fun road trip game apps

20+ Entertaining Road Trip Games to Play in the Car

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Road trips are not just about getting to your destination. It’s also about all the fun you can have on your journey to your next stop.

These road trip games will bring laughter and excitement to your next road trip.

Let’s dive into some of our favorites.

Alright, we know this is one of those classic games to play on a road trip that everyone has heard of, but have you ever really dug into it? 

I Spy has a lot of versatility. It’s not just that one-dimensional game you remember from your childhood. This is a game that you can mix up and cut loose with. Try adding time limits, creating I Spy themes, or just killing some time with a class road game. 

You probably know the rules, but all you need to do to play this game is pick something you and your friends can see and have them guess until they get it right. You’ll say, “I spy something that…” and add a clever clue that gives a subtle hint about what you’re looking at. 

The key to playing this game as an adult is to focus on those clever hints. That’s where the fun is!

20 Questions 

 20 Questions is one of those games that has plenty of versatility. Let’s look at a few ways to enjoy this game while on a road trip.

You play 20 Questions by assigning one person to be “it.” That person thinks of a person, place, or thing, and everyone else has 20 questions to narrow down their guess and get it right.

You can spice up 20 Questions by making it themed, personal, or romantic. It all depends on who you’re traveling with. 

Like many road games, this game is best played in short bursts. You want to mix up these classic road trip games, so you don’t burn out on any one game. 

Would You Rather

Would You Rather is another excellent game to play while on a road trip. 

The goal of this game is to give someone a ridiculous and near-impossible choice between two options. You can ask them to pick between their favorite hobbies, a million dollars or perfect health, or anything else you can think of!

This is also a great game for getting to know someone new. It’s the perfect icebreaker for couples and helps you explore topics that matter to the people you travel with. 

Mini Board Games 

Mini magnetic board games are fun games to play in the car, but they are also adorable. 

You and your travel companions can enjoy Scrabble, chess, checkers, or mini Monopoly.

There are travel-sized versions of just about every board game out there. Throw one of these in your bag, and you’ll hardly notice the extra space it takes up. Besides, it will generate way more fun than you might expect. 

Travel Scavenger Hunt 

One of the most fun things you can do when heading out on your road trip is to set up a scavenger hunt .

You need to do some planning ahead of time for this game. Think about some interesting or challenging items you and your travel companions can hunt down or see on the road together. 

These can be wrappers from regional snacks, landmarks, road signs, or anything you can find along your road trip route. 

Here’s a tip for setting up a scavenger hunt. Come up with a low-stakes prize for the winner, which could be anything from a Starbucks gift card to a coupon for a free back massage. 

Trivia Apps! 

Playing trivia games on the road used to mean taking several decks of cards with questions and answers on them. However, your phone is full of game apps to keep you entertained on your road trip.

There are trivia apps like Popcorn Trivia, SongPop, and countless others. These let you play trivia games based on movies, music, and even history with your travel buddies. 

Don’t get caught thinking these games are trivial; they are some of the most fun games to play on a road trip!

Related Post: Best Road Trip Game Apps

Travel Bingo

Here’s another exciting game that takes a little preparation before you hit the road.

You can set up a travel bingo gam e for everyone you will be on the road with. This bingo game can be full of fun inside jokes, sites along the way, and all the ups and downs of a long car ride.

Travel bingo is a great way to add a little lightheartedness to some of the challenges of taking a road trip. Why not lean into these awkward moments and add a square on your travel bingo card for awkward smells or getting stuck in traffic?

The winner of travel bingo can get a little prize, but there’s no prize more fabulous than the satisfaction of being the travel bingo champion.  Related Post: Free Downloadable Road Trip Bingo Cards

Gas Station Stop Gourmet 

There are plenty of travel games about embracing the unique and sometimes weird cuisine you can find while on the road.

The goal of this game is to make the most of the limited culinary options you have at your average gas station. Players should be given a budget and are challenged to come up with the most exciting meal they can think of.

Imagine you’re on a Food Network competition show, but all you can do is create a fine dining experience using a convenience store and a few fast food diners.

This is a great game to help people think outside the box and not get stuck snacking on the same pre-packaged chips for the entire ride. 

Fictionary  

Fictionary started hundreds of years ago with the Victorians in England. 

This word game is all about obscure words and the definitions that they “should” have. Play works like this. 

One player picks an obscure word that few people know, like “mycorrhizal” or “sozzled.” Everyone else writes down their made-up definitions. Whoever gets the most laughs wins!

More Road Trip Entertainment: Best Attention-Grabbing Audio Books for a Road Trip Boredom-Busting Podcasts for a Road Trip Road Trip Questions for Couples

Six Degrees of Separation

Here’s another road trip classic, especially for movie buffs. 

Six Degrees of Separation got a second wind when it became an iconic meme in the early days of the internet known as Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. 

The point of the game is straightforward. One player names two actors, and the other must connect them in six degrees of separation or less.

Here’s a classic example using Kevin Bacon.

“Kevin Bacon and William Shatner.”

William Shatner was in Festival in Cannes with Maximilian Schell, who starred in Telling Lies in America with Kevin Bacon.

There’s even a website called The Oracle of Bacon that can generate these degrees of separation if you two get stuck!

Fictional Road Trip Families

One of the most fun things about a road trip is the people you will meet on the way. 

However, some people you “meet” drive past you on the road at 60 miles an hour. While you need more time to meet them adequately, you can still tell a fun story about their lives.

The next time an interesting-looking car drives past you, collaborate on a fictional story about the family inside that vehicle. Take turns adding story elements and see where it will lead you.

The Movie Game

Here is another one for film buffs.

This game starts with one person naming a movie and another person naming an actor who starred in that film. The next person then picks another actor from that movie and a different movie that the actor starred in. The second player then repeats the process, and play continues until no one can name a new movie.

For a twist on this game, players can go back and forth naming actors, writers and directors, and production staff on movies until they cannot name anyone else involved with a given film.

Human Jukebox

Here’s a game for the musically inclined pair on a road trip.

Human Jukebox starts with one player singing a line from a song. Then the other player uses the last word of that line to connect it to a brand-new song.

Here’s an example:

Player 1 starts with a line from Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody: “So you think you can stop me and spit in my eye. So you think you can love me and leave me to die. Oh, baby, can’t do this to me, baby .”

Player 2 connects it with Britney Spears’s classic “… Baby One More Time.” When I’m not with you, I lose my mind. Give me a sign. Hit me, baby, one more time.”

And the song goes on!

Two Truths and a Lie

Two Truths and a Lie is more than a fun game. It’s a great way to get to know your travel companions.

Here’s how the game works:

Name two truths about yourself and one lie. For example, you could say, “I used to have blue hair, I once designed a video game, and my aunt is a world record holder for women’s rodeo.” 

Your traveling companions will then have to guess which is the lie and which is the truth. And the fun part is that you can make your truth and lies as straightforward or as challenging to guess as you’d like. 

This game is a fun way to explore your traveling companion’s personal history and discover unique and fun details about their life.

Fortunately Unfortunately

Fortunately Unfortunately is a game that can get weird pretty quickly. Therefore, it’s a great game if someone in the car has their crabby pants on. 

It starts with one player saying something that starts with “fortunately: that’s positive, and then the next saying something negative about that same event starting with “unfortunately.”

“Fortunately, we got time off of work for this road trip.”

“Unfortunately, your boss got replaced by a zombie.”

“Fortunately, all those George Romero movies I watch have prepared me for this day.”

Continue this back and forth until you are ready to move on to the next game. 

The Road Trip Memory Game

Here’s a fun game to test your memory skills.

The game starts with the first player saying, “I’m going on a road trip, and I’m bringing…” 

They can name any person, place, or thing they want to bring on this road trip. Let’s say they said, “my guitar.”

The next player continues the game by saying, “I’m going on a road trip, and I’m bringing my guitar and…” and adding their own item.

The game continues until someone forgets items on the list. Consider this game as a safe way to forget what you need to bring on your next road trip!

Radio Roulette

Radio Roulette can be an exciting way to find new music you love or a challenging endurance test.

All you need to do is turn on the local radio stations and pick one randomly. You have to keep this station on for an unbroken 10 minutes to complete a round of the game. After 10 minutes, you switch to the next radio station and keep playing.

You might find yourself in love with some local Polka you would have never thought to listen to. Or you might be battling through 10 minutes of local talk radio.

Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

In the mood to win $1,000,000? Well, there might not be a stack of hundreds on the table, but you can have fun playing along.

The Who Wants To Be A Millionaire app is a great way to play a game with just two players on your next ride. One player gets to be the host of this iconic game show, while the other gets to be in the hot seat with a shot at a cool million dollars.

Bad Film Plots

Usually, when you play a game, you want to do everything right. However, Bad Film Plots has you intentionally doing everything wrong.

This game aims to explain a movie’s plot as badly but as accurately as possible. The other players must guess the film you’re talking about correctly.

Let’s say you wanted to badly explain the plot of Terminator II: Judgement Day. You could say: “A down-on-her-luck working single mother makes an unlikely friendship as her son discovers a father figure.” 

That may be tricky, but that’s the whole point of the game. 

Local Trivia Night

One of the most significant advantages you have when taking road trips today is that you’ve got the whole internet by your side while you’re on the road.

Use that to your advantage and do a local trivia game while traveling. 

One player gets to be the trivia master asking questions about the state you’re driving through.

Try Out Some Nintendo Switch Games! 

Some of the best games to play on a road trip take advantage of today’s technology. 

The Nintendo Switch offers plenty of variety, including two-player puzzle games, action, and RPGs with compelling stories. You can even download classic Super Nintendo video games and enjoy nostalgia while on the road. The Switch has games for kids and adults, so you don’t have to worry about not finding the right game for you. 

Name That Tune

No list of road trip games would be complete without a game designed for music lovers, as singing and enjoying new tunes is one of the best parts of a good road trip. 

And SongPop 3 is one of the best game apps for long car rides for music lovers. This app plays a song clip and has you guess what you’re hearing.

These are real clips from actual songs. And you’ll hear everything from Cardi B to Queen. You can even play in dedicated music genres to focus on your favorites.

You can spice things up a little by trying to sing the next lyrics in the song. 

Words With Friends

Words With Friends is one of, if not the, most popular word game app. The secret to this app’s success is that it is Scrabble but for the smartphone age. Being a digital Scrabble allows Words With Friends to give you more options to play while traveling.

You and your traveling partners can play together using your own devices or challenge friends and family back home. Since it’s basically Scrabble, you know what you’re getting into with this app.

License Plate Game

The L icense Plate Game aims to find as many license plates from the 50 States + the District of Columbia as you can during your road trip. 

The best thing about the License Plate Game is you can make the rules to fit your road trip needs. Plus, you can make it enjoyable by finding prizes for the winners or an award for the first passenger to spot a license plate from Mexico or Canada.

You can make a list of all 50+ states, or there are phone apps to help you keep track. Our favorite is PlateSpot . 

Related Post: License Plate Game: 3-Ways to Play on Your Next Road Trip

Home » Roadside Attractions Blog » Road Trip Games » 55 Fun Road Trip Games for Adults to Play in the Car

55 Fun Road Trip Games for Adults to Play in the Car

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Road trips are full of fun, adventure, breathtaking landscapes, and weird roadside attractions . But sometimes they also involve long stretches of driving with nothing on your itinerary and nothing but corn out your window. In those cases, you might be looking for something to keep you and your friends entertained in the car. Enter these fun road trip games for adults.

Kids aren’t the only ones who should be able to have fun in the car. So all of these game ideas are perfect for a road trip with friends or a couples trip. Most of them can even be enjoyed by the whole family.

Read on to find some of the best road trip games for adults, and get ready for a memorable road trip!

Want more fun road trip games?

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Enjoy fun games and challenges to pass the time on your next road trip and have a keepsake to look back on for years to come with this entertaining must-have for your next vacation.

Classic Road Trip Games for Adults

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Everyone knows these standard road trip games. They are such classics that everyone will have fun playing, no matter their age!

The License Plate Game

How do you play the license plate game? All you have to do is keep a look out your windows and keep track of all the different license plates you see. To win: try to be the first to spot one from every state! Each individual vehicle can only be claimed by one person, so think fast! For example, if Jane sees a red Toyota with a Montana plate, she can claim that car. John will have to wait for another Montana plate to go by. You can play this game with just a pen and paper, or you can click here to learn more about the game, get a free license plate game printable, or find versions you can play online or buy .

Road Trip Scavenger Hunt

Keep your eye out for these common road trip sites. Compete in a road trip scavenger hunt to see who will claim each item first or make it a photo challenge and see who can get the best pic of or selfie with each item.

Road Sign Bingo

Play a friendly game of Road Sign Bingo . Play a traditional game where you try to get four in a row on a game sheet. Or print out a road sign checklist full of some of the most common road signs you’ll see on your road trip. Keep an eye out to see who can spot the most the fastest!

Traveling with friends, family, or a husband, wife, boyfriend, or girlfriend? Want to get to know them a little more? These Get To Know You road trip games for adults will have everyone in the car talking.

Road Trip Questions

With all the free time you have in the car, why not spend some of it getting to know your passengers by taking turns answering fun road trip questions. This game of ice breakers and conversation starters will get the chat going. Use these 100 fun road trip questions to get everyone in the car talking. Ready to get to know your travel companions? Start asking away!

TableTopics to GO Road Trip

What was your all-time favorite vacation? Answer this and 39 other conversation starter question cards in this portable question and answer game designed for road trips.

Truth or Dare

Would you rather reveal something potentially embarrassing about yourself or do something potentially embarrassing? Play a friendly round of truth or dare while driving in your car. Take turns asking passengers, “truth or dare?” If truth is picked they have to answer any question you ask them. If they pick dare, give a wild (but car friendly) dare. A game of truth or dare in the car can be as tame or wild as you desire, and will let you really get to know your friends.

Two Truths and a Lie

Go around the car and have everyone say three facts about themselves: I studied abroad in Rome, I’ve traveled to all fifty states, my favorite color is blue. They can be anything you want…but one of them must be a lie. State two truths and one lie about yourself and then everyone else has to guess which of those facts is not so factual.

Never Have I Ever

Traditionally played as a drinking game, Never Have I Ever allows you to say something you’ve never done and learn which of your friends have. You definitely don’t want to drink and drive, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still have fun with this get to know you game. Each person takes turns saying something they have never done using the phrase “never have I ever.” For example: “Never Have I Ever Been to Alaska,” Never Have I Ever Driven for 12 hours straight,” or “Never Have I Ever gone camping.” Then everyone else in the car has to chime in to say whether they have done the things you haven’t. If you’re playing at night by your hotel’s pool or the light of a campfire, have everyone take a drink if they have done the action in question. If you’re playing in the car, have the guilty raise their hand and yell “I have!”

The Hot Seat

Want to ask your friends questions you’d normal shy away from? Put them in the hot seat. In this road trip game everyone takes a turn in the hot seat. When it’s their turn everyone else gets to ask them any question they want. Any question they want. And the person in the hot seat has to answer. You can set a timer (like five minutes), a maximum question amount (like 5 questions), or a per person quota (everyone gets to ask two questions). Whichever way you choose to play, this game will let you all get to know each other on a whole new level.

Would You Rather

Would you rather eat only hamburgers for the rest of your life or never eat tacos again? In this game you pit two things against each other and decide which scenario you’d rather do over the other. Take tuns posing hypothetical battles and see how your answers compare to everyone else in the car!

Kiss, Marry, Kill

Say you had to choose from Joey, Chandler, and Ross on Friends. Which one would you kiss, which one would you marry, and which one would you prefer to throw off a cliff. Take turns listing three people (they can be celebrities; movie, book, or TV characters; or even people you know) and make arguments for who you would kiss, marry, or kill.

The Compliment Game

Go through the alphabet and take turns giving each other compliments that start with each letter. Tom is an amazing athlete. Danielle is a badass beatboxer. Go from A to Z and brighten your car mates’ days.

