Keeping kids entertained while traveling can be challenging. Whether you’re embarking on long road trips, navigating airports, or simply looking for downtime activities in hotel rooms, having a repertoire of engaging children’s travel games is essential for parents. The right games can transform travel from a potential source of stress into a fun and bonding experience for the whole family.
We’ve personally tested and played countless travel games with our own children and are excited to share our top picks. This curated list includes everything from portable board games and dice games to magnetic puzzles, strategic challenges, and updated versions of classic favorites. We’ve focused on games that are not only entertaining but also compact, affordable, and readily available, making it easy for you to stock up before your next family adventure. Say goodbye to endless screen time and hello to laughter and engagement with these fantastic children’s travel games!
Top Travel Games for Car Journeys
Long car rides can be testing for children’s patience. Minimize the repetitive “Are we there yet?” questions by packing some engaging children’s travel games specifically suited for road trips. While many games on this list are adaptable for car play, these selections are particularly ideal due to their minimal parts and travel-friendly themes.
1. Rory’s Story Cubes
Recommended ages: 6+
Rory’s Story Cubes are incredibly popular for sparking imagination. Available in various themes, including a Harry Potter edition, these dice games are wonderfully portable and simple to learn. The dice come in a small pouch, easily fitting into a purse or backpack.
Gameplay involves rolling the dice and creating a story inspired by the face-up images. While fun with multiple players, children can also enjoy this game independently. Its storytelling nature makes it a fantastic children’s travel game for car journeys, especially if you have a small tray for dice rolling.
Pros: Encourages creativity, no wrong answers, leads to funny and unique stories each time. The small pouch is incredibly travel-friendly.
Cons: Can be challenging if creativity is temporarily blocked, but that’s part of the fun of the game!
2. Travel Scavenger Hunt Card Game
Recommended ages: 7+
The Travel Scavenger Hunt Card Game is a perfect way to engage kids on road trips. Children will enjoy spotting items on the cards, from road signs to license plates with specific letters.
The deck also includes “feel it” cards designed for road bumps and unexpected travel sensations. This card game is suitable for two or more players.
Pros: Compact size (like a deck of cards), kids can play independently.
Cons: Cards can be misplaced or become scattered and messy.
3. Pass the Pigs
Recommended ages: 7+
Pass the Pigs is a uniquely entertaining and portable game. Instead of dice, you roll pigs and score points based on how they land. Despite sounding unusual, its popularity and positive reviews speak for themselves. Get ready for some pig puns while playing Pass the Pigs!
Pros: Kids can play together in the backseat with a flat surface like a backseat organizer to roll the pigs.
Cons: The pig pieces are small and can be easily lost or fall into car crevices.
4. Travel Spirograph
Recommended ages: 5–12
Travel Spirograph brings the classic drawing toy into a portable format. This set includes wheels, pens, and a container for creating geometric designs on the move. It’s a fantastic way to engage in creative art anywhere.
Pros: Nostalgic for adults, allows for creative design-making to share with children and grandchildren.
Cons: The small disk can occasionally pop out if rushed while drawing, as some might remember from childhood.
5. Skillmatics Card Games
Recommended ages: 6+ (junior version for ages 3-6)
For educational fun, Skillmatics Card Games are award-winning and engaging. Children learn while playing without realizing it. The portable box contains game cards and guide tiles. Players ask up to 10 questions to guess the animal or object on a card.
Pros: Available in various themes, educational and fun combination.
Cons: Less silly compared to some other card games, focusing more on learning.
Magnetic Travel Games for No-Fuss Fun
Magnetic travel games are perfect children’s travel games as pieces stay put, minimizing loss, which is ideal for travel. While magnetic, care is still needed to avoid losing pieces as replacements may not be available.
6. Take N Play Bingo (And Other Games)
Recommended ages: 4-8
Take N Play Bingo is a two-player magnetic game with pieces that securely stick to the board, reducing lost pieces. The tin case stores pieces, acts as a game board, and is easily portable.
The Take N Play series includes various games like dominos and checkers, making them excellent children’s travel games.
Pros: Lightweight and available in a variety of game options.
Cons: The tin case can dent if dropped, making it difficult to open and close.
7. Quadpro Magnetic Chess
Recommended ages: 6+
Bring chess on your travels with the Quadpro Magnetic Chess set. This set folds to store pieces, ensuring portability. The magnetic pieces adhere to the board, suitable for car or plane use. The board unfolds to a good size for play.
