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Before there were tablets and cell phones, road trippers passed the time by playing car games. Car games are a fun way to engage with your fellow passengers and your changing surroundings. Participants are required to react quickly, think creatively, and remain observant. Classic car ride games include:  The License Plate Game—each time you spot a license plate from a different state, check off the state on a map. Whoever spots the most license plates from different states at the end of the trip wins. The Alphabet Signs Game—scan signs, license plates, and billboards for the letters of the alphabet. Whoever spots all the letters, A through Z, in order first wins. Custom Scavenger Hunt—prior to leaving for the trip, come up with a list of items, people, and places. Give everyone a list so they can keep track of their discoveries and points. Whoever finds the most items, people, and/or places by the end of the trip wins. Create your own car game. Determine who can repeat the most lines from a song or movie.  Count the number of advertisements you see for a specific product. Have a contest to see who can purchase the wackiest souvenirs. There are plenty of wireless games and activities that you can play in the car. Trade in your tablet for a magnetic board game. Set aside your cell phone and pick up a card game. Put away your computer and pick up pens and an activity book or drawing pad.  Car friendly games include: Tic-Tac-Toe, magnetic checkers/chess, hangman, trivia card games, games that only require a deck of cards, such as solitaire or free cell.  Car friendly activities include: drawing, journaling, crossword puzzles, word searches, sudoku puzzles, and fill-in-the-blank stories. Reading allows you to escape into another universe, time period, and/or life. Reading a captivating story (or even assigned reading) will help the miles fly by. Pick out a book or two from your local library or bookshop before you leave on your trip. If you’re prone to car sickness, ask someone in the car to read out loud to everyone. Put your GPS in the glove box and pull out of good ol’ fashioned map. Every passenger can take turns reading the map and guiding the drive towards the next destination. You can even turn navigating into a game. Print out maps and an itinerary of your trip for every passenger. Whenever someone asks “Where are we?” or “Are we there yet?” have them pull out their map and itinerary. They can use road signs and these resources to determine where they are and/or when they might arrive at their next destination. Road trips are excellent times to catch up with your loved ones, get to know new people, and create new memories. Spend time talking to the people in your car. You can share personal anecdotes, tell funny jokes, debate hot topics. If you didn’t all participate in planning the trip, discuss the itinerary in the car.
Play classic car ride games. Play car-friendly games and activities. Read a book. Take turns navigating. Talk to each other.