch. What’s the minimum number of races you need to identify the top 3 horses?

Answer: There’s no missing dollar. This is a common misdirection puzzle. The $27 total includes the $25 room cost plus the $2 kept by the bellboy. The three friends effectively paid $9 each ($27 total), out of which $25 went to the room and $2 to the bellboy.

Answer: The quickest way is 17 minutes:

• The two fastest people (1 minute and 2 minutes) cross first, taking 2 minutes.
• The 1-minute person comes back with the flashlight, taking 1 more minute (3 minutes total).
• The two slowest people (5 minutes and 10 minutes) cross, taking 10 minutes (13 minutes total).
• The 2-minute person comes back with the flashlight, taking 2 more minutes (15 minutes total).
• The two fastest people (1 minute and 2 minutes) cross again, taking 2 minutes (17 minutes total).

Answer: The farmer takes the goat across first, leaves it, and returns. He then takes the wolf (or the cabbage) across, but brings the goat back with him. He leaves the goat on the original side and takes the cabbage across. Finally, he returns to pick up the goat.

Answer: Yes, you should switch. When you initially choose a door, there’s a 1/3 chance you’ve picked the car and a 2/3 chance you’ve picked a goat. After the host opens a door revealing a goat, switching gives you a 2/3 chance of winning the car, as the initial probabilities don’t change.

Answer: This puzzle’s solution depends on the specific setup and rules provided, such as the arrangement of the hats and the logic each prisoner can use based on what they see and know.

Answer: Fill the 5-liter jug and use it to fill the 3-liter jug, leaving you with 2 liters in the 5-liter jug. Empty the 3-liter jug, transfer the 2 liters into it, and fill the 5-liter jug again. Pour from the 5-liter jug into the 3-liter jug until it’s full, leaving exactly 4 liters in the 5-liter jug.

Answer: Switching doors indeed increases your chance of winning to 2/3, as initially, there’s a 1/3 chance you’ve chosen the car and a 2/3 chance the car is behind one of the other doors.

Answer: There are only three people: a grandfather, his son (who is also a father), and his grandson.

Answer: Use a binary system to label the bottles and give each prisoner a mix of wines according to the binary labels. You can identify the poisoned bottle with just one round of testing and a maximum of one death.

Answer: The probability is 1, meaning it’s certain that you will eventually flip heads ten times in a row if you flip the coin an infinite number of times.

Answer: You ask either person what the other would say is the correct road. Then you take the opposite road.

Answer: You must pull out three socks to guarantee a matching pair, as the first two could be one of each color.

Answer: The probability that at least two people share the same birthday in a room of 23 people is about 50%.

Answer: This puzzle’s solution would depend on understanding the man’s walking speed relative to the speed of the escalator, a variable not provided in the question.

Answer: Without more specifics, one strategy involves the prisoners using logical deduction based on what they see and assuming a predetermined order of guessing to ensure at least one can correctly state their hat color.

Answer: The least number of drops to find the highest safe floor can be minimized using a binary search strategy or by incrementing floors in a systematic way, but the exact number depends on the outcome of each drop.

Answer: Rational choice theory might suggest both choosing the number 1, as cooperation maximizes the reward without risking losing to greed.

Answer: The solution might involve using magnets, shaking the box until the key falls out of the lock mechanism, or other creative solutions not directly apparent from the problem statement.

Answer: The most senior pirate proposes giving one gold coin to the lowest-ranking pirate and another to one other pirate, keeping the rest. This ensures just enough votes to keep from being thrown overboard.

Answer: You need 7 races. Race the 25 horses in groups of 5, then race the winners of each group to find the fastest three.

These puzzles are sure to provide plenty of mental stimulation and spark engaging conversations, making any long car trip feel shorter.

Fun Car Games for Teens and Adults – True or False Game Ideas

True or False games are fantastic for stimulating critical thinking and can be adapted to a wide range of themes, especially during a journey where the scenery, radio, and conversations provide endless material. Here are several themes and ideas for True or False games that can be played during a car ride.

Historical Facts – True or False: Landmarks Edition

Make up or state true facts about historical landmarks you pass or discuss during the trip.

Environmental and Geographical

Ecosystems and wildlife.

Make statements about the ecosystems or animals you might see or pass through during your journey, turning it into an educational yet fun road trip game.

Geographical Features

Claim facts about rivers, mountains, or other geographical features in the areas you’re traveling through.

Cultural and Societal

Cultural practices.

Propose true or false statements about the cultural practices of the places you’re visiting or passing by.

Say something about celebrities or historical figures associated with the areas you’re traveling through.

Innovations on the Road

Discuss inventions or technological advancements and their origins or functionalities, related or not to what you see during the trip.

Astronomy Facts

Share amazing but true (or false) facts about space, planets, or constellations that might relate to the night sky if you’re traveling after dark.

Arts and Literature

Literary legends.

Make statements about authors, books, or literary characters related to the regions you’re exploring.

Music Milestones

Assert facts about music genres, artists, or songs that come up on the radio, exploring their backgrounds and truths.

Food and Cuisine – Culinary Claims

Make claims about the local cuisines, dishes, or food production methods of the places you’re visiting.

Sports and Recreation – Athletic Achievements

Propose true or false facts about sports teams, events, or athletes from the areas you’re driving through.

Business and Economy – Corporate Conundrums

Discuss companies, startups, or economic facts related to the regions you’re in, which could include visible businesses or industries along the route.

Architecture and Urban Planning – Architectural Assertions

State facts about architectural styles, famous buildings, or urban planning trends visible on your journey.

Transportation and Travel – Vehicular Varieties

Make statements about the history, evolution, or peculiar facts of different modes of transportation you see or use.

Media and Entertainment – Entertainment Enigmas

Share surprising truths or fabrications about movies, TV shows, or celebrities connected to the locations you’re passing by.

Wildlife and Nature Conservation – Conservation Facts

Propose statements about wildlife conservation efforts, endangered species, or national parks you might encounter.

Health and Wellness – Well-being Wonders

Discuss health facts, myths, or surprising truths about wellness practices seen or relevant during your trip.

Astronomy and Space Exploration – Space Speculations

Create true or false statements about astronomical discoveries, space missions, or celestial phenomena.

Myths, Legends, and Folklore – Mythical Musings

Weave in local myths, legends, or ghost stories of the areas you’re traveling through, presenting them as true or false.

Puzzles and Brain Teasers – Logical Lore

Challenge your travel companions with logical puzzles or brain teasers that seem implausible but might actually be true.

Playing these True or False games can lead to intriguing discussions, spur curiosity, and prompt participants to learn more about a variety of topics, all while keeping the travel atmosphere lively and engaging.

Fun Car Games for Teens and Adults – Pop Culture Trivia and Radio

Here are 20 Pop culture trivia games focused on what you might hear on the radio during a long car trip. These games can make the journey more entertaining and engaging for everyone.

One person hums or describes a song without saying its title, and others guess the song.

When a song plays on the radio, the first person to shout out the correct artist wins a point.

Stop a song midway and challenge passengers to correctly finish the lyrics.

Song in a Movie

Name a song that’s playing and have participants guess which movie it was featured in.

Decade Duel

When a song comes on, players guess the decade it was released. Closest guess wins.

Identify the genre of the current song on the radio. Bonus points for naming another artist from the same genre.

Cover or Original

Decide if the song playing is a cover version or the original. Extra points for naming the original artist if it’s a cover.

Artist Association

After hearing a song, the next player must name another artist who has collaborated with the performing artist.

One-Hit Wonders

When a song by a one-hit wonder artist plays, be the first to identify them as such.

Back-to-Back

After one song ends, guess the artist of the next song before it starts.

Lyric Lookup

Someone recites lyrics from a song, and others have to name the song and artist.

Musical Connections

Name a song, then players take turns naming another song that shares a word in the title.

Guess the Album

Name the song and artist that’s playing, and challenge others to guess the album it’s from.

Song Title Synonyms

Provide a synonym for a song title (e.g., “Gigantic” for “Big”), and others guess the actual title.

Artist’s First Hit

When an artist’s song plays, challenge others to name the artist’s first hit single.

Same Era Artists

Name the artist currently playing and have players list other artists who were popular in the same era.

Award-Winning Tracks

Guess whether the current song or its artist has won a Grammy (or any other major music award) and for what category.

Song Sampler

Play the first few seconds of a song from your phone, and others guess the song and artist.

Songs often mention cities, states, or countries. When a location is mentioned in a song, be the first to shout it out.

Collaboration Call-Out

When a song featuring multiple artists plays, earn points by naming all the artists involved.

These pop culture trivia games focused on radio content are sure to make any long car trip more enjoyable and engaging, offering a fun way to explore music knowledge and preferences with friends and family.

I really hope this article has been of help. My overall aim of this website is to whole heartedly help people so they stay safe on the roads. Keeping passengers entertained and also the driver (as long as it’s safe and not distracting) is important.

If you are going on a road trip why not check out my other article on Car First Aid Kits or Best Dash Cams .

If you have any questions. please feel free to leave a comment or you can contact me directly via the contact us page.

What are road trip games, and why are they so popular?

Road trip games are fun activities to play during car rides to keep passengers entertained and pass the time. They are popular because they help create a lively atmosphere and make long journeys more enjoyable.

How can I make the most of game to play on a long car ride with adults and kids?

To make the most of your road trip games, choose a variety of games that appeal to both adults and kids, take turns playing different games, and have small prizes for winners to add excitement.

What are some classic car games that everyone in the car will enjoy?

Classic car games like “I Spy,” “20 Questions,” “Alphabet Game,” and “License Plate Game” are popular choices that can entertain both adults and kids during a long car ride.

How do I keep my younger kids entertained during a family road trip?

For younger kids, consider playing games like “I Spy with My Little Eye,” “Alphabet Game,” and “Road Trip Scavenger Hunt” that are engaging and easy to understand.

What are some creative road trip games that involve road signs and landmarks?

Games like “Road Signs Bingo,” “Road Trip Scavenger Hunt,” and “Travel Games” that require players to spot specific road signs and landmarks along the journey are both educational and fun.

How can I ensure that everyone in the car participates in the road trip games?

To ensure everyone participates, establish a rotation system where each person in the car takes turns asking questions or initiating the next game, creating an inclusive and engaging experience.

What are some engaging road trip games for older kids and adults on a long car ride?

Older kids and adults may enjoy games like “Would You Rather,” “20 Questions,” “Memory Game,” and “Road Trip Bingo” that offer a mix of humor, challenge, and interaction for a memorable journey.

How can I make the alphabet game more challenging for advanced players?

To make the alphabet game more challenging, play in alphabetical order with each player naming items starting with the next letter of the alphabet, adding a twist to the classic game.

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20+ Entertaining Road Trip Games to Play in the Car

This post may include affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I (The Winding Road Tripper) earn from qualifying purchases.  Read more . 

Road trips are not just about getting to your destination. It’s also about all the fun you can have on your journey to your next stop.

These road trip games will bring laughter and excitement to your next road trip.

Let’s dive into some of our favorites.

Alright, we know this is one of those classic games to play on a road trip that everyone has heard of, but have you ever really dug into it? 

I Spy has a lot of versatility. It’s not just that one-dimensional game you remember from your childhood. This is a game that you can mix up and cut loose with. Try adding time limits, creating I Spy themes, or just killing some time with a class road game. 

You probably know the rules, but all you need to do to play this game is pick something you and your friends can see and have them guess until they get it right. You’ll say, “I spy something that…” and add a clever clue that gives a subtle hint about what you’re looking at. 

The key to playing this game as an adult is to focus on those clever hints. That’s where the fun is!

20 Questions 

 20 Questions is one of those games that has plenty of versatility. Let’s look at a few ways to enjoy this game while on a road trip.

You play 20 Questions by assigning one person to be “it.” That person thinks of a person, place, or thing, and everyone else has 20 questions to narrow down their guess and get it right.

You can spice up 20 Questions by making it themed, personal, or romantic. It all depends on who you’re traveling with. 

Like many road games, this game is best played in short bursts. You want to mix up these classic road trip games, so you don’t burn out on any one game. 

Would You Rather

Would You Rather is another excellent game to play while on a road trip. 

The goal of this game is to give someone a ridiculous and near-impossible choice between two options. You can ask them to pick between their favorite hobbies, a million dollars or perfect health, or anything else you can think of!

This is also a great game for getting to know someone new. It’s the perfect icebreaker for couples and helps you explore topics that matter to the people you travel with. 

Mini Board Games 

Mini magnetic board games are fun games to play in the car, but they are also adorable. 

You and your travel companions can enjoy Scrabble, chess, checkers, or mini Monopoly.

There are travel-sized versions of just about every board game out there. Throw one of these in your bag, and you’ll hardly notice the extra space it takes up. Besides, it will generate way more fun than you might expect. 

Travel Scavenger Hunt 

One of the most fun things you can do when heading out on your road trip is to set up a scavenger hunt .

You need to do some planning ahead of time for this game. Think about some interesting or challenging items you and your travel companions can hunt down or see on the road together. 

These can be wrappers from regional snacks, landmarks, road signs, or anything you can find along your road trip route. 

Here’s a tip for setting up a scavenger hunt. Come up with a low-stakes prize for the winner, which could be anything from a Starbucks gift card to a coupon for a free back massage. 

Trivia Apps! 

Playing trivia games on the road used to mean taking several decks of cards with questions and answers on them. However, your phone is full of game apps to keep you entertained on your road trip.

There are trivia apps like Popcorn Trivia, SongPop, and countless others. These let you play trivia games based on movies, music, and even history with your travel buddies. 

Don’t get caught thinking these games are trivial; they are some of the most fun games to play on a road trip!

Related Post: Best Road Trip Game Apps

Travel Bingo

Here’s another exciting game that takes a little preparation before you hit the road.

You can set up a travel bingo gam e for everyone you will be on the road with. This bingo game can be full of fun inside jokes, sites along the way, and all the ups and downs of a long car ride.

Travel bingo is a great way to add a little lightheartedness to some of the challenges of taking a road trip. Why not lean into these awkward moments and add a square on your travel bingo card for awkward smells or getting stuck in traffic?

The winner of travel bingo can get a little prize, but there’s no prize more fabulous than the satisfaction of being the travel bingo champion.  Related Post: Free Downloadable Road Trip Bingo Cards

Gas Station Stop Gourmet 

There are plenty of travel games about embracing the unique and sometimes weird cuisine you can find while on the road.

The goal of this game is to make the most of the limited culinary options you have at your average gas station. Players should be given a budget and are challenged to come up with the most exciting meal they can think of.

Imagine you’re on a Food Network competition show, but all you can do is create a fine dining experience using a convenience store and a few fast food diners.

This is a great game to help people think outside the box and not get stuck snacking on the same pre-packaged chips for the entire ride. 

Fictionary  

Fictionary started hundreds of years ago with the Victorians in England. 

This word game is all about obscure words and the definitions that they “should” have. Play works like this. 

One player picks an obscure word that few people know, like “mycorrhizal” or “sozzled.” Everyone else writes down their made-up definitions. Whoever gets the most laughs wins!

More Road Trip Entertainment: Best Attention-Grabbing Audio Books for a Road Trip Boredom-Busting Podcasts for a Road Trip Road Trip Questions for Couples

Six Degrees of Separation

Here’s another road trip classic, especially for movie buffs. 

Six Degrees of Separation got a second wind when it became an iconic meme in the early days of the internet known as Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. 

The point of the game is straightforward. One player names two actors, and the other must connect them in six degrees of separation or less.

Here’s a classic example using Kevin Bacon.

“Kevin Bacon and William Shatner.”

William Shatner was in Festival in Cannes with Maximilian Schell, who starred in Telling Lies in America with Kevin Bacon.

There’s even a website called The Oracle of Bacon that can generate these degrees of separation if you two get stuck!

Fictional Road Trip Families

One of the most fun things about a road trip is the people you will meet on the way. 

However, some people you “meet” drive past you on the road at 60 miles an hour. While you need more time to meet them adequately, you can still tell a fun story about their lives.

The next time an interesting-looking car drives past you, collaborate on a fictional story about the family inside that vehicle. Take turns adding story elements and see where it will lead you.

The Movie Game

Here is another one for film buffs.

This game starts with one person naming a movie and another person naming an actor who starred in that film. The next person then picks another actor from that movie and a different movie that the actor starred in. The second player then repeats the process, and play continues until no one can name a new movie.

For a twist on this game, players can go back and forth naming actors, writers and directors, and production staff on movies until they cannot name anyone else involved with a given film.

Human Jukebox

Here’s a game for the musically inclined pair on a road trip.

Human Jukebox starts with one player singing a line from a song. Then the other player uses the last word of that line to connect it to a brand-new song.

Here’s an example:

Player 1 starts with a line from Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody: “So you think you can stop me and spit in my eye. So you think you can love me and leave me to die. Oh, baby, can’t do this to me, baby .”

Player 2 connects it with Britney Spears’s classic “… Baby One More Time.” When I’m not with you, I lose my mind. Give me a sign. Hit me, baby, one more time.”

And the song goes on!

Two Truths and a Lie

Two Truths and a Lie is more than a fun game. It’s a great way to get to know your travel companions.

Here’s how the game works:

Name two truths about yourself and one lie. For example, you could say, “I used to have blue hair, I once designed a video game, and my aunt is a world record holder for women’s rodeo.” 

Your traveling companions will then have to guess which is the lie and which is the truth. And the fun part is that you can make your truth and lies as straightforward or as challenging to guess as you’d like. 

This game is a fun way to explore your traveling companion’s personal history and discover unique and fun details about their life.

Fortunately Unfortunately

Fortunately Unfortunately is a game that can get weird pretty quickly. Therefore, it’s a great game if someone in the car has their crabby pants on. 

It starts with one player saying something that starts with “fortunately: that’s positive, and then the next saying something negative about that same event starting with “unfortunately.”

“Fortunately, we got time off of work for this road trip.”

“Unfortunately, your boss got replaced by a zombie.”

“Fortunately, all those George Romero movies I watch have prepared me for this day.”

Continue this back and forth until you are ready to move on to the next game. 

The Road Trip Memory Game

Here’s a fun game to test your memory skills.

The game starts with the first player saying, “I’m going on a road trip, and I’m bringing…” 

They can name any person, place, or thing they want to bring on this road trip. Let’s say they said, “my guitar.”

The next player continues the game by saying, “I’m going on a road trip, and I’m bringing my guitar and…” and adding their own item.

The game continues until someone forgets items on the list. Consider this game as a safe way to forget what you need to bring on your next road trip!

Radio Roulette

Radio Roulette can be an exciting way to find new music you love or a challenging endurance test.

All you need to do is turn on the local radio stations and pick one randomly. You have to keep this station on for an unbroken 10 minutes to complete a round of the game. After 10 minutes, you switch to the next radio station and keep playing.

You might find yourself in love with some local Polka you would have never thought to listen to. Or you might be battling through 10 minutes of local talk radio.

Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

In the mood to win $1,000,000? Well, there might not be a stack of hundreds on the table, but you can have fun playing along.

The Who Wants To Be A Millionaire app is a great way to play a game with just two players on your next ride. One player gets to be the host of this iconic game show, while the other gets to be in the hot seat with a shot at a cool million dollars.

Bad Film Plots

Usually, when you play a game, you want to do everything right. However, Bad Film Plots has you intentionally doing everything wrong.

This game aims to explain a movie’s plot as badly but as accurately as possible. The other players must guess the film you’re talking about correctly.

Let’s say you wanted to badly explain the plot of Terminator II: Judgement Day. You could say: “A down-on-her-luck working single mother makes an unlikely friendship as her son discovers a father figure.” 

