The 20 Questions is tried and true, a road game that has lasted generations and the players need only a single thing: imagination.
The premise is simple. One player thinks of an answer - for instance - the author Stephen King. The other players then have 20 questions to narrow down who or what the answer might be. They might ask questions like: "Is it a man?" or "Is this person famous?"
Players can choose categories or play completely open-ended games. In open-ended games, the sky is the limit for answers. The player who thinks of the answer can choose anything from asparagus to pencils. Then it is up to the other players to ask the right questions (yes or no questions only).
Memory games are fun for any road trip because they give the travelers' minds some much-needed exercise. One very simple memory game involves a basic list where each player adds to the category repeatedly until one or all of the players begin to forget.
For example, players may choose the category animals. Then the first player lists an animal, such as, "tiger." The next player must say the first person's animal and add her own, "Tiger, moose." The third player does the same, "tiger, moose, badger." The loop continues and begins again with the first player until one or all of the players forget animals in the list. The winner is the player who can remember the most animals in the order that they were added.
Bingo is ideal for kids because they have a board to play with in addition to watching the scenery.
Parents can prepare a Bingo board ahead of time with probable sights that will be passed in the car. For example, the board might contain words like cow, white house, blue van and others. The kids watch for the sights and mark their boards when they see items listed.
Many websites offer lists of fun road trip games and even templates that can be printed at home and used during the trip. The website Mom's Minivan boasts of more than 101 car travel games and road trip ideas. Not only does the site list a variety of road trip craft projects, but also miscellaneous games like slug bug and bubble gum blowing contests.