Pros: Strong magnets keep pieces stable on the board.
Cons: Chess games can be lengthy, which might be a pro or con depending on your travel situation.
8. The Purple Cow Magnetic Travel Games
Recommended ages: 5–15
The Purple Cow offers a wide range of magnetic travel games including checkers, dominoes, sudoku, and puzzles. These children’s travel games are very lightweight, with pieces stored inside the tin cases.
Pros: Very thin cases and a wide variety of game choices.
Cons: Some magnetic pieces can be small and easily lost or hard to handle. Dropping the tin can dent it, affecting opening and closing.
Travel Games Perfectly Suited for Toddlers
For toddlers, choose children’s travel games with larger pieces that are easy to handle and engaging for this age group. (Supervised play with The Purple Cow magnetic games is also an option for toddlers capable of handling smaller pieces).
9. Travel Tangram
Recommended ages: 3+
Travel Tangram is a puzzle using seven shapes (tans) to form different figures. The set includes a book with 360 shape challenges of varying difficulty, suitable for both toddlers and adults.
This game is a great STEM activity. The Travel Tangrams book has a pocket for storing the tans. The Purple Cow also offers a magnetic tangram version.
Pros: Suitable for solo or group play.
Cons: Some users report magnets losing strength over time, though we haven’t experienced this.
10. Wikki Stix
Recommended ages: 3+ (supervised play from age 2)
Wikki Stix are a must-have travel toy for toddlers. These bendable, waxy sticks can be used anywhere – planes, cars, restaurants, etc.
Individual packs include a puzzle or shape to create. The Wikki Stix Traveler playset provides even more activities.
Pros: Very compact travel packs, each with a connect-the-dots puzzle.
Cons: Reusable sticks can collect dirt and fuzz over time.
Travel Board Games: Classic Fun in Compact Sizes
Classic board games in travel sizes are excellent children’s travel games, easily packed and played on laps or tables.
11. Hasbro Family Travel Board Games Bundle
Recommended ages: 8+
This Hasbro set of four includes travel versions of Clue, Monopoly, Connect 4, and Hungry Hungry Hippos. These all-in-one travel games store pieces and are perfect for family fun on the go.
Pros: Nostalgic games enjoyed by multiple generations.
Cons: Taking all four might be bulky; choosing one is more practical for travel.
12. Travel Scrabble
Recommended ages: 6+
Travel Scrabble is a highly recommended word game for travel. Suitable for various ages, players create words from letter tiles to score points.
Portable versions are available, with the zippered carrying case being more convenient than snap cases for travel.
Pros: Multi-generational game, well-known and easy to learn.
Cons: Scrabble games can be lengthy and the set is slightly heavier than other children’s travel games. Rules might need refreshing even for experienced players.
Tabletop Travel Games for Hotels and Airport Lounges
These children’s travel games are best played on flat surfaces like tables in airport lounges, hotel rooms, or vacation rentals.
13. Bananagrams
Recommended ages: 7+
Bananagrams is a word game similar to Scrabble but played without a board, in a banana-shaped pouch for easy transport. Players create word grids using tiles until someone uses all of theirs.
Pros: Compact and highly-rated, more portable than Scrabble.
Cons: Heavier than many other children’s travel games on this list.
14. Spot It!
Recommended ages: 7+
Spot It! is a fast-paced memory game stored in a small tin. Players race to find matching symbols between cards. Best played in hotels or lounges as cards can be easily lost in transit.
Pros: Small tin, fast-paced gameplay.
Cons: Not ideal for cars or planes due to the number of cards and potential for loss.
15. Rummikub on the Go
Recommended ages: 8+
Rummikub on the Go involves creating sets and runs of tiles, combining rummy and mahjong elements. A game for 2-4 players, it’s great for families and older children, enhancing STEM skills through pattern recognition and strategy.
Pros: Excellent brain exercise.
Cons: Too complicated for younger children.
16. Kanoodle
Recommended ages: 8+ (Kanoodle Junior for ages 4+)
Kanoodle offers over 200 puzzle challenges with 12 pieces. Players solve 2D and 3D puzzles using designs from an included book. Pocket-sized and comes with a satisfaction guarantee.
Pros: Many challenges offer variety each time playing.
Cons: Small pieces, primarily a single-player game.