That may be tricky, but that’s the whole point of the game. 

Local Trivia Night

One of the most significant advantages you have when taking road trips today is that you’ve got the whole internet by your side while you’re on the road.

Use that to your advantage and do a local trivia game while traveling. 

One player gets to be the trivia master asking questions about the state you’re driving through.

Try Out Some Nintendo Switch Games! 

Some of the best games to play on a road trip take advantage of today’s technology. 

The Nintendo Switch offers plenty of variety, including two-player puzzle games, action, and RPGs with compelling stories. You can even download classic Super Nintendo video games and enjoy nostalgia while on the road. The Switch has games for kids and adults, so you don’t have to worry about not finding the right game for you. 

Name That Tune

No list of road trip games would be complete without a game designed for music lovers, as singing and enjoying new tunes is one of the best parts of a good road trip. 

And SongPop 3 is one of the best game apps for long car rides for music lovers. This app plays a song clip and has you guess what you’re hearing.

These are real clips from actual songs. And you’ll hear everything from Cardi B to Queen. You can even play in dedicated music genres to focus on your favorites.

You can spice things up a little by trying to sing the next lyrics in the song. 

Words With Friends

Words With Friends is one of, if not the, most popular word game app. The secret to this app’s success is that it is Scrabble but for the smartphone age. Being a digital Scrabble allows Words With Friends to give you more options to play while traveling.

You and your traveling partners can play together using your own devices or challenge friends and family back home. Since it’s basically Scrabble, you know what you’re getting into with this app.

License Plate Game

The L icense Plate Game aims to find as many license plates from the 50 States + the District of Columbia as you can during your road trip. 

The best thing about the License Plate Game is you can make the rules to fit your road trip needs. Plus, you can make it enjoyable by finding prizes for the winners or an award for the first passenger to spot a license plate from Mexico or Canada.

You can make a list of all 50+ states, or there are phone apps to help you keep track. Our favorite is PlateSpot . 

Related Post: License Plate Game: 3-Ways to Play on Your Next Road Trip

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Car Games For Road Trips: 25+ No-Prep Screen-Free Activities

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Are you ready to REALLY enjoy a family road trip without listing to kids whining about being bored? Well, with these car games for road trips , you can! Try these must-play road trip car games to keep the kids entertained so the entire family can enjoy hitting the road.

It’s part of the American dream, right? Hitting the road on a family road trip is all about the adventure and making memories together.

Whether the entire family piles into an RV or the car, you get to enjoy the excitement of seeing different parts of the country together up close and personal.

These are the kinds of trips that kids talk about for years.

But one major downside for parents on those trips can be bored kids.

Use Car Games For Road Trips To Avoid Boredom

Have you ever tried getting out on the road hoping for all those laughs and warm fuzzy feelings that it seems like families have on road trips – only to be deeply disappointed when the kids get bored after 15 minutes?

Because once that happens you’ll be subjected to a constant stream of questions and whining. “When will we get there? Are we there yet? I’m hungry! I’m bored!” etc

Once that happens, no fun will be had by anyone in that car!

But I’ve discovered a way to prevent that!

We have taken several long road trips now, so we have some experience in keeping kids happy, and entertained, and building those happy memories.

It’s all about playing car games for road trips. 😁

The right road trip car games are the key to keeping everyone smiling and laughing as the miles whiz by! What kind of games? Well, good ol’ fashioned games that don’t require a screen, of course!

Are you ready?

Best Road Trip Games For The Entire Family

Whether you’re hitting the road to go see grandma or just out exploring the country, prepare yourself with this list of car games for road trips. Then, when anyone gets bored, you have some games “up your sleeve.”

Need other activity ideas so the kids can keep themselves entertained and you can enjoy the open road? Don’t forget to grab this Road Trip Activity Set for more ideas!

1. Twenty Questions

This was one of the main games we played when I was a kid, and we played it A LOT because my parents LOVED road trips!

My husband and I play it with our kids – it gives the kids a GREAT outlet for asking a bazillion questions at the appropriate time!

How To Play This Road Trip Car Game:

One person is “it” and thinks of a noun. Then other players take turns asking yes-or-no questions. The questions aren’t random – they should target the information needed to guess what the item is that the chosen person is thinking of.

Twenty Questions Car Games For Road Trips Tips:

• After a player asks a question and receives an answer, they have an opportunity to take a guess at what the mystery item is. Get it right? They win! Guess wrong? It’s the next player’s turn.
• If no one has guessed the mystery item after 10 questions , the “it” person can give the guessers a clue about the item (optional). We didn’t do this at first, but then we got tired of the kids picking totally obscure items that no one could guess!
• If no one guesses the mystery item after 20 questions, they lose.

2. The License Plate Game

Here’s an old reliable road trip game! I definitely played this when I was a kid on road trips with my family. 

Note : most of the time your kids probably won’t find all the states. However, if you hit a popular national park like Yosemite or The Grand Canyon, you can probably find all the states plus some cool bonuses (think: Canadian provinces, Mexico, or Native American Nations)!

How To Play This Road Trip Car Game

Have the kids mark down all the different states from which they see license plates on your travels.

They can just write a list (and then practice alphabetizing them) or grab my Road Trip Activity Packet and color in each state they spot a license plate for on the map.

3. Would You Rather?

My son is the king of this game. He loves to play it even when we aren’t on a road trip, so it’s a perfect fit for our annual 13-hour road trip drives!

The questions become pretty outlandish, so you’re pretty much guaranteed a few laughs with this game!

Each person takes a turn asking far-fetched questions with two different options to the family. Examples might include, “would you rather be able to fly or be able to swim without needing to come up for air?” or “would you rather bike for 50 miles or run 20 miles?”

4. Name That Tune

Pull this one out for music lovers! I love games that can be adapted for different ages and played in different ways so that it never gets boring – and this game fits the bill.

How To Play This Road Trip car Game

Players take turns singing song lyrics or humming a tune. The other players try to guess the name of the song. Another option is to guess the singer. If anyone guesses both the song and singer, they get bonus points!

Adapting this game for kids of different ages is simple. When you play with younger kids, use familiar kid songs. When playing with older kids, go for popular radio songs.

5. Alphabet Memory Game 

Here’s a way to practice those letter skills – with an added bonus. This A-Z alphabet game challenges players’ memories in addition to their alphabet skills!

Decide who plays in what order then follow this method. The first player starts with “A is for…” and completes the statement. The second player repeats the process with the next letter, saying “B is for” but must repeat what the player says for “A” first. So they should say, “A is for…B is for…”

Repeat this same process through the complete alphabet. It will get harder as you get further through the alphabet! If anyone gets all of the items for all the letters right by the time you get to “Z,” they win!

NOTE : When playing with young kids, keep in mind that both their alphabet skills and memory skills may not be up to the task of doing the entire alphabet.

A good way to play with younger kids is to choose a letter to stop. Depending on how old your kids are, they may be able to do 4 or 5 letters, or they may be able to get to “L” or “M”.

6. The Alphabet Race

How about turning sibling rivalry into a friendly competition with a positive purpose? Grab a piece of paper and work on letter and spelling skills.

One person looks at the left side of the road while someone else looks at the right side of the road. Each player looks at trucks, signs, license plates, anything to find the letters of the alphabet.

Whoever finds every letter of the alphabet is the winner! There’s just one small catch: the letters have to be found in alphabetical order.

7. Story Telling

Here’s a game to boost creativity! You can do this activity in a couple of different ways, which reduces the fatigue factor and makes the time pass faster.

Choose a storyteller. The chosen storyteller comes up with a story on the spot. The type of story doesn’t matter – it can be any completely fictional story.

This activity can be highly entertaining and even funny – and it works on building storytelling skills at the same time. Help your kids build good storytelling skills by asking for any missing elements you would expect in a good story: beginning, problem, how to solve the problem/climax, and resolution.

This activity will likely be short and sweet with younger kids, while older children will be more likely to weave creative tales that will hold your attention.

Grab my Road Trip Activity Packet and continue the fun as you travel miles down the road without one single complaint!

8. Mad Libs-Style Story Telling

If you’ve been through a few rounds of storytelling and want to change things up, add a twist by turning the stories into Mad Libs stories.

Instead of having one person tell a story from beginning to end, this will be more round-robin style.

One person begins the story by saying “Once upon a time…” and introduces the main character. Each person takes a turn adding the next sentence of the story.

Keep going through the family until the story naturally comes to an end. If you have a family member who can drag things out until it’s just not enjoyable anymore, create an ending point. This might be a set number of sentences each person can add or a time limit.

9. Road Trip Bingo

I’ve never been around kids playing Bingo who were bored! Doubt me? Just download and watch kids playing my:

• Halloween Bingo
• Christmas Bingo
• Valentine’s Day Bingo

There’s no doubt bout it – Bingo is tons of fun and will keep kids occupied for quite a while as you head down the road. But to play it, you’ll need these free Bingo boards , which are part of my comprehensive Road Trip Activity Packet .

Give a Bingo card to each player. Then every player watches for items on the card as you drive. As players spot items, they mark out the corresponding picture on the cards.

The first player to find all the items in a row wins! The row can be horizontal, vertical, or diagonal wins!

Turn those whines into gales of laughter with this free car-friendly Road Trip Bingo game !

10. Cloud Shapes

I love this game for kids who get motion sickness because they won’t get sick when looking at the clouds. It’s also GREAT for encouraging kids to use their imaginations as they try to find common shapes in clouds. Prepare yourself for lots of laughs as everyone tries to see the same shapes!

Each player looks at the clouds in the sky from their own window, trying to find and identify everyday shapes like objects or animals.

Once a player finds a shape, point it out to the other players and give them a chance to see if they can identify the same object that you see in the clouds.

11. I Spy Car Games For Road Trips

This is one of those games that works well with kids of a variety of ages. If your family has a mix of kids that can and can’t read, try playing I Spy!

With older kids, you can spot things inside and outside the car. However, with younger kids, you may want to choose items that are inside the car and easier for kids in car seats to see.

Choose an “it” person who spots the item. That person picks an item and says “I spy with my little eye…” and fills in the end of the sentence. Examples could be “I spy with my little eye something blue” or “I spy with my little eye something small and gray.”

12. What Color Is It?

Car games for road trips don’t get simpler than this! Let an adult list a series of things that are the same color until the kids can guess what the color is. The first kiddo to guess correctly wins that round!

For example, you might say “grass, leaves, moss, Jake’s room” and the kids guess “Green!”

13. Basic ABC Categories

Here’s a great game that can break up other games. We also tend to play it when waiting in lines!

This car game for road trips starts by choosing a category (desserts, animals, famous people). Then you go through the family with each family member naming something in that category that starts with the next letter in order.

Keep going until you reach the end of the alphabet or someone gets stumped.

For the category “desserts:”

A pple pie B lueberry cobbler C réme brulé D ark chocolate silk pie

14. Category ABCs (First Last Version)

Here’s a variation we like to play on Category ABCs to change things up.

As with the “normal” version, someone chooses a category. In this version, there’s no need to go in alphabetical order. Instead, they can start with any letter they want.

Strategy comes into play when the next person has their turn because they name something in the same category. The catch? The item every subsequent item named must start with the last letter of the previous word.

For example, if the category is “games,” the first player might say “catch.” Then next person to go must name a game that begins with the last letter in “catch”, which would be “h.” In this example, the next player might choose to say “hide and seek.” And so on from there until someone gets stuck.

15. In My Suitcase

Here’s a fun memory car game for road trips that makes great memories as a family! It follows a similar A – Z process that the ABC Categories game does.

The first person starts by saying, “I’m going on a vacation, and I packed…” Then they finish the sentence with an item that starts with the letter “A.”

The next person takes their turn and first repeats what the previous player is bringing. They then add an item that starts with the letter “B.”

Follow the format as you work your way from A to Z. The round is over once someone forgets an item!

“I’m going on vacation, and I packed an avocado.” “I’m going on vacation, and I packed an avocado and a ball.” “I’m going on vacation, and I packed an avocado, a ball, and a cracker.”

16. Car Trip Scavenger Hunt

Grab my Road Trip Activity Packet and use the printable scavenger hunt card included inside!

17. Name The Most

Ok, this car game for road trips is a bit like ABC Categories. But this road trip car game is for the competitive family (although you can play it like ABC Categories for a less competitive version)!

Someone names a category. The other players bet on how many items in the category they can name. Once a player thinks they can’t do better than the other, they issue a challenge to “Name them!”

The opponent now has their turn. I suggest setting a time limit of no more than 10 seconds, but that’s optional. If the second player is successful, they receive 1 point for each response they gave. If they fail to reach their goal, nobody receives any points!

Here are a few great places to start:

• US Presidents
• European countries
• All the books in a book series
• Characters from a certain movie or show (like Star Wars or Disney)
• Names of constellations

18. What am I Counting?

I’ve only played this guessing game a couple of times, but it’s quickly becoming a family favorite!

One person starts verbally counting something as they spot it. The catch is that they don’t tell anyone what they are counting.

The other players guess what the first person is counting, but there’s a strategy to it. Are they counting signs that whiz by on the highway? Is the counting quick or spread out?

19. 20 Math Questions

Here’s a numbers-based 20 Questions car game for road trips.

Let an adult think of a number between 1 and 100. Then the kids ask yes-or-no questions that are math-related.

Examples could include “Is your number even? Is it greater than 25?” and so on. The goal is to have the answers to the questions help you figure out the number.

It’s ok to keep track with pen and paper – but calculators are against the rules!

20. Six Degrees – Movie Edition

It’s the idea of Six Degrees of Separation – that everything is connected with six degrees of each other. Warning: this game can go on for a while!

Have one player name an actor/actress. The next player names a movie that the actor appeared in. Then the fun begins… the next person names someone  else  in the same movie that hasn’t already been named.

And the players continue to follow the process as they go back and forth until someone can’t answer.

Julia Roberts –> Wonder –> Owen Wilson –> Night At The Museum –> Ben Stiller…etc.

21. Sing-Along String-Along

Here’s a fun road trip car game for music lovers (that’s us!)!

To begin, one person SINGS a line of a song (just ONE line), then the next person picks up where the first left off and connects that song with a lyric from another song using the final word from the line before.

Play stops when someone messes up or gets stuck.

“Show me how big your brave is…” “Is there life out there…” “There once was a ship that put to sea…”

22. (Un)fortunate Storytelling

Get ready for some laughs as you enjoy a new original wacky story!

One person begins by telling a simple opening sentence. The next person continues the story by saying something fortunate that happened, “Fortunately…”

Then Person 3 jumps in to add an  unfortunate  event to the situation. Continue person-to-person, adding alternating fortunate and unfortunate situations.

I learned how to wakeboard! Fortunately, we had a fast boat. Unfortunately, the boat started going too fast. Fortunately, the boat pulled me out of the water easily so I could wakeboard. Unfortunately, it was going so fast that I started flying through the air instead of riding on top of the water. Fortunately….

23. Miles of Smiles

Inspired by a road trip games book with the same name,  Miles of Smiles , this game is easy breezy to play.

Everyone in the car smiles his or her biggest grin at passing drivers. Waving is ok, but silly faces are not.

Keep count of how many people smile back – maybe make a goal of getting to 20 people before the game ends or something similar.

24. Get ‘Em To Honk

This game is similar to Miles of Smiles, but you’re trying to get drivers of 18-wheelers to sound their horns.

When you pass an 18-wheeler, get in the window of your car and hold up your hand like you’re pulling down a handle from the roof. Pull it down a couple of times and see if the driver pulls down their horn to sound it off!

25. A-Z License Plate Game

The license plate game is always a fun one, but you can try some variations to KEEP it fun.

Try working as a team or as teams opposing one another to search for the letters A-Z  in order on license plates. Once you find that, then try finding numbers 0-9 in order . 

This idea is online because, let’s face it, Mama needs a break from time to time (and at least it’s an educational, thinking game)! Sudoku is a logic-based number puzzle game that typically consists of a 9×9 grid divided into nine 3×3 sub-grids.

While often that seems like a math problem, Sudoku is actually an entertaining puzzle. The objective of the game is to fill in the grid with numbers from 1 to 9, ensuring that each row, column, and sub-grid contains all the numbers from 1 to 9 without any repetitions.

The game typically starts with some numbers already filled in as clues, and the player must use logical deduction to fill in the remaining numbers. Sudoku is a popular game that can be played on paper or online, and it is known for its ability to exercise the mind and improve logical thinking skills.

How To Get The Most Out Of Car Games For Road Trips

My husband and I like taking road trips, and we’ve taken several with our kids. Through the school of hard knocks, we’ve learned a few helpful tips:

• Have lots of car games for road trips ready to go. The last thing you want to do is try to come up with an idea when the kids are squabbling with each other.
• Plan for each game to take about 30 minutes. We tend to get tired of any game after that long.
• We find it helpful to alternate between playing an individual road tip car game, a family car game, and take a break for a podcast or a quick snack.

More Screen-Free Road Trip Games And Fun

Phones and video games are a huge draw for kids. -and will keep them quiet. But if you’re seeking activities that will keep them QUIET AND OFF DEVICES, try these ideas!

• The 28 Best Podcasts For Kids That Parents Will Love Too
• 17 Laugh-Out-Loud Mom Podcast Options That Every Mom Needs
• 20 Best Family Games To Play On A Road Trip

I hope this list of ideas for fun car game for road trips helps your family enjoy hitting the road on an adventure! The key to success with family road trips is to bring along some variety. My Road Trip Activity Packet is an EASY way to help you get ready.

Happy Travels!

May 23, 2023 at 9:09 pm

Nice and helpful guide that families can follow through for their next road trips. Thanks for it.

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8 Road Trip Games to Keep Everyone Entertained, No Matter Their Age

Whether you’ve got a car full of kids, adults, friends, or family, these road trip games will make sure everyone has a good time—no equipment required..

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Lots of road trip games are free and you don’t need to pack anything other than your brain and a sense of humor.

Courtesy of Getty/Unsplash

Road trips are as much about the journey as the destination. But even though a car gives you flexibility and allows for more spontaneity than a plane, train, or bus, boredom is bound to set in. That’s where games come in.

Whether you are hitting the road with a party of 2 or 10—or with kids or adults—here are appealing games that can help pass the time and keep the “are we there yet?” chorus at bay.

20 Questions

In this classic parlor game that transitions easily into the car, one player thinks of a random person, place, or thing and the other participants take turns asking up to 20 yes-or-no questions to figure out the answer through a process of elimination. Whoever gets the answer first starts the new round.

The License Plate Game

The goal of this quintessential road trip game is to spot at least one license plate from each of the 50 states. Participants can write down the states as they see them or check them off of a list. Have kids in tow? Print out a blank map of the United States for each tot and have them color in the states whenever they see a corresponding license plate.

Build a Story

You might not write the next great American novel on your road trip, but you can create a hilarious tale collaboratively. The first player invents an opening line and then everyone takes turns adding a sentence to the story. Keep it going for as long as you need to, whether it’s the next rest stop or your final destination.

In this game, players take turns choosing letters to create a valid word (so no picking “Z” after someone says “X”). But the catch is that you don’t want to be the person to complete the word. Any player who does complete a word is penalized by receiving a letter from the word GHOST: “G” for the first penalty, “H” for the second, and so forth. Players who receive five penalties—and therefore spell out the word “GHOST”—are eliminated until one winner remains.

Scavenger Hunt

A game that involves spotting specific objects during the trip might not be ideal for the driver, but the rest of the travel party can have a blast. Simply create a list of objects to look for beforehand and distribute it to each traveler. Make the game easy or challenging by choosing items that are really common or very rare. To add some randomness to the game, create a unique list for each participant. As with any scavenger hunt, whoever finds the most items wins.

