Travel games to play on the way
- Connect the dots: With pencil and paper create a dot grid 10 dots wide by 10 dots high. (or any size you want) each player takes turns drawing one line between a pair of dots. The dots must be adjacent, but can be anywhere on the page.(no diagonal lines) The goal is to close four sides of a box. Each time you create a box, write your initial in it, then you take extra turn for making a box. The player who creates the most boxes wins.
- License plate game: Watch other cars and try to find license plates that start with each letter of the alphabet, or for a variation, each of the states, or their name.
- Tit Tac Toe: The object is to get three in a row, with paper and pencil make a double cross ( # ) like a pound sign. Next make your mark with X's and O's or place a marker on one square at a time. X always goes first. when all squares are filled and no one has three in a row, it's called a cat game (stalemate).
- Stone Face: The object is to not laugh or smile. The person who is it must answer all questions with the same phrase told him/her by the others. For example the answer phrase is "I threw it out the window" and the kids would question, "what did you do with dinner?, "where is the cat?", "who took my homework?". Some sample phrases are, the cats tail, a large dog, Little Red Riding Hood. Some questions are, whats for Dinner?, whats your teachers name?. Change phrases often until they laugh, then change person who is it. This is very funny and kids will get very creative.
- Secret writing: With finger or object write letters or words in the palm of others hand (close eyes or don't watch) try writing on back of hand or arm. Object is to guess what the other is writing.
- Knock Knock: Tell knock knock jokes, very young can entertain themselves with silliness, just be sure to laugh at their knock knocks.
- Hide and seek: Think of a place to hide, and size does not matter so you could hide inside the glove box or kitchen drawer at home. They ask you only yes or no questions and you must answer truthfully. For example, "are you in the car?", in the back seat?", etc.
- I spy: First person says "I spy with my little eye something blue", next person guesses what they spy. Followed by I spy something tall or heavy, or up in the sky. Change places as needed. This game is more fun for the little ones and leads to cheating by the parent wanting to prolong the silence.
- Alphabet game: This can be educational if you want, simply take turns naming things in alphabetical order. For example; Apple, Boat, Crayon, Dinosaur. Try naming only vegetables, ( Asparagus, Beans, Cauliflower ) or only colors (Azure, Black, Cream ) How about animals, street names, cities, country’s.
- Counting animals: Keep a running total, as you spot them add to list. (4 deer, 10 cows, 57 sheep) play this game for entire trip while doing other things. Keep list on paper when it gets difficult to remember after several hours or days.
- Trip Log: This isn’t a game but can be very entertaining, and help to remember travels later. For a young child supply them with a pencil and notebook and have them simply keep track of cities and roads you drive, along with mileage, weather conditions and any stops you make.
- Slug Bug: Followed by Hug Bug when the tears start flowing.
lets have some fun 
- Twenty questions: One person thinks of something like an object or place and the other gets twenty yes or no questions to narrow the search and guess the answer. Play variations depending on age, for instance each wrong guess gives one point to the other person and a right guess earns the remainder of the twenty guesses as points.
- Scavenger Hunt: You can make a possible list ahead of time of things to spot along the way. For example young kids could look for a fence post, bird, mountain, red barn, tractor, gravel road. Older children may look for a mile post marker, cell phone tower, hawk, special highway signs.
- new game
- Guess the Temp: The kids came up with this one. Our car is equipped with an outside temperature thermometer so they
began guessing what the temperature would be down the road, for instance,
what will the temp be in exactly five minutes, or ten miles, or at the top
of the next hill or city. Once they start, they come up with any number of
variations.
State list:Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia
Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota
Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina
North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas
Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
Copy and print the map and state list above (the map will probably need to be saved as an image first)
- Use some of your time to study geography and spelling
- While you're at it drill your student on math facts (2+2 = 4 etc.) bring flash cards (put them on the checklist you just printed)
- Trip Talk USA web site, where all this stuff lives