Most Likely To Game

Remember senior superlatives? At the end of the school year everyone would choose from their class who was the “most likely to succeed,” the “most athletic,” or the “biggest flirt.” Turn that into a road trip game by coming up with superlatives for everyone in the car!

What makes a good road trip game for adults? Most of the time you’ll be playing within the confines of the car, so you want something that can be done with minimal movement and minimal supplies. These car games are fun to play and are only dependent on what you can see out the car’s window.

Cows on My Side

If you’re driving across certain areas of the country, you’re going to see a lot of cows out your window. A lot of cows. Make spotting bovines a game by playing a friendly game of Cows on My Side. Game play for this one is easy. If you see cows out the window on your side of the car yell out, “cows on my side!” to get one point. If you see cows out the window on the other side of the car, yell out, “cows on your side!” before someone on that side does, to steal one point. When you pass a cemetery, be the first to yell out, “ghost cow!” to steal all the points.

There are plenty of other cow-related games to play on a road trip. Here are some of my favorite variations.

Similar to Cows on My Side, but with slightly different rules. For this version, every time you see a herd of cows, the first person to yell out, “my cows!” gets a point. If you see a church, the first to yell out, “marry my cows!” doubles their points. If you see a cemetery, the first to yell out, “bury your cows!” steals everyone’s points.

To play Hey Cow! you just yell out, “hey cow!” whenever you pass a herd of cows. For every cow that turns their head to look at you, you get a point.

Counting Cows (AKA Cow Poker)

Pit the left side of the car against the right side of the car and count all the cows you can see from your side of the window. It can get tricky when you pass a large field, so count fast! Whoever has counted the most cows at the end of the journey wins, but watch for cemeteries, if someone calls out, “your cows are buried!” they can steal all the other side’s points.

The RV Game

RVs are known to have some interesting names on their own. Make them even more interesting by adding the word “anal” before them for a bit of a juvenile laugh. Keep an eye out for RVs and make the one marked “commander” a little more interesting.

Slug Bug (AKA Punch Buggy)

The rules of this game are simple: every time you see a Volkswagon Beetle out the window, yell out “Slug Bug!” (or “Punch Buggy!” if you prefer), and give your travel companion a gentle punch on the arm.

The object of this road trip game is to be the first person in the car to spot a car with a burnt out headlight or taillight. This game is best played when driving at night (or through long tunnels) where the surroundings are dark and most cars have their lights on. Whoever spots a car with a light out yells out, “Padiddle,” and touches the ceiling of the car. Play throughout your trip and whoever has the most padiddles when your travels end wins.

Odd Colored Cars

Pick an odd-for-a-car color, something like pink or purple or orange. Keep your eyes on the road and see who can spot a car of that color first or see the most through the entire trip.

The Alphabet Game

Try to go through the entire alphabet (in alphabetical order) by referencing words on signs you see from the car. Look for words on billboards, highway signs, road signs, and businesses. Each individual word can only be used by one person. The first person to get from A to Z wins!

The Gas Price is Right

Gas prices are ever changed and can vary widely by state or city. Make it a game to try to guess the prices that gas will be for the next station you pass. Try to guess to the nearest tenth and see who is closest.

Fictional Families

Do you ever look at other cars on the road and wonder what their story is? In this road trip game for adults, you pick out another vehicle on the road and come up with a story about who they are and where they’re going.

Vehicle Identification Game

When you spot an oncoming car try to be the first person to identify the make and model and see who is the best at identifying the vehicles on the road.

Bring along a variety of travel-sized versions of your favorite board games. Look for smaller, simplified games that come with cards or magnetic boards that can easily be played by backseat passengers in the car. But even though they are meant for travel, many travel board games work better as games to play in a hotel after a long day on the road. Pack your favs to play in your hotel room or by the pool! Here are some of the most popular travel board games:

Monopoly Grab and Go Game

Play a compact game of Monopoly with all your favorite features in a small package that also serves as storage.

Connect 4 Grab and Go Game

Try to get four checkers in a row and block your opponent from getting it first. Connect 4 Grab and Go is a compact travel version of the popular board game.

Clue Grab and Go Game

Solve a whodunit mystery by following the clues. Move around the board and try to piece together what you find to be the first to crack the case in a friendly game of Clue. Buy Travel Clue

Scrabble to Go

Challenge each other to come up with the most impressive words. A travel edition of scrabble not only allows you to play this fun board game in a hotel room, latching pieces mean you can bring your unfinished game with you to pick up at the next day and the next hotel.

These games are perfect for bringing out your creative side. Use your time in the car to make up stories with your friends.

While You Were Sleeping

On a road trip with friends one thing is for certain: someone is going to fall asleep in the back seat. And that’s the perfect time to play a fun game of While You Were Sleeping. Once your sleeping car mate awakens from their backseat nap, tell them a story of what happened while they were sleeping. The catch? It’s a completely made up story. Try to make up a ridiculous story and see how long you can go and how much you can convince your sleepy car mate that it actually happened.

Fortunately/Unfortunately

Tell a story where everything goes right…and wrong. In Fortunately/Unfortunately you alternate sentences that start with fortunately or unfortunately. For example: Marissa was driving on a road trip. Fortunately she was almost to her hotel. Unfortunately her phone (and Google Maps) was about to die. Fortunately she had a paper map.

See how long your fortunate and unfortunate can go and where it takes you.

Mad libs are fun for all ages. There are a wide variety of these fill-in-the-blank stories, from adult-friendly options to ones based on your favorite TV shows to road trip focused stories . Whichever version you choose, you can pick adjectives and verbs to create your own hilarious stories.

Sorry I am Late

“Sorry I am late, but I accidentally traveled back in time and had to make sure my parents still got together so I would be born.” In this story telling game you start with “Sorry I am late but…” and then fill in the rest with a movie plot. Then see who in the car can guess what movie you are recapping.

Tell a story one word at a time. Have one person in the car start a story by saying a single word. Then the next person adds the next word. Keep going around the car one word at a time and see where this story time leads you!

These road trip games rely on simplicity: words, wordplay, and numbers.

Don’t Say It

Before your trip come up with a “Don’t Say It” word: something everyone is forbidden to say. Whenever someone says that word, they get a point. The person with the most amount of points at the end of the trip loses, and has to buy the car a round of soft drinks.

The Name Game

Start with one person saying a name, like Rebecca. The next person then says a name that starts with the last letter of that name. Rebecca ends with an A so the next person might say Amy. No repeat allowed, keep going until no one can think of a new name that fits!

The Counting Game

The goal of this game is to collectively count to 20. Sounds easy, right? But the trick here is you don’t know where or when the next person is taking a turn. One person starts by saying the number one. Then anyone can say the number two. But, if more than one person speaks at the same time, the game is done and you have to start over. If more than five seconds pass in between, the game is also done, so act fast!

Scattergories

This car game only requires a pen and paper. Come up with a list of categories. It can be anything you want, but try to find things that might have a lot of possible answers, like dog breeds, items of clothing, body parts, or cars. Write those all down in a list. The driver can then pick a random letter and all the passengers race to see who can fill in the list of categories with something starting with that letter the fastest.

In this easy car game, everyone picks any category they want: Taylor Swift songs, MLB teams, La Croix flavors, etc. And then everyone takes turns naming something that fits that category until someone is stumped and can’t think of anything that fits.

Try and guess what your car mates are thinking with these guessing games that are perfect to play in the car.

20 Questions

Read your friend’s mind in 20 questions of less. In this game, one person in the car has to think of something, anything. It can be a movie, a book, a person, place, or thing. Then everyone else in the car gets to ask questions to see who can guess what the person is thinking of. Choose your questions wisely, because you only have 20 tries.

I’m Going on a Picnic

In this game, players take turns saying what they might bring on a picnic (bananas, sandwiches , paper plates…). But one leader is in charge of saying whether you are allowed to bring that item or not, all based on a secret rule they have. For example, if Amanda is the leader she might have a secret rule that all items brought to the picnic must start with the first letter of her name. So if someone wanted to bring guacamole, they would be denied but someone bringing avocados would be OK. Players take turns naming items and trying to figure out what the secret rule is.

How much do you know about movies, TV shows, or celebrities? These games rely on your knowledge of films and those who star in them.

6 Degrees of Separation

Based on the popular “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon,” where it is said you can link any celebrity to Kevin Bacon (via mutual movie/television appearances) in six connections or less, in this version you can link any celebrities you want. Pick any two celebrities, like Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Frank Sinatra and connect them through their mutual crossovers.

The Movie Game

Similar to 6 Degrees of Separation, this road trip game also involves linking celebrities. But in this version, you have to come up with the next celebrity to link an actor to. To play, have one person name an actor or actress. Then, the next person has to name a movie they were in. The next person then has to name another actor or actress from that movie. Keep going until someone is stumped. That person has to sit out the next round. Keep playing until only one person is left and a winner is declared.

Bad Movie Plot

The goal of this game is to explain a movie plot badly and see who can guess what it is. For example, you might say, “an elderly man uses balloons to kidnap a young boy,” and others would have to try to guess that you’re explaining the plot to the Pixar movie Up .

Whether you love to sing or can’t hold a tune and prefer to leave it to the professionals, many fun road trip games for adults rely on music to guide them. These games are based on music knowledge, singing, or your favorite playlists.

Name That Tune

Use the scanner or seek on your radio or the shuffle feature on an app like Spotify. For every new song that comes up, try to be the first one to guess the name of the song and the musical artist. Or, take turns choosing a song to play and see if you can stump your friends.

Battle Of The Bands

Battle it out among the car to see which song reigns supreme. Choose a category. Any category. You can pick anything from “Best Emo Love Ballad” to “Songs that mention Birds.” Have two eople in the car think of a song that fits and then play them both for the whole car to hear. It’s then up to everyone in the car to vote and see which song, and which player, wins.

Human Jukebox

Channel your best Pitch Perfect impressions for this road trip game. To play, one person starts singing a song. Then the next person has to pick up with a new song that borrows the last word of the last phrase of the song before. Keep going until someone gets stumped, then start the Human Jukebox all over again.

There are so many different road trip games adults can play in the car. Here are some more games that will keep you entertained on long stretches of road.

Enjoy fun games and challenges to pass the time on your next road trip and have a keepsake to look back on for years to come with this entertaining must-have for your next vacation. The Road Trip Journal & Activity Book features fun and engaging journal prompts. plus 100 activities and games to play in the car, at your hotel, or at stops along your route.

Shotgun! Road Trip Game

Shotgun! is a fun card game and car game. Designate a reader and then take turns answering road trip related questions and doing activities.

Road Trip Trivia

Have a fun time challenging each other to road trip trivia. Find trivia questions based on road trips, the route you’re on, your destination, or America.

Regional Snack Master

Every time you pull over at a gas station or travel center, have everyone try to find a local snack. Something you can really only find in the city or state you’re in. Compare your finds and see who found the tastiest (or weirdest) ones.

At the beginning of your road trip, have everyone make up a rule for the car. The sillier, the better. Something like at every red light you have to open all the windows and cheer. Try to keep up these funny road trip rules throughout the course of your trip.

In this game, start with one passenger coming up with a sentence or phrase. They whisper it into another passenger’s ear, and it should go all the way around until it gets to the last person in the car. That person then has to say out loud what they think they heard, and see how close or far it was from the original phrase.

Almost any game app can be a road trip game app. Here are some of our favorites that work well with a group of people traveling in a car.

Drive.fm: Car & Home Trivia

Have a knack for knowledge and want to put your brain to the test? Drive.fm is a game app controlled using your voice, making it the perfect hands-free trivia game to play in your car.

This musical trivia game features real song clips from popular artists. See who can guess the song the fastest!

A fun road trip game app for singing karaoke songs in the car.

Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

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Valerie Bromann

Founder & road trip expert.

Valerie Bromann is a a website manager, content creator, and writer from Chicago, Illinois (currently living in Dallas, Texas). As an avid road tripper who has visited hundreds of roadside attractions, Val always pull over for a world’s largest thing. Founder of Silly America and author of The Road Trip Journal & Activity Book , she visits, photographs, and writes about all the weird tourist destinations she visits and offers road trip planning advice and inspiration based on her own travels so you can hit the road for yourself.

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Last modified: December 2, 2023 Category: Road Trip Games , Road Trip Planning

Hotel Scavenger Hunt Game (+Free Printables)

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Everything You Need to Have and Record an Epic Road Trip!

By valerie bromann.

The road trip you’ve been dreaming of starts here! Journal about your stops and get to know your fellow passengers with activities and exercises designed to pass the time and bring you closer together. Instead of “Are we there yet?” you’ll find yourself asking, “We’re there already?”. Complete with prompts you can turn to while driving between locations, this journal will one day be a memento of your life-changing trip.

Silly America

Silly America is a roadside attractions blog designed to help travelers find unique stops for their next road trip. The website is a tribute to the great American road trip, devoted to all that is odd in America: roadside attractions, tourist traps, peculiar destinations, bizarre events, road food, fun festivals, and more! It’s a travel website and trip planner for those seeking an offbeat road trip.

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30 Best Road Trip Games That Are Super Fun

Road trip games can make any journey more enjoyable and fun whether you're going on a long drive across the country or spending a few hours in the car with the kids.

Our list of the 30 of the best road trip games will provide entertainment for children and adults alike, ranging from music-related games and foodie challenges to word contests and devious pranks.

You will never have to think of what to do on a long car ride again! The following is the ultimate list of games you can play on a road trip.

1. The Story Game

Entertaining for adults and kids alike, this is storytelling with a twist - you go round the car and each passenger adds just one word following on from the player before.

See how crazy you can make the story, and get someone to record it on their phone so you can listen back to the hilarious progression of the plot as you make way along your road trip. You could go from sunbathing in Spain to training alpacas in Chile in a matter of seconds.

Trust us, you're in for a laugh with this one and if your passengers are good, these stories can get seriously long!

2. I'm Going On A Road Trip

This road trip game requires a bit more brain power than some of the others, but is still really entertaining and great for all ages. To play, passengers take it in turns to state 'I'm going on a road trip and I'm bringing…' followed by an item of their choice.

The next person has to repeat the phrase, saying the last person's item and adding one of their own and so on - eventually you'll have a really long list of crazy items to try and remember, and it's always amusing watching people try and get it right a few rounds in.

Be sure to throw in a few weird and wonderful items to confuse the rest of the players!

3. The Quiet Game

This game is a bit of a joke for the adults who want a few minutes of peace and quiet from their squabbling kids. The rules are hilariously simple - just say 'who can stay quiet the longest?' and breathe as the competitive siblings fall instantly silent.

Just a word of warning though: don't expect it to last very long, so have another kid-friendly car game lined up for when they get bored.

4. The Banana Game

This game is all about the color yellow and is super simple - points are awarded whenever a passenger spots a yellow vehicle.

Come up with a scoring system for different types of vehicle (e.g. one point for a car, two for a van, and three for a lorry) and whether you saw it parked (one point) or in motion (two points). Add any extra rules you fancy, and prepare to get competitive about who saw it first.

5. Never Miss A Beat

This game may be more of a singalong than a game, but it's still awesome!

Never miss a beat offers another chance to show off your singing skills and unusually gets everyone playing together rather than against each other.

All you need to do is stick on your family's favorite song or a song everyone knows the words to and start singing. Someone then needs to turn it down for 10 seconds whilst everyone keeps singing, before turning it back up again to see if you've kept the beat and stayed in time.

This game is mainly just a bit of fun, but you could always turn it into a competition by splitting into teams!

Another classic you've probably played a thousand times before but never get bored of.

Passengers take it in turns to find an object either inside or outside the car and say "I spy with my little eye something beginning with…" the first letter of whatever the object is.

The other passengers must then try and guess the answer (clues can be given if it's really hard), with the winner taking the next turn. This is an easy car game to play with kids and always a great one to keep bored passengers entertained for a surprisingly long time.

7. 20 Questions

This classic road trip game probably doesn't need much of an introduction - simply choose one passenger to start by thinking of a random object, and the other passengers take turns asking 20 yes-or-no questions to guess the object.