Alphabet Game

A good choice for families traveling with children, the alphabet game is another road trip classic that involves looking for words on signs and billboards that start with each letter of the alphabet, beginning with the letter “A” until reaching “Z.” Players can simply yell out the word when they see it, and the whole group moves on to the next letter. Whoever spots the most words wins.

Interactive Podcasts

You may not be able to convince a game show host to join your road trip adventure, but your entire travel party can put their smarts to the test by pressing play on a trivia or brain teaser podcast like Good Job, Brain! or Road Trip Riddles .

Name the Passenger

As you make your way along the open road, keep an eye on passengers in the other vehicles around you. (Unless you are driving, of course.) Pick some passengers at random and have a discussion about what name you would assign to them and why. Some laughs are guaranteed.

30 Road Trip Trivia Games for Long Car Rides

Whether you’re heading to an amusement park with the family, spending the weekend at the lake with your friends, or traveling with coworkers on a much-dreaded work trip, you’re going to have a few lengthy car rides in front of you. Long car rides can either be a serious drag, or an opportunity for lots of fun.

How can you turn a long car ride into a fun and exciting time for everyone? By playing games! While it’s fun to come up with your own games on the fly, it’s always helpful to have a list of games you can pull from to always switch it up and keep things exciting.

Today, we’re going to cover 30 of the most fun road trip trivia games for long car rides and show you how you and your friends or family can play them on your next trip. From classics like 21 Questions and I Spy to new games that are sure to become instant favorites, you’ll find something for everyone on this road trip trivia list.

Best Road Trip Trivia Apps

It’s safe to assume there’s at least one smartphone among the people in the car, and that phone is a huge asset when it comes to road trip trivia. Here are some of the best trivia apps to check out on your next getaway.

Jeopardy! World Tour

World Tour is the latest mobile app from one of the greatest trivia games of all time. This is our favorite road trip trivia app because there’s an offline mode that you can enjoy even if your phone loses service along the way.

This app features a multiple-choice question format and various difficulty levels, making it a great road trip trivia for families option and easy to adapt to play with the other people in the car.

Plus, you can also play by yourself if the rest of the car isn’t up for another trivia round. If you’re armed with an encyclopedia of fun facts for car rides, you’ll want to try your luck at this fun and addicting trivia game.

This app is perfect for the car because it has an uncluttered interface with text that’s large enough for everyone to read. There are tons of categories and questions in the app, which can provide you with hours of road trip trivia fun.

Psych is a play on classic party games like Balderdash! Where you must come up with the craziest answers to your friend’s questions to score points. If everyone in the car has a smartphone, you can all connect and play this hilarious game that will keep you entertained for hours.

Unfortunately, since everyone needs to use a smartphone to play the game, the driver can’t get in on the fun. That may be a good thing, since they’ll be able to focus on the road instead.

Guess The Song

This app is similar to SongPop 2, which is one of the most popular “name that tune” apps for Android and iOS, but where SongPop2 is more about online multiplayer competition, Guess The Song has a single-player mode which is easy to adapt so everyone in the car can play.

You can play together, or take turns to see who can name songs the fastest. There are plenty of playlists to choose from, with music ranging from the 60s to today.

Popcorn Trivia

If you’re in a car full of movie buffs, Popcorn Trivia is the perfect road trip trivia questions game for you. The game is free to play, and it features a vast library of different movie trivia questions from several different genres. You can compete against each other or together, and you can unlock new trivia packs from popular movies and TV shows with the points you earn in the game.

Road Trip Trivia Games

The trivia apps above are lots of fun, but you may not always have access to a smartphone with a strong signal during your road trip. Thankfully, road trip trivia has been around a lot longer than smartphones, so there are some great games you can play without the help of your phone.

We’ve assembled a list of some of the best and most fun classic road trip games for you and your squad to play as you’re making your way across the country.

Two Truths and a Lie

This fun-for-everyone game is always entertaining, and it’s a great way to get to know your fellow road trippers better. Two Truths and a Lie is perfect for playing with co-workers, friends, and family. All you need to do to win is separate fact from fiction.

Here’s How to Play

• Pick which passenger will start the game
• That passenger tells the car three statements. Two are true, and one is a lie
• The rest of the car tries to determine which statement is false
• Once the round is over, it’s the next passengers turn to tell Two Truths and a Lie

Would You Rather

Hands down one of the most fun games for the entire group is Would You Rather. This game is fun for the whole family, but it can be a real blast when the adults are playing. This game is one of our favorite road trip quizzes for couples since it’s a great way to get to know your partner while also passing the time while driving.

• Each question much follow the Would You Rather format
• Make sure that each question you ask presents a serious dilemma

Here are some Would You Rather road trip questions to get started with:

• Would you rather eat chicken every day for a year, or not be able to eat chicken at all?
• Would you rather be 10 minutes late everywhere you go, or 20 minutes early?
• Would you rather absolute freedom or absolute safety?
• When you die, if you could be reborn, would you rather exist in the future or the past?
• Would you rather spend a year in prison or a year in a hospital?
• Would you rather be the most gullible person in the world or lose the ability to tell a lie?
• Would you rather go to the past to meet your ancestors, or to the future to meet your future relatives?

Would You Rather can also be a silly and fun game if you’re traveling with children. If there are kids in the car, here’s some Would You Rather questions that are perfect for them:

21 Questions

From young kids to grandparents, 21 Questions is a classic game everyone can enjoy. This game of deduction requires passengers to guess the person, place, or thing that the player is thinking of, using a maximum of 21 questions to figure it out.

Here’s how to Play

• The first player thinks of a person, place, or thing
• The rest of the players can ask up to 21 questions to figure out what the first player is thinking of
• The first player responds with yes or no answers to each question they’re asked
• If the rest of the car can’t figure out the answer in 21 questions, player one wins
• If someone correctly guesses the answer within 21 questions, that person becomes the next to choose a person, place, or thing

Name That Tune

If you’re traveling with a bunch of music enthusiasts, Name That Tune can be one of the most fun games to play. All you’ll need is an app like Spotify or Apple Music (or someone in the car with an extensive music library.)

Here’s How To Play

• Appoint one person in the car as the host for that round
• That person finds a popular playlist and plays a song
• The other passengers try and guess the song as quickly as possible
• If a passenger says “pass,” the host moves on to the next song
• Whoever guesses correctly first gets the point

The Bad Movie Plot Game

This hilarious game is perfect for a car full of movie buffs, and it’s a great way to pass the time during long car rides. The premise is simple: you must guess the name of the movie based on an incredibly poor plot description from the host.

• The host of the game thinks of a movie
• The host describes the plot of the movie correctly, but in the worst way possible
• The rest of the car tries to guess the correct movie
• Whoever guesses correctly becomes the host of the next round

Here are a few examples:

• Talking gremlin convinces a son to murder his father (Star Wars Episode V)
• Family abandons their troublemaker son on Christmas vacation in hopes robbers will abduct him (Home Alone)

The Movie Game

This game is another one that’s tons of fun for movie buffs. In The Movie Game, participants take turns naming movies and actors until one of the participants is stumped.

• The first player starts the game by naming a popular movie, such as Titanic
• The next player names an actor from the movie, like Leonardo DiCaprio
• The next player must name another movie that the actor was in, for example, Wolf of Wall Street
• The game continues until someone is stumped. If you can’t think of a movie or actor, you’re eliminated!
• The last remaining player is the winner of the round

Questions, Questions, Questions

Is there a lull in conversation? This game is a great way to get the juices flowing and get some more energy in the car. Playing Questions, Questions, Questions is as simple as asking fun and intriguing questions to the other people in the car. This game is a great way to get to know your crew even better than you do now.

Here are a few great examples to get the conversation going again:

• What is the most interesting thing you saw online this week?
• If you were a gifted scientist with unlimited resources, what would you study and why?
• What person, alive or dead, would you like to have dinner with and why?

Smurfing is a great way to get everybody laughing while passing the time on a long car ride. In this game, the player will need to guess the action that the rest of the car has come up with as quickly as possible by asking a series of questions.

• The player must cover their ears while the rest of the car comes up with an action
• Once the car has come up with an action, the player must try to guess that action by asking questions. In the questions, “smurf” is the stand-in for the action.
• Ex. When is the best time to smurf? Does smurfing make you sweat? Do you smurf inside or outside?
• The player must guess the action in as few questions as possible

Fortunately, Unfortunately

This fun game requires a bit of imagination, so it’s perfect for playing with the kids. It’s an easy game to keep going for hours, and the more crazy and imaginative you are, the more fun it is to play.

• The first player begins with a statement that starts with “Fortunately…”
• The next player follows up that statement with a statement beginning with “Unfortunately…”
• Each additional player adds a statement following the fortunately/unfortunately format

Here’s an example:

• ortunately, I brought delicious cookies for everybody
• Unfortunately, every fifth cookie in the box will give you gas
• Fortunately, you won’t be able to hear it
• Unfortunately, everyone else within a five-mile radius will

This game is a fun variation on 21 Questions, and it’s fun to play with friends, family, or the kids. With a little bit of logic and some deductive questioning, contestants must identify the famous person the rest of the car is thinking of.

• The contestant must cover their ears or listen to music while the rest of the car decides on a famous person
• The contestant then asks yes or no questions to figure out who the famous person is

Truth or Dare

One of the most classic games to cure boredom on long car rides, Truth or Dare, is especially fun to play with your friends. This classic game is about as simple as it gets.

• The first contestant is asked to choose either truth or dare
• If the contestant selects truth, they’ll be forced to answer any question truthfully
• If the contestant selects dare, they must complete a dare posed by one of the other contestants
• The game continues on to the next contestant

The Counting Game

This silly game is perfect for families, and it’s a great way to pass the time during long road trips. The purpose of the game is to get to the highest number possible without any two players saying the same number at once.

• The game begins when a player says the number one
• The remaining players have five seconds to say number two
• If more than one person says the next number at the same time, the game ends, and you restart from one

The Song Lyric Game

This fun game is a great way for music buffs to stay entertained on a road trip. Face off with your fellow road trippers in a lyric battle for the right to control the stereo.

• Players must sing the lyrics to the current song on the stereo for one minute
• The first player to successfully nail every lyric in the song for a minute straight can control the stereo
• Once another player is able to sing a minute’s worth of lyrics to whatever song is on, they gain control of the stereo

Do you have the best taste in music in the car? Put your style to the test against your friends or family in this fun battle game. In order to play, you’ll need at least three people, so this game is perfect for families and groups of friends.

• First, appoint someone in the car as the judge
• The judge picks a music category i.e., pop, hip hop, rock, etc.
• The remaining people in the car take turns playing the “best” song from that category
• The judge awards a point to whichever person plays the best song

Did You Know?

A favorite road trip trivia game for couples and friends, this one is a great way to get to know the people you’re with even better than you do now.

To play the game, each person in the car takes turns sharing an interesting (and unknown) fact about themselves. Each player must begin by saying, “Did you know that I…” and then adding a fun factoid the others in the car don’t know about them

The Rhyming Game

Are you a wordsmith? The Rhyming Game is your time to shine! All you’ll need to do is start with a word, and then everyone must come up with a rhyming word before time expires.

• The first player begins by choosing any word they like
• The next player must say a word that rhymes with the first word
• Each additional player must do the same
• Players have fifteen seconds to come up with a rhyming word, or they’re eliminated

The Spelling Bee

Are you the best speller in the car? Test your knowledge against your friends and family with a spelling bee game. Use Google to find a list of difficult to spell words, and host a spelling bee in the car!

• One person in the car must be appointed The Word Master
• The Word Master selects a word for the first player to spell
• If the player spells their word correctly, the Word Master selects a word for the next player
• The game continues until there is only one super speller left

Backward Sentences Game

It may seem easy, but this game is harder than you may think! Can you say a sentence backward?

• The first player says a sentence
• The next player must repeat the sentence backward
• Each player gets the point for every correct backward sentence
• The player with the most points after five minutes wins the game

If you’re surrounded by people with great imaginations, this game is bound to be loads of fun. Each person in the car adds a new sentence to the story, and before you know it, you and your crew will have weaved a crazy tale that’s sure to get everyone laughing and having fun.

• The first player begins by telling the first sentence of a story
• Each subsequent player adds a sentence to the story
• See how long you can keep the story going

Truth or a Lie?

Are you a good liar? If so, you’ll love playing this game, which will put your detective skills to the test as you root out which of your friends is telling the truth and who is spinning an elaborate lie.

• The first player tells an elaborate story about their past
• The story can be true or false
• The remaining players must decide if the story is real or fake
• The first player to guess correctly receives a point
• The next player tells a story and the game repeats

Sorry I’m Late

This fun game adds a spin to the bad movie plot game we mentioned earlier. Can you guess which movie they’re thinking of from a single sentence?

• The first player explains why they were late by describing the plot of a movie in a single sentence
• Ex. “Sorry I’m late, I was saving the world from an alien invasion on the Fourth of July” (Independence Day)
• The remaining players take turns guessing which movie the first player was talking about
• Whoever answers correctly becomes the next contestant in the game

The Going on Vacation Game

How good is your memory? This game is a great way to see which member of your party is the best at remembering fine details, and it’s lots of fun to play. Each player adds a new item to the list when it’s their turn, and it’s up to the next player to remember everything on the list, in order.

• The first player starts by saying “I’m going on vacation and I’m bringing…” and adds an item
• I.E., I’m going on vacation, and I’m bringing a T-shirt
• The next player must repeat the sentence, the first item, and then add an additional item
• The game continues until a player can’t remember all of the other items on the list

This classic game is fun for the whole family, and it’s one that practically everyone already knows how to play.

• The first player selects an object from the car or countryside
• The player then says “I spy with my eye something beginning with the letter [first letter of object]
• The other players take turns guessing what the item is
• Each correct guess earns a point
• The player with the most points at the end of the game wins

Silence is golden, and that’s especially true for parents who are trying to find some peace from their kids during a road trip. This game couldn’t be any easier to play. The object is to remain quiet for as long as possible. Whoever goes the longest without making a sound wins!

What Are You Waiting For?

We just provided you with 30 of the most fun road trip trivia and other games around, which should give you and your fellow passengers hours of entertainment on your trip. Keep this list of games handy, so you and your crew will always have something to keep you occupied during your road trip.

What are some of your favorite road trip trivia games? How do you like to pass the time on a long ride? Let us know in the comments!

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Ayesha Holloman

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30+ Fun Road Trip Games To Pass The Time While Traveling

Long drives are fun at first, but after a while, you need something to do..

By Deauna Roane — Last updated on Jul 11, 2023

There’s no better feeling than the freedom of the open road. The destination that awaits you evokes excitement and joy.

Where are you going? Maybe you’re traveling to the hot spot of the summer or visiting your boyfriend, putting a stop to long distances. You can feel the energy building up inside you on this journey to somewhere new. But what do you do when the road trip seems never-ending?

It can be hard to keep your mind occupied behind the wheel or in the passenger seat. No matter where you’re sitting, there are ways to make the trip more bearable .

RELATED: 7 Sneaky Ways Traveling Actually Makes You Healthier, Says Science

Whether you’re alone or with friends , it’s beneficial to have some go-to activities for the car. Luckily, there are plenty of fun road trip games to play in the car to pass the time while you’re en route.

30 Fun Road Trip Games for Long Car Rides

1. categories.

Start by picking a category such as colors or vegetables and take turns naming something in that category until someone is stumped. Red, green, yellow, pink... you lost! This is a fun way to use your brainpower and react quickly to someone possibly taking your answer.

2. The License Plate Game

You’ll inevitably pass some out-of-state drivers. Take advantage and see how many of the states you can find before you reach your destination. Feel free to print out a map before your trip and mark which states you discover.

In another variation of the License Plate Game, most license plates contain three letters and this game makes use of them. Interpret each potential acronym in a funny way. For example, PMP could be “purple mashed potatoes” and LSB could be “Lexi smells bad.” Be creative!

You may not have thought of yourself as a writer until now. One person says a word to begin a story and all the players take turns adding another word to the story. It will be fun to see where the story ends up.

4. Celebrity

One person chooses a famous person and plays out their character. They will answer questions as if they are this celebrity and the first person who guesses correctly wins. It will then be their turn to take the stage.

5. The Alphabet Game

Take turns going through the alphabet and find letters in the car or passing license plates and road signs. This simple game gives you a chance to search for things instead of focusing on the time it’s taking to get where you need to be. Good luck to whichever player gets X.

6. My Father Owns a Grocery Store

A fun guessing game that involves some deep thinking. Begin by saying, “My father owns a grocery store and in it, he sells something that begins with the letter...” Once someone has guessed the food item you were thinking of, it’s their turn.

7. Going on a Picnic

This memory game continues to build until you mess up or forget. The first person says, “I’m going on a picnic and I’m going to bring...” Then the next person says, “I’m going on a picnic and I’m going to bring...” and must list the first person’s item before adding their own. As the list grows, it becomes harder to remember all of what was said.

8. Deep Questions

Pull out your phone and head onto Pinterest or the Internet for some great conversation starters . You’ll be sure to get to know your friends better while exploring your own answers to some deep questions.

9. Guess the Song

Put a playlist on shuffle and see who knows music the best. Whoever can name the song and artist first wins. This competitive road trip game allows you to work on your listening skills and maybe come across some new music.

10. While You Were Sleeping

This is a great game if you have sleepy passengers. When a passenger is sleeping, the awake parties in the car must create a story. Once the passenger awakes, the game is on.

The passengers must now make the sleeping person believe their story. If someone goes off-script or breaks character, they lose points; if you're successful, you win points. If the sleeping passenger ends up joining in on the story and correctly fools the car, they win.

RELATED: 25 Exciting 2-Player Card Games You Can Play Anywhere

11. Did You Hear That?

This is a great game for those interested in the news and pop culture. The object of the game is to fool your car mates. You will say, "Did you hear that (blank) happened?" You fill in the blank with something you either have or have not heard and your car mates must decide if it's true or not.

They are to respond with, "That didn't happen" or, "Tell me more." If they say, "Tell me more," the points double if they guess correctly.

12. 21 Questions

One person thinks of something (it can be anything). Then, the car has exactly 21 questions to figure out what the thing is. Whoever guesses it right gets to start the next round.

13. The Movie Game

This is a great game for movie buffs. One person begins by naming an actor or actress, and then the next person has to name a movie that person was in. The person after them has to name another actor from that same movie, and on and on it goes.

14. Riff Off

If you've seen "Pitch Perfect," you know exactly how to play. A person starts singing a song and the next person has to connect that song (using the lyrics) to another song. If you mess up, you're out. Last person singing wins.

15. Alphabetical Categories

Want to make Categories a bit harder? Make your car mates do it in alphabetical order. The same rules apply as regular Categories.

16. Regional Food Master

The object of the game is to get as many local snacks as possible before you reach your destination. The rule is that at every gas station you stop at, you must find one snack item that is made within that region.

17. The Name Game

Someone randomly says a famous person's name. The next person has to name another famous person's name which starts with the first letter of the previous person's last name. If someone says a famous person who has the same letter for both their first and last name, the game reverses in order.

18. Word Association

The object of the game is to see how far you can go. Someone begins with a word and the next person has to say a word that is associated with it. The game continues until someone messes up or says something too far-fetched.

19. Cows On My Side

This is great for those driving through country states. The object of the game is to grab as many points as possible. To gain points, you have to A) Yell, "Cows on my side" if you see cows on your side of the car, or B) Yell, "Cows on your side" before that person can claim them.

