It’s impossible to get bored on a road trip when you have a good list of games in the car. Because if the music sets the mood and a good book transports you to another world, travel games are so much fun that all your fellow travelers are involved and have a great time.
Everyone likes to laugh, whether it’s the kids playing “Who am I?” with their parents, the whole family having fun with a play on words or friends who make absurd propositions of “What do you prefer…?”. We have listed 20 different road trip games to pass the time in motorhome and make your time on the road more fun. Read below and find out which fun game you can play on your next road trip.
The alphabet game
Passengers must identify aloud all the letters of the alphabet in the correct order from the words they see outside: road signs, license plates, storefronts, lettering on vehicles, etc. The first to complete the 26 letters of the alphabet wins.
Guess what I’m thinking
The first player finds a word in his head and says the first and last letter. It also gives a clue as to the nature of the word. For example: It starts with B, it ends with E and it’s a fruit! Whoever finds wins a point and takes care of the next riddle. Did you recognize the banana ?!
The longest sentence
The driver of the car begins the sentence with a first word. The next player must then repeat that word and add a second. The third must repeat the first two words before adding his own and so on. For example: I / I am / I am a / I am a cat /… Those who are wrong in the enumeration of the sentence are eliminated, until only one winner remains.
When I go to the market
Variant of the longest sentence, this game starts with the first player who recites: “When I go to the market, I put in my little basket…” and names a food. The second player must take the sentence and the food, then add one of his own. The third player must repeat the sentence with the two foods, add his own and so on. Those who are wrong in the enumeration are eliminated, until only one winner remains.
The play of colors
A color is given by the driver. Passengers should then find as many things as possible of that color on the outside of the vehicle. An object cannot be identified twice. The person who finds the most in a given period of time wins the game. If you can’t take with you a board game, try to play this game on your road trip.
The first to find
The driver points to an object to find outside, for example: a yellow car, someone with a beard, a sign with a moose, etc. The first to find the object in question scores a point and designates the next object to find.
It starts with
The driver chooses a letter of the alphabet, and passengers take turns naming a word that begins with that letter, until someone is no longer able to continue the sequence. This person is thus eliminated and the game can continue with the others with a new letter.
Neither yes nor no
A classic ! During a defined period of time, passengers are not allowed to answer yes or no to questions put to them. People who forget are eliminated.
Smurf verbs
During a given period of time, the passengers of the vehicle must replace and conjugate all the verbs in their sentences with the verb “Smurf”. Those who escape and pronounce a normal verb are eliminated.
Find the intruder
A person in the car suggests a series of 5 words with an intruder. Whoever identifies it the fastest wins a point and submits the next sequence. For example: 4 names of famous actors and the name of an unknown person, 4 Quebec cities and an international city, etc.
The logical continuation
The driver starts with a first word. The other passengers must then take turns, as quickly as possible, to follow up with a word that makes them think of the last word heard. For example: Donut / Coffee / Tea / Leaves / Tree / Roots / Earth / Garden, etc. It’s a game that goes fast and can last a long time. The first player to repeat a word already heard is eliminated.
The rhyming game
A word is chosen by the driver, and other passengers take turns finding rhyming words. For example: Van / Maisonette / Clarinet… Whoever is unable to continue the sequence is eliminated.
The license plate game
Passengers must form complete words from the 3 letters of the license plates of the vehicles in front of them. For varying degrees of difficulty, the letters may or may not have to be in the correct order. The first to say a word wins a point. For example: JNQ = Jonquille / PVN = Peony…
The name of the towns
A city is given by the driver. The other passengers must then take turns finding a city that begins with the last letter of the city named. For example: Trois-Rivière s / S hawiniga n / N icolet…
The celebrity game
A first name is given by one of the players. All passengers must then take turns naming a famous person with that first name. For example, with Martin: Martin Deschamps, Martin Petit, Martin Matte, Martin Drainville, etc. The one who can no longer continue the chain is eliminated and the other passengers continue with another first name until only one winner remains.
I know the song
The passengers take turns humming a tune and the others have to figure out what song it is. You can also do a variation of this game by singing the lyrics of the song, which the others have to complete.
The king of silence
Need peace of mind? The first to speak has lost! In case of last resort.
I spy
This is the quintessential classic car game for kids. We all remember spying with our little eyes on something our siblings could never have guessed. A quick reminder of the rules for those who need it: the player who is “that” is secretly spying on something that others can see but won’t easily guess. Note that the object must remain in view for a while. The player then begins by saying “I am spying with my little eye, something that is…” and then gives a hint – color, first letter, general direction, a hint of their choice.
Who am I?
Another all-time favorite game, “Who am I?” asks children to put on their detective hats and use deductive reasoning. Whoever starts first (usually the rock, paper and scissors game decides) thinks of an animal or a person. The other players take turns asking questions to find out who or what this person is. Players can ask anything as long as the answer is yes or no, but they can only guess which secret identity the player chooses when it is their turn to ask a question.
Treasure hunt
A game that you can make last a long time and doesn’t ask much of adults once they get the kids to play. Does that remind you of something? Like the game “I spy”, the “treasure hunt” falls into the category of car games which consist of spotting objects. In this classic travel game for kids, make a list of treasures for kids to find along the way. The first to spot all the objects wins. You can write the points down on a piece of paper.