Whoever finds the answer first gets to think of the random thing in the next round, but if the object has everyone stumped, they get to keep their role for the next round.

There are no rules on the object you can pick, but lying in your answers is strictly forbidden!

8. Car Bingo

This kid-friendly game takes a little prep before you set off, but it's well worth it if you need to keep the kids entertained on a long journey.

Make a list of things the children might see along the road trip route - e.g. cows, a tractor, a red car etc, to give to them when you get into the car.

As you drive they can cross things off as they see them, not only distracting them from boredom but also encouraging them to look around and learn about the places they're visiting.

Make the list as specific to the place you're going as you want. In Texas you might have anything mentioning the Lone Star and in Wyoming you might be on the lookout for elk!

You can tailor the difficulty and number of things to find depending on the age of your children.

9. Sweet Or Sour

The rules of this road trip game are super simple: passengers take turns waving at passing pedestrians or people in nearby cars. If they wave back they're sweet, if not they're sour. You win a point for every sweet passerby you get, so aim to find as many friendly people as possible along the way.

For obvious reasons, the driver should opt out of this one, but it can be extra fun if they divert the car through a busy area of town to rack up some extra waving opportunities!

Remember not to distract other drivers!

10. Secret Place Race

Make use of that old road map that sits in the car seat pocket to entertain the kids. All you need to do for the secret place race is pick a place they're unlikely to know such as a tiny village, river, or mountain, and see how long it takes them to find it on the map.

This can be incredibly entertaining in a Where's Waldo kind of way, except their mission in finding the village can be made critically important for the driver to be able to find the right way!

Have a reward on hand if they're able to find it in less than 5 minutes, and watch as they're completely engrossed in the task. A simple yet satisfyingly effective game.

11. Punch Buggy

First gaining popularity as part of one of Volkswagen's marketing campaigns in the 1960s, the aim of this game is to give your fellow passengers a playful punch whenever you see a VW Beetle drive past.

This is one of those road trip games that is universally loved by children (as long as you monitor the punching to avoid disaster), although we don't see why the adults wouldn't enjoy it too.

Granted - in some parts of the world, seeing a Beetle is incredibly rare, so if you're struggling to see many Beetles, you could always choose a specific color of car or another funny model as the target instead to make it a touch easier.

12. Regional Car Pantry

One for the foodies. Stretching across the full duration of your road trip, collect as many local snacks as you can at every stop along the way to build up your car pantry.

Make sure you take pictures of each snack (or buy duplicates if they'll keep) so you can see what you've managed to collect at the end of the trip, and be sure to take some weird and wonderful treats home for friends and family to try.

Do some research beforehand and make a list of all the foods you want to find, or just wing it and see what local delicacies you stumble across as you go.

13. The License Plate Game

You'll need pens and paper for this game so make sure you've packed some before you head off. The aim is to spot license plates from as many different countries or US states (depending on where your road trip is taking place) as possible.

Write a list of the places you've seen and compare it with the other passengers at the end of the drive. This is the ideal game for those long stretches of boring motorway where you'll probably rack up a surprisingly long list, and the person with the most countries gets to ride shotgun for the next leg of the journey.

The end of this road trip game can get very controversial - if you spot a real game winner, photographic evidence is a good idea so get your phone out and take photos in secret!

14. The Fortunately - Unfortunately road trip game

This is similar to the Story Game (see #1 above), however players get a little more control and creativity. You can say more than one word this time!

One player starts off with a 'fortunately' sentence, and the next has to follow with an 'unfortunately' sentence to build a story of luck and misfortune. For example, one player might start with 'fortunately, the sun was shining' with the second player adding 'unfortunately they had a long drive ahead of them' and so on.

This game can make it a little easier to remember the long string as everything has to be either fortunate or unfortunate! Get as creative as you can and you'll find yourself at your destination in what seems like no time at all.

15. The Complete Food Menu Game

This is the perfect road trip game to play if you're passing through a few towns on your way although roadside restaurants and chains will do just fine.

Print out a sheet with all the food types you can think of in a grid against the names of people in the car.

Every time you drive past a restaurant of some kind, the first person to spot it gets to collect the tick for the food type it serves. Steaks and pizzas should be easy to collect by everyone, but you might just win if you're the only one who spotted the seafood restaurant in the middle of Oklahoma!

16. The Name Game

This is another simple game that keeps your brain occupied during a long drive without being too strenuous. One person simply says any name they can think of and the next person must say another name that begins with the last letter of the name before, and so on.

For example if passenger one says Tom, passenger two might say Mary. If you've made any friends during your road trip, try and include their names to make it a tad more topical.

Obviously adding the rule of not repeating the same names once they have been mentioned makes this a whole lot more interesting as the game progresses although you're guaranteed to have a disagreement over whether a name has or has not been mentioned already!

17. Guess The Song

If you're comfortable in your musical knowledge you'll definitely want to suggest playing this one. The rules are simple: get the front passenger to play the first few seconds of a song and whoever can guess the artist and song title the quickest wins a point.

This is much easier if you can connect your phone to the car for the road trip and play songs from there so you can easily search and pause the music.

The person with the most points after half an hour gets control of the music for the rest of the journey, so there's a lot at stake...

18. Sing The Next Line

A variation on the Guess The Song game above, except this game relies on your vocal chords.

Instead of just guessing the song after a few seconds, players have to rack their brains and try and sing the next line, and the person who successfully remembers it first wins a point. Think of a reward for whoever wins, and if you attempt it but get it wrong you have to do a forfeit chosen by the driver.

19. Radio Roulette

This game's a little less hands-on but no less entertaining. Use your road trip driving time to discover all the local radio stations of the place you're visiting by re-tuning every ten minutes and choosing a new station at random.

You'll probably find some pretty wacky programs and get to know traditional and popular music in that country - a great way to appreciate culture even when you're between destinations.

If you a radio station that is really wacky, let us know!

20. Would You Rather

This road trip game can be be as PG or as outrageous as you like depending on the age of the passengers.

Take turns asking the car whether they would rather do one thing or another (e.g. 'would you rather go to France or Spain?') and see what they answer. Make it as difficult as possible to choose between the two options for maximum entertainment value, whether that's making them equally amazing or equally horrible, it's up to you…

You can see how this game can get as interesting in group of adults as with kids - answering the question is compulsory and providing reasons is where it gets fun!

21. Car Rules Road Trip Game

Everyone in the car gets to make up a silly rule, e.g. whenever we cross a bridge everyone has has to touch their nose, or whenever we stop at a red light everyone has to touch the roof of the car.

The last person to join in when an action is enforced gains a point, and the person with the most points at the end of the drive loses. Get as creative as you like with the rules and try and catch people out where possible so you can take the victory.

The loser has to go pay for parking or buy ice creams at the next stop!

22. Hot Seat

If you're that nosy friend that wants to find out all of your companions' deepest secrets then you'll like this one. Passengers take it in turns to be in the hot seat and are asked 5 questions, one of which they're allowed to veto and the other four must be answered honestly.

This is best played in an adult-only car (questions get notoriously cheeky) and is the ideal way to pass the time finding out some interesting new facts about your road trip friends.

You can use it as a warm up or a step up from the car version of Truth or Dare (see #27 below) depending on how close your friendships are!

23. People Watching

Someone picks a car full of people that everyone can see (this works best if you're stuck in traffic), and together you make up a story about the people - who they are, where they're going, what they do for a living. The funnier and more far-fetched the story, the better - just make sure you're not staring too obviously at your subjects or it might get a little awkward...

Use your imagination to make the stories controversial and see how far you can go with making things up!

You might just surprise yourself how the most innocuous of road trip games will make you spot things you would never otherwise see just by looking at the cars around you.

24. Kiss, Marry, Avoid

Another one for the older crowd. Take turns listing three famous people and the other passengers in the car have to choose which person they would kiss, which they would marry, and which they would avoid.

Make it really hard to decide so that everyone has a bit of a laugh, and try to predict each other's answers to add an extra twist to the game.

If you want to add a little spice to the game, use people you all know or move to people in the car!

25. While You Were Sleeping

There's nothing more tempting than pulling a prank on a passenger who falls asleep en route, and whilst we don't dispute the whole drawing-a-mustache classic, we've got something even craftier.

Whilst they're taking a nap on the road trip, have a brainstorm with the awake members of the party and come up with an epic story or scenario of something that they missed during their nap.

The aim of the game is to get them to believe the story, so make sure nobody laughs or breaks character (come up with a forfeit if they do), and keep the lie going for as long as possible. If you manage to pull it off this is far better than a DIY mustache... but by all means, draw one on for good measure.

This classic road trip game can really take a turn for the worse if you want it to. A simple horror story about a truck that followed the car for miles that you just managed to pull away from before getting a flat tyre can go a long way as you're parked on the side of the road. Peer into the rear view mirror in horror and watch their face when a random truck appears on the horizon!

26. Categories

Popular with kids and adults alike the world over, Categories can be an awesome game to play on road trips as well.

The premise is simple - somebody picks a category which can have multiple different answers. Fruit or Beatles' songs can both be great options.

Players have to then take turns to name one item from the category at a time. Players are eliminated when they can't name one until there's one winner. Either the winner or the next person in turn gets to choose the next category.

That brings our list of the best road trip games to an end. Do you have other games you enjoy? Get in touch to let us know and we'll add it to our list!

27. Truth Or Dare (The Car Edition)

The old classic can and should be played on road trips! Players take turns to either answer an embarassing question truthfully or perform a dare set by other players.

The dares obviously have to be contained to the realms of the car or the roadside so you'll have to get creative.

Needless to say, this game is very different when played with kids as a family or with adult friends and is equally great in both cases!

28. 6 Degrees of Separation

This is a road trip game that will require some imagination and provide plenty of topics for conversation.

Take turns and pick two people who you may know or make them up (e.g. a Shaolin monk). The more different the background and location of these people the better!

Then proceed to discuss how these two people are connected through 6 connections or less. You don't have to know the whole chain - that's actually where the fun is.

How is a gaucho from a remote farm in southern Argentina connected to Prince Charles? The gaucho must know his ranch's boss (1). The boss knows the boss of the company that buys beef from local producers (2). That company has a liaison manager in a UK-based Argentinian beef importing firm (3). This manager has a colleague who imports fine wines from around the world for the same company (4). The colleague personally provides the fine wines to the Royal sommelier (5) and the sommelier personally knows Prince Charles (6). Bingo!

29. The Stop Joker Card road trip game

If you're going on a long trip and you're going to be driving all day or even longer than that, this is a great way to give everyone in the car, kids included, a way to have a bit of control.

At any point during the trip, each person can enact their Stop Joker Card - this means the car has to stop wherever they are passing and spend some time there doing an activity or just relaxing.

Your kids might see something really fun halfway along and use their card to break up the journey and everyone gets to have their stop along the route!

30. Pick One Car road trip game

This one is a game of patience and opportunity. Every person in the car has one chance during the journey to pick a car that you can see on your way as their ultimate One Car. The objective is to pick the coolest/fastest/most amazing car possible.

Once you've chosen a car, you can't change it - you only have one go so you better make it count - if you're passing something that is decent but not stellar, you might have to make a tough choice.

The game is made even more difficult by the fact that the first person to call the car out gets to have it so you have to be alert and on the lookout if you haven't got one yet.

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IN THIS ARTICLE

• 20 questions
• word association
• cows on my side
• radio roulette
• carpool karaoke
• would you rather?
• travel bingo
• storytelling relay
• while you were sleeping
• road trip dares

10 Fun Road Trip Games to Play in the Car

Make the ride a little more enjoyable.

This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive commission for purchases made through these links. Price at time of publish date may change.

A good road trip is about so much more than just reaching your final destination —it’s about the unforgettable memories you create along the way! So when you head off on your spring or summer travels this year, be sure to include some fun road trip games on your list of travel essentials . And if you need a little inspiration, check out our collection of the best road trip games!

There’s something here for everyone to enjoy, from classic games like 20 Questions and Word Association to spontaneous challenges like Road Trip Dares and While You Were Sleeping. Most of these games are fun for all ages, too! Whether you’re traveling solo, with your significant other, or with a group of friends or family , these road trip games will add laughter to the miles ahead. So, pack your neck pillows , buckle up, and let the games begin!

20 Questions

You can’t go wrong with a classic! This guessing game challenges players to guess a specific person, place, or thing within 20 questions. Here’s how it typically works: One player thinks of a subject, and the other players try to guess what it is by asking yes-or-no questions. The guessers use the answers to eliminate possibilities and refine their guesses. The game continues with the guessers asking questions until they either guess the correct answer or they have asked 20 questions without guessing correctly.

Word Association

This is a fun but engaging game that challenges players to think quickly and make connections between words. To begin: The starting player says a word out loud. It can be anything—a noun, verb, adjective, etc. The next player must quickly respond with a word that is associated with it. This association can be based on similarity, opposites, wordplay, or any other creative connection. Each player after then responds with a word associated with the previous word. Players must respond quickly to keep the game flowing smoothly. If a player can’t think of a related word within a reasonable time frame or if their word doesn’t have a clear association with the previous word, they are out of that round. The game continues with players taking turns contributing words to the chain until everyone forfeits!

Cows On My Side

This classic road trip game challenges players to spot and count cows on their side of the car. As the car travels along, players keep an eye out for cows on their designated side of the car. When a player spots a cow on their side, they call out “Cow on my side!” or simply “Cow!” The player who spotted the cow earns a point for each cow they see. However, if a player sees a cow on the opposite side of the car and calls it out, they lose all their points from that round. Whoever has the most points at the end of the trip wins the game!

Radio Roulette

This road trip-friendly twist on Name That Tune involves guessing the artists and titles of songs you hear on the radio. To play, choose a “DJ” to control the radio. They will flip through the stations, manually or instead using preset buttons, and play snippets of songs (around 15 seconds). The first player to identify the song wins, with one point being awarded for naming the song, its artist, or its album. 

Carpool Karaoke

Inspired by the famous segment from The Late Late Show with James Corden , participants take turns singing along to their favorite songs while someone records the performance. (Did you know that this is how Jonathan and Zooey met ?!) To enhance the experience, consider bringing along props like microphones, sunglasses, or inflatable guitars! And remember, Carpool Karaoke is all about having a blast and enjoying each other’s company while belting out tunes. So don’t worry about hitting all the right notes—just let loose and sing your heart out!

Would You Rather?

The goal of this game is to spark conversation and laughter by presenting players with amusing or thought-provoking “Would You Rather” scenarios. Designate one player to be the moderator, who will present two hypothetical “Would You Rather” scenarios to the other players. For example, the moderator might ask, “Would you rather have to sing everything you say or dance every time you hear music?” Players then take turns answering the question, explaining their choice and reason behind it. This often leads to lively discussions and debates among the players!

Travel Bingo

Create bingo cards on pieces of notebook paper for everyone with common road trip sights like road signs, vehicles, landmarks, animals, or anything else relevant to the journey. Players then mark off each item they see, and the first player to complete a row, column, or diagonal of marked-off items shouts “Bingo!” to signal their win. 

Storytelling Relay

In this collaborative and imaginative game, players work together to create a story one sentence at a time. The starting player begins the story by saying a single sentence. Then, each subsequent player adds to the story by contributing their own sentence, building upon the events or characters introduced by the previous player. Players can get as creative or silly as they like, introducing new characters, plot twists, settings, or conflicts. That way, it keeps the story entertaining.

While You Were Sleeping

 Got a snoozing car mate? This is where the road trip fun really begins! Five minutes after a passenger falls asleep, the rest of the people in the car begin crafting a believable story to tell the sleeper when they wake up. Points are gained for fooling the sleeper or lost for breaking character or going off-script. If the sleeper successfully joins the story, then they steal the current point total. The one with the most points at the end of the trip wins.

Road Trip Dares

This game will surely add an element of excitement and spontaneity to your journey! Take turns drawing dares from a hat or assigning them randomly to passengers. Dares could include dancing at a rest stop, striking a pose at a landmark, or singing a silly song. Remember, the goal of this game is to add laughter and entertainment to your journey, so make sure the dares are safe and enjoyable for everyone involved. 