If you see a cemetery, however, you can yell "Ghost Cow" and you steal all of the points from the other side.

A classic car ride game to play is I-Spy. In this car ride game, someone spots an object and says, "I spy with my little eye something (blank)," and fills in the blank with a descriptive word of the object. The remaining players have to guess what it is.

RELATED: 5 Therapy-Inspired Games That Can Strengthen Any Family Bond

21. Punch Buggy

Want a semi-violent but fun road trip game to play in the car? Punch buggy is it. Whenever you see a Volkswagen Bug, punch someone in the car and say, "Punch buggy, no punch back." You can get creative and add more rules, like having to name the color of the car or if it has a spoiler or not.

You can also do variations of this game for other cars. For example, on family road trips, my husband and I pinch each other when we see a Prius.

22. In My Suitcase

This memory game is great for long road trips. It begins with someone saying, "In my suitcase, I packed..." You begin the list with the first letter of the alphabet and continue on.

So the first person will begin with A, then the next person has to continue the list from the beginning and add on with their letter. Whoever messes up first loses.

23. Who Am I?

This game is very similar to 20 Questions except the player starting the round has to be a person. You can decide whether you will play with people who are living or dead.

24. Two Truths And a Lie

This game is self-explanatory. You say three "facts" about yourself, but one of them is a lie while two of them are truths. The rest of the players have to guess what is the lie.

25. Color Search

Before you begin your road trip, decide on a color you want to look for. Once the color is decided, you can start earning points by shouting out objects that are that color like "yellow car." Most people like to stick to just cars, but you can broaden the search to just about anything. It's great for younger kids, too!

26. Would You Rather?

Would You Rather? is a fun game to play to pass the time and get a few laughs. You ask your fellow car mates, "Would you rather..." and give them a choice of two situations. They must then choose which one they'd rather pick. The questions can become quite outlandish so buckle in for some laughs.

27. City, Country, River

You go in alphabetical order. On each turn, you have to name a city, a country, and a river that starts with the letter you are on. If you can't think of one, you're out. It goes until there is only one person left.

28. How Long is The Tunnel?

Whenever you get to a tunnel, pick a number. Then, once you enter the tunnel, whole car begins counting. Whoever was closest to how long it took you all to get out of the tunnel wins.

29. Road Trip Olympics

You can get really stiff while on a road trip, so whenever you stop it's good to get exercise. On the Road Trip Olympics, at every stop, have your car mates compete in a physical challenge, whether it's jumping jacks, push-ups, crunches, or another activity. The person who can do the most within the time limit you set wins.

30. Spot The Cracker Barrel

As you go along your road trip journey, keep a lookout for Cracker Barrel locations. Call them out to win points. The winner receives a free meal at the next Cracker Barrel stop. You can obviously switch out Cracker Barrel for any franchised restaurant like Wendy's or McDonald's.

RELATED: 21 Fun Activities & Outdoor Games For Kids

6 Ways to Pass the Time on a Solo Road Trip

1. listen to a podcast..

One of my favorite things to do on solo road trips is to listen to my most-loved podcast. Time seems to escape when I’m listening to familiar voices. It also makes the drive seem less lonely because I feel like I have company.

2. Talk to yourself.

As weird as it may sound, sometimes all you need is to talk to yourself . Vocalize your thoughts and listen to your own voice. If there’s something weighing on your mind, let it out and come up with a solution. Who gives better advice than you?

3. Listen to your favorite songs.

Alone time in your car is the perfect opportunity to sing your heart out. It’s always nice to have a road trip playlist with some of your favorite songs. Play it on repeat and get excited about where you’re heading.

4. Call a friend.

Another great way to pass the time is to talk with a friend or family member. Always be safe and use your speakerphone. But enjoy a good conversation with a person you don’t normally get to talk to.

5. Listen to an audiobook.

If you love storytelling, this is the perfect option for you. Before you leave for your trip, download the book you’ve always been wanting to read. When you’re in a good headspace and ready to listen, play the audiobook and enjoy the story.

6. Think about what you will do when you reach your destination.

Sometimes there’s nothing better than future thinking. If you don’t already have plans set in place, now’s the time to figure out what you’ll do once you get to where you’re going. This will also make you excited and help the drive go faster.

RELATED: We Met On Twitter — And Our First Date Was A Week-Long Road Trip

Deauna Roane is an associate editor for YourTango who covers pop culture, lifestyle, astrology, and relationship topics. She's had bylines in Emerson College's literary magazine, Generic, and MSN.

28 Fun Car Road Trip Games For Kids And Families

By: Author Nakia Pullen

Posted on Published: September 29, 2023  - Last updated: March 23, 2024

It seems that family road trips are making a comeback, especially for people who are interested in seeing the country from the ground instead of the air.  

We all have the advantage of knowing how kids can start to feel antsy during road trips because we have experienced it ourselves as children.  

Having a list of things to do during road trips is helpful for the entire family.  The miles go by much more quickly for a child who is busy and parents have the joy of happily entertained children.

With all the things you already have on your to do list for going on trips (which includes packing for pretty much everyone!), we thought you would appreciate some assistance with the in-car entertainment!

These games do not have to be complicated at all. 

For most of them, you only need your imagination and the optional piece of paper, so there is no worry about overpacking the car with a ton of activity related paraphernalia.

Keep this list at the ready for that time (probably within the first hour of your trip) that you hear the words dreaded by most parents….”I’m bored!”  or, my personal favorite, “Are we there yet?”

You will be able to quickly change the vibe in the car by introducing any of the fun road trip games we have listed below.  Best of all, you might all have a ton of fun and be at your destination before you know it!

Road Trip Games For Kids

1. Play Road Trip Bingo

I remember looking at road signs a lot when I was on a long road trip as a child.  Younger kids would love playing road trip bingo to make the miles go by faster.

A great way to help supplement this game is with this colorful and fun  road trip BINGO printable .  Playing this game will help the kids keep their eyes on what is outside instead of spending hours on screen time!

2. Have A Road Trip Scavenger Hunt

One of the best ways to pass the time is to have the kids have something to look for.  

Our  road trip scavenger hunt printable  will help set you up to get started with fun ideas for your next road trip.

The kids will be on such good behavior because they will be so busy looking for all the of items of their scavenger hunt!  

For an added bonus, the winner could have the first choice of a treat at a fast-food restaurant!

3. See Who Can Find More Of Each Color Car

This next option is a road trip classic!  It is a great game especially for kids who are getting more familiar with colors.   

Everyone looks to see how many cars of each color they are able to find along the way.

To help keep track of the cars, we have this cute  car color find printable  to help keep track of everything.  

You could also include bonus points for unusual colors, interesting designs or trucks with different store logos on them!

4. Spot Items Of The Alphabet

Starting with the letter A, spot items on your trip that start with corresponding letters.  This is definitely a game that can include the entire family. 

 If you have little ones, it may be better to take turns and help them so they do not get lost in the shuffle of competition.  

5. Ask Each Other Fun Questions

Road trips are great ways to get to know each other even better than you already do!  Asking each other different questions can really give you a new insight into each member of your family.

The sky is really the limit with what types of questions you can ask.  Sometimes the easiest way to start on these questions is to ask some that make your kids laugh.  

A funny example of this would be  gross would you rather questions !  In addition to gaining instant interest, these questions will also get everyone laughing.

If your road trip happens to be during the summer, you can try out some great  summer would you rather questions  to celebrate the season of sun and fun!

Other questions that will get your kids chatting include  fun questions to ask kids  and the ever entertaining  this or that questions .  

You will definitely be surprised at the variety of answers you get as well as the priceless insight you may get into the personalities of the people in your family! 

The most important thing is to listen and take in the answers from your little ones!

6. Tell Funny Jokes

There is nothing better than hearing jokes from little kids!  It’s one of my favorite car activities.

If your joke bank is running low, we have you covered with  jokes for young children .

If you have kids that have outgrown their car seats and may have a more sophisticated sense of humor, we have also included  jokes for older kids .

Leave room for your kids to bring up jokes they have heard or even better, jokes they have made up by themselves!

7. Play Sevens

Each person in the car takes turns counting and anytime the number is a multiple of 7 that person has to say BUZZ or else they are out.

If you need to modify this game for younger kids, you can start with multiples of 2 and maybe work in teams so that an adult can help.

8.Play Cows And Graveyards

Each person in the car counts the number of cows they see, but when you see a graveyard, it cancels everyone’s cows. Designate one person to keep a tally of cows and graveyard losses.

The person with the most cows at the end wins.  

9. Play Hey Cow

If you spot a herd of cattle, one player rolls down their window and YELLS “Hey COW!!” as loudly as they can. You get one point if the cow looks at you.

10. Play I Went To The Market

The person who starts says “I went to the market and bought (something that starts with A- apple, maybe). The next person has to remember apple and add something with B.

This memory game will give everyone’s brain some needed exercise!

11. Play The License Plate Game

Who knew that you could use license plates to help teach your kids about United States geography?  That is precisely what this classic game is all about.  

Print off a map of the United States for each family member.  The maps will be used as score cards for everyone- kind of like a bingo card.

During the long car ride, each person keeps an eye on license plates of the cars on the road.  If the license plate is from the state you are in, it counts for zero points.

If the license plate is from a state touching the state you are in, it counts for one point.  Every state that touches a one point state is worth two points and so on.

When someone spots a license plate, they must call out the state to get the point for themselves.  This is a perfect way to help your kids learn about different states and their locations!

At the end of your long trip, you can tally the points on each score card to declare a winner!

12. Play Guess The Animal

This is one of the best games to keep everyone busy and learning at the same time.  

One person thinks of an animal and everyone takes turns asking only yes or no questions to figure out what animal that person chose.

For young kids, your best option is to keep answers and questions more simple to meet them where they are in their animal knowledge.  

However, the entire family will be surprised at how much your kids really know about animals!

13. Play Name That Person

Select a person in a passing car and make up their life story.  The story can be as silly and magical as you want.  

Make sure you give them a good backstory and a lot of side characters to follow the main character on their life story journey. 

14. Play The Strange And Unusual Game

Each time someone sees something strange or unusual, they get a point.  

15. Play The Counting Game

One person in the car starts with 1, then someone else (randomly without being signaled) says 2. If two people say it at the same time, you start back at one. The end goal is to get to 20.

You will be amazed at how much this will make everyone laugh!

16. Play Name The Song/Artist

Playing this game is such a good way to have your travel music playlist work double duty for you!  

It is also a one of the better road trip activities to take part in for those of us who experience motion sickness and have a challenge looking at things inside the car while it is moving.

There are a few variations of this game.  You can play the beginning of the song to see if people can guess it.  

You can also have someone say the lyrics to a song and everyone guesses.  

Make sure you have a kid safe playlist that has songs that kids of all ages can identify!

17. Play Triple Threat

Someone says three random nouns and the other people in the car have to tell a story about the three items.  

You could either have one person tell the tale, have each person tell a different story, or have everyone take turns and be involved in the same story.  

No matter what you choose, this game will score high in the creativity and fun category!

18. Have A Rock Paper Scissors Tournament

Among some of my favorite road trip games has to be rock paper scissors!  Make sure you go over the rules: rock beats scissors, scissors beats paper and paper beats rock.  

If there is a tie, the people who tied get to go against each other again until there is no tie.  The people who lose could wash the car windows on the next stop or help get snacks for the winners.  

The tournament could resume after each car stop.

19. Play Punch Buggy

Also called Slug Bug or Punch Bug, this game consists of looking for Volkswagen bug vehicles.  Make sure the kids are clear on what one looks like before you begin!

When someone spots a bug, he or she lightly punches the person next to them and says “Punch Buggy!”.   A variation of this can be to include the color of the bug vehicle that was spotted.  

You can designate a person to keep a tally of each family member’s finds.  Designate one point for a found bug and take away a point for each time punch buggy is called in error.

Go over the level of punch with your kids to start or you can change the rules to have them tap each other.  Sometimes the excitement of the game can lead to and overexcitement in the punch category!

That being said, keep the game light and fun and give each other kudos for their finds.  The only out of bounds area for this game is when passing by a Volkswagen dealership, or else mayhem may ensue!  

The winner can be declared the bug champion of the trip!

20. Play Mystery Phrase

It’s like telephone, but you spell the phrase out in a person’s hand.  To help ease the guessing a little bit, you could come up with themes, like summer items, animal names or shapes, for example.

This game is sure to get the laughter going in the car!

21. Play Fortunately, Unfortunately

This storytelling game will help you all create a story with tons of exciting ups and downs!  

The first person says something like:” Fortunately, I remembered to bring sunscreen”, and then the next person says something like “but unfortunately, it made my skin green!” and so forth while telling a silly story.

Every sentence starts alternately with Fortunately or Unfortunately, thereby changing the story for better or worse with each sentence.  Kids will enjoy the general silliness of this game!

22. Play Mad Libs

These road trip-themed Mad Libs are perfect for your next trip!

If you would like to reuse stories, depending on the length of the drive, you can put them in clear pocket folders and use erasable markers to fill in each blank.

23. Play I Spy

Each person starts their turn with the phrase “I spy with my little eye….”  and then they give some form of description about an item they happen to see out the window of the car.

For example, someone might say “I spy with my little eye something green” and then everyone else in the car starts guessing items outside that are green until someone guesses correctly.

24. Play The Quiet Game

For the times when things have gotten too loud and rambunctious (especially in the back seats!), this game will help chill things out, at least for a while!

As the name suggests, the point of the game is to stay quiet.  The last team or person to stay quiet the longest, wins the game.

While I can not guarantee that this game will last long, it will give at least a short break and most likely end in laughter!

25. Play The Category Game

One person chooses a category and a letter (for example, animals and the letter G).  Then each person takes turns naming items in this category that start with the chosen letter.

So for our example we would have gorillas, goats, giraffes, gerbils, etc.  The first person who can not think of a word for the category is out and gets to pick the next letter.

The remaining players continue to name items in the category, but now using the next letter that was chosen.  You continue to play the game this way until everyone but one person is out.

The winner gets to choose the next category and letter for the next game.

26. Play The Name Game

The first person in this game starts off with the name of their choice.  Then the next person has to figure out a name that starts with the last letter of the first name and so on.

For example: Adam, Mary, Yolanda, Aiden.  Anyone who can not think of a name or repeats a name already used is out.  The last person left at the end wins the game!

27. Play Two Truths and a Lie

One player tells everyone two things that are true and one thing that is a lie.  Everyone else has to guess which of these is the lie.

This can be quiet challenging since you are most likely traveling with people who know you pretty well!

28. Play Tic-Tac-Toe

For this simple game you can use a piece of paper and pass it back and forth.  If you want to do something a little different, you can find tic-tac-toe magnets and use a small cookie sheet to stick them to.

For a bonus, you can add other fun magnets with pictures of the alphabet that can encourage some independent play as well!

We sincerely hope that this list will help ease some of the pressures that can come with a long road trip.  

Time together with family can be wonderful, but it can also feel like a lot when you are all crammed in a small space for hours at a time!

While not every minute has to be life changing and amazing, it is good to have a plan to keep the kids (and adults!) busy and happy.  

Remember that it is also ok for the kids to do their own thing at times as well.  While it is nice to do things together, you also need a break every now and then and that is definitely ok!

Have fun and enjoy those sweet moments where you are all enjoying yourselves and laughing so hard that your eyes are watering!

Happy trails and as always, you’ve got this!

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Saturday 7th of October 2023

What an incredible post about fun car road trip games for kids and families! I absolutely love the idea of "See Who Can Find More Of Each Color Car." It's such a fantastic way to engage everyone in the car and keep them entertained while enjoying the journey. "Play Name The Song/Artist" is another brilliant game that brings the joy of music into the road trip experience. And let's not forget about "The Quiet Game" – a classic game that can provide some much-needed tranquility during long drives. Thank you for sharing these fantastic ideas! They really make car journeys more enjoyable, memorable, and filled with laughter.

Brenda Kosciuk

Thanks for the appreciation!

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Home » Roadside Attractions Blog » Road Trip Games » 55 Fun Road Trip Games for Adults to Play in the Car

55 Fun Road Trip Games for Adults to Play in the Car

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Road trips are full of fun, adventure, breathtaking landscapes, and weird roadside attractions . But sometimes they also involve long stretches of driving with nothing on your itinerary and nothing but corn out your window. In those cases, you might be looking for something to keep you and your friends entertained in the car. Enter these fun road trip games for adults.

Kids aren’t the only ones who should be able to have fun in the car. So all of these game ideas are perfect for a road trip with friends or a couples trip. Most of them can even be enjoyed by the whole family.

Read on to find some of the best road trip games for adults, and get ready for a memorable road trip!

Want more fun road trip games?

The road trip journal & activity book.

Enjoy fun games and challenges to pass the time on your next road trip and have a keepsake to look back on for years to come with this entertaining must-have for your next vacation.

Classic Road Trip Games for Adults

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Everyone knows these standard road trip games. They are such classics that everyone will have fun playing, no matter their age!

The License Plate Game

How do you play the license plate game? All you have to do is keep a look out your windows and keep track of all the different license plates you see. To win: try to be the first to spot one from every state! Each individual vehicle can only be claimed by one person, so think fast! For example, if Jane sees a red Toyota with a Montana plate, she can claim that car. John will have to wait for another Montana plate to go by. You can play this game with just a pen and paper, or you can click here to learn more about the game, get a free license plate game printable, or find versions you can play online or buy .

Road Trip Scavenger Hunt

Keep your eye out for these common road trip sites. Compete in a road trip scavenger hunt to see who will claim each item first or make it a photo challenge and see who can get the best pic of or selfie with each item.

Road Sign Bingo

Play a friendly game of Road Sign Bingo . Play a traditional game where you try to get four in a row on a game sheet. Or print out a road sign checklist full of some of the most common road signs you’ll see on your road trip. Keep an eye out to see who can spot the most the fastest!

Traveling with friends, family, or a husband, wife, boyfriend, or girlfriend? Want to get to know them a little more? These Get To Know You road trip games for adults will have everyone in the car talking.

Road Trip Questions

With all the free time you have in the car, why not spend some of it getting to know your passengers by taking turns answering fun road trip questions. This game of ice breakers and conversation starters will get the chat going. Use these 100 fun road trip questions to get everyone in the car talking. Ready to get to know your travel companions? Start asking away!

TableTopics to GO Road Trip

What was your all-time favorite vacation? Answer this and 39 other conversation starter question cards in this portable question and answer game designed for road trips.

Truth or Dare

Would you rather reveal something potentially embarrassing about yourself or do something potentially embarrassing? Play a friendly round of truth or dare while driving in your car. Take turns asking passengers, “truth or dare?” If truth is picked they have to answer any question you ask them. If they pick dare, give a wild (but car friendly) dare. A game of truth or dare in the car can be as tame or wild as you desire, and will let you really get to know your friends.

Two Truths and a Lie

Go around the car and have everyone say three facts about themselves: I studied abroad in Rome, I’ve traveled to all fifty states, my favorite color is blue. They can be anything you want…but one of them must be a lie. State two truths and one lie about yourself and then everyone else has to guess which of those facts is not so factual.

Never Have I Ever

Traditionally played as a drinking game, Never Have I Ever allows you to say something you’ve never done and learn which of your friends have. You definitely don’t want to drink and drive, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still have fun with this get to know you game. Each person takes turns saying something they have never done using the phrase “never have I ever.” For example: “Never Have I Ever Been to Alaska,” Never Have I Ever Driven for 12 hours straight,” or “Never Have I Ever gone camping.” Then everyone else in the car has to chime in to say whether they have done the things you haven’t. If you’re playing at night by your hotel’s pool or the light of a campfire, have everyone take a drink if they have done the action in question. If you’re playing in the car, have the guilty raise their hand and yell “I have!”

