Favorite Travel Games
Our pick of 10 travel games mostly for teens and adults
I have been a board game lover since I was a kid. I would drive my mother crazy asking her to play Candyland or Chutes & Ladders with me. For reasons I still don’t understand, that woman just hates on Candyland!
I’ve recently become obsessed with Mahjong and while my favorite Mahjong game company has a travel set, I don’t own it so I can’t try it out for you and let you know my real thoughts just yet. I have, however, tried all of these on this list. I will rank based on how frequently they find their way into my carry-on bag!
Qwixx - Quick to learn, inexpensive, compact, and up to five people can play. This dice game is almost perfect in my book! It requires pencils so I purchased these golf pencils that you can easily fit six of them into the box. This works for those aged 8 and up so it is a good family game but also entertaining for adults to play multiple times.
Coloretto - A card game for up to 5 people but it’s a tad more complicated so the play age starts at 13. I would consider playable for those 10 and up though. It has fun artwork and the object is to collect sets of colors. The play is fast, taking about 15 minutes or so a hand. I can keep playing this over and over. If I pack just two games for a trip, it’s always this one and Quixx.
Boggle - I love word games! Boggle has been a fave for me since I first got it as a teenager. I love how you can play with as many people as you want. As long as you can see the game board, you can play! Quick and fun and can even be played in teams.
Rummikub - I played Rummy with cards my entire life and this take on Rummy is even more fun. I just like tile games, what can I say? This is for up to four players and isn’t too difficult. I could play this one over and over again.
Qwirkle - Match colors and shapes to complete rows and score big. This is an easy one for all ages to play. Up to four can play at a time.
Uno - This classic can be found in so many different forms nowadays. It’s easy to play, everyone knows how, kids can be taught quickly and can even learn colors and numbers while playing. Is there a household in this country that doesn’t have a deck of Uno cards?
Yahtzee - Another one that my whole extended family loves. This travel version is perfect for tossing in the suitcase.
Scrabble - We love playing Scrabble at home and this travel set is nice for on-the-go. The only tiny downside is that the tiles are pretty dang small, making it a bit harder to handle.
Catan - This travel set is adorable, what can I say? It’s the full game play of regular Catan in an adorable compact way!
Trivial Pursuit - This set contains questions centered around different decades. Take one decade at a time with you. I like to take these when we are going out to dinner. It’s a fun way to pass the time while you have a cocktail and wait on a table.