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30 Road Trip Trivia Games for Long Car Rides

Whether you’re heading to an amusement park with the family, spending the weekend at the lake with your friends, or traveling with coworkers on a much-dreaded work trip, you’re going to have a few lengthy car rides in front of you. Long car rides can either be a serious drag, or an opportunity for lots of fun.

How can you turn a long car ride into a fun and exciting time for everyone? By playing games! While it’s fun to come up with your own games on the fly, it’s always helpful to have a list of games you can pull from to always switch it up and keep things exciting.

Today, we’re going to cover 30 of the most fun road trip trivia games for long car rides and show you how you and your friends or family can play them on your next trip. From classics like 21 Questions and I Spy to new games that are sure to become instant favorites, you’ll find something for everyone on this road trip trivia list.

Best Road Trip Trivia Apps

It’s safe to assume there’s at least one smartphone among the people in the car, and that phone is a huge asset when it comes to road trip trivia. Here are some of the best trivia apps to check out on your next getaway.

Jeopardy! World Tour

World Tour is the latest mobile app from one of the greatest trivia games of all time. This is our favorite road trip trivia app because there’s an offline mode that you can enjoy even if your phone loses service along the way.

This app features a multiple-choice question format and various difficulty levels, making it a great road trip trivia for families option and easy to adapt to play with the other people in the car.

Plus, you can also play by yourself if the rest of the car isn’t up for another trivia round. If you’re armed with an encyclopedia of fun facts for car rides, you’ll want to try your luck at this fun and addicting trivia game.

This app is perfect for the car because it has an uncluttered interface with text that’s large enough for everyone to read. There are tons of categories and questions in the app, which can provide you with hours of road trip trivia fun.

Psych is a play on classic party games like Balderdash! Where you must come up with the craziest answers to your friend’s questions to score points. If everyone in the car has a smartphone, you can all connect and play this hilarious game that will keep you entertained for hours.

Unfortunately, since everyone needs to use a smartphone to play the game, the driver can’t get in on the fun. That may be a good thing, since they’ll be able to focus on the road instead.

Guess The Song

This app is similar to SongPop 2, which is one of the most popular “name that tune” apps for Android and iOS, but where SongPop2 is more about online multiplayer competition, Guess The Song has a single-player mode which is easy to adapt so everyone in the car can play.

You can play together, or take turns to see who can name songs the fastest. There are plenty of playlists to choose from, with music ranging from the 60s to today.

Popcorn Trivia

If you’re in a car full of movie buffs, Popcorn Trivia is the perfect road trip trivia questions game for you. The game is free to play, and it features a vast library of different movie trivia questions from several different genres. You can compete against each other or together, and you can unlock new trivia packs from popular movies and TV shows with the points you earn in the game.

Road Trip Trivia Games

The trivia apps above are lots of fun, but you may not always have access to a smartphone with a strong signal during your road trip. Thankfully, road trip trivia has been around a lot longer than smartphones, so there are some great games you can play without the help of your phone.

We’ve assembled a list of some of the best and most fun classic road trip games for you and your squad to play as you’re making your way across the country.

Two Truths and a Lie

This fun-for-everyone game is always entertaining, and it’s a great way to get to know your fellow road trippers better. Two Truths and a Lie is perfect for playing with co-workers, friends, and family. All you need to do to win is separate fact from fiction.

Here’s How to Play

• Pick which passenger will start the game
• That passenger tells the car three statements. Two are true, and one is a lie
• The rest of the car tries to determine which statement is false
• Once the round is over, it’s the next passengers turn to tell Two Truths and a Lie

Would You Rather

Hands down one of the most fun games for the entire group is Would You Rather. This game is fun for the whole family, but it can be a real blast when the adults are playing. This game is one of our favorite road trip quizzes for couples since it’s a great way to get to know your partner while also passing the time while driving.

• Each question much follow the Would You Rather format
• Make sure that each question you ask presents a serious dilemma

Here are some Would You Rather road trip questions to get started with:

• Would you rather eat chicken every day for a year, or not be able to eat chicken at all?
• Would you rather be 10 minutes late everywhere you go, or 20 minutes early?
• Would you rather absolute freedom or absolute safety?
• When you die, if you could be reborn, would you rather exist in the future or the past?
• Would you rather spend a year in prison or a year in a hospital?
• Would you rather be the most gullible person in the world or lose the ability to tell a lie?
• Would you rather go to the past to meet your ancestors, or to the future to meet your future relatives?

Would You Rather can also be a silly and fun game if you’re traveling with children. If there are kids in the car, here’s some Would You Rather questions that are perfect for them:

21 Questions

From young kids to grandparents, 21 Questions is a classic game everyone can enjoy. This game of deduction requires passengers to guess the person, place, or thing that the player is thinking of, using a maximum of 21 questions to figure it out.

Here’s how to Play

• The first player thinks of a person, place, or thing
• The rest of the players can ask up to 21 questions to figure out what the first player is thinking of
• The first player responds with yes or no answers to each question they’re asked
• If the rest of the car can’t figure out the answer in 21 questions, player one wins
• If someone correctly guesses the answer within 21 questions, that person becomes the next to choose a person, place, or thing

Name That Tune

If you’re traveling with a bunch of music enthusiasts, Name That Tune can be one of the most fun games to play. All you’ll need is an app like Spotify or Apple Music (or someone in the car with an extensive music library.)

Here’s How To Play

• Appoint one person in the car as the host for that round
• That person finds a popular playlist and plays a song
• The other passengers try and guess the song as quickly as possible
• If a passenger says “pass,” the host moves on to the next song
• Whoever guesses correctly first gets the point

The Bad Movie Plot Game

This hilarious game is perfect for a car full of movie buffs, and it’s a great way to pass the time during long car rides. The premise is simple: you must guess the name of the movie based on an incredibly poor plot description from the host.

• The host of the game thinks of a movie
• The host describes the plot of the movie correctly, but in the worst way possible
• The rest of the car tries to guess the correct movie
• Whoever guesses correctly becomes the host of the next round

Here are a few examples:

• Talking gremlin convinces a son to murder his father (Star Wars Episode V)
• Family abandons their troublemaker son on Christmas vacation in hopes robbers will abduct him (Home Alone)

The Movie Game

This game is another one that’s tons of fun for movie buffs. In The Movie Game, participants take turns naming movies and actors until one of the participants is stumped.

• The first player starts the game by naming a popular movie, such as Titanic
• The next player names an actor from the movie, like Leonardo DiCaprio
• The next player must name another movie that the actor was in, for example, Wolf of Wall Street
• The game continues until someone is stumped. If you can’t think of a movie or actor, you’re eliminated!
• The last remaining player is the winner of the round

Questions, Questions, Questions

Is there a lull in conversation? This game is a great way to get the juices flowing and get some more energy in the car. Playing Questions, Questions, Questions is as simple as asking fun and intriguing questions to the other people in the car. This game is a great way to get to know your crew even better than you do now.

Here are a few great examples to get the conversation going again:

• What is the most interesting thing you saw online this week?
• If you were a gifted scientist with unlimited resources, what would you study and why?
• What person, alive or dead, would you like to have dinner with and why?

Smurfing is a great way to get everybody laughing while passing the time on a long car ride. In this game, the player will need to guess the action that the rest of the car has come up with as quickly as possible by asking a series of questions.

• The player must cover their ears while the rest of the car comes up with an action
• Once the car has come up with an action, the player must try to guess that action by asking questions. In the questions, “smurf” is the stand-in for the action.
• Ex. When is the best time to smurf? Does smurfing make you sweat? Do you smurf inside or outside?
• The player must guess the action in as few questions as possible

Fortunately, Unfortunately

This fun game requires a bit of imagination, so it’s perfect for playing with the kids. It’s an easy game to keep going for hours, and the more crazy and imaginative you are, the more fun it is to play.

• The first player begins with a statement that starts with “Fortunately…”
• The next player follows up that statement with a statement beginning with “Unfortunately…”
• Each additional player adds a statement following the fortunately/unfortunately format

Here’s an example:

• ortunately, I brought delicious cookies for everybody
• Unfortunately, every fifth cookie in the box will give you gas
• Fortunately, you won’t be able to hear it
• Unfortunately, everyone else within a five-mile radius will

This game is a fun variation on 21 Questions, and it’s fun to play with friends, family, or the kids. With a little bit of logic and some deductive questioning, contestants must identify the famous person the rest of the car is thinking of.

• The contestant must cover their ears or listen to music while the rest of the car decides on a famous person
• The contestant then asks yes or no questions to figure out who the famous person is

Truth or Dare

One of the most classic games to cure boredom on long car rides, Truth or Dare, is especially fun to play with your friends. This classic game is about as simple as it gets.

• The first contestant is asked to choose either truth or dare
• If the contestant selects truth, they’ll be forced to answer any question truthfully
• If the contestant selects dare, they must complete a dare posed by one of the other contestants
• The game continues on to the next contestant

The Counting Game

This silly game is perfect for families, and it’s a great way to pass the time during long road trips. The purpose of the game is to get to the highest number possible without any two players saying the same number at once.

• The game begins when a player says the number one
• The remaining players have five seconds to say number two
• If more than one person says the next number at the same time, the game ends, and you restart from one

The Song Lyric Game

This fun game is a great way for music buffs to stay entertained on a road trip. Face off with your fellow road trippers in a lyric battle for the right to control the stereo.

• Players must sing the lyrics to the current song on the stereo for one minute
• The first player to successfully nail every lyric in the song for a minute straight can control the stereo
• Once another player is able to sing a minute’s worth of lyrics to whatever song is on, they gain control of the stereo

Do you have the best taste in music in the car? Put your style to the test against your friends or family in this fun battle game. In order to play, you’ll need at least three people, so this game is perfect for families and groups of friends.

• First, appoint someone in the car as the judge
• The judge picks a music category i.e., pop, hip hop, rock, etc.
• The remaining people in the car take turns playing the “best” song from that category
• The judge awards a point to whichever person plays the best song

Did You Know?

A favorite road trip trivia game for couples and friends, this one is a great way to get to know the people you’re with even better than you do now.

To play the game, each person in the car takes turns sharing an interesting (and unknown) fact about themselves. Each player must begin by saying, “Did you know that I…” and then adding a fun factoid the others in the car don’t know about them

The Rhyming Game

Are you a wordsmith? The Rhyming Game is your time to shine! All you’ll need to do is start with a word, and then everyone must come up with a rhyming word before time expires.

• The first player begins by choosing any word they like
• The next player must say a word that rhymes with the first word
• Each additional player must do the same
• Players have fifteen seconds to come up with a rhyming word, or they’re eliminated

The Spelling Bee

Are you the best speller in the car? Test your knowledge against your friends and family with a spelling bee game. Use Google to find a list of difficult to spell words, and host a spelling bee in the car!

• One person in the car must be appointed The Word Master
• The Word Master selects a word for the first player to spell
• If the player spells their word correctly, the Word Master selects a word for the next player
• The game continues until there is only one super speller left

Backward Sentences Game

It may seem easy, but this game is harder than you may think! Can you say a sentence backward?

• The first player says a sentence
• The next player must repeat the sentence backward
• Each player gets the point for every correct backward sentence
• The player with the most points after five minutes wins the game

If you’re surrounded by people with great imaginations, this game is bound to be loads of fun. Each person in the car adds a new sentence to the story, and before you know it, you and your crew will have weaved a crazy tale that’s sure to get everyone laughing and having fun.

• The first player begins by telling the first sentence of a story
• Each subsequent player adds a sentence to the story
• See how long you can keep the story going

Truth or a Lie?

Are you a good liar? If so, you’ll love playing this game, which will put your detective skills to the test as you root out which of your friends is telling the truth and who is spinning an elaborate lie.

• The first player tells an elaborate story about their past
• The story can be true or false
• The remaining players must decide if the story is real or fake
• The first player to guess correctly receives a point
• The next player tells a story and the game repeats

Sorry I’m Late

This fun game adds a spin to the bad movie plot game we mentioned earlier. Can you guess which movie they’re thinking of from a single sentence?

• The first player explains why they were late by describing the plot of a movie in a single sentence
• Ex. “Sorry I’m late, I was saving the world from an alien invasion on the Fourth of July” (Independence Day)
• The remaining players take turns guessing which movie the first player was talking about
• Whoever answers correctly becomes the next contestant in the game

The Going on Vacation Game

How good is your memory? This game is a great way to see which member of your party is the best at remembering fine details, and it’s lots of fun to play. Each player adds a new item to the list when it’s their turn, and it’s up to the next player to remember everything on the list, in order.

• The first player starts by saying “I’m going on vacation and I’m bringing…” and adds an item
• I.E., I’m going on vacation, and I’m bringing a T-shirt
• The next player must repeat the sentence, the first item, and then add an additional item
• The game continues until a player can’t remember all of the other items on the list

This classic game is fun for the whole family, and it’s one that practically everyone already knows how to play.

• The first player selects an object from the car or countryside
• The player then says “I spy with my eye something beginning with the letter [first letter of object]
• The other players take turns guessing what the item is
• Each correct guess earns a point
• The player with the most points at the end of the game wins

Silence is golden, and that’s especially true for parents who are trying to find some peace from their kids during a road trip. This game couldn’t be any easier to play. The object is to remain quiet for as long as possible. Whoever goes the longest without making a sound wins!

What Are You Waiting For?

We just provided you with 30 of the most fun road trip trivia and other games around, which should give you and your fellow passengers hours of entertainment on your trip. Keep this list of games handy, so you and your crew will always have something to keep you occupied during your road trip.

What are some of your favorite road trip trivia games? How do you like to pass the time on a long ride? Let us know in the comments!

About The Author

Ayesha Holloman

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7 fun, interactive family apps for the modern road trip

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Road trips have changed a lot since you were growing up. In the modern world, kids don’t stare wistfully out the window and imagine a figure running and jumping along the horizon—they’re too busy staring at their mobile devices. In some ways, it can feel like the magic of the Great American Road Trip has been lost, but that doesn’t have to be the case. While the vehicles we travel in and the ways we entertain ourselves have changed, family-friendly apps can combine the best of the old and the new, and help you recapture that same road trip magic through a different medium. Some of the following apps are paid, some are free, but all are great fun.

RELATED: These 10 roadside eateries are why we love road trips

ENTERTAINMENT APPS

Looking for a fun way to pass the many miles and hours? Start with these.

Smule ( Google Play Store )

Singing along to the radio is a classic way to pass the time on a road trip. While FM radio is still around, along with satellite radio and Spotify, Smule presents a compelling alternative with its karaoke app. Families can record themselves as they sing and even make road trip music videos. The brave among us can even stream their karaoke live for the world to see. Smule is a free app with millions of songs and effects to choose from. And built-in auto-tune means that even the worst singers can rock out like the Beatles.

Road Trip Travel Games ( Google Play Store )

All of the classic road trip games you know and love can be found in this app. They might have different names than you’re used to, but you’ll find Punch Buggy, iSpy, and many more. The app explains the rules and helps keep track of the score. No need to fish out a notepad and pencil, and struggle against a bumpy highway. There are a total of 11 games, built-in timers, and even an added gas trip calculator to help figure out how much it will cost to go from one place to another.

Trivia Crack ( Google Play Store )

This is the tried-and-true trivia app that everyone loves to play. Better yet, it’s great for a road trip. Play against family members or team up on a single device to pit your collective wits against the world at large. It’s a fun way to pass the time and learn something along the way.

Roadtrip Bingo ( Apple Store )

B-I-N-G-O. It’s a classic game that provides hours of entertainment, and this iPhone version is just the thing to keep the entire family entertained. Keep an eye out for strollers, streetlights, shopping carts and many more common items along the way. The best part of Roadtrip Bingo is that it keeps kids’ eyes on the world around them instead of focused on their phone. Who knows what kind of exciting things you might see on the road?

ALSO: Road-trip ready? Check out the latest car rental deals here!