The Hot Seat

Want to ask your friends questions you’d normal shy away from? Put them in the hot seat. In this road trip game everyone takes a turn in the hot seat. When it’s their turn everyone else gets to ask them any question they want. Any question they want. And the person in the hot seat has to answer. You can set a timer (like five minutes), a maximum question amount (like 5 questions), or a per person quota (everyone gets to ask two questions). Whichever way you choose to play, this game will let you all get to know each other on a whole new level.

Would You Rather

Would you rather eat only hamburgers for the rest of your life or never eat tacos again? In this game you pit two things against each other and decide which scenario you’d rather do over the other. Take tuns posing hypothetical battles and see how your answers compare to everyone else in the car!

Kiss, Marry, Kill

Say you had to choose from Joey, Chandler, and Ross on Friends. Which one would you kiss, which one would you marry, and which one would you prefer to throw off a cliff. Take turns listing three people (they can be celebrities; movie, book, or TV characters; or even people you know) and make arguments for who you would kiss, marry, or kill.

The Compliment Game

Go through the alphabet and take turns giving each other compliments that start with each letter. Tom is an amazing athlete. Danielle is a badass beatboxer. Go from A to Z and brighten your car mates’ days.

Most Likely To Game

Remember senior superlatives? At the end of the school year everyone would choose from their class who was the “most likely to succeed,” the “most athletic,” or the “biggest flirt.” Turn that into a road trip game by coming up with superlatives for everyone in the car!

What makes a good road trip game for adults? Most of the time you’ll be playing within the confines of the car, so you want something that can be done with minimal movement and minimal supplies. These car games are fun to play and are only dependent on what you can see out the car’s window.

Cows on My Side

If you’re driving across certain areas of the country, you’re going to see a lot of cows out your window. A lot of cows. Make spotting bovines a game by playing a friendly game of Cows on My Side. Game play for this one is easy. If you see cows out the window on your side of the car yell out, “cows on my side!” to get one point. If you see cows out the window on the other side of the car, yell out, “cows on your side!” before someone on that side does, to steal one point. When you pass a cemetery, be the first to yell out, “ghost cow!” to steal all the points.

There are plenty of other cow-related games to play on a road trip. Here are some of my favorite variations.

Similar to Cows on My Side, but with slightly different rules. For this version, every time you see a herd of cows, the first person to yell out, “my cows!” gets a point. If you see a church, the first to yell out, “marry my cows!” doubles their points. If you see a cemetery, the first to yell out, “bury your cows!” steals everyone’s points.

To play Hey Cow! you just yell out, “hey cow!” whenever you pass a herd of cows. For every cow that turns their head to look at you, you get a point.

Counting Cows (AKA Cow Poker)

Pit the left side of the car against the right side of the car and count all the cows you can see from your side of the window. It can get tricky when you pass a large field, so count fast! Whoever has counted the most cows at the end of the journey wins, but watch for cemeteries, if someone calls out, “your cows are buried!” they can steal all the other side’s points.

The RV Game

RVs are known to have some interesting names on their own. Make them even more interesting by adding the word “anal” before them for a bit of a juvenile laugh. Keep an eye out for RVs and make the one marked “commander” a little more interesting.

Slug Bug (AKA Punch Buggy)

The rules of this game are simple: every time you see a Volkswagon Beetle out the window, yell out “Slug Bug!” (or “Punch Buggy!” if you prefer), and give your travel companion a gentle punch on the arm.

The object of this road trip game is to be the first person in the car to spot a car with a burnt out headlight or taillight. This game is best played when driving at night (or through long tunnels) where the surroundings are dark and most cars have their lights on. Whoever spots a car with a light out yells out, “Padiddle,” and touches the ceiling of the car. Play throughout your trip and whoever has the most padiddles when your travels end wins.

Odd Colored Cars

Pick an odd-for-a-car color, something like pink or purple or orange. Keep your eyes on the road and see who can spot a car of that color first or see the most through the entire trip.

The Alphabet Game

Try to go through the entire alphabet (in alphabetical order) by referencing words on signs you see from the car. Look for words on billboards, highway signs, road signs, and businesses. Each individual word can only be used by one person. The first person to get from A to Z wins!

The Gas Price is Right

Gas prices are ever changed and can vary widely by state or city. Make it a game to try to guess the prices that gas will be for the next station you pass. Try to guess to the nearest tenth and see who is closest.

Fictional Families

Do you ever look at other cars on the road and wonder what their story is? In this road trip game for adults, you pick out another vehicle on the road and come up with a story about who they are and where they’re going.

Vehicle Identification Game

When you spot an oncoming car try to be the first person to identify the make and model and see who is the best at identifying the vehicles on the road.

Bring along a variety of travel-sized versions of your favorite board games. Look for smaller, simplified games that come with cards or magnetic boards that can easily be played by backseat passengers in the car. But even though they are meant for travel, many travel board games work better as games to play in a hotel after a long day on the road. Pack your favs to play in your hotel room or by the pool! Here are some of the most popular travel board games:

Monopoly Grab and Go Game

Play a compact game of Monopoly with all your favorite features in a small package that also serves as storage.

Connect 4 Grab and Go Game

Try to get four checkers in a row and block your opponent from getting it first. Connect 4 Grab and Go is a compact travel version of the popular board game.

Clue Grab and Go Game

Solve a whodunit mystery by following the clues. Move around the board and try to piece together what you find to be the first to crack the case in a friendly game of Clue. Buy Travel Clue

Scrabble to Go

Challenge each other to come up with the most impressive words. A travel edition of scrabble not only allows you to play this fun board game in a hotel room, latching pieces mean you can bring your unfinished game with you to pick up at the next day and the next hotel.

These games are perfect for bringing out your creative side. Use your time in the car to make up stories with your friends.

While You Were Sleeping

On a road trip with friends one thing is for certain: someone is going to fall asleep in the back seat. And that’s the perfect time to play a fun game of While You Were Sleeping. Once your sleeping car mate awakens from their backseat nap, tell them a story of what happened while they were sleeping. The catch? It’s a completely made up story. Try to make up a ridiculous story and see how long you can go and how much you can convince your sleepy car mate that it actually happened.

Fortunately/Unfortunately

Tell a story where everything goes right…and wrong. In Fortunately/Unfortunately you alternate sentences that start with fortunately or unfortunately. For example: Marissa was driving on a road trip. Fortunately she was almost to her hotel. Unfortunately her phone (and Google Maps) was about to die. Fortunately she had a paper map.

See how long your fortunate and unfortunate can go and where it takes you.

Mad libs are fun for all ages. There are a wide variety of these fill-in-the-blank stories, from adult-friendly options to ones based on your favorite TV shows to road trip focused stories . Whichever version you choose, you can pick adjectives and verbs to create your own hilarious stories.

Sorry I am Late

“Sorry I am late, but I accidentally traveled back in time and had to make sure my parents still got together so I would be born.” In this story telling game you start with “Sorry I am late but…” and then fill in the rest with a movie plot. Then see who in the car can guess what movie you are recapping.

Tell a story one word at a time. Have one person in the car start a story by saying a single word. Then the next person adds the next word. Keep going around the car one word at a time and see where this story time leads you!

These road trip games rely on simplicity: words, wordplay, and numbers.

Don’t Say It

Before your trip come up with a “Don’t Say It” word: something everyone is forbidden to say. Whenever someone says that word, they get a point. The person with the most amount of points at the end of the trip loses, and has to buy the car a round of soft drinks.

The Name Game

Start with one person saying a name, like Rebecca. The next person then says a name that starts with the last letter of that name. Rebecca ends with an A so the next person might say Amy. No repeat allowed, keep going until no one can think of a new name that fits!

The Counting Game

The goal of this game is to collectively count to 20. Sounds easy, right? But the trick here is you don’t know where or when the next person is taking a turn. One person starts by saying the number one. Then anyone can say the number two. But, if more than one person speaks at the same time, the game is done and you have to start over. If more than five seconds pass in between, the game is also done, so act fast!

Scattergories

This car game only requires a pen and paper. Come up with a list of categories. It can be anything you want, but try to find things that might have a lot of possible answers, like dog breeds, items of clothing, body parts, or cars. Write those all down in a list. The driver can then pick a random letter and all the passengers race to see who can fill in the list of categories with something starting with that letter the fastest.

In this easy car game, everyone picks any category they want: Taylor Swift songs, MLB teams, La Croix flavors, etc. And then everyone takes turns naming something that fits that category until someone is stumped and can’t think of anything that fits.

Try and guess what your car mates are thinking with these guessing games that are perfect to play in the car.

20 Questions

Read your friend’s mind in 20 questions of less. In this game, one person in the car has to think of something, anything. It can be a movie, a book, a person, place, or thing. Then everyone else in the car gets to ask questions to see who can guess what the person is thinking of. Choose your questions wisely, because you only have 20 tries.

I’m Going on a Picnic

In this game, players take turns saying what they might bring on a picnic (bananas, sandwiches , paper plates…). But one leader is in charge of saying whether you are allowed to bring that item or not, all based on a secret rule they have. For example, if Amanda is the leader she might have a secret rule that all items brought to the picnic must start with the first letter of her name. So if someone wanted to bring guacamole, they would be denied but someone bringing avocados would be OK. Players take turns naming items and trying to figure out what the secret rule is.

How much do you know about movies, TV shows, or celebrities? These games rely on your knowledge of films and those who star in them.

6 Degrees of Separation

Based on the popular “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon,” where it is said you can link any celebrity to Kevin Bacon (via mutual movie/television appearances) in six connections or less, in this version you can link any celebrities you want. Pick any two celebrities, like Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Frank Sinatra and connect them through their mutual crossovers.

The Movie Game

Similar to 6 Degrees of Separation, this road trip game also involves linking celebrities. But in this version, you have to come up with the next celebrity to link an actor to. To play, have one person name an actor or actress. Then, the next person has to name a movie they were in. The next person then has to name another actor or actress from that movie. Keep going until someone is stumped. That person has to sit out the next round. Keep playing until only one person is left and a winner is declared.

Bad Movie Plot

The goal of this game is to explain a movie plot badly and see who can guess what it is. For example, you might say, “an elderly man uses balloons to kidnap a young boy,” and others would have to try to guess that you’re explaining the plot to the Pixar movie Up .

Whether you love to sing or can’t hold a tune and prefer to leave it to the professionals, many fun road trip games for adults rely on music to guide them. These games are based on music knowledge, singing, or your favorite playlists.

Name That Tune

Use the scanner or seek on your radio or the shuffle feature on an app like Spotify. For every new song that comes up, try to be the first one to guess the name of the song and the musical artist. Or, take turns choosing a song to play and see if you can stump your friends.

Battle Of The Bands

Battle it out among the car to see which song reigns supreme. Choose a category. Any category. You can pick anything from “Best Emo Love Ballad” to “Songs that mention Birds.” Have two eople in the car think of a song that fits and then play them both for the whole car to hear. It’s then up to everyone in the car to vote and see which song, and which player, wins.

Human Jukebox

Channel your best Pitch Perfect impressions for this road trip game. To play, one person starts singing a song. Then the next person has to pick up with a new song that borrows the last word of the last phrase of the song before. Keep going until someone gets stumped, then start the Human Jukebox all over again.

There are so many different road trip games adults can play in the car. Here are some more games that will keep you entertained on long stretches of road.

Enjoy fun games and challenges to pass the time on your next road trip and have a keepsake to look back on for years to come with this entertaining must-have for your next vacation. The Road Trip Journal & Activity Book features fun and engaging journal prompts. plus 100 activities and games to play in the car, at your hotel, or at stops along your route.

Shotgun! Road Trip Game

Shotgun! is a fun card game and car game. Designate a reader and then take turns answering road trip related questions and doing activities.

Road Trip Trivia

Have a fun time challenging each other to road trip trivia. Find trivia questions based on road trips, the route you’re on, your destination, or America.

Regional Snack Master

Every time you pull over at a gas station or travel center, have everyone try to find a local snack. Something you can really only find in the city or state you’re in. Compare your finds and see who found the tastiest (or weirdest) ones.

At the beginning of your road trip, have everyone make up a rule for the car. The sillier, the better. Something like at every red light you have to open all the windows and cheer. Try to keep up these funny road trip rules throughout the course of your trip.

In this game, start with one passenger coming up with a sentence or phrase. They whisper it into another passenger’s ear, and it should go all the way around until it gets to the last person in the car. That person then has to say out loud what they think they heard, and see how close or far it was from the original phrase.

Almost any game app can be a road trip game app. Here are some of our favorites that work well with a group of people traveling in a car.

Drive.fm: Car & Home Trivia

Have a knack for knowledge and want to put your brain to the test? Drive.fm is a game app controlled using your voice, making it the perfect hands-free trivia game to play in your car.

This musical trivia game features real song clips from popular artists. See who can guess the song the fastest!

A fun road trip game app for singing karaoke songs in the car.

Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

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Valerie Bromann

Founder & road trip expert.

Valerie Bromann is a a website manager, content creator, and writer from Chicago, Illinois (currently living in Dallas, Texas). As an avid road tripper who has visited hundreds of roadside attractions, Val always pull over for a world’s largest thing. Founder of Silly America and author of The Road Trip Journal & Activity Book , she visits, photographs, and writes about all the weird tourist destinations she visits and offers road trip planning advice and inspiration based on her own travels so you can hit the road for yourself.

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Last modified: December 2, 2023 Category: Road Trip Games , Road Trip Planning

Hotel Scavenger Hunt Game (+Free Printables)

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The road trip you’ve been dreaming of starts here! Journal about your stops and get to know your fellow passengers with activities and exercises designed to pass the time and bring you closer together. Instead of “Are we there yet?” you’ll find yourself asking, “We’re there already?”. Complete with prompts you can turn to while driving between locations, this journal will one day be a memento of your life-changing trip.

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Silly America is a roadside attractions blog designed to help travelers find unique stops for their next road trip. The website is a tribute to the great American road trip, devoted to all that is odd in America: roadside attractions, tourist traps, peculiar destinations, bizarre events, road food, fun festivals, and more! It’s a travel website and trip planner for those seeking an offbeat road trip.

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39 Fun Road Trip Games to Play

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Fill long drives with joy by playing these fun road trip games , helping you say goodbye to boredom on the journey, no matter who you’re traveling with.

I’ve been on plenty of road trips across Europe and the U.S. in my time, and these games have helped me, friends, and fellow travelers pass the time with lots of laughs and intrigue.

Road Trip Games (Fun Games to Play in the Car)

1. Truth or Dare

This is a classic game, but it can be adapted to a road trip as well. Take turns picking whether you want to reveal a truth or take a dare.

In this case, you will need to pick a dare that can be done safely in the car or by stopping the car when you get the chance. Time to be creative!

Read more: 100+ Best Truth or Dare Questions

2. Never Have I Ever

Each player holds up five fingers, and in turn, they name something they have never done, for instance, “Never have I ever been to Italy.”

For each thing they have done, players need to fold a finger. The person who folds all five fingers first loses. This is a fun game, and if you pick the right questions, you may even learn some interesting or funny things about your friends.

Read more: 200+ ‘Never Have I Ever’ Questions

3. The Compliment Game

In this game, you go through the alphabet, and for every letter, you say a compliment about someone else in the car. For instance, “A is for how awesome Monica is,” “B is for Jack’s beautiful hair,” and so on, taking turns.

4. Most Likely to

Take turns and come up with “most likely to” scenarios about your friends. Everyone in the car must point to the person they believe reflects the title.

You could say things like “Most likely to become a celebrity” or “Most likely to win a Nobel prize.” If you’re out of ideas, you can find many examples online, or just try to be creative and invent fun scenarios.

Read more: 300+ “Who is Most Likely to” Questions

5. The Forbidden Word

Pick a forbidden word at the beginning of your trip. Try to aim for a word that you would normally use a lot. Keep count of how many times each person says the forbidden word.

At the end of the trip, whoever has said the word the most will have to take a pre-agreed forfeit, such as paying for a round of drinks.

6. Truth or Lie?

This is a storytelling game in which one person in the car tells a true or invented story from their past, ideally something elaborate and hard to believe.

The other people in the car take turns and get to ask one question about the story before deciding if it’s true or not. Reveal the right answer after everyone took their guess. Take turns telling stories and see who has the greatest number of correct guesses.

7. Smurfing

Pick one person in the car who will be the subject of the game. While the subject covers their ears, the other persons need to pick a verb. Then, the subject must ask questions replacing the verb with the word “smurf.”

For instance, “Do you smurf in the morning or evening” or “When did you last smurf?” They need to guess the right verb as quickly as possible. You may even decide how many questions they get to ask or set a time limit, like 2 minutes, to guess the right verb.

For Families and Kids

8. what color is it.

In this game, start naming a list of items of the same color until your kid, or one of your kids, guesses the right color. For instance, you could start by saying “Sky, sea, smurfs…” and keep going until someone guesses blue.

A classic road trip game for families and kids, “I spy” consists in choosing an object, preferably something in the car, and having other players guess by asking yes or no questions.

You can use colors or the first letter of the object. For instance, you could say “I spy with my little eye… something blue/something that starts with the letter B.” The first person to guess the object gains a point.

10. Spelling Bee

A fun and educational game, the spelling bee is easy to play in a car. You can pick random words or make it more fun by choosing a theme, possibly something kids would enjoy.

For instance, you could do a Harry Potter spelling bee with words from the book/movie. Make sure to have someone keep track of the points on a piece of paper or a note app.

11. Scavenger Hunt

This game may require a bit of preparation but it’s a great way to keep kids entertained on a long road trip.

Before the trip, prepare a list of things you would usually see on the road, like road signs, cars, animals, and so on. The person who checks the most items off the list before the end of the trip wins.

12. Car Color Search

This game also needs some preparation, but it can be very entertaining for small kids. You can draw several cars of different colors or find a ready-made sheet online and print it.

Every time they spot a car of a certain color, they cross it off the list. Whoever crosses the most cars off the list wins the game.

13. Going on a Picnic

This challenging memory game is great for adults, but you can also play it with older kids. The first person starts by saying “I’m going on a picnic, and I’ll bring…” and picks an item.

The next person repeats the sentence and adds another item, then the third adds a third item, and so on. The list will get longer and longer. The first person who can’t remember the correct list is out of the game and it resets until there is one winner.

14. Storytime

If you’re feeling creative, why not invent a fairy tale with the kids? Start with the classic fairy tale beginning “Once upon a time…” and come up with the start of a magical journey in a singular sentence.

Each player will add a sentence to the story until you either reach the end or until a set time limit elapses. You can also record the story so you can listen to it later.

15. The Quiet Game

If you’re traveling with kids and want some downtime, you can always try the quiet game. See how long your kids can go without saying a word. The first one to break the silence loses.

For Couples or Two People

16. 20 questions.

In this guessing game, one person will have to think about an object, animal, or person, and the other must ask yes or no questions to figure out what the other person is thinking.

They have a limit of 20 questions to guess the item or person. Ideally, you would start with more generic questions, like “Is it an animal” or “Is it an object?” and get more specific with questions about the size, color, and other features.

If the person guesses in less than 20 questions, they take the place of the answerer. Otherwise, the same person gets to think of a new thing.

17. The Human Jukebox

This can be a really fun song if you know song lyrics. One person starts singing a song, and the next has to connect it to another song using the last word of the lyrics, then another has to connect a new song, and so on.

For instance, “Take me down to the paradise city where the girls…. Just wanna have fun, oh girls… Who run the world? Girls. Who run…. Boy run. This world is not made for you…” And see how long you can keep going before someone is stumped.

