Driving for long distances can become a boring task for everyone in the vehicle. This is especially true if there are children along for the ride. While many kids today have electronic games to play, there is still the chance that they will tire of those and want something else to do. That is where some time-honored road trip games come into play.
Car games have been around ever since people began to take weekend trips or drive cross-country. A typical car game is able to involve just about everyone in the car. Even games for kids will tend to work for the adults, making it possible to pass the time more pleasantly. Over the years, there are three road trip games that have withstood the test of time and remain interesting today.
Perhaps the most popular road trip car game of all is known as “I Spy.” The structure of this game is simple. One person settles on something that is ahead of the vehicle. It may be a billboard, a cow in a field, or a traffic sign. The person offers a clue to the other players, such as “I spy something red” or “I spy something round.” Others have to guess what the leader has spied. The player who correctly identifies the item spied by the first leader becomes the new leader and repeats the process. This simple game can keep everyone occupied for hours.
Another of the most popular road trip games is known as “States.” Originating in the United States, this game is ideal for cross-country travel. Players check out the license plates of other cars on the road. The idea is to identify as many different state license plates as possible. The first person to spot a state plate that is not already on the list earns a point. In various incarnations, the players may establish a certain number of points that someone has to earn in order to win, or they may play the game until they tire of the activity and simply declare the person with the most accumulated points to be the winner.
Brainteasers make hilarious road trip games, with one example known as “Questions.” The first player asks a question. The second player responds with a question that has some small connection to the first question. In turn, each player has to respond to the previous question by formulating a new question. The shifting of subject matter over the course of the game can have everyone laughing so much that time will fly by.
The main idea behind road trip games is to provide entertainment that helps to pass the time during a long trip. However, each of these games can be played successfully even if the trip is no more than fifty to a hundred miles. Best of all, they require no batteries and have no working parts to break down. All they require is a little time and some concentration on the part of the players.
