It's been three hours. The landscape hasn't changed in the past two. It's too close to the last stop to stop again and too far to the next rest stop. Your knees are stiff; you've lost feeling in your feet. The words "Are we there yet?" have begun to lose all meaning. And...there are still nine more hours until you reach your destination.

Despite how terrible that all sounded, road trips are actually one of my absolute favorite things in the world. My parents preferred driving to flying so I inexplicably developed the same love for spending long hours on the road. Recently I traveled from Evanston, IL to Southampton, PA with a club at Northwestern University called Boomshaka. One of our traditions is spending Spring Break together, rehearsing and playing at gigs in one of our hometowns. The easiest way to get there is by packing all of our luggage, equipment, and the 20+ college students into large vehicles and driving wherever we're planning to go. This of course brought back a lot of old memories and the question of: "How did we survive this?"

One of the ways we all stay sane and keep each other entertained is actually turning off our phones, taking out earbuds, and playing group car games. So I'm here to pass on these games to you!

Game 1 - The Alphabet Game

Begin with the letter A. Look for a sign with a word on it that begins with the letter. (Acronyms don't count) When a player finds a word, they call it and the letter out. Then move on to B. The game continues until you've finished the alphabet. You can also go backward from Z-A.

Game 2 - Licenses Plate Game

This can be a team game or a competition between players. The goal is to find a license plate from every state in the US. Have one person (preferably not the driver) keep track of which ones have been found. If playing against each other, once a player calls out a license plate that one is now off limits for other players.

Game 3 - Card Games

This one requires you to get a bit creative. Number of people involved and what games are possible will also depend on the set up of the car. Some generally good options are games like UNO or Go Fish where there isn't a need to have a bunch of cards laid out. Gin Rummy or War are other good options if there is more space to put cards down.

Game 4 - 20 Questions

This is probably the best game for car rides. One person comes up with a word and keeps it to themself. It can be anything: abstract or concrete, a noun or a verb, a name, etc. The rest of the group can ask up to 20 questions about the word to try and figure out what it is. The game is over when the other players guess the word or hit 20 questions.

Game 5 - Finish the Lyric or Guess the Song

Another game the whole car can participate in. All you need is a way to play music. For "Finish the Lyric," one person selects a song and plays a portion of it (doesn't have to be from the beginning). They stop the song at a random point and the other person has to finish the lyric. Make it more difficult by using classic music or songs with long instrumental sections. For "Guess the Song," one person can play a random section from the song or just play a short section of the beginning. The other person then has to name the song. Make it more difficult by including the singer in addition to the title.

These are just a handful of my favorites. On your next roadtrip, try some of these out if you want a break from screens and a way to fill up some time. I am a bit curious though:

Did you recognize any of these?

Do you know any alternative rules or ways of playing them? 

What are your favorite car games?

I'd love to know more about how these types of games spread or are passed on!

~~ Angel