EDUCATIONAL APPS

If you want to have fun and learn something on your trip, these apps can help.

World Atlas ( Google Play Store )

You see a lot of interesting things on road trips, including license plates from other states and even countries. World Atlas is a great way to find out what another country’s flag looks like and learn about its capital and currency. With coverage of dozens and dozens of countries, the World Atlas app is a fun, educational way to learn more about the world around us.

Geo Touch ( Apple Store )

While World Atlas is great for learning about the world at large, Geo Touch is a fantastic tool for teaching kids about individual states, their locations, capitals and much more. It makes it easy to take quizzes on where states are, what their flags are, what the capital of a given state is, and much more. While kids can do it on their own, you can turn it into a family game and ask everyone what they think the answer should be.

Duolingo ( Apple Store | Google Play Store )

Duolingo is one of the best ways for beginners to pick up the basics of a new language, and it can be a great tool for road trips. The app challenges users to type out words and say them back to learn the proper pronunciation. If you’re road-tripping abroad, look for words you don’t know along the way and ask your kids what they think it means—and then use that as an opening to start teaching them another language. It is always beneficial to speak more than one language, and Duolingo is a fun, free way to practice.

HOTSPOTS VS. DATA

These tips will help you make sure you don’t drain all your data along the way.

Download interesting apps before you go

Most people have finite data plans, which means you don’t want to waste any of your precious data on downloading. If you want to download any additional apps while on the road, wait until you find a hotspot along the way.

Use your carrier’s free WiFi hotspot network

Hotspots allow you to automatically and securely connect your device wherever their hotspots are available. This allows you to save your data, which in turn helps save you money on overage charges.

Use public WiFi hot spots

If your carrier doesn’t offer access to secure hotspots, you can still find WiFi through public hotspots. You can find these at most major gas stations, chain restaurants, public libraries, some parks and more. Starbucks and McDonalds are always safe bets for public WiFi, but be warned: Don’t access banking or credit card information while connected to a public WiFi network; it’s not as secure as your home network. For the sake of downloading apps, however, it’s just fine—and will save you a lot of data.

Use hotspots to download movies through Netflix or other streaming services

While on a hotspot, download movies and shows directly through apps like Netflix and then watch them later without using data. This is especially important if you need something to entertain the kids for a while (or lull them to sleep). Streaming high-quality video over a data plan can use as much as 1 GB per hour.

Consider an unlimited data plan

Of course, if your kids are obsessed with technology and spend the majority of their time on their phone playing games, watching YouTube, or other data-intensive activities, you might want to consider temporarily upgrading to an unlimited data plan. These plans vary in price but offer a certain speed with no data cap. However, above a certain amount of usage, your service provider might throttle your plan and limit your data speeds to lower-than-normal rates. But even with lower than normal speeds, an unlimited plan is better than the usual $15 per gigabyte overage charges you might rack up if kids spend the whole road trip watching Netflix.

Road trips have changed, and the things you need to consider before you depart are not the same as they were 25 years ago. Even so, road trips still offer the allure of incredibly fun family activities. Roll with the times and download a few of the apps mentioned above to ensure your kids aren’t bored and, most importantly, that the entire family has a vacation to remember.

When Patrick Hearn isn’t exploring the latest arrivals to the gaming world, he’s relaxing with old favorites like the Legend of Zelda. He’s an Atlanta-based tech writer who covers the ever-changing world of mobile connectivity for Xfinity Mobile .

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7 Fun Mobile Game Apps Made for Long Road Trips

Road trips are becoming increasingly popular with American travelers, with 46 percent  now hitting the open road for their vacation. 

With 3,000 miles coast-to-coast and plenty of unique regions to explore, road trips offer endless possibilities for adventure without the hassle of airport security and finding pet-sitters . 

Although, while you might set off with excitement, hours in a cramped car can soon get boring. 

Luckily, games to play on car rides have come a long way since all we had was ‘I Spy’ to pass the time. Keep reading to discover the best game apps made for long road trips!

The Best Road Trip Game Apps

For anyone who remembers pre-smartphone life, it can still seem incredible how the answer to almost anything we want to know is right there in our pocket. 

But your phone isn’t just for checking  USPS postal rates , weather forecasts, and train times. It’s for having fun with too, as you’ll find out if you download these apps for long car rides: 

1. Plates Free Family Travel Game

If there’s one thing you’ll see plenty of on a long car journey, it’s license plates. Which is why this game is perfect for your next family road trip. 

The game includes all the plates you’ll see from the US, Canada, and Mexico and has one simple aim – to find plates from as many regions and states as possible. The winner is whoever has the highest score by the end of the trip.

A big advantage of this game is that each player’s phone tracks their score, so you don’t need a network connection. This means there’s no danger of using up all your data before you arrive. 

Similar to the bluffing game ‘Fibbage’, the idea behind ‘Psych!’ is to answer trivia questions, but with an added twist. Among the multiple-choice answers, you’ll find incorrect (and often ridiculous) suggestions provided by other players, as well as the actual right answer. 

If your fake answer is convincing enough, you get a point if the guesser chooses it. Which, as you can imagine, allows for plenty of jokes and laughs in the car, ensuring that even the most tedious of car journeys fly by. 

3. Don’t Starve

Long car rides can be really dull if everyone else is asleep or doing their own thing. But with ‘Don’t Starve’ loaded up on your phone, you’ll have plenty to keep you occupied during a dull road trip. 

The idea of this wilderness survival game is to stay alive. While that might sound straight-forward, this game doesn’t come with a tutorial. As such, you have to figure out how to play it as you go along. 

And, to make things even more difficult, if you die, the next world your character finds themselves in is often different, with new enemies and methods to learn. 

It is a paid game and at $4.99, it’s a little more expensive than most, but it’s worth every cent and works well even without an internet connection. 

4. Heads Up

Based on the popular Post-it Note party game, ‘Heads Up’ requires one person to hold their phone up to their forehead while the rest of the car try to act out or describe the word on the screen. 

Once they get the answer right, the player tilts the phone to change the word. You can then take it in turns to see how many guesses you get right within a certain time. Or, you can play in teams and work together to give each other clues and make guesses. 

5. What If..

This free road trip game is perfect for getting the whole family involved. And, the beauty of it is that only one person needs to run it on their phone for everyone to play. 

The game poses inventive and often strange questions that ask you to consider what you’d do in a certain situation. To play as a group, you can either take it in turns to answer or take a majority poll to decide on your collective answer. 

Of course, the real fun is seeing whether other players using the app agreed with your answer or not. Sometimes the results can be very surprising!

6. Trivia Crack

For an educational way to pass the time on long car rides, ‘Trivia Crack’ allows you to test your general knowledge against each other. 

The game includes questions on topics like geography, history, sports, art, science, and pop culture. 

It’s also adjustable for different levels and you can team up with other family members or battle it out as individuals. But however you play, things are sure to get competitive! 

7. Family’s Game Travel Pack Lite

If you prefer the idea of playing a networked game with other passengers, this is a great option. 

The app includes 50 traditional games like Chess, Crazy Eights, Sudoku, and more. All you need to do to link up your phones is to both install the app and enable either WiFi or Bluetooth. 

And, if no one else in the car wants to play, you can also play solo offline against the game’s AI. 

Fun Game Apps Made for Long Road Trips

With so many great game apps made for long road trips, spending hours in the car whenever you head off on vacation just got a whole lot more fun. 

And, as an added bonus, most of these apps are completely free. All you need to do is remember to charge all your phones before you set off and you’re good to go! 

For more ways to get more out of your smartphone, check out our latest posts on apps and games. 

52 fun and hilarious road trip games! [2024]

By: Author Megan Singleton

Posted on Last updated: November 18, 2023

These fun road trip games will keep you and the family going for hours on a long car ride. Literally!

We all know road trips can be long and boring, no matter how excited you are to reach your final destination. So, spice things up by playing one of these fun car games with the gang, or taking some of them with you to play on your vacation.

Whether you are on a car ride, or hurtling down the highway in an RV, or setting up camp for a week and looking for activities to play together, get ready for a whole lot of fun with this list of 52 fun travel games for a road trip!

Because this list is long, here are my favourites to start with: I like 3, 9, 11, 16, 19, 21, 25.

We’ve broken these games into categories, so scroll down to the section that works best for you. We’ve got road trip games for kids, road trip games for couples, road trip games for adults – which can do nicely as drinking games too (just saying!)

Oh, and if you’re an Apple Music subscriber, I have uploaded three great playlists in this post that you might like . One is cruisey vibes, one is bangers and the other music-to-smoke-cigars-to!

Some of these games have Amazon links. If you buy from my links I will make a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support of my blog!

Classic Road Trip Car Games

Below are some classic long road trip games that the driver can also partake in and join the fun.

Road trip games for kids

Is any road trip complete without a round of the classic game I-Spy? This game would have been played on more family road trips than any other, but I had to list it! In case you don’t know how it goes: One person picks something in sight, and says “I spy with my little eye …” with a clue of what you’re looking at. Then, the remaining players must guess what object they spotted. A great one for little kids.

2 The License Plate Game

The goal of this famous game is to find license plates from each one of America’s 50 states (or if you’re not in America, find a plate starting with A, B, C and go through the alphabet). Since the winner is decided based on who spotted the most, keep track as you go along. 

3 20 Questions 

A fun way to pass the time: pick one object, person, or place, and allow the rest of the players to guess. The rule is answers can only be “yes” or “no” and if it’s not guessed in 20 questions, you win! It is similar to I-Spy, though more ideal for long car rides since your imagination is even more endless than traffic. 

4 The Alphabet Game 

Keep an eye out for road signs for this one! While going in alphabetical order, shout out every time you see a road sign with the same first letter your group is up to. The winner is the first person to get to letter Z. (This is also a great game to play when watching live sport on TV while the rest of your family cheers for the players!)

5 Car Bingo 

Car bingo consists of marking down notable destinations, signs, emergency vehicles, or animals until you reach “BINGO,” of course! This innovative approach to bingo allows the whole family to play without leaving their car. Download pre-made  road trip bingo  sheets from Etsy or design your own with easy-to-use templates from Canva. 

6 Punch Buggy 

When you spot a Volkswagen Beetle, (lightly!) punch the person next to you, saying, “punch buggy, no punch back.” It is much more challenging to find Beetles on the road in 2023, making this classic road trip game all the more exciting when you actually find one. Besides, who wouldn’t want an excuse to punch their siblings? 

7 The Sign Game

Similar to the Alphabet Game, you will want to look for signs/brands along the way in alphabetical order. We suggest pulling over when you can, as the state signs boast great photo opportunities you can look back on after your road trip is over. Someone pick which sign you’re looking for next, and first to spot it wins.

8 Name The Artist

This simple yet fun road trip game is perfect for music lovers! The first person to correctly answer the name of the artist or group playing on the radio scores a point. And no using Shazam to cheat!

You might also like this post on the best travel quotes – and come up with some of your own!

9 In My Suitcase 

This memory game is on theme and so easy to play. The first player begins by stating, “I’m going on vacation, and I packed…,” with an object starting with the letter A. The second person adds to the list alphabetically, still repeating the original items listed beforehand, and so on for each player. The first person to mess up the packing order loses the game!

10 Road Trip Scavenger Hunt 

Ditch car bingo and, instead, embark on a road trip scavenger hunt that lasts throughout your whole trip. This game may require making some stops, depending on what you list in your scavenger hunt. For example, some choose to put items like “coffee from a rest stop” on their list.  This game can be prepared in advance by very organized parents!

11 Who Am I? 

Choose a famous person, whether a historical figure or celebrity and have the other players guess who you are. It is similar to 20 Questions, though this time, the original player is a person. You can determine whether they must be living, or include historic people.

Imagination Road Trip Games 

Some of the best car ride games call for using your imagination. A great excuse to put down the tech and challenge each other. The options below are perfect for all ages.

12 Telephone Whisper Game

This is fun to play for all ages, and the bigger the group the better. Someone makes up a story and whispers it to the next person, they then whisper it to the next player and so on, until the last person is reached who then tells out loud what they heard. Play it on the plane, in the classroom, in the car!

13 The Categories Game 

This famous word game, also known as Scattergories, consists of choosing a category, such as an animal, city, or sport. Then, you and the remaining players will list words that fit into said category in alphabetical order. Once someone cannot think of a word, the players will move on to the next round. 

14 Mad Libs 

Mad Libs is a classic, imaginative game in the form of a fill-in-the-blank book. There are numerous editions to choose from, such as  Mad Libs On The Road , featuring stories about road trips, car songs, and historical sights. You select a bunch of your own nouns, adjectives and adverbs, then write them in order on the blank spaces in the pre-written story. Crazy funny.

15  Spot The Cracker Barrel 

While this is not a traditional road trip game, my family and I used to count how many signs for Cracker Barrel we would see driving from the East Coast to Florida. Whoever spots the most when you reach your destination wins a free breakfast at your next Cracker Barrel pit stop! Since there are a bunch of these restaurants across the United States, we are sure you can keep the game going the entire drive. Or, swap Cracker Barrel out for McDonalds! 

16  The Movie Game

You will adore this imaginative road trip game if you are a movie buff who loves The Alphabet Game. The first player will suggest a letter. Then, each player must name a movie that starts with the corresponding letter of the Alphabet. 

17  Count The Animals Game

Before your road trip, choose an animal that you want to keep an eye out for on the road. Popular choices include seagulls, deer (tough one), geese, and squirrels. Once you spot the animal, shout it out. The first person to do so scores a point. When you reach your final destination, the person with the most points wins the game!

18  Two Truths and a Lie

This one might not work well for family members, but is a fun one to play even just sitting around the campfire with mates: Test how well you know your friends by catching them in a lie. Each player reveals two truthful statements and one lie. It is then up to the others to guess which was the lie. If you get the answer right, you get the point. But if you guess wrong, the player who lied receives the point (or a drink – if you’re not driving that is!)

19  Road Trip Olympics  

Kids (and adults) can get restless after spending hours in the car. So, make your rest stops more fun by turning them into the Road Trip Olympics! Select a challenge to try playing at each stop, whether push-ups, jumping jacks, or something else. Tally up who got the most wins to award the gold! 

20  Color Search

Choose a color at the start of your road trip. Then, keep an eye out for any objects, signs, or cars in that shade, like red fire hydrants. Shout it out once you see it to ensure you score a point. Most players tend to stick with cars to keep the game more challenging, especially if you choose a random color like purple, which is rare in cars. Great for younger kids.

Fun Word Games

21  triple threat  .

Triple Threat is the ultimate imaginative road trip game. Let the driver start by naming three random things off the top of their head; the remaining players must use those words to create a story. Think Mad-Libs, but in real life (and with less context)! 

22  The Grocery Game

Don’t play this game if you’re hungry! The first player will choose an item they would find at a grocery store while the remaining players attempt to guess what it is by asking a question. For example, they might ask, “Is it something in the produce aisle?” The initial player can only answer with “yes” or “no.” The person who guesses it correctly wins.

23  Would You Rather 

This easy game can be as short or as long as you want. Simply ask your fellow passengers, “Would You Rather…” followed by a question. The questions tend to be outlandish, which keeps things interesting. I’m not going to lie, this also makes a great party game with a couple of drinks! Would you rather have a broken leg or a broken arm, have no ears or no nose…

24  Name The Most

Start with a category (like capital cities, beaches, cake flavors, candy bars), and see which player can name the most corresponding items during their turn. Whoever runs out of related words to say loses that round. If you really want to make things interesting, cap the time to 30 seconds per player. Then, the score is based on who named the most items during that time. 

25  Fortunately, Unfortunately 

This is my favorite road trip game. Similar to Triple Threat, players will take turns telling one story when playing this game. However, each player must begin or end each sentence with “fortunately” or “unfortunately,” which the next person then builds on. This game results in lots of unforeseen plot twists! 

26 Starter For 10 Drawing Game

I made this game up when I was kid. Each person starts with a blank piece of paper and one person draws a crazy shape on their paper, then traces it onto everyone else’s piece of paper. You all have 1 minute to turn that shape into something. Add eyes, limbs, wheels, hats. It’s the time limit that adds the pressure. Such fun!

