by Patrick J. Knight

Created on: November 06, 2008   Last Updated: May 15, 2011

Always looking to save money, my family drives to most of our vacation destinations. There are several games we play to keep everyone occupied, and I have also found that these games have helped my children with their school work - what a bonus!

The first game is "White Minivan." The object of the game is to score the most points before we all get out of the car (rest stops, gas-er-ups, final destination, etc). The play is simple. The first one to spot a white minivan yells out, "white minivan." The minivan can be driving, parked, or even a picture on a billboard. A white minivan is worth 100 points. Each player has to keep their own score. To make the game interesting, we periodically added other vehicles with other point values. A white station wagon doubles your points. A gold Dodge Intrepid (our car) was worth 2,000 points. A Mini Cooper was worth 800 points. A Police Car allows the finder to take anyone else's points. One trip incorporating this game was a drive from NY to Florida. We added a Space Shuttle (one million points)!

The second game we play is the "Story Game." In this game, one person starts a story. It can start any way the story teller likes. "One day, when I was on my way to school, I saw a green marble on the ground. I picked it up and Mom - at this point, Mom would continue the story however she saw fit. At any point she chooses, she calls someone else's name, and that person continues the story. It goes on and on until someone says "the end." This game allows for any fantasy, science fiction, gore, suspense; whatever. The kids love it because there are no rules the most ridiculous is allowed.

The third most popular game we play is "Hide and Seek." Very similar to "20 Questions," the person who is hiding announces that they are, in fact, "hiding." The other players are allowed to ask questions to gain hints on the whereabouts of the hider. Questions like:

1. Are you inside or outside?

2. Are you in a building, vehicle or structure?

3. Are there people with you or are you alone?

My daughter was four when we started with this game, so if you have younglings, be prepared for repeated questions, and allow for as many questions as are necessary to find the hider.

We have also played games where we quote the lines from movies, and the other players have to guess the movie and the character who said the line. We play the "Alphabet Game," where the players must name a geographic location that begins with the next letter of the alphabet. We also play the "Rainbow Game," where each player must find something that begins with the next letter of the rainbow (remember, a rainbow has specific colors in a specific order; otherwise, it's just a bunch of colors).

Once your kids learn the rules, they will play until they fall asleep, or until you reach your next stop. I have driven over 500,000 miles on vacation since my kids were born, and I have yet to hear, "are we there yet," except when my son said that line from the movie, Shrek 2.

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