18. 6 Degrees of Separation

A person has to name two people, objects, movies, or any other thing. You can mix them, for instance, a celebrity and a movie, that are apparently not connected. Another player has to connect the two in six statements, or less.

You could, for example, pick Uma Turman and the movie Mamma Mia. And then say “Uma Turman starred in “Kill Bill” with Lucy Liu. Lucy Liu starred in Charlie’s Angels with Cameron Diaz. Cameron Diaz had a relationship with Justin Timberlake. Justin Timberlake starred in “In Time” alongside Amanda Seyfried. Amanda Seyfried starred in Mamma Mia!”

19. Two Truths and a Lie 

This is a great game to learn more about your travel companion. Take turns and tell two truths and one line. The other person has to guess which is the lie.

You can just keep playing to discover curious facts about yourselves or make it a points game. Whoever gets to 10 correct answers first wins. Remember to choose a reward for the winner.

Read more: 2 Truths and a Lie: 200+ Lie Ideas

20. Holiday Memory Game

In this memory game, you pretend you are packing your suitcase for the holidays and need to take turns listing all the items you will pack. The first person will start by saying “I am going on a holiday and I’m taking…” and adds an item.

The next player has to repeat the sentence and add a new item then the next player will do the same. Keep adding items to the bag, repeating the entire list every time. The first person who messes up the order or forgets an item loses the game or is out. Ready to test your memory?

21. Kiss Mary Avoid

Pick three people, either someone you know or celebrities, both from past and present. You may even pick a fictional character.

The other person will need to choose which person they would kiss, marry, and avoid. Depending on your choice of people, this game can be really fun. Take turns and get creative!

22. Would You Rather

Time to get creative for this game where a person has to ask the other(s) what they would choose between two options.

The idea is to come up with impossible or weird choices, like “Would you rather never see again or never taste food?” If you’re out of ideas, this “would you rather” questions list can help you out. Tine to make some difficult choices.

Generally Fun Road Trip Games

23. categories.

While this is not necessarily a road trip game, it’s a really fun one to pass the time. Pick a category, anything from ice cream flavors to R&B songs. Every player takes turns naming an item in that category. See who runs out of ideas first.

24. The Humming Song Game

The game is pretty easy yet fun to play. One player must hum a famous song while the others need to guess the song. The person who guesses correctly gets to hum a new song. It may sound really easy, but it can get quite tricky.

25. Music Battle

To play this game you must be at least three passengers. One person is the judge while the others need to play songs on their phones.

Select different categories, and for each one, every player picks a song and plays it. The judge has to decide the winning song for every category.

26. Alphabet

This game consists in spotting items that start with each letter of the alphabet, in order. You can use objects in the car or on the road, like road signs, billboards, animals, or anything else you may spot.

Call out each letter and the item/word as you see it. The first person the get to Z wins. In a different version, you may pick a category, like animals, and take turns naming items in that category in alphabetic order.

One player starts by saying a word, then each passenger takes turns saying words that rhyme. Set a 15-second time limit per turn. If the person can’t come up with a word within the time limit, they are out.

The remaining person wins a point. See who gains the most point before you get to the destination or who gets to 10 points first.

28. Storyteller

The game is pretty simple but depending on how creative you get it can be very fun. One person starts a story with the first sentence. Then, everyone takes turns adding to the story.

Come up with interesting and fun plot twists to make the story more entertaining. Record it to have a memory of your road trip story.

29. Fortunately/Unfortunately

This game consists of telling a story where each sentence starts with the word “fortunately” or “unfortunately,” alternating between them.

For example: “Anna had to go to work. Unfortunately, her car broke down. Fortunately, she could take the train. Unfortunately, all trains were delayed.” Keep the story going, alternating between the two.

30. While You Were Sleeping

This is a funny game that you can play if any of the passengers falls asleep during the trip. With the other passengers, come up with an interesting and unbelievable story of something that happened while the other person was asleep.

When they wake up, tell them the story, starting with “While you were sleeping…”. Each passenger adds a little to the story to make it credible that you all witnessed it. Try not to break character and see if the other person believes your story.

31. Car Rule

To play this game, each person in the car gets to make up a random rule, and everyone has to follow it. Try to think of weird and fun rules, like “Whenever I change the radio station, everyone has to clap their hands”.

Assign points to everyone who enforces the rules except for the last person to do so. The person with the most points at the destination wins.

32. The License Plate Game

This classic road trip game can be played in different ways. You can try to spot a license plate from every US state or from different countries if you’re traveling in Europe.

Or you can try to spot a license plate starting with each letter of the alphabet, and the first one to get to Z wins. If you are playing with kids, you can even print a coloring map of the U.S. and have them color each state they spot on a license plate.

Trivia Road Trip Games

33. name that tune.

A great game for music lovers is “Name that tune”. You can simply turn on the radio or put on a Spotify playlist, making sure the song name is not visible on the display.

As soon as the song starts, the first person to shout the right song title wins a point. This is a great game to have fun, listen to music, and refresh your memory of song names.

34. Name the Artist

A different take on “Name that tune,” this game requires players to guess the artist. You can even prepare a playlist in advance and set different rules.

You can assign points based on who answers first, or you can take turns, play a song for 5 to 10 seconds, and let the player guess or pass. Whoever makes more points or reaches a set number of points first wins.

35. The Movie Game

If you know your movies and actors, you can play this potentially endless game during your road trip. To start, a person mentions an actor while another person must name a movie the actor has been in.

Another player must name a different actor in that movie, and the next player must then name another movie with that actor, and so on. See how long you can go!

36. Guess the Quote

One person in the car has to say a quote from a movie, TV show, or song, while the other passengers must guess where the quote is from.

The player who makes the right guess takes the next turn in saying a quote. Try to make it hard, and for extra fun, use the accent of the actor who said the quote.

37. “Sorry I am Late” Movie Guessing

This can be a really fun game for movie buffs. It essentially consists of saying a sentence that starts with “Sorry I am late” and continues with the main plot of a movie, told in a fun way.

For instance, “Sorry I am late, but I got a letter saying I am a wizard and I had to go to wizarding school only to find out this evil wizard has been trying to kill me since I was a newborn,” which would be Harry Potter. The person who guesses 10 movies first wins.

38. Bad Movie Plot

Another fun movie fame consists in picking a movie and explaining the plot in a really bad way, although factually correct. The other person has to guess the movie.

If they do, they win a point. Take turns and see who makes the most points or gets first to 10 correct guesses.

39. Celebrity

In this game, one person will play the character of a celebrity of their choice while the others take turns asking random questions.

The celebrity player answers the questions as if they were the famous person. The first person to guess the celebrity wins.

Long journeys in the car can often be difficult, for both you and the other passengers you are traveling with. Finding activities to pass the time can go a long way making the journey far more comfortable and enjoyable.

The beauty of these road trip games is that they require little, if any, equipment and preparation to play, yet can provide hours of fun.

Don’t let tiredness and boredom take control on a long car ride. Use these fun car games to create a fun and relaxing atmosphere, keeping your minds off the journey and giving you all an opportunity to interact and bond.

From word games to games involving famous people, there’s so much you can do in the car with minimal resources to entertain young kids, teenagers, and the whole family!

You Might Also Like to Read

• 40 Fun Things to Do on a Long Car Ride

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31 Best Road Trip Games for Kids: Definitely Bookmark This

Are you planning a road trip and looking for the best road trip games for kids? We totally understand that doing long car rides with kids can be hard and stressful, especially when not using any screens.

“Are we there yet?” “I’m hungry!” “It’s too long”

Does that sound familiar?

Family road trips can be stressful for parents and long for kids, so it’s better to be prepared with some ideas. That’s why we listed 31 of our favorite games to play in the car on a road trip to pass the time. They are all fun games for kids (but also for the entire family, from toddlers to older kids and adults).

And the cool thing is that most of them don’t require much and can also be played at the destination.

Disclaimer: Just a heads up, this free article contains affiliate links . If you purchase after clicking one of these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost . Also, as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Your support helps me continue to provide helpful and free content for you .

Our TOP 5 Road Trip Games for Kids

We do a lot of road trips as a family, short and long car rides . We even took the kids on two cross-country road trips (for the first one the boys were 18 months old and 3.5 years old). We had to get creative with road trip activities, especially that we don’t really allow the kids to watch TV in the car.

Here are our favorite road trip games for the family and the kids:

• License plate game : I love this game, especially when we travel to the USA where we see many different license plates. This is a perfect game for older kids since they need to be able to see outside the windows, but it’s a lot of fun and doesn’t require any material.
• Audiobook & Stories : We have a Spotify account and download many kids’ stories. We don’t have them on for the entire trip, but we put a few stories occasionally when we all need some quiet time.
• Smart Games : The kids received some Smart Games for Christmas this year and we are hooked. They are easy to pack for a road trip and kids can play alone. We have the Smart Games Jump In and the Smart Games Ghost Hunters .
• Drawings & Coloring: We always pack coloring books or sketchbooks, and the kids love drawings when we drive.

💡 PRO-TIP There are so many different kids’ car activities that can played by simply using everyone’s imagination skills . Of course, all those travel games for kids may require the parent’s participation (at least a little if your kids are the youngest, but older kids should be able to play alone).

1. Activity Booklets

There are TONS of activity books with mind games, riddles, and puzzles for your kids.

The hard part is that they don’t always keep the kids interested for as long as we want. Sometimes we can get a solid 45 minutes out of these booklets, but other times we get a few seconds of peace.

You might find that one of your kids naturally likes one type of activity (sudoku, crosswords, etc.) and your other kid likes another. Try to find the activity that matches your kids’ interests to pique their interest.

2. I (Eye?) Spy

I Spy is a classic for a reason (and I still think it makes just as much sense to spell it “eye spy,” for the record). There are no simpler games to play on a road trip than the I Spy game . This game also helps to hone your kids’ powers of observation.

How to play I Spy:

• The person choosing the object chants, “ I spy with my little eye, something beginning with… ” and then gives the first letter of the word they are thinking of.
• Everyone else tries to guess and the person who guesses correctly first takes their turn choosing an object.

How to adapt this road trip game for toddlers: Naming the color of the object instead of (or as well as) the first letter.

If you happen to be driving through an area with lots of wildlife, you could also try “ I hear with my little ear ” and crack out your best animal impressions, a great hit with toddlers.

👉 You can also purchase a I Spy travel card game to help your little ones with the game.

3. Rock Papers Scissors

Rock Papers Scissors is one of those fun games that your kids should be able to play together (and alone) as long as they sit relatively close .

How to play Rock-Papers-Scissors: The game is pretty simple. Each player will simultaneously do one of the three shapes (rock, paper, or scissors) with one of their hands.

• Paper beats rock
• Rock beats scissors
• Scissors beats paper

There are many other versions that can be played by adding a few extra shapes.

4. “I’m Going to a Picnic”

This game is another great fun car game for kids that requires no material .

How to play I’m Going to a Picnic : Whoever is starting gives a short list of things they are taking on their picnic, and everyone else tries to guess the rule that connects these objects .

Here’s a simple example. If I say, “I ’m going to a picnic and I am going to take some eggs, some earplugs, and an éclair, you’d probably be able to guess pretty quickly that I’m only taking objects that begin with an “e”.

Of course, you can get creative with your rules. Perhaps every object at your picnic is round or has four letters in the word, or rhymes with a cat.

Players can also ask if an object would be allowed on the picnic to help them figure out the rule. Or the person in charge can give some examples of things that aren’t allowed.

Adapt the difficulty of the rules depending on the age of your kids.

5. Make Up Stories 

You don’t have to be a master storyteller to keep the kids entertained with some inventive tales . Some of the best stories come when you take turns adding bits and embellishing the details.

How to play Make Up Stories : You could try one-word stories , where each person says just one word, and you build the story together—the same works with single sentences too.

If the kids struggle to get inventive, you can handle the bulk of the storytelling but still leave plenty of opportunities for their input. Start with “ once upon a time there was a giant… ” and let the children fill in the gaps. Who knows where your imagination might take you?

6. Twenty Questions

Most of us have played this family classic game at one time or another, and it is an easy travel game for kids.

How to play Twenty Questions:

• One person thinks of an object, person, animal, or plant. It must be something everyone is likely to know about.
• Then, the others ask questions to help them determine what the person is thinking.
• The person can only respond with “yes” or “no”. The goal is for the others to guess the word correctly before they ask more than 20 questions.

In some versions of the game, the person specifies whether they are thinking of an animal, a plant, or a mineral (an inanimate object) before they start.

You can increase or remove the question limit if your kids get too frustrated or struggle to guess the word within the 20 questions.

7. Quiz Time

Quizzes are fun road trip activities for kids and are also a great way to slip a little learning into your trip.

We like to call them pop quizzes .

For the 2-6 age group, this works best if you give multiple-choice options and take it in turns to be the quiz master. Keep the questions age-appropriate – you want to stretch your kids but still make it fun by sticking to questions they will likely know the answers to.

If you are feeling organized, you can prepare some questions before you go so that you have them already to hand when boredom sets in on the road and the nagging for the iPad starts. There are also quiz cards available to buy if you need some help thinking of questions. This kid’s car activity is also a great way to start road schooling lessons .

8. Categories

This wordplay game is one the whole family can join in with and is a fun option for road trips. Your kids can pick a category and see how many things you can name within that category. Categories can be :

• types of fruit,
• colors, … – you can keep going for hours.

If you want to make it more challenging, set a time limit. Or you could go competitive and make each family member take a solo turn to see how many items they can name.

9. License Plate Game

This is an old-time favorite that you’ve likely played with your parents in the past. I won’t lie, it’s one of my favorite travel games to play. This one works best in the United States, though it could work through the Canadian provinces, too (it’ll just be a lot shorter).

The game is simple : look for license plates from states other than the ones you’re either currently in or coming from.

At any rate, everyone in the car should try to find as many license plates as possible until someone gets all 50. You can also play collectively if you have young kids since it will be harder for them to compete.

💡 PRO-TIP You can use this travel games for kids to start teaching your little ones about geography and teach them a little history about how modern North America is laid out (aaaaand from there, you can go into the history of the continent in whichever way you feel most comfortable).

10. Grocery Store

This is a twist on the classic “Alphabet Game. ” In this version, you say you’re going to the grocery store and buying ingredients. You need to list out what you’re going to buy starting with the letter “A.” For example, the first person would say, “I’m going to buy an Apple.”

The next person repeats what was said and adds a new item with the next letter. In this case, it would be B. For example, the second person would say, “I’m going to the store. I’m going to buy an Apple and a Banana.”

And this memory game continues throughout the entire alphabet.

11. Would You Rather

You likely played this game in college, so you’ll want to make it more tame (and since you’re driving, probably without the beer). The game is easy to play: you give two terrible scenarios and ask someone to decide which one they would rather do.

For example, would you rather wear wet socks or a diaper for an entire week?

This game can get as silly as you’d like it to be.

💡 PRO-TIP : Set a number of questions each person will ask per “round.” So you can say, “everyone is going to give 3 scenarios we all have to answer.” Then, when the 3 turns are up, you can choose to start over or play another game.

12. Can You Name the Most

This is a fun road trip game even toddlers can play . Plus, it will help them build vocabulary and word associations. Have one person in the car choose a category. For this example, let’s say “superheroes.”

Now go around the car and everyone has to say a word related to superheroes in under 5 seconds. The first person who can no longer think of words closely associated with the category is eliminated.

The last person standing wins!

Remember, you don’t need to say exact superhero names. Instead, you can use words associated with heroes, like:

• Super speed

The goal is to have fun, so don’t get too “nit-picky.”

💡 PRO-TIP Make one parent and official judge for this game, as siblings will probably fight over what counts as “closely associated.”

13. Movie/Song Quotes

In this game, everyone will think of their favorite quote from a movie or song. Start easy and make sure these are things your kids are familiar with. That said, you can get more advanced to try and trick your road partner, too.

For example, you would think of a quote like, “Man… there are just no jobs in this town. Yeah… unless you wanna’ work 40 hours a week !”

Which, of course, comes from the great cinematic masterpiece, Dumb & Dumber .

You’ll need to adjust the quotes you use depending on the age of your kids.

14. Fortunately/Unfortunately

I like to think of these travel games for kids as the “home stretch” activity . It’s when you have a stop coming up and your kids start feeling “antsy.” In this game, one person begins by saying, “Fortunately…” and describing a hypothetical situation that was really good.

For example, you could say, “Fortunately, there was a mistake at the factory, and all the broccoli in the world is going to turn into marshmallows.”

Then, the next person continues the story with “unfortunately.” In this case, they could say, “Unfortunately, these marshmallows also shrink you to 3 inches tall.

And you continue with the “fortunately/unfortunately” structure until everyone has had a few turns.

💡 PRO-TIP : When you reach the end, you can discuss your hypothetical situation and pose more questions. In this example, the ultimate question would be, “Would you still eat the marshmallows?”

15. The Rhyme Game

Here’s an easy one: someone in the car thinks up a word, and everyone has a maximum of 5 seconds to think of a word that rhymes when it’s their turn.

If someone gives duplicates or a word that doesn’t rhyme, they’ll be eliminated.

Again, this game is perfect for those awkward 10 minutes before reaching your destination or a quick distraction if one of your kids is starting to go into crisis mode.

16. New Rule

This is a great game for the oldest sibling and young kids who like the taste of power. Everyone in the car gets to think up a “new rule.” It can be anything (appropriate) and would be something like, “Every time we pass a Wal-Mart, you need to burp.”

I like to make this game the prize of another fun game.

So when a kid wins at another game we play, they get to invent a “new rule” that will last until we reach the final destination.

17. Yellow Car

Yellow car is a game that’s a classic twist on the old “Punch Buggie” or “Slug Bug.” Basically, you get to punch someone else in the car whenever you see a yellow car.

This game is fun because some places tend to have way more yellow cars than others. Emilie and I played while driving through Quebec , and I only got punched once or twice.

Then we played in California , and my arm looked like it had seen the wrong end of a fight with Mike Tyson.

18. Spelling Bee

You can recycle activities your kids do at school for the car. This one is great for helping your kids learn to spell .

Work from a list of age-appropriate words for your kids to spell. Have them take turns and see how many they can spell correctly.

Here’s a good list of spelling bee words around the kindergarten age-level that you can use if you need help thinking up words.

19. Scavenger Hunt

A scavenger hunt is a great way to keep kids occupied during a road trip. It’s another game that gets your kids paying attention to their surroundings while in the car.

This works best if you have a list prepared before you go. Combine things you are guaranteed to see, like a speed limit sign, with some that are less common, such as a specific make and color for a car.

You can use types of vehicles, buildings, and natural features in your list. Give each kid a copy – illustrate it with pictures so pre-readers can still join in. Leave space for each player to tick off objects as they see them.

If you like, you can turn it into a version of bingo and race to see who can complete their list first.

For those who don’t have time to make their own scavenger hunt, there are plenty of printable options available online . We’ve created a printable road trip game package that includes a scavenger hunt

20. Hangman

Another classic game, hangman , helps new readers practice new letters of the alphabet and spelling in a fun (and competitive) way.

All you need is a piece of paper and a pen. However, everyone playing will need to see the paper, so the driver will want to sit this one out.

How to play Hangman:

• The first person acts as the host. They think of a word and then mark out blank spaces for each letter.
• The players take it in turn to guess letters. If they get one right, the host fills in the letter wherever it appears in the word. If they get it wrong, the host marks the letter at the top of the paper and then draws one piece of the scaffold.
• The game continues until the players guess the full word or the host draws the full scaffold and the stick man hanging from it.