25  The Counting Game

The Counting Game is simple and exciting. Each player states a number, aiming to be the first player to reach 20. Players may only say one to three numbers at a time in chronological order. So player one starts and says “1,2,3” the second player has to start from “4” but could just stop there. There next player starts with “5” and could say “5,6,7” – it’s all strategic to see who is the player who gets to say “20”.

28  Guess Whose Playlist 

Instead of assigning Aux to one passenger, compile a list of everyone’s favorite songs and guess whose playlist it came from. It is a great way to learn more about your friends’ music tastes and gives everyone a chance to sing along. Plus, playing this game is even easier with the help of Spotify’s  remote group sessions , allowing your friends to share and upload songs to the shared playlist.

Card Games for Road Trips

Check out the terrific card game options below, from regular ol’ playing cards to immersive card games. These games are good fun for RV road trips, but most don’t need to lay the cards down so can work for the long car ride too.

29   Blackjack 

Who says you can only play this classic card game in the Casino? The goal of Blackjack is to reach 21, or as close as you can to it. If your cards total more than 21, you will bust. If no players hit 21, the player with the closest total receives the point. 

30   Carpool Chaos

Carpool Chaos is an exciting card game designed with long road trips in mind. The 160 playing cards feature actions, hypothetical questions, and group challenges. Even the driver can participate in the fun since none of these challenges require physical movement. 

31   Do You Really Know Your Family?

See how well your family really knows each other with this fun card game! Cards either contain a trivia question or challenge that involves the entire group. If anyone guesses wrong or fails to complete their challenge, they lose their card. 

32  Go Fish 

Go Fish is the perfect card game for young children since it is so easy to follow. A player will ask for a card, saying, “Do you have the queen of hearts.” The rule is that the asker or “fisher” must have at least one card in the same suit in their personal pile. If the other player does not have the requested card, they will “go fish” by drawing a card from the main deck.

33  Hearts

All players receive the same amount of cards and begin to take turns following suit, starting with the 2 of clubs. You can play the next highest card if you do not have the same suit. The Queen of Spades and heart cards cannot be played in the first round. Instead, they can reveal heart cards later when they do have the same suit, “breaking” the heart. 

34   Cards Against Humanity

“A party game for horrible people”! The goal of Cards Against Humanity is to have the funniest answer to the black prompt cards using terms from the white cards dealt. The person who picked up the black card is in charge of choosing the winner, alternating with each player. Note, this card game is recommended for teens and adults since answers are sometimes a bit naughty. That being said, you can also check out this family-friendly version,  Kids Against Maturity . 

35   Slapjack 

This family-friendly version of Blackjack is even more fun than the original. Each player is dealt cards until the deck disappears. These cards should be kept hidden from the other players, gradually taking one out per turn. Once a jack enters the center, the first player to slap the card collects it and the cards underneath. The first person to lose their cards has one last shot at winning if another jack is revealed in the central pile. 

36   “Shotgun!” The Road Trip Game

Much like Carpool Chaos, this game was designed for road trips. Each card presents an action or question, including some dashboard-friendly cards to keep the driver involved. Since it’s a part of the What Do You Meme? Family, we are sure your group will giggle the whole car ride. 

37  Trivia

Trivia is an excellent way to stay entertained on road trips, especially for those who binge TV shows like Jeopardy. Various trivia card decks are available online, from classic  Trivial Pursuit  to family-friendly  All of Us .

38   UNO

UNO has been a personal favorite game of mine for as long as I can remember. Each player is dealt seven cards, taking turns playing or picking up cards if nothing matches. However, things get more interesting when players start to throw down “Skip,” “Draw 2,” “Reverse,” and “Draw 4” cards. When you have one card remaining, shout “Uno” before the other players catch on or risk picking up another card from the deck, starting the whole process over. 

39   Taco vs. Burrito

Developed by a 7-year-old named Alex, this exciting yet strategic card game is perfect for travelers of all ages. Cards either contain an action or “food” item for extra points. It is super fun to play, especially when you pull out a “food fight” card!

40   We’re Not Really Strangers

Are you looking to get deep on the road? If so, you and your partner, family, or friend group will enjoy the “We’re Not Really Strangers” interactive adult card game, in which each card poses a question or activity. These questions are divided into three levels: Perception, Connection, and Reflection.

Board Games for Road Trips

While board games may not be the best option for a traditional car road trip, they come in handy when traveling by RV. These games are fantastic for keeping your kids (or yourself) engaged longer on the road.

41   Connect Four

Connect Four is always fun, regardless of your age. Each player aims to match four colored discs in a row (up, across or diagonally) before the other, alternating turns every time. If nobody succeeds, you start again until someone wins! There is also a mini version of Connect Four which will work better in the car.

42   Hedbanz, Blast Off!

This board game takes the classic “What Am I?” up a notch. All players wear headbands with cards stating what they are. Then, you take turns to help each other guess what item is on your headband’s card.  

43   Monopoly

While this game may be infamous for causing fights, a game of Monopoly will keep your group entertained for at least two hours (unless someone flips the board). We usually do not suggest bringing board games with many tiny pieces on the road. Still, this iconic board game deserves an exception. Or you can get a magnetic version!

44   Jenga

This simple game consists of removing blocks and re-stacking them until the entire structure comes crashing down. Whoever causes the drop is the loser of the game. What’s even better, you can invest in a  giant Jenga set made of wood that stands three feet tall to double as an outdoor game at your campsite. 

45   Pictionary

One of my favourite all time games! Pictionary has remained a popular game since the mid-1980s. It is pretty similar to charades, but with drawing rather than acting out. Plus, it is the one drawing game where being a mediocre artist actually pays off since the other players might have trouble guessing your answer. 

46   Memory Match Game: Summer Camp Edition

Memory matching games are ideal for the little ones. This camping and wilderness theme version features tons of items you will likely encounter around your campground (except the bear card, hopefully). 

47   The Upside Down Challenge

This game may have nothing to do with the Upside Down in  Stranger Things,  but it is equally as entertaining. Players take chances wearing special upside-down goggles, competing in tasks against their fellow players to see if their vision makes things more complicated. 

Mobile App Games You Can Play On The Road 

I know most of us like to unplug on camping and road trips. However, these interactive mobile games are a great way to entertain the entire family on their devices until you reach your final destination!

48   Heads Up

This famous mobile game, created by Ellen Degeneres, consists of holding your phone over your head (with the app open, unveiling a series of cards like in Hedbanz). At the same time, fellow players help you guess what the card says. The other players cannot use the term when providing you with clues. There are many categories available, from animals to celebrities to miming actions. Plus, the app records your fellow players, meaning you can look back on the hilarious memories made while playing.

49  Duolingo

Home schooling on the road! Improve your language skills while on your road trip using this popular (and free) mobile app, Duolingo. Lessons are straightforward and entertaining. It is available for download on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. 

50   Findery

While Findery is not technically a road trip game, it is a useful app for documenting your trip photos and locating points of interest nearby. So, instead of doing deep-dive Google searches of the town you plan to stop in, learn all about it on Findery! A good one for curious passengers who want to educate everyone as you drive.

51   Trivia Crack

This colorful and straightforward mobile trivia game is a great way to keep your children busy during long car rides. The questions are super easy and can be upgraded to more challenging for older kids and adults. You can also play on a TV or iPad screen through Netflix’s version,  Trivia Quest .  

52   Wordle

Have you played Wordle yet? New York Times bought Wordle from an English man who created it years ago and it’s among the most trending online game right now. The goal is to correctly guess the daily word based on the number of letters available. Now, this game may not keep you entertained for the entire car ride, but it is an excellent way to see who your group’s wordsmith is. 

My top road trip posts you might like to read next!

Los Angeles to San Francisco : with a free downloadable itinerary to print out

Utah road trip in 7 days featuring Zion and Bryce

New England road trip in Fall

Florida Keys : Miami to Key West drive

The Ultimate New Zealand itinerary

Ireland road trip : Dublin to Galway in 5 days

Driving through Denmark

France road trip in 2 weeks

Looking for the best deal to rent a car? I like RentalCars.com .

I always check here first for prices and invariably find it’s the best deal.

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Sierra Wanden

Wednesday 6th of December 2023

Hi Megan! Just wanted to tell you what a great list this is! I'm printing it out and putting it in a "Road Trip Survival Kit" basket that my work group is going to raffle off at our holiday party. Can't wait to try out some of these games myself :)

Megan Singleton

Wonderful! You've made my day :D

About Megan Singleton

Hi, I'm Megan Singleton and I'm the word slinger of this travel blog as well as on radio in NZ every Sunday. Former Travel Editor at Yahoo NZ and current freelance writer for a few newspapers and mags from time to time, I set off on this travel writing journey 20 years ago and I've pretty much always got a suitcase half packed (or half un-packed!) I'd love you to join me on Facebook or Twitter and sign up for my newsletters if you want loads of travel tips, advice and deals!

39 Fun Road Trip Games to Play

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Fill long drives with joy by playing these fun road trip games , helping you say goodbye to boredom on the journey, no matter who you’re traveling with.

I’ve been on plenty of road trips across Europe and the U.S. in my time, and these games have helped me, friends, and fellow travelers pass the time with lots of laughs and intrigue.

Road Trip Games (Fun Games to Play in the Car)

1. Truth or Dare

This is a classic game, but it can be adapted to a road trip as well. Take turns picking whether you want to reveal a truth or take a dare.

In this case, you will need to pick a dare that can be done safely in the car or by stopping the car when you get the chance. Time to be creative!

Read more: 100+ Best Truth or Dare Questions

2. Never Have I Ever

Each player holds up five fingers, and in turn, they name something they have never done, for instance, “Never have I ever been to Italy.”

For each thing they have done, players need to fold a finger. The person who folds all five fingers first loses. This is a fun game, and if you pick the right questions, you may even learn some interesting or funny things about your friends.

Read more: 200+ ‘Never Have I Ever’ Questions

3. The Compliment Game

In this game, you go through the alphabet, and for every letter, you say a compliment about someone else in the car. For instance, “A is for how awesome Monica is,” “B is for Jack’s beautiful hair,” and so on, taking turns.

4. Most Likely to

Take turns and come up with “most likely to” scenarios about your friends. Everyone in the car must point to the person they believe reflects the title.

You could say things like “Most likely to become a celebrity” or “Most likely to win a Nobel prize.” If you’re out of ideas, you can find many examples online, or just try to be creative and invent fun scenarios.

Read more: 300+ “Who is Most Likely to” Questions

5. The Forbidden Word

Pick a forbidden word at the beginning of your trip. Try to aim for a word that you would normally use a lot. Keep count of how many times each person says the forbidden word.

At the end of the trip, whoever has said the word the most will have to take a pre-agreed forfeit, such as paying for a round of drinks.

6. Truth or Lie?

This is a storytelling game in which one person in the car tells a true or invented story from their past, ideally something elaborate and hard to believe.

The other people in the car take turns and get to ask one question about the story before deciding if it’s true or not. Reveal the right answer after everyone took their guess. Take turns telling stories and see who has the greatest number of correct guesses.

7. Smurfing

Pick one person in the car who will be the subject of the game. While the subject covers their ears, the other persons need to pick a verb. Then, the subject must ask questions replacing the verb with the word “smurf.”

For instance, “Do you smurf in the morning or evening” or “When did you last smurf?” They need to guess the right verb as quickly as possible. You may even decide how many questions they get to ask or set a time limit, like 2 minutes, to guess the right verb.

For Families and Kids

8. what color is it.

In this game, start naming a list of items of the same color until your kid, or one of your kids, guesses the right color. For instance, you could start by saying “Sky, sea, smurfs…” and keep going until someone guesses blue.

A classic road trip game for families and kids, “I spy” consists in choosing an object, preferably something in the car, and having other players guess by asking yes or no questions.

You can use colors or the first letter of the object. For instance, you could say “I spy with my little eye… something blue/something that starts with the letter B.” The first person to guess the object gains a point.

10. Spelling Bee

A fun and educational game, the spelling bee is easy to play in a car. You can pick random words or make it more fun by choosing a theme, possibly something kids would enjoy.

For instance, you could do a Harry Potter spelling bee with words from the book/movie. Make sure to have someone keep track of the points on a piece of paper or a note app.

11. Scavenger Hunt

This game may require a bit of preparation but it’s a great way to keep kids entertained on a long road trip.

Before the trip, prepare a list of things you would usually see on the road, like road signs, cars, animals, and so on. The person who checks the most items off the list before the end of the trip wins.

12. Car Color Search

This game also needs some preparation, but it can be very entertaining for small kids. You can draw several cars of different colors or find a ready-made sheet online and print it.

Every time they spot a car of a certain color, they cross it off the list. Whoever crosses the most cars off the list wins the game.

13. Going on a Picnic

This challenging memory game is great for adults, but you can also play it with older kids. The first person starts by saying “I’m going on a picnic, and I’ll bring…” and picks an item.

The next person repeats the sentence and adds another item, then the third adds a third item, and so on. The list will get longer and longer. The first person who can’t remember the correct list is out of the game and it resets until there is one winner.

14. Storytime

If you’re feeling creative, why not invent a fairy tale with the kids? Start with the classic fairy tale beginning “Once upon a time…” and come up with the start of a magical journey in a singular sentence.

Each player will add a sentence to the story until you either reach the end or until a set time limit elapses. You can also record the story so you can listen to it later.

15. The Quiet Game

If you’re traveling with kids and want some downtime, you can always try the quiet game. See how long your kids can go without saying a word. The first one to break the silence loses.

For Couples or Two People

16. 20 questions.

In this guessing game, one person will have to think about an object, animal, or person, and the other must ask yes or no questions to figure out what the other person is thinking.

They have a limit of 20 questions to guess the item or person. Ideally, you would start with more generic questions, like “Is it an animal” or “Is it an object?” and get more specific with questions about the size, color, and other features.

If the person guesses in less than 20 questions, they take the place of the answerer. Otherwise, the same person gets to think of a new thing.

17. The Human Jukebox

This can be a really fun song if you know song lyrics. One person starts singing a song, and the next has to connect it to another song using the last word of the lyrics, then another has to connect a new song, and so on.

For instance, “Take me down to the paradise city where the girls…. Just wanna have fun, oh girls… Who run the world? Girls. Who run…. Boy run. This world is not made for you…” And see how long you can keep going before someone is stumped.

18. 6 Degrees of Separation

A person has to name two people, objects, movies, or any other thing. You can mix them, for instance, a celebrity and a movie, that are apparently not connected. Another player has to connect the two in six statements, or less.

You could, for example, pick Uma Turman and the movie Mamma Mia. And then say “Uma Turman starred in “Kill Bill” with Lucy Liu. Lucy Liu starred in Charlie’s Angels with Cameron Diaz. Cameron Diaz had a relationship with Justin Timberlake. Justin Timberlake starred in “In Time” alongside Amanda Seyfried. Amanda Seyfried starred in Mamma Mia!”

19. Two Truths and a Lie 

This is a great game to learn more about your travel companion. Take turns and tell two truths and one line. The other person has to guess which is the lie.

You can just keep playing to discover curious facts about yourselves or make it a points game. Whoever gets to 10 correct answers first wins. Remember to choose a reward for the winner.

Read more: 2 Truths and a Lie: 200+ Lie Ideas

20. Holiday Memory Game

In this memory game, you pretend you are packing your suitcase for the holidays and need to take turns listing all the items you will pack. The first person will start by saying “I am going on a holiday and I’m taking…” and adds an item.

The next player has to repeat the sentence and add a new item then the next player will do the same. Keep adding items to the bag, repeating the entire list every time. The first person who messes up the order or forgets an item loses the game or is out. Ready to test your memory?

21. Kiss Mary Avoid

Pick three people, either someone you know or celebrities, both from past and present. You may even pick a fictional character.

The other person will need to choose which person they would kiss, marry, and avoid. Depending on your choice of people, this game can be really fun. Take turns and get creative!