17. Scattergories
Recommended ages: 8+
Scattergories in a card version is a portable take on the classic category game. Using category and letter decks, players slap the “I Know” card and give a relevant answer to win cards.
Pros: Excellent for enhancing critical thinking skills.
Cons: Involves many cards.
18. Travel Boggle
Recommended ages: 8+
Travel Boggle requires only pen and paper (or a Boogie Board). Players shake letter cubes, set a timer, and find as many words as possible.
Pros: Multi-generational, develops critical thinking.
Cons: Not suitable for pre-readers or young spellers.
Printable Travel Games for Kid-Friendly Fun
Etsy offers a fantastic selection of professionally designed printable children’s travel games. Purchase once and print as often as needed for future trips.
Pros: Cost-effective as you can print multiple copies.
Cons: Print quality can be flimsy unless using cardstock.
19. Printable Travel Bingo
Etsy offers numerous travel bingo cards featuring road signs, animals, and more. Players mark items spotted until bingo is achieved.
20. Printable Scavenger Hunt
Another affordable printable game is a colorful scavenger hunt suitable for all ages. The first to find all items wins.
21. Printable Camping Scavenger Hunt
The printable camping scavenger hunt is customizable with text and colors. Includes a bag cover, clue sheet, and item checklist.
Airplane Travel Games: Keep Pieces Contained
Airplane travel requires children’s travel games with minimal, attached, or easily retrievable pieces to avoid losing them in seat crevices.
22. Mad Libs
Recommended ages: 5+ (version dependent)
Mad Libs are great for filling time. Choose Mad Libs Junior for younger kids, and standard versions for older children (ages 8-12). Avoid adult versions for children. Also available as a Mad Libs app.
Pros: Humorous and engaging.
Cons: Books are typically single-use.
23. Boogie Board
Recommended ages: Pen-holding age and up
The Boogie Board LCD writing tablet is versatile for travel games. Use the stylus to draw or play games like hangman and tic-tac-toe. Erase with a button. Consider buying extra styluses. There’s also a version specifically for younger kids.
Pros: Reusable, can also be used for homework or notes.
Cons: Screen can scratch; stylus can be dropped and lost.
24. Shashibo Shape Shifting Box
Recommended ages: 8+
The Shashibo Shape Shifting Box is a magnetic puzzle cube that transforms into over 70 shapes. A single-player game that provides hours of entertainment and brain-teasing challenges.
Pros: Single-player with many puzzle options.
Cons: Seams can tear over time with use.
25. IQ Fit
Recommended ages: 6+
IQ Fit is a 3D puzzle game with over 100 challenges. Players fit 3-D pieces flat on the board without leaving holes.
Pros: Easy to handle pieces, numerous puzzle challenges.
Cons: Case closure can become loose; some find puzzles too easy.
26. Melissa and Doug Flip to Win Travel Hangman
Recommended ages: 6–10
Flip to Win Travel Hangman is a wooden game with a dry-erase board and flip letters. Pen self-stores, and no loose pieces make it ideal for travel.
Pros: Self-contained with no loose parts.
Cons: Wood construction makes it slightly heavier than magnetic games.
Beach and Pool Travel Games for Water Fun
27. Waterproof Uno
Recommended ages: 7+
Waterproof Uno brings the classic card game to the beach or pool. Waterproof cards and a clip make it perfect for tropical vacations or poolside fun.
Pros: Loved by kids and adults, quick games (5-10 minutes).
Cons: Cards can be lost, especially in sand.
Free Travel Games for Kids and Adults: Fun Without the Fuss
Free verbal games are excellent children’s travel games, requiring no pieces and offering easy entertainment anywhere.
Pros: No pieces, no cost, always accessible.
Cons: Can become repetitive if not in the mood.
28. I Spy
I Spy is playable anywhere with two or more people. One person spies an object and gives clues (color, shape, etc.) for others to guess using yes/no questions.
29. 20 Questions
20 Questions involves one person thinking of a person, place, or thing. Others ask up to 20 yes/no questions to guess the secret object.
30. Would You Rather
Would You Rather is a conversation-starter for two or more players. One player poses a “would you rather” question with two options, prompting answers and discussion.
31. The Alphabet Game
The Alphabet Game is suitable for all ages during car trips. Players spot items starting with each letter of the alphabet in sequence.
For more travel fun, don’t forget knock-knock jokes for kids and car games for kids to keep spirits high on your journeys.
What are your family’s favorite children’s travel games?
