Spring break has come and gone in a sunny haze, but summer is upon us, and that means two things: no school and summer vacation!
And with vacation comes travel. Flying or driving, you may love them or you may hate them, but there’s no avoiding them. After all, they say it’s about the journey, not the destination, and we’re going to help make that statement true with the best travel games out there to help you pass the time, however you choose to cover those miles.
License plate game
As long as vanity plates continue to be a thing, this game will never die. The rules are simple. You spot a vanity plate on a long road trip and you get a point for correctly guessing what it says/means. Sure, the rules are simple but the competition is fierce among families. Also, you’d be surprised how many people have VAN8E license plates …
If you get board with the vanity plate game, you can always switch to being the first to call out out-of-state license plates. It’s also a fun way to see which state has the worst drivers.
20 questions
If you’ve never played 20 questions (hard to believe it if you haven’t), the game is straightforward. One person thinks of a person, place or thing and the other players have to take turns asking questions that narrow down what said person, place or thing may be. Like the name suggests, they only get 20 questions to figure it out. Whoever guesses it correctly becomes “it” to choose the next, person, place or thing for the next game. After a couple games, you’ll quickly learn certain questions that are much better at narrowing down possibilities as you race to see who can guess it right first.
I spy
This classic travel game is best played on a long road trip where all players have equal points of view. One person kicks it off by saying, “I spy with my little eye (something beginning with or something color related). Then it’s off to the guessing races as the guessers start uncontrollably throwing out what they think it is. Whoever gets it right gets to be the new spy. You’d be amazed at how many things are green or start with the letter “C” on a road trip … amazed.
Road trip BINGO
This ain’t your grandma’s BINGO! In fact, there’s no BINGO at all. All your B13s and N52s are replaced by common road signs, fast food chains car brands and more. Each person gets a different board that you can conveniently print at home and then it’s up to luck and a good board to see if you can check off a whole row or black ‘em all out.
Crossword puzzle
There’s a reason every in-flight magazine has a crossword puzzle – they’re fantastic time consumers AND educational (at times). They can also be incredibly frustrating. I mean, “Emu” isn’t the first response I’m going to throw out at the hint: flightless bird. Maybe meanest bird or ugliest bird, sure, but not flightless.
Whether this is your 322nd road trip or your child’s first big travel venture, there’s a game out there for everyone. In fact, some of the best travel games are the oldest ones around. And if it really is about the journey, not the destination, then make sure to make every mile marking moment memorable. Take pictures, shoot video and live and laugh often, after all you’re on vacation – enjoy it!
And for all those vintage vacation memories that you’ve got documented in old home videos, polaroids, negative film and mixtape playlists, we’ve got you covered. Digitize them today with Southtree and get ready to relive those old vacations as if they were yesterday.
