27 Best Travel Games for everyone

Jeremy B

1 year ago

Board games are a great way to spend meaningful time with family and friends, especially when traveling. We’ve assembled a list of the 27 Best Travel Games for 2023 and beyond including several new travel games, fun travel games for kids, travel-sized games, travel games for teens, the best travel games for adults, and some throwbacks to the classic games to play when traveling. Prepare to have fun!

The Definitive List of the Best Travel Games (updated for 2023)

In this guide to the best games for travel, we’ve selected a variety of games that make for good fun when traveling. Games are grouped into different categories including:

Best New Travel Games
Best Travel Games for Kids
Travel Games for Teens
Best Travel Games for Adults
Best Travel Games
Travel Size Games

What makes a good travel game?

There are a lot of games out there, but what is a good travel game? This requires a little more thought and is somewhat subjective, but there are a few things we can probably all agree that a top travel game should have:

It should be fun! If the game isn’t fun, why play?
It should be portable! No sense in bringing the Jenga game with you because it doesn’t travel well, right? Imagine playing Jenga on an airplane. Nope!
It should be for multiple players (no solo games here). Sure, solo travelers need to have fun too, but for our list of great travel games, we’ve focused on games that are at least 2-player travel games and up.

This top list of games to play when traveling is based on these 3 important criteria, and yes, what’s fun to us, may not be fun to you…but that’s ok: you just aren’t as fun as us. Just Kidding...

Summary of the Games for Travel

We’ve summarized our list of the greatest games for traveling for you, below. Following this list readers will find an explanation and discussion of each game’s merits, why it’s a good game for travel and where to buy it. Happy gaming, everyone!

Codenames
Heads up
Coup (The Dystopian Universe)
Spot it
Mad Libs
Monopoly Deal [All the good and none of the bad from Monopoly]
Exploding Kittens [Fan Favorite!]
Travel Blurt
Our Moments
Bananagrams
What do you meme? [Good for Teens!]
Kids against Maturity
Unstable Unicorns
Pun Intended
Awkward Family Photos
Cards Against Humanity [Best Travel Game for Adults!]
Bullsh!t
Catch Phrase Uncensored
Disturbed Friends
Uno [The Classic Travel Game!]
Yahtzee
Apples to Apples
Tile-Lock Travel Scrabble
Travel Catan
Travel sized Cribbage
Travel Chess board
Travel Checkers

Plus a bonus game at the end!

Best New Travel Games

In this section, we highlight 3 new travel games that folks are finding quite fun and enjoyable.

Codenames

This spy-themed new travel game pits players against each other in a race to identify and make contact with spies using only their codenames and color-based clues. Be sure to avoid the assassin. The bigger the teams the better!

Ages: 14+
Players: 2 teams of 4+ work best
Why this game is fun: Enough strategy to really challenge players but fun enough to get lots of laughs.

Heads up game!

This new travel game takes a page out of Ellen’s popular game show. Players take turns guessing the words strapped to their heads based on clues from their teammates.

Ages: 8+
Players: 2-6
Why this game is fun: Clues can only be done in sounds…no words or gestures!

Coup (The Dystopian Universe)

As the head of an Italian city-state try to outlast your competitors by gaining influence and clouts. It’s all about greed as you rise to power in this newly released travel game.

Ages: 10+
Players: 2-6
Why this game is fun: “Manipulate, bluff and bribe” your way to power, the game says. How can that not be fun!?

Best Travel Games for Kids

In this section, we highlight the best travel games for kids, specifically younger kids ages 5-13. In the following section, we highlight some travel games designed for teens.

Spot It

This travel game is best suited for younger travelers, but it’s easy, fun, and can be played just about anywhere. Comes with a handy tin making portability a breeze.

Ages: 7-11 years (although we’ve played it with kids as young as 5 with no issues)
Players: 2-8
Why this game is fun: Simple, easy game, easy to learn, and great for kids who are usually better than the adults at this game!

Mad Libs

Kids love this game and most adults do too (even if they don’t admit it). This game is exactly what you think it is: ask players to name random words to complete a story and then read it back to everyone while trying not to snort your soda through your nose.

Ages: 8+ (but 5+ works too)
Players: Any, but 2-4 works best.
Why this game is fun: Silly words? What could go wrong? Nothing! This game brings out some hilarity and is a perfect game for a road trip or flight.

Monopoly Deal

In what is arguably the most clever take on this classic game, Monopoly Deal takes a game that’s probably too long, to begin with, and simplifies it into a 15-minute game that still retains the fun and thematic elements that make Monopoly a good game.

Pro Tip: Buy 3 packs of cards, combine them all and play super Monopoly Deal…game goes on a little longer, but it makes it even more fun!

