Road Trip! These Games Will Keep You Entertained During All Your Travels

Most of us are stuck behind a desk 40-plus hours a week — so getting the chance to hit the open road is the bomb-diggity. Wind in our hair, the chance to take in new sights every moment of every day, the freedom of no responsibilities — what’s not to love?

While it seems like a nice, long road trip is nothing but perfect, the truth remains that there are moments when being in the car is monotonous and boring. But when you are armed with an arsenal of ridiculously fun road trip games, the journey truly is its own reward.

Give these a try.

1. Guess Who? (10 Questions)

This game can be played by 2 passengers at a time. One passenger thinks of a person, famous or personal connection. The other person can ask 10 yes or no questions that can lead them to figure out who the person is. The best one to start with is typically “Is this person a female (or male)?” Another good one is “Do I know this person?” Based on the yes or no answers, the player can then narrow down who it might be.

More: Your Summer Travel Checklist for Taking a Road Trip With Your Dog

2. Hot Seat

Everyone can participate in this one. The hot seat is essentially an interview game where one passenger is asked five questions by anyone else in the car and they have to answer. You can choose to allow a veto for one, so they can avoid any super-awkward questions.

3. A to Z

The objective of the game is to be the first one to spot things along the road trip that start with each letter of the alphabet in order. A for apple tree, and B for BMW will get you in the lead as the other people in the car try to catch up with their ABC call-outs along the way. Each passenger is responsible for keeping their own count, and no one can repeat the same thing twice.

More: 8 Things That Will Inevitably Happen When You Road Trip With Your Kids

4. Waze

This isn’t a standard road-trip game, but it is a way to help other drivers along your trip. Waze is a community-based traffic app which allows other drivers in your area to share real-time traffic tips. There are gaming aspects, like the ability to see other friends in the area, so rest stops and arrivals can be better coordinated.

I’ll be taking a long road trip from New York to Virginia Beach in September, and definitely will be doing all of these. What are some of your favorite road-trip games?

Originally posted August 2014. Updated August 2017.