How To: Pass Time on a Road Trip

I don’t remember being into car games as a kid, mostly because I was too busy thinking up subtle ways to tick off my sister, and not get caught by my parents. But now that I’m older, I find them endlessly amusing. And unlike some of my more clever peers, I like the silly, mindless games. Somehow being stuck in traffic on the Jersey turnpike doesn’t make me want to get all high-brow and problem solve, I want to be entertained.

Leigh Anderson’s The Games Bible, which is true to its title, offers more games than you can imagine – outdoor games, party games, Victorian parlor games, right-brain games, kid-approved games – with choices for everyone at any skill level.  So if you’re stuck in a car over the long weekend, here’s an easy way to break up the time:

Band Name, Album Name, or Boat Name?

A quintessential road trip activity, it keeps you alert to your surroundings, your creativity pumping, and the conversation flowing. Created by Thi Nguyen, the game’s participants keep an eye out for any unusual words or phrases seen from the road that could be a band name, album name or boat name.  The words can come from anywhere: signs, advertisements, bumper stickers, etc. As you see a word or phrase that catches your fancy, you point it out to your companions, and decide which of the three categories it would best suited.

As an example, on Thi’s road trip, it was decided that “Dave’s Laundry” would be an album name, “Your Money or Your Life” would be a band name, and “Loading Zone” would be a boat name. Your companions may disagree, but mild disagreement can only improve the discussion.