Some of the best Family Road trip games for your next road trip

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Family road trips can be fun, but getting to your destination by car can be very boring, especially for young children. That’s why car games can be a good way to pass the time.

When you prep for a road trip ahead, besides scheduling a detailed service for your car, make sure you prep to have different car games that can be played during family road trips.

Some of the best Family Road trip games for your next road trip

One idea is to go on a travel scavenger hunt. Give each family member a list of items to look for while on the road. The list can be adjusted depending on the types of areas you’ll be driving through on your road trip. For example, types of things family members might look for in suburban areas include a school, a flashing red light, or someone on a bike.

If you’re going through a city, you might have family members look for a bus, a historical marker, or a dog. Examples of things to look for in a rural area might be cows, a silo, or a tractor. Pictures can be provided for younger children who can’t read, or older siblings can help them find the different items on the list.

Another old favorite that can be played while on a road trip is 20 questions. One person thinks of an animal, vegetable or mineral, and the other person asks questions about it, such as what color it is, or if it’s an animal, what sound it makes, until they figure out what animal, vegetable or mineral the other person is thinking of.

Another variation of 20 questions is I Spy – someone locates something in the car (it doesn’t have to be an animal, vegetable, or mineral) and the other person asks questions until they figure out what object the other person has located. (Example: I spy with my little eye, an American flag)

Another idea is to play a travel version of battleship. Make two grids on a piece of paper, one for your ships and one for the enemy’s ships. Label the rows with the letters A through J, and label the columns with the numbers 1 through 10. Then place your ships – an aircraft carrier takes up 5 blocks, a battleship takes up four blocks, a cruiser and a submarine take up 3 blocks, and a patrol boat takes up two blocks. Then, take turns firing on your enemy by calling out plot points. Your enemy will tell you if you’ve hit or missed one of their ships. Mark hits with an X and misses with a dot on your enemy grid. When your enemy fires on you, tell them whether they’ve hit or missed, and mark hits ships on your grid with an X. When your enemy sinks one of your ships, let them know which one was sunk. The first person to sink all of their enemy’s ships wins.

Here are some more great family road trip games to carry along.

These are just a few ideas for games that can be played to help pass time on a family road trip. Not only do they help pass time, they also get everyone involved, and they’re not as annoying for the driver as the sounds of video games or complaining children. Have fun on your next family road trip!