Updated for 2025!
Believe me, with seven kids, we know the power a travel game or puzzle can have for making a car trip go from unbearably loud to blissfully quiet. They can also help make a hotel stay more enjoyable — put the baby to bed and then bust out a card game together!
I’ve rounded up some of our favorite, tried and true games and puzzles for travel. Many of these has saved us during our travels. On long drives, I like to keep them in a bag and slowly reveal them throughout the drive. Never giveaway all the tricks you have up your sleeve at the beginning. Keep each one hidden away until they really need it!
I find that these games keep our kids happier than screens do and I hope they’ll work just as well for you!
The Best Games, Puzzles, and Activities for Travel with Kids
Connected Clues
A fun game the driver can play, too! This is a group party game you can absolutely play on the go! It’s a twist on the Before and After category in games like Wheel of Fortune. You’ll create your own clues to try and get the group to correctly guess two words or phrases and then combine them.
Driver can play!
Magnetic Travel Puzzles
I absolutely love these magnetic travel puzzles. They’re slim and easily fit in a purse or bag and can be played in the car or airplane.
Guess in 10
A fun Guessing Game for everyone, including the driver!
I love the state version for road trips to add a bit of educational fun for the road as well!
Driver can play!
Foldology Puzzles
Easy to pack origami puzzles where you need to fold the paper a certain way to complete the picture. Our kids love them! (okay, and me too!)
Sticker by Number
When we were preparing for our recent trip, the first thing my son asked me to pack for him was a few new sticker books. These are our go-tos for travel and calming art around the home. (You can almost guarantee one or two will be in a few folks’ stockings each Christmas.)
Spot it!
A must have, travel friendly game! Our kids have played it in the back seat together on the road and quietly at the restaurant table while waiting for food.
Qwixx
We love this game for travel so much so that we have a copy of it that lives in our glovebox! Easy for passengers to play in the car, train, or airplane.
FlipSlide
Our kids will play this for hours in the car or at home! All the fun of bopit, but….with a silent mode!
Hive Pocket
This is a cutie mini version of the larger game that’s a little easier to toss in your purse. This is perfect for two players to enjoy on the road, in the hotel, or even out at the beach! Both games are the exact same in how they play, so buy whichever size is your favorite.
Brave Rats
Brave Rats consists of only 16 cards and is a two player must! The perfect game to play on a plane tray.
Katamino Pocket
If you’ve got a puzzle lover, Katamino Pocket will keep them busy for a long time!
Deduckto
I love bringing quick and clever card games to enjoy on trips and Deduckto is a must!
Ok Play
Perfect to clip to a bag and bring to play…anywhere! The park, the beach, the pool. It’s ready for it all!
Mini Wooden Games
If you’ve got a small space, these games will fit right in! I’ve heard from many who love them for their RV adventures!
Similo
Similo is a long time, no fail travel game MVP. We have multiple physical card sets in addition to the digital app!
Murdle
These are a MUST pack for any trip. Fun logic puzzles with a cute story to go along with them. The standard books have a few more trickier puzzles that are better suited for age 10+. If you’re worried they may be too much for your child, Murdle Junior is excellent!
Giiker Super Slide Puzzle
These bring a little of the same fun found in video games but without the screen!
Mystery Detective
Clever story riddles that the driver can play along and solve! Most of the stories are relatively clean, those that aren’t can be easily skipped by the adult reader. We love playing through these with our older kids who really enjoy trying to untangle the clues found in each story’s clever wordplay.
Driver can play!
The Great Sherlock Holmes Puzzle Book.
Like Mystery Detective, this book is a collection of stories told in the sherlock holmes style that feature tricky story riddles for players to solve. Some are easy and some will really test your powers of observation.
Driver can play!
Hand Games 21
Up your Rock Paper Scissors game! This book of Hand Games is a must pack with easy to learn, and most importantly FUN hand games! Perfect for trips to Disney and Universal!
Logic Case
These were a recent pick up for our family and they’ve been a hit. Solo logic puzzles that are entirely language independent. Just observe the card, solve the puzzle, and slide the wooden rod into the correct slot to see if you’re correct.
I also use our Travel Game case to store tons of small box games in a compact, easy to carry way! I love to swap games in and out depending on what we might need for each trip. You can read all about our travel case here and find a list of all the games we’ve currently fit into the cases!
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