Recently we’ve covered some of the essential items you should pack when you go on a road trip, from binoculars to a first aid kit to an awesome digital camera to great thermos and so on, but there’s also a few other things you might want to consider taking, too. That got us thinking about things to relax and unwind with after a day’s traveling. So, here then is our list of recommended classic games for road trips…
First up is the ever-popular classic Trivial Pursuit. More than 100 million copies have reportedly been sold since it went on sale back in the 1980s and it is estimated that there have been $2 billion in sales worldwide. There have also been countless special editions — 50+ at the last estimate, from the likes of The Lord of the Rings to Harry Potter — but for road trip purposes, Trivial Pursuit Singles is ideal. It dispenses with the board, and instead, players roll a dice. It’s perfect after a long day on the road.
Another one we’d recommend is Bananagrams — similar to Scrabble, or rather Speed Scrabble/Take Two. Bananagrams requires 2-8 players and 144 lettered tiles, with each player having to use all their letters as quickly as possible to form a grid. It’s fast and very popular, even though it has only been around for about 10 years.
Of course, if general knowledge or word games aren’t your thing and you are after something a bit more strategic, don’t forget a travel Chess set. Chess has been played now for centuries and it is believed to have originated in India back in the 6th century. Although its popularity has ebbed and flowed over time, it has enjoyed something of a resurgence in recent years in the United States thanks in part to Fabiano Caruana, the 2016 U.S. Chess Champion. It is a great game for two players and there are some cool magnetic sets out there — some also combine Checkers and Backgammon if you want a good three-for-one set.
It is also worth packing a deck of cards, as there is a multitude of games to play — with some estimating there are between 1,000 and 10,000 different card games in total, depending on how you actually tally them up! Some of the common ones include the likes of Texas Hold’em, Blackjack/21, Seven Card Stud, and Five Card Draw, and other such variations. And the great thing is that you can play just for fun or in the case of Solitaire/Patience, by yourself if need be.
Our final one must be Monopoly — and again you can now get a great travel edition, so you can enjoy this game on the move. It’s been around now since the 1930s, which was when it was first published here in the USA by the Parker Brothers (now Hasbro). Apparently, it is the fifth best-selling board game of all time — behind Scrabble, Backgammon, Checkers, and Chess — and while Monopoly games can sometimes go on for quite a bit, that’s all part of its charm really.
Of course, there are others games with nice travel editions including the likes of Connect 4, Guess Who?, and even Pictionary. Here though, we’ve just focused on a few of our favorites and what we regard as “classics”. Let us know which ones you’d pack and if we have missed one of your favorites, give it a shout-out in the comment sections below.
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