Car Travel Games

Car travel games are a tradition on family vacations in the United States (not sure about the rest of the world). Long drives are made more tolerable with some diversion or entertainment, and reading may not be the best choice, at least for the driver. So, here are some safer alternatives; some travel games that everyone in the car can play.

"Blue Car" Travel Games

These games are travel classics. Each person in the car guesses how many blue cars will pass in the next ten miles or ten minutes, trying to get closest to the actual count. Of course the cars can be red, or can be trucks, or the distance can be 20 miles, or whatever everyone agrees to. Incidentally, it is considered bad form for the driver to slow down in order to let more cars pass, so his guess will be closer.

Educational Travel Games

These are games where the kids are tricked into learning something, or at least showing off what they already know. The driver, or another designated host, asks questions such as "At what temperature does water boil?" or "What is the Capital of Columbia?" or "If sales tax is set at 7.6%, what is the total cost of a sweater priced at $ $22?" Oh, and there is one additional part to this contest that changes it from a exercise hated by the kids into a welcome car travel game: Pay twenty-five cents for each right answer.

Car Travel Games Using The Radio

The radio is a source of entertainment that goes beyond the awful music that the kids want you to turn up the volume on. You can also use it for games where everyone tries to be the first to call out the name of the singer of whatever songs are played. You'll have to change the station, of course, so you won't have to wait through a whole song to continue the contest.

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

Other Car Travel Games

Have one person in the car start a story with just a sentence or two. Then, each person in turn adds a line to the story. This sometimes gets personal, but usually creates a story that has everyone laughing.

Other travel games involve the alphabet. Everyone watches out the windows of the car and tries to spot something starting with an "a", then be the first to call it out ("apple tree!"). The Qs and Xes are difficult, and can, by agreement, be skipped. The person who gets the most firsts, is the winner.

Related page: Cheap Family Vacations