Fun Games to Play in the Car When Driving Abroad

Everyone who sets out on a long road trip is full of good intentions about how exciting it’ll be traversing different scenery and enjoying all the advantages of a relaxing trip in pastures new. The reality can be extremely different though and long journeys can soon turn into dull, monotonous trips that have everyone feeling tired, agitated and bored. If this is the case then it’s essential that you have some fun games and entertainment prepared to play in the car to keep your passengers occupied and keep you sane.

Electronic Games for Road Travel

With so much technology available, most modern cars have plenty of technology already inside them. If your car isn’t one of the lucky ones tricked out with DVD players and other onboard gadgetry, fear not you have a world of choices. The Sony PSP is a hand held media and gaming device you can purchase and take with you. It comes with headphones and can play movies, games, music and other media. Next on the list of hand held electronics would be the Nintendo DS. This is also a games device, though far more about gaming and less about other media. Either item will keep bored passengers or kids gripped for hours, though they are fairly costly.

Portable DVD players are another option for long trips, as are the multitude of MP3 players and portable media players on the market, ranging from a few pounds to hundreds of pounds. If you want to get really flashy and ensure your passengers have a heap of fun available to them on a long journey, you can even attach a home game console such as the Xbox 360 or Sony PS3 to your rear screens.

• Handheld gaming devices, such as Nintendo DS or Sony PSP
• Rear seat entertainment options, such as gaming console attachments
• DVD based quiz games that are played through your rear entertainment screens

Fun Verbal Games for Road Travel

Some of the most fun games to play in the car on long road trips are the old favourites that have been passed down through generations. Games such as Eye Spy; Animal, Vegetable, Mineral and Spot It are all fun games that the entire family can play, including the driver.

Eye-spy has long been a favourite game to play in the car due to how easily adaptable it is to the situation. You can make up your own house rules such as adding a time limit, choosing a category of items to spy or something else entirely. Eye Spy can also be played by all ages so if you have small children in the car, it’s a great way to keep them occupied during a trip.

Animal, Vegetable and Mineral is a game that is traditionally played with pen and paper, but is easily adaptable to be played on the move. The game works with someone choosing a letter of the alphabet and then everyone in the car has to pick an animal, vegetable and mineral that begins with that letter. You score points for each one you get that is exclusive to you. If someone else has the same item as you, neither of you get the points. It’s a game that can continue for hours and can be changed to fit any subject you like. Perhaps if the people in the car are movie buffs, you can change it to movies or movie actors.

Spot It is a game that can be made up as you go. There are numerous ways to play, but the most common is simply to pick an item that everyone in the car has to look out for. It can be a certain type of number plate, an animal, a colour of car – anything that you think will be fun to spot. Award each player points every time they spot an item and count them up at the end of your journey.

Essentials of Car Games

• Design your own games that suit your environment
• Pick games that don’t require too much concentration
• Choose games that are fun, easy to understand and suit all ages
• Try to play games that last for hours or can be started and stopped as you see fit.