Road trip games for couples

Why games work better than “let’s talk”

“So, what do you want to talk about?” is the worst question on a road trip. A game hands you the first question and gets out of the way. This or That asks mountains or beach, early flight or red-eye, and within four rounds one of you is explaining a strong opinion about hotel breakfasts. That’s the point. The game is the starter; the conversation is what you remember.

Sitting side by side helps. There’s no eye contact to manage, which makes some answers easier to give, and it’s why a question that would feel awkward across a dinner table is fine at 70 mph.

Three kinds of game for two

Getting-to-know games. Two Truths and a Lie is best for couples who haven’t been together long. After a few years it becomes a different game: you’re trying to find the one story your partner never told you. Our road trip questions for couples deck is the gentler version, 40 cards you can read aloud or have the phone read for you.

Competitive games. The Movie Game and Name That Tune are for couples who like to win. Keep a running score for the whole trip in the notes app. It turns a two-day drive into a series, and the loser picks the next rest stop snack.

Silly games. Fortunately, Unfortunately is a story you build in turns: “Fortunately, we found a motel. Unfortunately, it was haunted.” It’s good for the last hour of a long day, when you’re both too tired for anything that needs a real answer.

How to run it without it feeling forced

• Short rounds. Play one game for twenty minutes, then stop. If it turned into a conversation, the game did its job.
• The passenger holds the phone. The driver answers; the passenger reads questions, keeps score and checks disputed answers at the next stop.
• Either of you can skip. A pass costs nothing. This matters more on a question deck than in a movie chain.
• Mix the types. A competitive game after a reflective one keeps the day from getting heavy.

When one of you isn’t a games person

Plenty of couples have one enthusiast and one skeptic. Don’t lead with rules. Ask a This or That question as if it were ordinary conversation, and only mention it’s a game once the other person is already playing. Pick games with no losing: Fortunately, Unfortunately and the couples deck have no score at all. And let the skeptic choose the topic. Someone who won’t play “name a movie” will often happily argue about the best diner on Route 66 or the worst hotel you’ve ever stayed in together.

A plan for a weekend drive

Friday evening, on the way out, keep it light: This or That and Name That Tune. Saturday’s long stretch is where 20 Questions earns its place, played with a “memory lane” rule where every answer comes from your shared history. The drive home is for the couples deck. You’ll have fresh material from the weekend, and the questions about what you’d do differently next time land better on the way back.

If friends join you for part of the trip, most of these games scale up, and the road trip games for adults page covers games that get better with four or five people.