22. Would You Rather

Time to get creative for this game where a person has to ask the other(s) what they would choose between two options.

The idea is to come up with impossible or weird choices, like “Would you rather never see again or never taste food?” If you’re out of ideas, this “would you rather” questions list can help you out. Tine to make some difficult choices.

Generally Fun Road Trip Games

23. categories.

While this is not necessarily a road trip game, it’s a really fun one to pass the time. Pick a category, anything from ice cream flavors to R&B songs. Every player takes turns naming an item in that category. See who runs out of ideas first.

24. The Humming Song Game

The game is pretty easy yet fun to play. One player must hum a famous song while the others need to guess the song. The person who guesses correctly gets to hum a new song. It may sound really easy, but it can get quite tricky.

25. Music Battle

To play this game you must be at least three passengers. One person is the judge while the others need to play songs on their phones.

Select different categories, and for each one, every player picks a song and plays it. The judge has to decide the winning song for every category.

26. Alphabet

This game consists in spotting items that start with each letter of the alphabet, in order. You can use objects in the car or on the road, like road signs, billboards, animals, or anything else you may spot.

Call out each letter and the item/word as you see it. The first person the get to Z wins. In a different version, you may pick a category, like animals, and take turns naming items in that category in alphabetic order.

One player starts by saying a word, then each passenger takes turns saying words that rhyme. Set a 15-second time limit per turn. If the person can’t come up with a word within the time limit, they are out.

The remaining person wins a point. See who gains the most point before you get to the destination or who gets to 10 points first.

28. Storyteller

The game is pretty simple but depending on how creative you get it can be very fun. One person starts a story with the first sentence. Then, everyone takes turns adding to the story.

Come up with interesting and fun plot twists to make the story more entertaining. Record it to have a memory of your road trip story.

29. Fortunately/Unfortunately

This game consists of telling a story where each sentence starts with the word “fortunately” or “unfortunately,” alternating between them.

For example: “Anna had to go to work. Unfortunately, her car broke down. Fortunately, she could take the train. Unfortunately, all trains were delayed.” Keep the story going, alternating between the two.

30. While You Were Sleeping

This is a funny game that you can play if any of the passengers falls asleep during the trip. With the other passengers, come up with an interesting and unbelievable story of something that happened while the other person was asleep.

When they wake up, tell them the story, starting with “While you were sleeping…”. Each passenger adds a little to the story to make it credible that you all witnessed it. Try not to break character and see if the other person believes your story.

31. Car Rule

To play this game, each person in the car gets to make up a random rule, and everyone has to follow it. Try to think of weird and fun rules, like “Whenever I change the radio station, everyone has to clap their hands”.

Assign points to everyone who enforces the rules except for the last person to do so. The person with the most points at the destination wins.

32. The License Plate Game

This classic road trip game can be played in different ways. You can try to spot a license plate from every US state or from different countries if you’re traveling in Europe.

Or you can try to spot a license plate starting with each letter of the alphabet, and the first one to get to Z wins. If you are playing with kids, you can even print a coloring map of the U.S. and have them color each state they spot on a license plate.

Trivia Road Trip Games

33. name that tune.

A great game for music lovers is “Name that tune”. You can simply turn on the radio or put on a Spotify playlist, making sure the song name is not visible on the display.

As soon as the song starts, the first person to shout the right song title wins a point. This is a great game to have fun, listen to music, and refresh your memory of song names.

34. Name the Artist

A different take on “Name that tune,” this game requires players to guess the artist. You can even prepare a playlist in advance and set different rules.

You can assign points based on who answers first, or you can take turns, play a song for 5 to 10 seconds, and let the player guess or pass. Whoever makes more points or reaches a set number of points first wins.

35. The Movie Game

If you know your movies and actors, you can play this potentially endless game during your road trip. To start, a person mentions an actor while another person must name a movie the actor has been in.

Another player must name a different actor in that movie, and the next player must then name another movie with that actor, and so on. See how long you can go!

36. Guess the Quote

One person in the car has to say a quote from a movie, TV show, or song, while the other passengers must guess where the quote is from.

The player who makes the right guess takes the next turn in saying a quote. Try to make it hard, and for extra fun, use the accent of the actor who said the quote.

37. “Sorry I am Late” Movie Guessing

This can be a really fun game for movie buffs. It essentially consists of saying a sentence that starts with “Sorry I am late” and continues with the main plot of a movie, told in a fun way.

For instance, “Sorry I am late, but I got a letter saying I am a wizard and I had to go to wizarding school only to find out this evil wizard has been trying to kill me since I was a newborn,” which would be Harry Potter. The person who guesses 10 movies first wins.

38. Bad Movie Plot

Another fun movie fame consists in picking a movie and explaining the plot in a really bad way, although factually correct. The other person has to guess the movie.

If they do, they win a point. Take turns and see who makes the most points or gets first to 10 correct guesses.

39. Celebrity

In this game, one person will play the character of a celebrity of their choice while the others take turns asking random questions.

The celebrity player answers the questions as if they were the famous person. The first person to guess the celebrity wins.

Long journeys in the car can often be difficult, for both you and the other passengers you are traveling with. Finding activities to pass the time can go a long way making the journey far more comfortable and enjoyable.

The beauty of these road trip games is that they require little, if any, equipment and preparation to play, yet can provide hours of fun.

Don’t let tiredness and boredom take control on a long car ride. Use these fun car games to create a fun and relaxing atmosphere, keeping your minds off the journey and giving you all an opportunity to interact and bond.

From word games to games involving famous people, there’s so much you can do in the car with minimal resources to entertain young kids, teenagers, and the whole family!

You Might Also Like to Read

• 40 Fun Things to Do on a Long Car Ride

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30 Road Trip Games for Couples

The car is packed, the playlist is prepped, and the passenger princess is strapped in. What are you forgetting? 

With a few long hours ahead, we suggest making note of these road-trip games for couples that will keep everyone entertained — even if rush-hour traffic stops you in your tracks! Discover your favorite road trip game for your next couple’s adventure, and you’ll be surprised how fast time will tick by. 

Whether you want to quiz your partner or want to walk down memory lane with some classic games (hello I Spy!), we’ve rounded up the best road trip games to help you pass the time. 

What can you do with your boyfriend or girlfriend on a long car ride?

Traveling as a pair with no kids or friends in tow? Take the opportunity to get to know your partner better! With countless hours at your disposal, there is a range of road trip games to keep you both entertained! 

1. Mystery gifts

Do you have a gift-giving love language? Then this could be the game for you. 

Your road trip’s going to have lots of gas station stops. Pledge to buy each other one mystery gift at the next stop. You can turn it into a guessing game or just get them something quirky as a memento.

Whether you make it into a sweet tooth stop or feel like stocking up on some quirky keychains, the options are endless! 

2. Counting your steps

Fun car games all involve sitting still, right? Next time you pull over, set yourselves a time limit. Using your smartphone, watch and any step apps, use the limited time to get as many steps in as you can. 

Will you look a little crazy running around the car park? Yes. Will it make it even more fun? Also, yes. 

This one’s a great game for competitive types – who will log the most steps?

3. 36 questions to get to know each other

Want to get the conversation flowing? 

If you’re looking for conversation starters, you can’t do better than these 36 questions to fall in love. Learn more about your deepest, most treasured memories or plan for the future with these road trip questions.

4. Would you rather?

A good old-fashioned game of ‘Would you rather?’ is guaranteed to get your significant other laughing. 

It’s a world away from those road trip games for couples questions and involves picking the best of two bad scenarios. Start small and dial it up to something more frisky! 

5. Two truths and a lie

How much do you really know about each other? Tell your partner two truths and one lie, then make them guess which one is the lie. 

Try and keep your poker face on, and no matter how many questions your partner asks — don’t give any hints! 

6. Kiss, marry, kill

This is one of the best fun road trip games for couples but it also works in groups. 

Simply pick three celebrities and say if you would kiss (or more!), marry or kill them. It’s an amazing insight into the mind!

7. The Compliment Game

Ready to get all ooey-gooey with your partner?

Begin with the first letter of the alphabet and compliment something you like about them, starting with that letter. Arms, boobs, zippers – you get the idea.

8. The Newlywed Game 

This one needs the passenger prince/princess to be in control, keeping score along the way!

Put your partner under pressure by asking them a range of intimate questions, from where you had your first date, to the first time you said you love each other. Take turns as you run through all the questions, and when you change drivers at the next pitstop — it’s your turn in the hot seat! 

What are some good games to play on a long road trip?

If you’ve got a really long road trip, or if you’re traveling with others, you’ll need to get creative. Try these on for size.

9. Road trip bingo

This one takes a little prep. Make up some bingo cards before you leave and mark them with observations like “somebody mowing their lawn” or “somebody crossing the street”. 

The rarer the spot, the better!

10. I’d like to know more about…

The one thing you have been blessed with on this trip is time. 

So ask yourselves, what’s a topic you’d really like to learn more about? Dig out some podcasts, look for audiobooks on Amazon, or just head to Wikipedia and start learning.

To make sure everyone was listening, why not break out a quiz round at the end? 

11. License plate anagrams

The license plate game is great for getting those creative cogs whirring. Look at the plates in front of you and try to come up with words – could these be linked to the driver?

Or if you want to expand your horizons, they can also use any passing billboards, signs, or any other tools to encrypt the words. 

12. The story game

Feeling inventive? Start to tell a story. It can be something simple like, “Once upon a time there was a couple driving home.” 

Your partner can start the next sentence and so on –  like your road trip, who knows where it will end up?

13. Sorry I Was Late

This one’s a great movie game for you cinephiles out there. Start by telling your partner you’re sorry you were late, then explain why – but in the style of a movie plot. Have them guess what it is.

For example, I’m so sorry that I was late, I was just bitten by a spider that gave me superpowers and then I had to go save the world with a billionaire superhero. (Any guesses?) 

14. 21 Questions 

A classic but it can get pretty interesting, especially if you’re willing to be inventive!

Learn more about the way your partner’s brain works by asking them 21 questions, and if you want to get extra competitive, give out points for every question you didn’t use. 

15. The Movie Game 

This is another great one for movie buffs, or even those who are secretly obsessed with pop culture. Start by naming an actor and then go to the next person, so they can name one of the films they were in!

Go back and forth between your group until someone runs out of ideas!

16. The Name Game 

This word game is perfect to keep you on your toes!

Start with anyone’s full name (try and be more creative than your own!) and then the next person has to name someone using the first letter of the previous person’s last name. It sounds confusing, but once you get into it, there’s no stopping you! 

What are some games to play in the car?

Traveling with kids? There are plenty of car ride games for couples and kids, with lots of distractions to keep everyone entertained! 

To avoid the constant, ‘Are we there yet?’ questions, these games could be your ticket to a fun road trip! 

17. What’s their story?

There’s nothing like a bit of people-watching to pass the time, is there? 

Look around for the first person you can see. Ask your partner and the kids – what’s their story? See what exciting versions of their lives you can come up with.

18. The cockpit game

Ready to take off? Pretend the car is your own jumbo jet. You’re upfront with the pilot and the kids are the cabin crew. Where are you going, and will the pilot take off safely? Whoosh!

19. Scattergories

This alphabet game involves picking a category and then a letter of the alphabet. So you might say something like car brands and ‘P.’ Whoever runs out of ideas loses!

20. Odd car out

Make your next road trip more exciting by looking out for automobile oddities. You might spot a classic car on the other side of the road, or it might just be a funky color. Set each other a goal for vehicles to spot and see who gets there first!

Long drives always go quicker with a game of I Spy. Have the kids guessing for hours or watch them drift off – then you can play the more adult games for couples!

22. Alpha-DJ

Another fun alphabet name game, you’ll need a music player to play this one. Play DJ and get everybody to ask you for a song title or artist beginning with a certain letter.

23. Guess the song

Still playing DJ? Start by playing only the first few seconds of a track, before the song lyrics kick in if you can. The first player to guess the song correctly wins!

24. Speaking in song

This one’s as much a memory game as it is a trivia game – can you think of a song that will keep the conversation going? 

Start a new chat with the title of a song, such as, “Have I told you lately?” Then the next player will have to respond with another song title. The player with the last word wins.

25. While you were sleeping! 

This is a great one if you have any sleepy kids in the car!

Just wait for one member of the family to doze off, while the rest of you concoct a wild story of what happened while they were sleeping. Get as creative as possible, and see if they believe you! 

What do adults play in the car?

If you’re lucky enough to be enjoying road trip activities solo, you can be as naughty as you like. You’ve also got free rein to make games more complicated – just keep those eyes on the road.

26. Degrees of separation

Start by naming two distinct objects. Let’s say a witch’s broom and a getaway car. Can you get there in six steps or fewer by word association alone? Hermione rode a witch’s broom…Hermione loves Ron…Ron drove a getaway car…you get the idea.

27. Junk memories

Who said clearing out the messes in your car can’t be fun? Go through your old receipts and tickets and try to think back to the memories of that day. Here’s a check for a burger restaurant…remember that date?

This can be a fun walk down memory lane, while also being a subtle way to clean up their car! 

28.  Truth or dare

You can make this one as daring as you like! It could be something tame like tooting your horn at another driver or making a fool of yourself in the gas station. 

Feel free to  make it naughtier too – this is a couple’s road trip, after all.

29. Fun photo ops

Nothing makes for weird and wonderful photo effects like a moving car. Take snaps out of the window or of the two of you while moving. Just make sure you don’t distract the driver!

30.  Never have I ever

Travel games for couples are great because they rely on imagination rather than just alcohol. 

In this booze-free version of this classic game, ask each other to confess your deepest darkest secrets. Take a swig of a non-alcoholic drink or try another gesture, like winking.

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The Best Road Trip Games for Kids

S ick of hearing “Are we there yet”? If you are headed out on a family road trip, you’ll probably want to bring along a few road trip games to keep the kids occupied. While my kids will often play with their electronics for much of our road trips, they do usually run out of power well before we arrive at our destination – especially for a long road trip.

I also love for them to look up from their devices once in a while, so they don’t get car sick and so they see where we are going. Load your car up with these fun games so your kids will be entertained for your long journey. With a little planning, road tripping can be so much fun.

I recommend pulling these games out individually after a while of travel on a long drive. You won’t want to get sick of them too early in the journey. You may also consider playing games when devices run out of power, when you are in traffic, or when you are in a long stretch between stops.

While you may want to purchase travel games for road trips, keep in mind that many come with multiple game pieces that can be hard to keep track of. The best way to store these is in plastic bags – but you may want to save them for your destination if you are traveling with younger kids.

Did I miss any favorite fun car games? Leave me a comment on this post and we’ll update this post regularly with more ideas.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Purchasing and/or clicking on some of the links in this post may result in a commission paid to us at no additional cost to you. All opinions are my own.

Mad Libs on the Road

My kids love Mad Libs, and this version is perfect for a family vacation. Remember to bring some pens or sharpened pencils with you.

Even if you don’t purchase this particular version of Mad Libs, there are lots of other options to choose from. I love Mad Libs for teaching kids about nouns and verbs too. It’s a great car game and something you can also play at your destination.

Travel Scavenger Hunt Game

Looking for things along the journey can be fun. If you need inspiration for what to look for, you may consider this travel scavenger hunt game. This pack includes 54 scavenger hunt cards, and is good for kids ages 7 and up.

This type of game can be a great way to get kids to look around and see their environment while traveling. Cards include things you can hear, things you can see, and things you can smell.

Rubberneckers

This game goes beyond the travel road trip scavenger hunt. For instance, one of the challenges is to get someone in the car next to you to wave back at you.

It’s best for slightly older kids. I think it would be a great game for a very long trip because it can be a different experience every time you play it.

License Plate Game

The license plate game is a classic road trip game, and this game from Melissa and Doug makes it easy. If you don’t want to purchase the game, you can make your own before heading out.

Since it can be hard to find some states, like Hawaii and Alaska, you may just want to focus on a specific region of the United States so you aren’t playing for too long.

