Ready for some family fun on your next trip? Check out these must-have travel games for families that are sure to keep everyone entertained.
Travelling with kids can be a bit of a challenge but one way to make the journey a little easier is to pack some fun travel games. Whether you’re on a road trip or a plane ride, there’s no need to sacrifice family fun time. We’ve rounded up some great travel games for families that will keep everyone entertained while travelling.
Why bring games when you travel?
There are plenty of reasons to play board games or card games as a family. For one, they are a great way to make learning fun. Playing board games help children learn valuable problem solving skills and encourages strategic thinking. Kids also learn social skills like sharing, taking turns, being a good sport and cooperating.
Games are also a great way for families to spend time together, and when you’re travelling, there is often plenty of downtime to spend together. Hanging out in the hotel room for a break in the afternoon is a perfect time to play a game! Bring out one of the travel games you packed you’ll have some fun playing together as a family.
Options for board games are endless. There’s so many out there to choose from, but not all games are the easiest to travel with. So we’ve rounded up our favourite games that are small and portable, which is great for taking along while travelling. We usually take two or three with us and end up playing them almost every day!
Tips for keeping these travel board games organized
Ziploc bags are a great way to keep pieces together, while taking up the least amount of room in your luggage. We suggest placing the counters or other small pieces in a small Ziploc bag and then taking the game out of its box and putting it in a Ziploc bag (if it fits) with the small pieces or counters. Most games will fold down fairly small, if they aren’t already in a travel case.
Most of these travel games are quick and easy to set up, and great for pulling out if you’re waiting in the airport or train station, taking a stretch break on a road trip or just hanging out in your hotel room in the afternoon.
So read through the suggestions below, choose a few games to take travelling and get ready for some fun on your travels!
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Best Travel Games for Families
Uno
One of our favourite travel games for families is the classic card game Uno. It’s perfect for kids of all ages and can be played with two or more players. The best part about Uno is that it’s small and compact, so doesn’t take up too much space in your suitcase or your day bag.
Scrabble
Scrabble is a great game that’s perfect for kids (and adults) of all ages. Younger kids will love Scrabble Junior, where the words are already on the board. Flip the board over and you’ve got a regular, blank scrabble game. Or bring the classic Scrabble for older kids to play. **Be sure to put the scrabble tiles in a Ziploc bag or other small container so they don’t get lost.
Trouble
Trouble is a fun game that can be played with 2, 3 or 4 players. The dice is conveniently contained inside a bubble on the board so there’s no losing the dice. Be sure to pack the pegs in a small bag so nothing gets lost. The regular Trouble game isn’t too large, but there also is a travel size option that is much smaller. Recommended for ages 5 and up.
Connect 4
The classic strategy game, Connect 4 is great for 2 players. While it’s recommended for age 6 and up, younger kids will enjoy it as well. We found a travel size version while we in Europe and played many games while waiting for our meals in restaurants. That same travel size game has also come on plenty of road trips and has been enjoyed around the campsite quite a few times! You can find it on Amazon, or it also comes in a set with other travel sized games: Monopoly, Clue and Hungry Hippos.
Chutes & Ladders
Another classic game, Chutes & Ladders is perfect for younger kids in the family. It can be played by two to four players and helps teach counting skills and turn taking, plus it’s a lot of fun! We suggest taking the game out of the box and putting the pieces in a Ziploc bag. Depending on which version of Chutes & Ladders you have, the game board may even fit in a large Ziploc, which makes it really easy to travel with.
Checkers
Checkers is a great board game that can be played with two players and although it says it’s for ages six and up, my guys started playing earlier than that. There’s a lot of strategy involved and it’s a game that be paused and picked up at another time (if you can leave the board in the same place). There are magnetic sets that are great for travel or classic sets like this one that are a bit larger but easier to play on.
Bingo
While Bingo might not seem like a great travel game – I mean there is A LOT of pieces involved – organized and packed properly, it can be a great game to play as a family while travelling. Many classic Bingo games have a cage that releases the numbers, but you can also find Bingo sets like this one, that have calling cards instead. Pack the calling cards, bingo chips and bingo cards in a Ziploc bag and you’re set!
There are also MANY different themed Bingo games you can find, including specific road trip Bingos, which kids will love.
Magnetic Travel Games
Magnetic Travel Games are perfect for any type of travel but especially for road trips or flights, when you want the pieces to stay on the board. We have a few of the Take ‘N’ Play Anywhere games and they have been a perfect road trip game for the kids to play in the backseat while I’m driving. There are plenty of options to choose from, like Hangman, Checkers, Tic Tac Toe, Go Fishing and Bingo.
Story Cubes
While this isn’t exactly a game in the traditional sense, StoryCubes are a fun activity for the whole family and are great to travel with. Pull out the cubes while waiting in the airport, the train station, a restaurant or to pass some time while waiting for a tour or even to start. It’s also great to pass some time while hanging out a park or afternoon downtime at your hotel or Airbnb.
Recommended for ages 6 and up, they could be used with younger kids as well, just maybe not rolling as many cubes. My boys have loved this game since they were 4!
Deck of Cards
Last but not least, don’t forget a deck of cards! Playing cards is a great way to pass the time and there are endless games you can play with a regular deck of cards. Go Fish is a great game for younger kids, while Crazy 8’s and Snap are great for slightly older kids. Another favourite travel card game in our house is Kings & Cabbages, which we learned about from Dan Kois in his book How to Be a Family – a fantastic book about a family that spends a year travelling and ends up playing Kings & Cabbages while travelling.
These are just a few of our favourite travel games for families – choose a few and you’re sure to have some fun and make some great memories on your next trip!
If you are driving long distances for your family vacation, you might also enjoy specific family road trip games, like a scavenger hunt or license plate game (this is best played when driving in the United States – Canada doesn’t have as many license plates so it’s not as fun of a game to play).
Do you have any other favourite family travel games? Share them in the comments below!
For more tips on kids travel, be sure to check out the Tips for Travel section here.
These look so much fun to play! My family loves to play games on a Sunday as our bonding time. 🙂