Of course, you may want to avoid images of death in a kids’ game, even if it is a stick man. You can make the game more child-friendly by drawing a snowman or a rocket blasting into space. Or you could draw a line of balloons and have one pop each time someone makes an incorrect guess.

You can increase or remove the question limit if you find your kids get too frustrated or struggle to guess the word within the 20 questions.

❤️  You may also like to read: The Best Road Trip Snacks

21. Squares

Best played with two people, this is an easy travel game to teach your kids and all you need is a piece of paper and a pencil or pen.

The object of the game is to make as many squares as possible . Start by drawing a dotted grid on your piece of paper. You can choose how big you make the grid – begin with three by three when you first teach the kids and it can grow from there.

The two players take turns to join two dots together by drawing a straight line between them. You can’t go diagonally.

When someone completes a square, they write their initials inside it and get a bonus go. The game ends when the whole grid is joined up. Then you count the number of squares each person has claimed to determine the winner.

22. Build a Cootie Catcher

I remember learning how to do this in second or third grade. It was never as popular for the boys in our class (though maybe that’s changed), but it did keep me busy on long car rides with my brothers, who were busy playing Yellow Car with me.

Typing out all the directions would do two things:

• Help exactly 0% of the people reading this

Instead, here’s a great video tutorial 🙂 :

23. Make a Comic Book

I’ve noticed that my oldest son is super addicted to certain TV shows. But I realized it wasn’t necessarily the show he was in love with… it was the story .

He LOVES stories, and lately, we’ve been trying to encourage him to come up with his own. The car ride is a great time for kids to think up their own superheroes and draw their very own comic books.

You can stab some scrap pieces of paper together in advance or just have the kids work from individual pages. The comics will probably be silly, but they stretch the kids’ imaginations. Our son, for example, made a comic about aliens on a different planet at a park with slides that go “up” instead of “down.”

24. Draw What You See

The name pretty much says it all on this one! For long stretches of road around mountains, forests, rivers, oceans, lakes… anything… have the kids draw the landscapes they see as you go.

This doesn’t always work, but when kids get into the drawings, it can make a great coffee break for the parents.

25. Pictionary

This isn’t a game that the driver will be able to participate in, but you’re probably familiar with how it works.

One person draws something and the other must guess what it is. This works if you’re driving with more than one child or if one parent can participate safely.

👉 You can also purchase a Pictionary game to help your little ones with the game.

26. Audiobooks or Stories on Spotify

Reading their favorite stories aloud is a sure way to keep children entertained on a road trip.

Unlike watching videos or playing games on screen, listening to an audiobook allows their imagination to run wild as they picture all the scenes in the story. There’s a huge amount of choice out there for kids – search “stories for kids” on Spotify, and you’ll have plenty of options.

If your kids are a little older, they might also enjoy a factual podcast. There are several podcasts and audiobooks aimed at kids of kindergarten age that are both educational and entertaining. And you may be able to find some that are related to your road trip.

💡 PRO-TIP Don’t forget to download some stories before you head off in case you hit any areas without an internet connection during your journey, especially if you are planning to visit some national parks .

27. Drawing & Coloring

Drawing and coloring are great screen-free road trip activities  for kids at any time. There is no reason you can’t embrace them while you are on your road trip as well.

Pack plenty of coloring pencils, crayons, paper, and coloring books to keep the children entertained in the car. If you are worried about the mess, choose pencils instead of pens and steer clear of paint, glue, and glitter.

It helps to get some trays and organizers so that the kids have somewhere to keep their art supplies while you are traveling. Plenty of inexpensive options and the tray is also useful if you are eating meals on the road.

We bought some craft trays from IKEA , and they work perfectly. For crayons, we opted for the twistable Crayola one, which is more robust and less messy.

28. Sticker Books

When you need a bit of peace and quiet, sticker books are brilliant for keeping kids occupied in the car. You can even get reusable ones that can be brought out repeatedly.

It is worth laying down some ground rules before you hand stickers over – they get stuck to the book, not the car, their siblings, or the family dog.

For younger kids, look out for stickers that are large enough that little fingers can peel the backs off without help from an adult. Some sticker books involve fragile or fiddly shapes, which will only lead to frustration when they inevitably rip.

👉 There are many sticker books options, but we love the Melissa & Doug Reusable Sticker Pad .

29. Mazes and Puzzle Books

Mazes and puzzle books are easy to find and are an inexpensive way of keeping kids entertained on the road without resorting to screens.

Make sure you choose options suitable for your children’s ages, like this one from Amazon if for 4-8 years old . Word searches and verbal reasoning puzzles are great for those already reading, while pre-readers might like ones that ask them to join the dots, follow a wiggly line, or match pictures.

Again, there are also plenty of free printables available online, which you can print off before you get in the car. If you are feeling especially organized, you can laminate them and have your kids complete them with a wipeable marker so they can be reused.

👉 Buy Mazes and Puzzle Books on Amazon

Never underestimate the power of a good book. Long car journeys are the perfect time to encourage your kids in their love of reading . 

Have plenty of engaging, age-appropriate books available for your journey. Even pre-readers can get involved by “reading” familiar picture books to themselves. Or enlist older siblings to read to them – this gives them a chance to hone their own reading skills while keeping their younger brothers or sisters entertained.

31. Mad Libs

This can be something you can prepare in advance or just buy a booklet for . Mad Libs aren’t only fun, but they also teach your kids about grammar and sentence construction.

If you’ve never played the game before, it’s easy. There’s a pre-written story with a few keywords missing. People in the car must supply the word based on its function in the sentence (noun, adjective, adverb, etc.).

You fill in the words with random selections and read the story when it’s over.

Here’s a great resource for building Mad Libs with your kids .

Final Thoughts on Fun Road Trip Games for Kids

This ends how the list of kids car activities. I hope it gave you enough ideas to feel ready to pack the car and leave on a road trip with your little ones. If you end up on the road using one of our road trip activities with your kids, please share your pictures on Instagram and tag us @lovelife_abroad .

I’ll be honest here, we don’t always entertain the kids in the car. We do lots of the fun games above, but we also ask them to entertain themselves a little along the way.

Emilie is the founder of Love Life Abroad. She helps moms plan epic road trips and outdoor adventures with their families. Because who said adventuring had to stop once we have kids? She’s based in the Canadian Rockies and shares her love for the region as well as other unique places in Canada & USA. She works with tourism boards and outdoor brands to inspire families to experience new unique destinations and outdoor activities.

21 Freakin’ FUN Road Trip Games for Couples

I may earn a commission (at NO cost to you) if you buy using links on this page. This helps keep content free on Project Untethered, so thank you for your support! (See  full disclosure )

You’ve packed your bags, topped up your tank, and hit the open road with your partner.

Then it hits you…

What the heck are you supposed to talk about for the next 5 hours?

Sure, you could jam out to your favorite road trip playlist. But why not fill that time with some fun car ride games for couples? (And hopefully get to know your partner better!)

Maybe you’re setting off on a romantic weekend getaway. Or maybe you’re on a long-term van life adventure, realizing the reality of van life involves much more driving than you anticipated.

Either way, these wickedly fun road trip games for couples will keep you entertained for hours on end. 

Table of Contents

1. Two Truths and a Lie

2. true confessions, 3. would you rather, 4. 21 questions, 5. question and answer, 6. guess the song, 7. musical alphabet, 8. theme song game, 9. speak in song, 10. did you hear that…, 11. sorry i was late, 12. truth or dare, 13. fortunately/unfortunately, 14. mystery gift, 15. alphabet game, 16. alphabet game (challenging version), 17. trivia games, 18. categories, 19. the compliment game, 20. kiss. marry. kill., 21. finish the sentence, bonus: road trip bingo, other fun things for couples to do on a road trip, fun car games for couples to get to know one another better.

This is an oldie but a goodie, and one of the most popular games to play in the car for couples.  

You and your partner take turns coming up with two truths (two things that are true about you) and a lie (something untrue about you). 

These can be…

• Things that you’ve done.
• Things that have happened to you.
• Facts about your past or yourself in general. 

Try to keep them succinct — one sentence tops, like, “I once caught a fly ball at a stadium baseball game.”

Then, your partner guesses which one is the lie, and you can reveal the answer after they’ve chosen. This is a surefire way to learn new things about each other.

To up the ante, you can keep score — loser buys ice cream.

This one came from Jimmy Fallon’s True Confessions segment, and it makes for a great road trip game.

It’s similar to two truths and a lie, but with a twist. 

On your turn, think of either a truth or a lie about something you’ve experienced. For example, “I once met Ryan Gosling.” 

Then, your partner has 60 seconds to ask questions about it to guess if it’s true. 

If it’s a lie, you have to keep creatively making up the story as if it were true. When the 60 seconds are up, your partner guesses if you are telling the truth or a lie, then you reveal whether they’re right or not.

While this car game can be a riot, it also reveals to your partner how good of a liar you are — be careful!

Another oldie, but still tons of fun.

For this game, you and your partner take turns giving each other two scenarios to choose from, phrased as “Would you rather…?” 

So, for example, you can ask your partner “Would you rather skydive or swim with sharks?” 

These are usually most fun with two sucky options, two epic options, or two batcrap crazy options. 

It’s also another clever way to get to know each other better, especially if you explain your choices.

This is a bit different than the famous 20 Questions game. It’s one of the best road trip games for two people to get to know each other better.

Unlike 20 Questions — where you take turns choosing an object or celebrity for your partner to guess — 21 Questions is about you and your partner . 

You get 21 questions to ask your partner about anything, and they must answer honestly. You can ask all 21 questions at once, or you both can alternate.

If it’s a new relationship, you might want to set some rules about topics you want to avoid. The last thing you want is to ruin the fun by asking uncomfortable questions.

Road trip questions for couples

Sometimes, just a good old game of Question and Answer can be one of the most fun things for couples to do on a road trip.

Here are some ideas to start you off:

• What was your favorite childhood vacation?  
• If you had superpowers, what would they be?
• What was it about me that first caught your eye?
• What was your favorite subject when you were a kid?
• Who was/is your favorite family member to travel with?
• What were your favorite childhood movies, songs, or tv shows?
• If you could time travel to any time in the past, when would it be?
• What was the best gift you’d ever received for a birthday or holiday?
• If you could have a conversation with anyone in history, who would it be?

Keep the questions general, or make them a bit more personal. It’s up to you! Just remember to keep it fun. 

Music-related car ride games for couples

This is one of the best road trip games if you and your partner love music. 

Set your music to shuffle, and try to guess what song plays before your partner. To make it more challenging, you can make the rule that you need to name the song and the artist to win a point.

If you have internet, you can also search for “guess that song mix” on Youtube for a bunch of compilations to choose from. 

Speaking of internet, if need to stay connected during a road trip abroad, check out Holafly eSIMs . Their the only travel eSIM company I know of that offer unlimited data plans in many countries, and they’re super easy to set up.

I’ve used their service in 7 different countries, and you check out my full Holafly review to see how it worked and how to set it up super fast. For an extra discount, use code PROJECTUNTETHERED at checkout.

To play Musical Alphabet, you and your partner take turns thinking of songs and singing lyrics from them.

The catch is you start at the beginning of the alphabet, and go in alphabetical order, choosing a song that starts with that letter. 

So, if you have “A”, you might choose “ A Part of Your World ,” and then your partner has “B”, and chooses, “ Baby One More Time ,” and so on. 

Remember — you have to be able to sing at least one lyric from the song. So if you choose a song title that fits, but you can’t remember any lyrics from it, it doesn’t count!

Theme songs are pretty ingrained into our memories, especially when they’re from childhood shows. To play this game, take turns coming up with a theme song for your partner to sing (or at least attempt to sing). 

If your partner can sing the whole theme song from memory, they get the point. 

Try to pick songs from shows you know your partner has seen to keep this game fun, or even suggest a commercial jingle.

You can also use theme songs to play the “Guess the Song” game to make it more nostalgic. Type in “theme song compilation” or something similar into YouTube, and you’ll find a bunch of options.

Here’s an example:

This music game is a bit more challenging because singing isn’t allowed. 

Taking turns, both you and your partner have to speak in song, carrying on a conversation only using song titles or song lyrics. The challenging part of this is to try to make the conversation make sense. 

For example, you could say “I Feel Good,” and your partner can say “Because of You.” 

Whoever can’t come up with a lyric, or sings it, loses.

Another version is to speak the lyrics of a song in a normal voice, and have your partner try to guess it. You’d be surprised how tricky this can be sometimes.

Creative road trip games for couples

To play this game, you and your partner take turns telling each other a fact that may or may not be true. Then, your partner tries to guess if the fact is true or false. 

For example, “Did you know that North Dakota and South Dakota used to be one Dakota?” (That is actually true!) 

This game works with any topic, such as pop-culture trivia, history facts, anything. And if you and your partner want to make it more personal, you can use facts about yourselves. Such as, “Did you know that I have ten cousins?” 

This is one of the best travel games for couples because it helps you get to know each other (or test your knowledge of one another).

Sorry I Was Late is played by beginning with saying “Sorry I was late…” and proceeding to give the plot or a storyline from a movie. Then, your partner has to guess what movie you are describing. 

For example, “Sorry I was late… I was working late at the museum of natural history, and the dinosaur exhibit tried to escape the building.” (Night at the Museum.)

You can be as direct or as indirect as you want to be. Set a time limit to make it more difficult.

Who says this is just for kids on a sleepover?

This can be one of the most fun car games. On your turn, ask your partner “truth or dare?”, and if they choose truth, you get to ask them a question they must reply truthfully to. If they choose dare, then they must do whatever you dare them to do. 

Since you’re playing in a car, this game requires a bit more creativity for the dares. Think of things such as opening the window and daring your partner to sing loudly along with the radio at a stoplight.

This is one of the most fun road trip games for couples. It can get incredibly creative.

To play Fortunately/Unfortunately, the first person starts by saying something beginning with the word “Fortunately”. So, something like, “ Fortunately, I made it to work on time .” 

Then, it’s your partner’s turn. They must start their sentence off with “Unfortunately”, and alter your statement with something unfortunate happening. Such as “ Unfortunately, I got fired.” 

Then the next statement is another fortunately, and then unfortunately. As you go along, you’ll both be telling quite the rollercoaster of a story.

This car game is for longer road trips. It’s also less of a game, and more of a surprise for the end of your long driving days.

Every time you make a pitstop at gas stations, tourist attractions, or shops, give each other a few minutes of private time. During your private time, search for surprise road trip gifts for your partner. The more memorable, the better. 

At the end of your day, play 21 Questions to guess each other’s gift. Once you figure it out, you get to have it. 

To avoid any disappointment, you might want to set a price limit so the gifts are more-or-less equal. Here are some creative souvenir ideas to get your juices flowing

This game is similar to Musical Alphabet, except there’s no singing or songs involved. 

Instead, you and your partner first agree on a category. It could be famous people (you can even niche down to specific famous people, such as singers, actors, historic people, etc.), places, movies, tv shows, whatever you want. 

Then, starting with the first letter of the alphabet, you’ll say something in that category that starts with the letter “A”. Then your partner says something that starts with “B” and so on.

There is a similar game that is a little spin off of the Alphabet Game.

The rules are the same except you don’t go in alphabetical order. Instead, after “A”, the next letter you start with is the last letter of the answer that was just given. For example, if the category is “animals” and you say “alligator,” the next letter your partner must start with is “R”. 

It’s a more challenging game, and makes it easier for one of you to slip up. To crank up the pressure, you can count down from 10 as your partner scrambles to think of an answer. 

You and your partner simply take turns thinking of something (perhaps you can choose a category first, such as a celebrity, a place, animal, etc.) and start listing off facts about said thing until your partner guesses correctly. 

This game helps you learn a lot about each other based on the knowledge you each have on certain topics.

If you don’t want to come up with the topics yourself, download some trivia road trip apps before you set off.

For this game, you and your partner settle on a category, such as car brands, countries, actors, movies, anything really. 

Then, taking turns, you and your partner both say things in that category. 

So, if you choose car brands, you might start with “Audi”, your partner chimes in “Honda,” and you’ll go back and forth like that. When someone pauses for more than 5 seconds, they lose.

For this game, we’re doing a little variation of the Alphabet Game. But instead of choosing a topic and naming people or things for each letter of the alphabet, you and your partner give each other compliments. 

Alternating every letter in alphabetical order, you start with “A” and give your partner a compliment that starts with “A”, then your partner gives you a compliment that starts with “B”, and so on. 

It requires you both to get creative (especially when letters get to “X” and “Z”) as well as being a fun, romantic game.

This is a really popular game to play even outside of the car. 

The rules are simple: give your partner three people, and ask them to decide which of the options they’d kiss, marry, and kill. 

A good piece of advice is to make sure you don’t use people that either of you personally know. There’s a huge chance someone may get offended if you’re playing with your friends as options.

So, instead, use actors, singers, historical figures, heck, even cartoons like Mickey and Minnie Mouse can make it even more fun. 

Pretty self-explanatory, but Finish the Sentence is played by finishing each other’s sentences. 

On your turn, come up with half a sentence, such as, “Sue went to the store to…” and then your partner finishes the sentence. Then you continue the story with another half of a sentence, and your partner continues after that. 

You can improvise the game completely, or you both can decide on a character, setting or situation to start things off. You can even make it a romantic story to make it more of a couples game to play.

This is a “background car activity” you can play simultaneously with other games, and it’s super easy.

Before you leave, write down a list of 10-20 things you predict to see during your trip. These can be as mundane or as strange as you want — the stranger, the harder.

Here are some ideas to get you started: 🚗 Someone mowing their lawn. 🚗 Someone running a red light. 🚗 Someone with the exact same car as you. 🚗 Someone singing or dancing like crazy in their car. 🚗 A sign-flipper. 🚗 A hitchhiker.

…you get the idea.

Try to be the first person to call out the scenario when you see it, then check it off your list.

This isn’t the most exciting road trip activity in the world, but it keeps your mind alert.

These couple’s road trip games will keep you occupied for hours, but you can only play the Alphabet Game so many times without getting bored.

If you’re on a longer-term adventure, you may need a bit more.

That’s where this list of fun travel hobbies comes in.

By choosing a travel hobby with your partner — activities you both enjoy doing while traveling — you’ll never get bored on the road.

Mitch is your typical nomadic backpacker. Or at least, he was . But after stopping in Colombia to take “one week” of salsa lessons, his life took a sharp left turn. He met a cute Colombian girl in dance class, fell in love, and got married. Over half a decade has passed since he left his career to travel the world as a digital nomad, and he’s never looked back.

Nowadays, he’s the blogger behind Project Untethered — where he runs an awesome email newsletter and Youtube channel teaching adventure-craved wanderlusters how to escape the rat race, earn money from anywhere, and build an “untethered life”.

His advice has been featured in Forbes, USA Today, Yahoo, MSN, Reader’s Digest, Condé Nast Traveler, and more.

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Irish finish trip with weekend sweep, return home for Pitt

Notre dame women's lacrosse has won four straight games for the second time this year.

When its schedule tightens up, Notre Dame women’s lacrosse crowds the win column. It happened in mid-February, with the Irish turning four home games in nine days -- including a tilt with No. 1 Northwestern -- into a 4-0 start to the season. 

After a 1-2 beginning to ACC play, Notre Dame has done it again in the innards of March. The Irish just returned from a four-game road trip that spanned 11 days and carried them all over the Eastern Seaboard. 

Their record during that stretch? A clean 4-0 once again. 

With a dichotomous weekend of wins in the rearview mirror, Notre Dame welcomes Pittsburgh to South Bend on Saturday. Now ranked sixth in the nation, the Irish enter their Easter Break matchup with momentum intensified by clutch lacrosse at Clemson and masterful play at Mercer.