Play this one when you are on the highway and are more likely to see different states’ license plates. On smaller side roads, it will be tougher to find multiple states. If the game gets boring, kids won’t want to keep playing.

I remember playing this great car game when I was a kid, and it’s still a classic. Older kids may get bored after a while, but younger kids will love it. These cards make it easy to play over and over again, without using paper and pens.

Like the license plate game, you’ll want to play car bingo on a highway or other road with lots of things to see. Depending on the game you buy, you’ll be looking for road signs, other vehicles, things on the side of the road, etc. It’s best when you are traveling at a steady speed because when you are in traffic, you won’t see a variety of things.

Here is another set on Amazon . It includes road signs, roadside, and vehicle options, and uses a dry erase marker rather than plastic sleeves.

Crayola DryErase Travel Pack

I bought my kids these packs for a road trip, and they love them. The kits include activity sheets, dry-erase crayons, and a sharpener, and they would also be great for a plane trip.

This isn’t a game specifically, although you could use it for Hangman or other games that require pen and paper. These are also great for a plane trip.

Travel Spirograph

This isn’t a game either, but it’s a fun toy for on the go. A few years ago, I bought my kids a full spirograph set and they loved it.

This travel set is great for on-the-go designing. It would also be a fun toy to play with while you are in a hotel room, or on a long flight.

Several years ago, on our Adventures by Disney trip to Italy, one of the kids brought a deck of cards. My kids weren’t too familiar with card games, but they ended up having so much fun.

Now, we never travel without a deck of cards. Before you go, search for age-appropriate games for your kids, so you have lots of options.

Another fun card game is UNO, which is great for all ages. On our Greece Adventures by Disney trip, our guide had a small keychain version of UNO that the kids loved playing as we waited for flights and ferries.

Loaded Questions

The travel version of this popular game includes a bunch of questions that you can play with, helping you get to know your travel companions even more. It’s also a great way to get older children to open up more.

The car version of the popular Amazon Alexa works off of your Alexa app on a smartphone (get it on the app store before leaving). It offers some fun car games, including my favorite – Song Quiz. You can guess song names and artists and even compete with people around the world. If you play that way, take turns. One person plays, then the next person, and see who gets the top score.

Other Road Trip Games That You Don’t Have to Purchase

There are other fun road trip games that don’t require you to bring or purchase anything. These simple games are great to learn and play wherever you happen to be, including busy lines and in hotel rooms.

Guess the movie/TV show: The kids love playing this one. One player chooses a movie or tv show and just tells everyone the first letter of each word.

For instance, High School Musical would be HSM. The first person to guess then comes up with the next movie. We’ve played this game while waiting for our food at restaurants, in the car, and when waiting for a flight.

You can play this with song titles or as a tv / movie game. Or change it up when you get bored!

Alphabet game:  Everyone in the car looks outside the car to look for items that start with letters of the alphabet. Start with A, and go in order to the next letter of the alphabet. Set rules ahead of time, and decide whether or not you’ll include items in the car or just items outside the vehicle.

Eye Spy : In this simple game, one person in the car looks outside or inside the car and finds an item. They then say, “I Spy With My Little Eye something that ….” and choose an adjective to describe it.

Other players can guess and additional clues can be given. The person who answers correctly can then choose the next item.

20 Questions:  In this game, one player chooses an object and other players can ask up to 20 questions to try to guess it. For younger kids, you may want to turn this into more of a 5 questions game.

Quiet Game: In this classic game, you ask everyone in the car to see how long they can be quiet. This is the best way to get everyone to settle down when the car ride is getting loud.

Rock Paper Scissors: This classic game can be a fun way to keep people occupied.

Punch Buggy: This can be a lot of fun to play as an ongoing game throughout your trip.

What are your favorite road trip games?

The post The Best Road Trip Games for Kids appeared first on Family Travel Magazine .

FREE License Plate Game Printable: Buckle Up For Road Trip Fun

The license plate game is a classic road trip game where players try to spot license plates from as many different states as possible. The ultimate goal is to be the first to find all 50 U.S. states.

Your kids will not only have fun passing time on a road trip but they will also:

• Learn the geography of the United States
• Pay closer attention to their surroundings
• Get off their devices while in the car!

How To Play The License Plate Game With Free Printable

1. Download and print the map. The additional state names with abbreviations page is to help find where each state is on the map.

Pro Tip: Print double-sided to make it easy.

2. Secure the map and a marker on a clipboard for easy use in the car. You can place the map in a laminated sheet protector to use more than once.

3. Bring this entertaining game along on your next road trip, or keep it in the car for daily use during commutes.

4. Whenever you spot a license plate from a different state, color in that state on the map. Each player must call out the plate in order to get credit for it . Another player may not use the same license plate.

5. After a designated period of time, the player with the most states wins.

More Ways To Use The License Plate Game Printable

There are several variations of the License Plate Game. They can add excitement and challenge to the game.

Play As A Family

In this variation, everyone in the family works together as a team to find different state license tags. You can color one map or everyone can color their own. This variation works well for younger kids.

Two Or More Players

Players use one map to hunt for U.S. license plates and fill in that state with their own unique color. After a period of time, the player with the most states wins.

Players can score bonus points for special vehicles and license plates listed.

Keep A Running Tally

As you spot each state’s license plate, color in the corresponding state on the map. Additionally, maintain a running tally beside each state name (except your own) whenever you encounter another tag from that state.

For instance, if you live in Kansas and spot two New York license plates, color in New York on the map and add one tally mark beside it on the list. This dual approach adds a layer of strategy to the game, keeping players engaged and eager to find more license plates.

Make it interesting by keeping score. You can do this in a variety of ways:

• Give a designated number of points for each state. (Write the points on the map before starting the game.)
• Assign higher points to states you live farther away from.
• Give bonus points for Alaska and Hawaii.
• Challenge players to find three consecutive state tags in alphabetical order for extra points.
• Use the list of bonus vehicles and tags for more points and added play.

Add small prizes to make it fun and motivating for your family! Let the winner pick the radio station, next road stop point, or get a special snack to share.

• More Great Road Trip Games
• Road Trip Trivia Questions
• Put A Finger Down Questions (Family Favorite!)

Free Printable License Plate Game

Grab the free printable license plate game map pdf!

Pro tip: Print the states and abbreviations on the backside of the map to help kids easily locate each state they find on the map.

The License Plate Game Printable is a must-have for anyone planning a road trip. It’s a simple yet enjoyable activity that can keep everyone entertained for hours.

So, print out the game sheets, grab a marker, and get ready to hit the road!

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Jessica is a contributing editor for Healthy Happy Impactful. She is dedicated to fostering a love of reading and empowering women and families. Jessica holds a Master's degree in Education and is a licensed Reading Specialist. She is a mom to 2 kids.

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Long Road Trip Game 4+

Simple fun game for road trips, designed for ipad, screenshots, description.

Simple fun family game for long road trips. You're on a long road trip and you have a bad memory. You want to play the alphabet game, but you're easily distracted. This is the app for you! You can play however you like! Play by yourself or with a whole bus full! It's a very simple game and helps to keep the boredom away during long drives and still allow you to connect and engage with family. Features: - Easy to read screen for those who might get motion sickness. - Keeps track of the number of cycles you've done. - Keeps screen on when plugged in so your phone doesn’t go to sleep. - No ads or in-app purchases or tracking. - Remembers where you left off so you can pick up the game after breaks. If there are other features you'd like to see, please let us know! How to play: First, be sure you're not the driver. If you are, make sure a passenger is the only one holding the device. Safety is #1! As you're riding down the road, look out the car windows for the letter or number. If you see it, call it out! It can be part of a road sign, text on trucks, license plates, billboards, basically anything with text. Variations include finding full words starting with the letter vs just finding the letter anywhere. You can restrict to only upper case letters or allow any form of the letter. We usually play where capitalization doesn't matter. For numbers, you can restrict to solo numbers or include any occurrence (so if you're looking for 11, you can count 341123 as including the number). Simply tap the letter or number to advance to the next and repeat. (If you accidentally tap and need to go back, long-press on the letter or number to go back one.) If you want to re-start from the beginning, select "Reset" and the entire game will be reset. We have a built-in support and contact feature that provides device information and allows you to easily contact us and get help from within the app. Please let us know if you have any ideas for improvements, be safe, and have fun! **Warning: Do not play while driving. Only have passengers mark.**

App Privacy

The developer, Kudit LLC , indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .

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The developer does not collect any data from this app.

Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More

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Up to six family members can use this app with family sharing enabled., more by this developer.

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Mystic Seer

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From saving on gas to driving with kids, here's your ultimate road trip planner

"Easy Travel” is a 10-part series focusing on how to reduce bumps during vacations, anticipate roadblocks and be ready when things aren’t going your way. If you'd like to contribute to our future reporting and share your experience as a source, you can click here to fill out this quick form .

Ina Daly has spent most of her life on the road.

“My dad was a truck driver and that led me to becoming a truck driver,” she said. “What we do in a day, on a daily job would be like a long road trip to most people.”

With nearly 40 years of driving for freight transportation services provider XPO and numerous industry accolades under her belt, including grand champion at this year’s Arizona Truck Driving Championship , Daly is a pro. She’s also a mom and a grandmother who’s happy to share her experiences to make everyone’s road trips better.

“Some of the things I'm telling you are what we truckers tell our family members,” she said. “I've had a lot of accomplishments in my career and going to the National Truck Driving Championships (this month) is a reward, but the bigger reward is being able to share some things … that have the potential to save lives.”

What to do before a long drive

“Make sure that your vehicle’s road trip ready,” Daly said. ”Really pay close attention to your tires, your coolant, your fan belt.”

She notes tire dealers often offer free inspections to ensure tires are properly inflated and undamaged.

AAA spokesperson Aixa Diaz advises getting the whole car serviced before hitting the road.

“If you're a car person and you can, do that yourself at home, by all means,” she said. Otherwise, she recommends getting the oil changed and battery and tires checked professionally. 

To save time and avoid stress, Diaz also suggests filling up on gas the night before leaving and making hotel reservations well in advance, noting that many hotels allow cancellations without penalty up until the day beforehand. 

What do you need before a road trip?

It’s always good to keep an emergency kit with supplies like first aid, a flashlight and extra batteries, and basic tools in the vehicle.

“You want to make sure that if you do have a tire issue, you have the proper tools and jacks in your vehicle to be able to change it,” Daly said. She said warning signals like reflective triangles can also warn other drivers to steer clear in the event of a breakdown.

For road trips, both she and Diaz recommend shelf-stable snacks like protein bars that won’t melt and plenty of water. “Don't think that a bottle or two for everybody is enough,” Daly said. “You've got to have, you know, five or six bottles for everyone.” 

Diaz also recommends wet wipes, blankets during the winter, and any time-sensitive medication or pet food that might be needed in the event of an extended delay.

“These things ideally wouldn't take up too much room in your trunk but they're just good to have in case of an emergency,” Diaz said. “Just think, ‘If I were stuck for a long time, what would keep me comfortable until I was able to (get) help?’”  

A printed map and a general sense of the route can also help in case there GPS hiccups or a phone dies.  AAA’s free TripTik planner can help travelers plot their trips in advance and find rest stops, lodging, food and gas along the way. And its free Gas Cost Calculator can help locate the cheapest average gas prices for drivers when it’s time to refuel.

'Get out there': This mom is using a never-ending road trip to inspire Black family travel

What I should know before a road trip?

“Everything can be a distraction in the car – the radio, the kids, etc. But the phone is a big one,” Daly advised. “When you’re driving, that thing should not ever be in your hand.”

More than 3,500 people were killed on U.S. roads in 2021 because of distracted driving, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration . 

Daly also recommends watching out for distracted drivers.

“You can tell a distracted driver by their fluctuating speed,” she warned. “They're drifting in their lane. Their head is looking down instead of focusing on the road. You want to give those people a wide berth.”

How long will a road trip take?

Road trips always take longer than expected because of traffic, construction and other things that arise en route.

Diaz says to expect at least an hour longer than whatever the GPS predicts. Daly recommends leaving at least two hours early.

“You don't want that stressful drive,” Daly said. “You’re hurrying. That lends to bad driving behaviors like tailgating and speeding, which leads to accidents. Don’t put yourself in that situation.”

How many hours a day should you drive on a road trip?

“It just varies so much from person to person, how long they’re comfortable driving,” Diaz said. “We want to err on the side of safety. We want people to be safe on the roads and drive the speed limit and not rush it, but everybody's different.”

Switching out drivers can lighten the load, but no matter who is driving, Daly said, “If you're starting to feel a little, less attentive, maybe a little fatigued, it’s time to take a break.”

What time is best to drive?

“We always recommend, especially during the holidays, leave early in the morning,” Diaz said. “The later you leave in the day, the worse it's going to be because a lot of times during the week … you're going to mix with those commuters on the road.”

“Some people enjoy night driving,” she added. “Once you get to like 8 p.m., 9 p.m. traffic comes down a lot.” 

However, she noted drivers who leave in the evening should watch out for fatigue and plan to drive less than if they started fresh in the morning.

How do you take a good road trip with kids? 

When possible, Daly recommends having a designated passenger to help with kids so the driver can focus on the road.  

Another important thing is to keep seatbelts on the whole way.

“Kids have a tendency to take those off,” Daly said. “Make sure they stay buckled up. I've seen some horrible things out there.”

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What do kids need on a road trip?

Entertainment helps pass the time, but it doesn’t have to be digital. There are all sorts of screen-free road trip games . 

Diaz recommends printing a map or list of sites or cities for kids to watch for along the way.

“You know, yell it out or mark it on your sheet,” she said. “Have some crayons in the car with them so they're following along on the trip, and they feel like they're part of it.”

“Point out historical landmarks and scenery; enjoy nature,” Daly echoed. “That's one of the things that we truck drivers love about our jobs is we get to see the country and nature.”

Stop at points of interest every few hours or simply for everyone to stretch their legs.

And for those times when kids are on screens, make sure to pack car chargers.

What is the best way to save gas?

Don’t speed. 

“Fuel economy peaks at around 50 miles per hour on most cars, and then it drops off as the speeds increase,” Diaz said. “You think, ‘OK, if I just go 70, I'm going to get there faster, and it'll be better,’ but essentially, you're just wasting gas at that point." Fuel economy can be increased by as much as 15% by reducing highway speeds by 5 to 10 miles per hour, she said.

Don’t idle unnecessarily either, like at rest stops.

“Your car engine consumes about a quarter to a half a gallon of fuel per hour while it's idling,” she said. “But a warm engine only takes about 10 seconds’ worth of fuel to restart, so if it's safe to do so, just shut off your engine.”

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What happens if my tire blows out?

“When you blow a tire, kaboom, it freaks you out. Do not panic,” Daly said. “Don't slow down abruptly or brake hard or jerk the wheel because that will cause you to lose control and have an accident.”

“Just focus on steering,” she added. “Slow very gradually, off to the side of the road in a safe area, and you won’t have any issue from your blown tire.”

How do you drive around semitrucks?

“Be aware of our needs and limitations,” Daly said. “You know we’re big. We need a lot of space around us. We have big blind spots. … If you can’t see the truck driver’s face in the mirrors of the truck, the truck driver can’t see you.”

She advised against passing on the right. 

“If you have to pass quickly, don’t linger over there. We see people driving over there for the shade (and it) puts us in a very dangerous situation,” she said. “And don’t cut in front of us and then hit your breaks. People don’t like to follow a truck because they can’t see around us, so they pass us and then cut in front of us.”

“It takes away that safety cushion we leave in front of us,” she added. “When you see all that space in front of a truck, that's not for your convenience so that you can pass us and cut into it. That’s for our safety and yours.”

By the same token, she advised fellow drivers to leave plenty of space in front of their own vehicles, so they have enough room to stop quickly in an emergency. If another driver cuts into that space, she suggested, “Take a break. Slow down again. Recreate that space. Bite your tongue and think pure thoughts.”

That last tip may not be so easy.

What has been your best or worst road trip experience?