Ages: 8+
Players: 2-5
Why this game is fun: This game is truly one of the best new travel games created in recent history. It makes Monopoly a much more casual experience. And the ability to steal sets from another place adds an element of zaniness that keeps the family laughing.

Exploding Kittens

With a name like Exploding Kittens, this game is either going to be horrible or amazing. Fortunately, it’s the latter. This wildly popular game has blown up (see what I did there) in popularity and it makes for a fun addition to your next trip.

Ages: 7+
Players: from 2 all the way up to 10 players (but 5 is best)
Why this game is fun: “It’s like UNO, except there are goats, magical enchiladas and kittens that can kill you.” – CNN

Travel Blurt

A great travel game for kids that also teaches them along the way. Hold up. Yeah, this is a pretty sweet game and perfect for traveling with kiddos. The premise of this game is simple. Someone reads out clues and people blurt out answers. Keep score on the magnetic scoreboard and let the fun begin.

Ages: 10+
Players: 3-4
Why this game is fun: The quick associations that kids make when they blurt things out is kinda funny!

OUR MOMENTS Kids Edition

Put the cell phones away and really get to know your kids by asking thought-provoking questions. Create listening, bonding, and teaching opportunities with your kids and really get to know them. Perfect conversation starters for long trips.

Ages: 6+
Players: One-one-one is best (Parent w/ Kid), but you can play with a few kids at a time.
Why this game is fun: You really get to know your kids and it’s fun to see where they are at with different ideas and concepts.

Bananagrams

If Scrabble and a crossword puzzle had a baby, its cousin would be Bananagrams. This is a fun game though and we are big fans of any game featuring wordplay. Perfect for travel. Cooped up in a hotel? Banangram it.

Ages: 7+
Players: 1-8
Why this game is fun: Easy to learn and kids will have a hoot playing!

Best Travel Games for Teens

Teens are a hard bunch to please. Want to get them off TikTok for a while? It’s going to be harder than you think but here’s a few of the best travel games for teens that might just be right up their alley. Don’t worry, you are still going to have to deal with sarcasm. Can’t help you there!

What do you Meme?

To be clear, this game is for the more mature teens. It features some mature words and themes. It also features hilarity. Buy the game for your teen and then don’t play it with them. It’s a win-win all around.

Ages: 17+ (older teens); also good game for adult travelers
Players: 3+
Why this game is fun: It is memes, man. And memes are probably the greatest part of the Internet!

Kids against Maturity

If you like mildly inappropriate humor (silly fart jokes, etc) this game is perfect. You know, the stuff that kids actually laugh at when you aren’t around. This game is fun for older children through younger teen years.

Ages: 8+ (but it’s best for younger teens…12-14ish.)
Players: 4+
Why this game is fun: The warning on the box states, “This game is not suitable for over-protective, humorless, hover-parents.” Haha…I’m in.

Unstable Unicorns

I am so confused. Why are there unicorns? And why are they are unstable? Should I be worried? You may not get it, but your teens will. This fun travel game for teens is an easy sell. Just buy the game and leave them alone.

Ages: 14+
Players: 2-8
Why this game is fun: Because you get to build a Unicorn Army! Duh!

Pun Intended

Dad Jokes make our teens roll their eyes, but I have a theory. I think they secretly enjoy them. You can prove that theory with Pun Intended which has its players guessing puns and scoring points.

Ages: 13+
Players: 2 minimum (but 4 is a better minimum to start with for the most fun)
Why this game is fun: This game is super punny. Too soon?

Awkward Family Photos

Every photo with a teenager is awkward. At least we can acknowledge that. This particular iteration of the game ties funny, embarrassing photos of random people with movie lines. Players must think on their feet and match the caption with the pic.

Ages: 13+
Players: 4-8
Why this game is fun: Because funny pictures of old people is funny. Oh, wait, are we going to be in a game someday?? Sigh…

Best Travel Games for Adults

It’s time for the grown-ups to play! Grab your wine glass and pick one of these best travel games for adults and get ready. Pro tip: if you use Zoom, Facetime, or Hangouts and you each have your own copy of the game you can still play many of these games even if you are not in the same room together.

Cards against Humanity

The grown-up version of Apples to Apples. Be prepared to be offended on multiple levels. Also, be prepared to laugh your butt off. Perfect for a grown-up vacation or road trip with a fellow couple who’s also got a dark sense of humor. It’s our opinion that this is one of the best travel board games for adults.

Ages: Adults
Players: at least 4, but 6-8 is the sweet spot
Why this game is fun: Dark humor is the best!

Bullshit Game

The bluffing game: how good is your poker face? If you suspect your fellow player hit the bullshit button.

Ages: Adults
Players: 4-6
Why this game is fun: Hitting a button that announces bullshit is great. Plus you could use it in other parts of your life like when your kids start BS’ng you…just saying.