Doherty’s déjà vu goal denies Clemson’s upset bid

The lacrosse gods must have a schedule set for senior midfielder Mary Kelly Doherty. 

Over the last two weeks, every time Notre Dame has reached the brink of a loss on the road, Doherty has come to the rescue. She scored the game-winning inside the final 40 seconds for a top-25 win on March 13 at Brown. Three days later, she did the same (with 15 seconds remaining) for Notre Dame’s first win at Boston College in 21 years.

And of course, as the Irish went down to the wire Friday night at Clemson, Doherty delivered again. Only this time, she did it much later — in double overtime.

A 13-13 stalemate between the Irish and Tigers carried into a sixth period, in which Notre Dame took immediate possession after the first sudden-death period went scoreless. Eventually, with 13 seconds on the shot timer, the ball found Doherty on the perimeter. Yet to register a point in 74 minutes of game time, she sped down to the edge of the 8-meter arc, ripping a shot that zipped inside the far post. 

The critical goal allowed Notre Dame to escape a Clemson team that tested the Irish from start to finish. The Tigers opened up a 3-1 lead early, but the visitors immediately pulled back into a tie, setting the tone for a binding ACC contest. At the end of the first, Clemson led 4-3, with all three Irish goals coming via the free position shot.

As usual, Notre Dame utilized its experienced “big three” to find success midway through the match. Graduate attacker Madison Ahern, who ended the night with her sixth hat trick of the season, tallied back-to-back goals for a 6-5 Irish edge halfway through the second quarter. Soon after, graduate attacker Jackie Wolak deposited one of her four goals to put Notre Dame ahead by two.

With 12:01 to play in the fourth, another four-goal producer finished her night of scoring in grand style. Graduate midfielder Kasey Choma took an Ahern feed and went behind the back to hand Notre Dame its largest lead of the night at 12-8. Choma’s crafty goal would later crack the SportsCenter Top 10, checking in at No. 9.

Most of regulation time’s remaining highlights, however, belonged to Kayla Macleod and Clemson. The freshman evaporated Notre Dame’s sizable lead with three consecutive goals, including two on free-position looks. Macleod’s game-high fifth marker leveled the score at 12-12, raising the stakes with under six minutes to play.

Wolak and Clemson’s Claire Bockstie would then trade goals, bringing the count to 13-13. With any given shot having a chance to win the game, both goalkeepers locked in and made massive saves late. Irish senior Lilly Callahan executed one of her 10 stops with under 90 seconds remaining in regulation. Then Clemson’s Emily Lamparter, who finished with 11 saves, used her best against Wolak on a tight chance with 25 seconds to play in the first overtime.

But Lamparter had no answer for Doherty in the second overtime, ending a terrific battle in the ACC.

Tierney tallies first Irish hat trick in muzzling of Mercer

For Notre Dame, a fervorous Friday gave way to a stress-free Sunday at Mercer. The Irish trailed the Bears for all of 101 seconds, using a 16-2 run to win their road trip finale 20-6.

Notre Dame’s dominant showing started in the draw circle, a place where the team thrives when at its best. Four different Irish players controlled four or more draws, creating a 22-5 advantage for the visitors. As Mercer wore down defensively, that success led to a 13-goal second half for Notre Dame.

One of the team’s top three draw specialists, however, made no contributions to the wide margin in the circle. Instead, graduate student Arden Tierney lived up to the other half of her position: attacker. The Richmond transfer got rich on goals, scoring three on the day for her first hat trick with Notre Dame.

Three more Irish players – Ahern, Choma and senior midfielder Keelin Schlageter – would add their own trios of goals. Schlageter’s troupe of tallies represented the first hat trick of her career, increasing her scoring total for the season by 50%. Wolak contributed two goals with one assist, eclipsing 50 points on the year and continuing her run as Notre Dame’s top scorer.

Pitt off to problematic start in ACC play

Once again, Notre Dame will face an in-conference team relatively new to the women’s lacrosse scene this weekend. The third-year Pitt Panthers opened play a season earlier than Clemson but have struggled to compete as quickly as the Tigers. Pittsburgh went winless in league play last season, losing a 17-6 contest to Notre Dame in mid-April.

Pitt’s third season under Emily Boissonneault has yielded similar results, with the Panthers off to an 0-5 start within the ACC. Overall, the Panthers carry a 3-8 mark with defeats of Duquesne, Detroit Mercy and Kent State. 

Last time out, Pitt nearly found its first conference win at home. The Panthers entered the fourth quarter of their matchup with Virginia Tech trailing by a goal, but the Hokies blanked Pitt across the final 15 minutes to win 13-9. Similarly, Duke erased a 9-6 Panther lead for a 13-11 victory in its March 9 matchup with Pitt.

Like Notre Dame, Pitt’s offensive engine runs on a well-defined trio of scorers. Jenna Hendrickson (25), Sydney Naylor (22) and Ava Washington (22) have combined for 69 of the team’s 135 goals, with Hendrickson having struck for multiple goals in seven straight contests.

Notre Dame and Pitt will meet at 11 a.m. on Saturday as the first leg of a lacrosse doubleheader in South Bend.

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Planning a Road Trip for the Total Solar Eclipse? Here’s Why You Should Drive Extra Carefully

Scientists found a 31 percent increase in fatal car crashes around the 2017 total solar eclipse, akin to spikes in traffic risk on busy holiday weekends

Daily Correspondent

Millions of people are expected travel to see the total solar eclipse on April 8 . And with many of them driving—clogging the roads with extra vehicles—scientists are warning of a potential uptick in fatal car crashes.

Their prediction is rooted in data from the last total solar eclipse that was visible from North America, which took place on August 21, 2017 . On the day of that eclipse, along with the day before and the day after, scientists found a 31 percent increase in the number of fatal crashes per hour compared to non-eclipse periods, they report Monday in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine .

That’s one extra crash fatality every 95 minutes, for a total of 46 extra deaths linked to the 2017 eclipse. The increase is similar to what happens over busy holiday travel weekends, like Thanksgiving or the Fourth of July.

The surge in crashes likely has nothing to do with the conditions of the eclipse itself—drivers aren’t getting into accidents because of the sudden dimming of the sun.

Rather, the higher traffic risk is likely due to “increased traffic, travel on unfamiliar routes, speeding to arrive on time, driver distraction by a celestial event, drug or alcohol impairment from related celebrations or eclipse viewing from unsafe roadside locations,” says study co-author Donald Redelmeier , a physician and scientist at the University of Toronto and the Sunnybrook Research Institute, in a statement .

That theory is backed by the fact that the number of fatal crashes decreased during the hour when the eclipse was happening in 2017, reports Live Science ’s Nicoletta Lanese.

“One of the surprises that I didn’t anticipate was that the risks do not occur at the exact moment of totality,” Redelmeier tells CNN ’s Mira Cheng. “It’s not when everything is dark and black and chilly, but instead, they occur in the hours before and after.”

FHWA Administrator @BhattmobileT says, “Don’t have an eclipse in judgement.” A total solar #Eclipse will take place from Texas to Maine on April 8 that may have a widespread impact on the traveling public. Please plan ahead & look out for each other during this spectacular event. pic.twitter.com/ITUgB3Vxwq — Federal Highway Admn (@USDOTFHWA) March 20, 2024

An estimated 20 million Americans traveled to see the 2017 eclipse, which had a 62- to 71-mile-wide path of totality , or the swath of Earth from which the moon appears to fully block the sun. Researchers were curious to know how all that travel affected fatal car crashes, so they dug into data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System.

More specifically, they looked at the number of accidents that occurred the day before, the day of and the day after the 2017 total solar eclipse, from August 20-22. For comparison, they also pulled the same statistics for a three-day period the week before the eclipse, as well as a three-day period the week after: August 13-15 and August 27-29.

Using a U.S. Navy calculator, they also studied the latitude and longitude of each crash to see what time it occurred in relation to the local eclipse maximum, or the point at which the moon appeared to complete block the sun’s light.

They found that 10.3 fatal crashes occurred per hour during the three-day eclipse period, compared to 7.9 crashes per hour during the comparison periods.

Drivers and passengers were most vulnerable after the eclipse, when the traffic risk rose to nearly 50 percent above average. The riskiest hour of the entire study period was between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. on the evening of the eclipse, reports the National Post ’s Sharon Kirkey.

“We’re especially concerned about the drive home,” Redelmeier tells Live Science .

The traffic risk was also higher in locations with clear skies, compared to those with overcast skies, the researchers found.

The study only looked at fatal crashes and did not consider other accidents with less severe outcomes. The scientists also could not distinguish between local drivers and tourists who were involved in accidents while traveling to see the rare celestial phenomenon.

This year, the path of totality is much wider than it was seven years ago. An estimated 31.6 million U.S. residents live within the path of totality for April’s eclipse, compared to 12 million in 2017. Still, the regions experiencing totality will receive a massive influx of tourists.

“Many first-time viewers will attend the 2024 eclipse because of what they heard from those who saw the eclipse in 2017,” wrote Jonathan Upchurch , a transportation engineering consultant and emeritus professor at Arizona State University, in the September-October 2018 issue of TR News, a publication of the Transportation Research Board. “The event also will have a high number of repeat participants.”

Whatever happens on April 8, the researchers recommend all drivers use extra caution and practice safe driving techniques, such as following the posted speed limits, wearing seat belts, signaling turns and limiting distractions.

“We all share the road, so just because you’re not paying attention to the eclipse, you have to pay attention to every other driver that surrounds you,” Redelmeier tells the National Post .

Eclipse viewers should also take precautions when they are watching the skyward spectacle itself. The primary risk is eclipse blindness, or solar retinopathy , which is caused by staring directly at the sun without eye protection. Anyone who wants to look up at the sun as the moon passes in front of it should invest in a pair of eclipse glasses. Cameras also need special solar filters for viewing or photographing the eclipse.

Don’t look directly at the partially eclipsed sun without the proper protection, says Hin Cheung , an optometrist at Indiana University, in a statement . “Photochemical damage is cumulative,” he adds. “Staring at the sun for short periods at a time does not protect you; the damage from each viewing adds up. This may cause temporary or even permanent changes to your central vision.”

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Sarah Kuta | READ MORE

Sarah Kuta is a writer and editor based in Longmont, Colorado. She covers history, science, travel, food and beverage, sustainability, economics and other topics.

Advice and tips for your road trip to view the 2024 Great American Eclipse

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ( WBRC ) - Many folks, primarily eclipse enthusiasts, decided long ago to travel to one of the locations in the path of totality on April 8, 2024. The date has been on their calendars for months or years.

But for others, some of you may just now be hearing about it, or deciding last minute you’d like to witness it, too. If so, don’t worry - it’s not too late to plan a road trip to one of the cities that will be along the path of totality .

At this point, driving may be your best option if flights are too expensive or sold out. You can drive your car or rent a car, and even consider visiting friends or family who leave in or near the path of totality to save on a place to stay.

According to booking data from AAA, Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio are the most popular cities along the path of totality to travel to. Indianapolis, Cleveland, and Buffalo are also top destinations in the path .

The closest options if you’re driving from Alabama would be parts of Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky, or the southern part of Illinois.

With the eclipse, the difference in being within the path of totality and anywhere else can actually be the difference in night and day, at least for the few minutes of totality. So that’s something to consider if you’re traveling to view it - 97% may sound good enough, but it won’t be the same experience as 100% coverage along the path.

The other thing you’ll want to consider if you’re traveling to view the eclipse is safety. Officials say if you’re near the path of totality, you can expect heavier than normal traffic before and after the eclipse.

The following safety tips are recommended by AAA:

• Keep your vehicle’s headlights on.
• Put the sun visor down to block your view of the sun.
• Don’t wear eclipse glasses while driving.
• Don’t try to photograph or video the eclipse while driving.
• Don’t pull over to the side of the road, highway, or interstate to view the eclipse.
• Exit the roadway and park in a safe area away from traffic to view the eclipse.
• Be mindful of pedestrians who may be walking around with their eyes on the sky!

Bottom line - make a plan, be careful, and enjoy the experience!

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Copyright 2024 WBRC. All rights reserved.

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Every Road Trip Car Breakdown Kit Should Include These Tools, According To Our Travel Expert

T here's nothing like taking an epic road trip. It's undeniably a perfect way to travel , especially if you're exploring large countries like the United States. Unfortunately, traveling by car comes with all sorts of problems. Many of the best road trips take you to remote, off-the-beaten-path destinations where you can experience the natural beauty and rugged landscapes, but it also means you'll be far away from any mechanic should something go wrong with your car.

According to data gathered by Agero, more than 69 million cars break down in the United States each year, and an AAA  report  shows that if your car is over 10 years old, you run an even higher risk of car trouble. Nothing ruins an unforgettable road trip vacation like being stranded on the side of the highway for hours while you wait for a tow truck. Even the most seasoned road tripper can face problems if unprepared. With some preparation and planning, you can avoid getting stranded roadside by packing a car breakdown kit.

Nate Murphy, author of the best-selling Van Conversion Guide and founder of DIYhero, a van conversion course , has spent years of his life on extended road trips. In an exclusive interview with Explore, Nate told us everything he recommends, including packing a road trip breakdown kit to get back on the road faster when you run into unfortunate car trouble.

Read more: Safety Items You Should Pack For Your Next Road Trip

Perform Some Basic Vehicle Checks Before You Begin Building Your Tool Kit

Before you begin building your road trip breakdown kit, having your car checked out is a good idea. Going to the mechanic for a trip check is much like going to the doctor for a check-up but on your vehicle. You don't want to wait until something goes wrong to have things checked out. Nate Murphy suggests taking your car to a trusted mechanic before your trip to ensure nothing major is wrong and to help you feel safer on a long-haul road trip.  "If your vehicle is due for a service or has been showing signs of trouble, it's a good idea to address these issues before hitting the road. No one wants to spend half their road trip waiting for a vehicle to get fixed," Nate told Explore.

Even if your car seems okay, Nate recommends doing some basic checks. "This includes checking the oil, coolant, brake fluid, transmission fluid, and windshield washer fluid levels. Additionally, check the condition of the brakes, tires, and lights" he told us. Before you begin purchasing items for your kit, read over your owner's manual because tools can depend on the make, model, and year of your car.

Plan Your Route Ahead Of Time So That You Can Be Prepared For All Types Of Conditions

Nate Murphy has ventured all over on road trips, so he knows what to expect in almost any situation. If you're new to road-tripping or visiting an area for the first time, he suggests doing some research ahead of time so you know what to expect. "Properly consider the weather and road conditions you may face on your trip. If you are traveling through mountainous terrain, or other places where it may snow, be sure to pack snow chains or socks — or appropriate tires," Nate told Explore. 

You should also check that you know how to use everything you bring for your vehicle. Ensure you know how to apply the chains before you leave because "no one wants to be figuring that out in the freezing cold!" he reminded us. Knowing the weather, terrain, and potentially hazardous conditions along your road trip route will ensure you pack everything you need and can make  road trips so much easier. 

Take Care Of Your Tires

Once you're well aware of the condition of your vehicle and the conditions on your road trip route, it's time to start packing the perfect road trip breakdown kit. During his many adventures, Nate discovered that self-sufficiency is vital when traveling. He recommends packing some essential tools to be well-prepared and ensure your trip is stress-free. First, he suggests purchasing a tire foam or tire repair kit to help repair them quickly. "If far away from services, this cheap and lightweight item can be a lifesaver. It is worth checking out how to use them before you go, just in case you do not have data," he told us.

In addition to the tire repair kit, ensure you have a tire pump for when you have a slow leak and need to add air to balance your tire pressure. Some varieties run off your car's battery, and manual pumps are also on the market. Most cars have a spare tire in the back, so pack a four-way lug wrench if you need to change one during your trip. "I would recommend that you learn how to access the spare tire before you go, on some vehicles this is a little more complicated than you may realize," Nate told us.

Prepare For Battery Problems

Chances are, there's probably been a time in your life when you've returned to your vehicle only to find that the engine won't start. Perhaps you were so excited to hit the trails that you unknowingly left your headlights on or something plugged into the vehicle that slowly drained your battery. We've all been there!

According to Nate, "A dead battery, especially in colder weather, is not uncommon." He's right — it's one of the most common car problems. And since batteries are one of the most critical aspects of our car's electrical systems, the vehicle will not turn on without a jump start. Keeping jumper cables in your car is always a good idea, especially on a road trip. Nate recommends keeping cables at least 16 feet in our road trip breakdown kit so that a kind passerby can jump you in a pinch. It will also ensure you're empowered to help other, less prepared road trippers should you run into someone who needs a battery jump during your travels. 

"Again, spend 20 minutes to familiarize yourself with how to properly jumpstart an engine," Nate told us. If you're traveling to a super remote area, consider a 12-volt battery-operated jump starter that allows you to give your car battery the boost it needs without the help of another vehicle. Prices for the portable jump starters start at about $50.

Other Essential Items To Keep In Your Road Trip Car Breakdown Kit

Nate recommends packing a socket wrench set before you head out. Socket wrenches are handy for all repairs, especially if you're familiar with a car engine. "If you know nothing about engines, this might not be so useful — but if you have a bit of an idea, you can fix something before you get to a mechanic," he told Explore. 

Bring a flashlight for car problems at night so you can see what you're working on. A reflective triangle is also helpful for safety during late-night road trips . Duct tape can be beneficial for temporary fixes, and a multi-tool is suitable for all sorts of repairs. Pack a physical map in case your phone unexpectedly dies, or you don't have enough signal to use GPS.

"Lastly, check that you have appropriate breakdown assistance and insurance," Nate told Explore. "A roadside assistance plan can save you thousands if you break down somewhere remote or need a tow." You should call your insurance before you depart and ensure you're covered for your trip, especially if traveling internationally. Adjusting your policy to ensure that you're covered is a good idea. Once you've created your perfect car breakdown kit, it's important that you periodically check that everything is in working order. Some items, like tire repair kits, may expire, so ensure your equipment is up to date before each road trip.

Read the original article on Explore .

McKendree University

No. 9 Buckeyes Make Final MIVA Road Trip of 2024

3/26/2024 2:00:00 PM | Men's Volleyball

• Junior Kyle Teune was named the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association Co-Offensive Player of the Week after the Buckeyes swept No. 12 Ball State last week in Muncie, Indiana. Teune hit .714 with 11 kills on 14 swings in the win.  
• Ohio State owns a 16-6 record over McKendree all-time. The Buckeyes are 5-5 on the road in the series. Ohio State is 11-1 in Columbus against the Bearcats. 
• Against the Lions, Ohio State improved its overall record in the series with a 3-1 win earlier this season in Columbus. The Buckeyes are 18-5 overall with a 7-4 record in St. Charles, Missouri in the series. 
• Ohio State leads the MIVA in aces with 154 (1.73 avg./s) and second in hitting percentage (.309).  
• Jacob Pasteur leads the MIVA in aces with 150 (0.65) 
• Individually, Cole Young is second in hitting at .421 in all matches.  
• Redshirt freshman Daniel Hurley had seven aces, including three-consecutive after a kill in Set 1 and then four-consecutive in Set 2 against Purdue Fort Wayne Feb. 20. The total is the most for a Buckeye in a  match since Michael Wright had six at Ball State (April 22, 2023). 
• Pasteur tied Hurley with seven aces against Lewis Feb. 29.  
• Hurley and Pasteur are the first Buckeyes to record seven aces in a match since Christian Franceschi against Ball State (4/8/11). The seven aces ties for third-most at Ohio State in a match. 

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