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Games To Play When Traveling

by: Steve Gillman

Car travel games are a tradition wherever families take vacations or long trips by automobile. Long drives are always more tolerable with some diversion or entertainment, and reading might not be the best choice, at least for the driver. Why not try some games that everyone in the car can play?

"Blue Car" Travel Games

These are travel classics. Each person guesses how many blue cars will pass in the next ten miles or ten minutes. Of course it can be red cars, or trucks, or whatever everyone agrees to. By the way, it's considered bad form for the driver to slow down, letting more cars pass, so his guess will be the closest.

Another classic travel game involves the alphabet. Everyone tries to spot something starting with an "a", and be the first to call it out ("apple tree!"). Since the Qs and Xes are difficult, they can be skipped. The person with the most "firsts," is the winner.

Educational Travel Games

These are car games that get you thinking, learning something, or at least showing off what you know. In one game, the driver, or another designated host, asks questions like "At what temperature does water boil?" or "What is the Capital of Columbia?" or "If sales tax is 7.6%, what's the total cost of a sweater priced at $22?" If you want the kids to love this one, pay twenty-five cents for each right answer.

In another car travel game, someone looks out the window and randomly selects an object. Everyone in the car then tries to imagine a creative way to make money with it. Overpasses become places to advertise, cows are rented out, and a truck becomes a traveling discotheque.

Other Car Travel Games

Turn on the radio and you can have a game in which everyone tries to be the first to call out the name of the artist when a song starts. You can change the station, so you don't have to wait through a whole song to continue the contest.

In another car radio game, each person in the car chooses a word. Then you turn on the radio. The person whose word is spoken (or sung) first on the radio is the winner.

Finally, have one person in the car start a story with a sentence or two. Each person in turn adds a line to the story. This can get personal, but usually creates a story that has everyone laughing.

About the author:
Steve Gillman hit the road at sixteen, and traveled alone across the United States and Mexico at 17. Now 40, he continues to travel with his wife Ana, whom he met in Ecuador. His stories, tips and information on travel, can be found at:

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