Catchphrase uncensored!

This game stresses people out! Grab it, guess it, and pass it the heck on to the next person. This version, however, has some adult themes…uncensored. Awesome.

Ages: Adults
Players: 4-8
Why this game is fun: Uncensored stress? What could go wrong?

Disturbed Friends

This is the worst game ever made. It literally says that in their marketing. 250 disturbing questions…what could possibly go wrong!?!

Ages: Adults
Players: Up to 10
Why this game is fun: The best humor is found in offense and this game has a bundle of it.

Best Travel Board Games – the rest including some old favorites

What would we do without the classics? Those tried and true games we played growing up. Maybe it was in a hotel on your Texas road trip, or at the airport gate as you waited to board the plane for your trip to Hawaii. These travel games are the go-to travel games that are always fun for all ages, all the time.

UNO

How many times have you seen a family huddled around an airport gate waiting for a flight and playing Uno? Probably a lot because Uno is the perfect travel game for kids, families, adults, teens, etc. It’s simple, portable, easy to learn, easy to play, and just enough fun to not bore the hardcore gamers.

Ages: 12+ (but honestly this is like 6 and up)
Players: 2-6
Why this game is fun: Draw 4 baby!

Yahtzee

This is a classic family game that travels pretty well too. It’s easy for most ages to play and can help teach the young ones some strategy and math along the way.

Ages: 8+
Players: 2+
Why this game is fun: Math, dice, luck, strategy, etc.

Apples to Apples

This classic game is a family-friendly travel game that is easy to learn, easy to play, and a bushel of fun. Take it on the road with you and let the good times roll.

Ages: 12+
Players: 4+
Why this game is fun: The fun is really in figuring out what the picker is likely to pick based on what you know about them NOT what the right answer to the prompt is.

Travel Size Games

Ever played a game of magnetic chess on a chessboard so small it fits in your back pocket? Travel size games are a hugely popular niche and we’ve highlighted a few of them here for you. These games include magnetic travel games, compact board games, small board games for travel, and more.

Travel Scrabble – your pieces won’t be a mess when you travel!

Bring this fun game on the road with you without having to worry about losing tiles. This travel Scrabble set includes magnetic tiles and easily fits into your carry-on.

Ages: 8+ (but 10+ is better as they have a much deeper grasp of vocabulary).
Players: 2
Why this game is fun: Scabble is always fun. Who doesn’t like impressing your friends and family with your vast knowledge of big words (and small words too!)?

Travel Catan

Before there was Age of Empires there was Catan. The world-building and resource-hoarding board game is possibly the best travel game ever created. Here it is in all its glory but in the perfect travel size format.

Ages: 10+
Players: 2-4
Why this game is fun: Trade, build, settle! The Catan slogan says it all. This is a longer game, but definitely, a strategic thought-provoking game and perfect for travel.

Travel Sized Cribbage Game

Cribbage is one of the most fun games you can play and if you choose to play cuthroat style it’s even more fun. Use this travel-sized cribbage game to feed your cribbage habit.

Ages: 10+
Players: 2
Why this game is fun: It’s cribbage! A classic game for math-inclined card experts. Strategy, math, and fun.

Travel Chess

This portable travel chess set is the perfect thinking game for your next trip. A tried and true game, chess is always a great game for slightly older kids and up.

Ages: 10+
Players: 2
Why this game is fun: A thinking game!

Travel Checkers

Here is your classic checkers game, in travel-sized format. Comes with magnetic checkers that are perfect for using during a trip. Magnetic travel games are a throwback to a different era too. Cheap, yet fun, they help us reminisce about a different time in our lives. This set, however, isn’t too bad.

Ages: 5+
Players: 2
Why this game is fun: It’s checkers! Who doesn’t love this fun game?

Last but not least…a deck of cards is arguably the best game for traveling because you can take it anywhere with you!

Some people suggest there’s an infinite number of games you can play with a deck of cards. Perhaps that’s true, perhaps not, but with a deck of cards, your travel game options are pretty close to unlimited. Here are 40 games to play with a deck of cards while traveling.

More Games to Play while Traveling (including in a car)

If board games are not your cup of team, here are a few more fun games to play while traveling that don’t involve boards. Remember the alphabet game? Here are a few other ideas with links on how to play:

Name the Most – Pick a category (say fast food companies) and challenge someone: “I can name 9 fast food companies” Then see if you can beat that score. See the full rules here.
The Alphabet Game – You know how to play this game…which is why it’s probably one of the top travel games of all time. We’ve all played it and it’s fun…for a while anyway.
I Spy – A fun game to play in a car or on an airplane that can eat up some time!

What’s your favorite road trip game? Drop us a comment or tweet us!

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