Hitting the road with the kids for holiday travel is not exactly what I would label as fun most of the time. Between alternating bathroom stops, fights and musical begging, holiday travel can be a nightmare with kids in tow. Fortunately, there are some things you can do to make them stop the inane bantering and nagging. Games have a way of making them forget they are in a traveling tin can and keep them occupied for at least thirty minutes at a time.
Here are five that work with regularity on my holiday travel trips:
Twenty Questions (Holiday Version) - The premise is rather simple...One person thinks of a holiday themed person, place or thing and the others have twenty yes/no questions to guess what it is. The winner gets to go next and so on. Usually this game will give you a good hour or two before everyone bores of it.
License Plate Bingo - This is another super easy game. Simply have the non-driving riders seek out the entire alphabet one at a time on car license plates. This one is tons of fun and rather long lived.
Find the State Plate - If license plate bingo isn’t working, give state plates a try. Each person tries to find as many states as possible on passing cars. The challenge gets tougher when you assign lanes to certain people. Then they can only get cars in “their” lane. You can easily milk about two hours out of this holiday road trip game.
Holiday Story - This is a good game with kids young and old. All you need to do is start with one sentence of a story based on the holidays and then go in a circle. Each person adds one sentence to the story. You might be surprised at how cool the stories can get. Have some fun with it! You can even continue the story when you load up to come home.
Give in to the video games - Folks...when you have tried all the rest, simply give in to the dreaded video games. Kids love them and they will hold their attention. Yes, video games are not good all the time. Still, sacrifices must be made for mom and dad’s sanity on this holiday traveling trip. The silence alone is worth it!
For older kids and teens, the appeal goes beyond just playing the game—it’s also about the in-game items and customization. Owning rare items or cosmetic upgrades can make the experience even more engaging. A CS skin trade page lets players safely exchange skins, ensuring swaps happen fairly and securely.
Using a dedicated trade page keeps the process organized and protects inventory from scams. Hunting for the perfect skin or completing a collection adds excitement, making every session more immersive.
In the end, these small digital rewards enhance the gaming experience while giving parents a well-earned moment of peace. What starts as a simple way to keep kids entertained can also introduce them to responsible trading and digital community interaction.
Holiday travel does not have to be a nightmare. Simply fire up the old game list and get them busy using their minds and you will have the trip licked before you even leave. Keep those minds hopping!
