Travel games

Getting there is half the fun when you have a plan to beat those “Are We There Yet?” blues. The next time your troop or family is out and about, try these games.

Travel Bingo
Before your trip, make Bingo cards by drawing five rows with five squares in each row on a piece of paper. Make several sets to play more than once. In each square draw a picture of something you might see along the way or use stickers or photographs cut out from newspapers or magazines. Examples are animals, buildings, signs, trees, plants, people, cars. Give each person a pencil and card and when they spot an object on the card, they cross it out. The first person to complete 5 in a run is the winner. Variations include: adding a free space in the center of the card, making a smaller grid of 3 X 3 squares, or writing the names of the objects on the card instead of drawing them.

I Spy
Pick out an object that everyone can see. Then give them a clue by saying, “I spy something...” (Say its shape, color, or size.) The other players ask questions about what you see and you only answer with “yes” or “no.” The first player who guesses right becomes the new spy.

Restaurant Hunt
Each player chooses a fast-food restaurant. Score a point for each time you see that restaurant or an advertisement on a billboard or exit sign. Set a time frame in which the winner will be decided.

Alphabet Search
Find letters of the alphabet in order on signs, buildings, license plates, etc. as you travel. Have the players take turns, after “A” go to “B”, and so on. Can you get to “Z” and finish the alphabet? Alternate the starting person at the start of a new game so everyone gets a chance with the challenging letters.

License Plate Sentences
Each person chooses the letters from a license plate that she sees. The person tries to make a phrase using each letter to begin a word. For example, M39-BLW becomes “My Bike Likes Water.” The person with the silliest sentences wins.

I’m Going on a Camping Trip
One person starts the game by saying, “I’m going on a camping trip and I’m taking...” and she names an item that starts with the letter “A.” The second person repeats the sentence including the “A” item and adding something that starts with the letter “B.” The game continues as the group goes through the entire alphabet or when a player gets stumped remembering all the previously named items.

Important Dates