7 Simple and Fun Pocket-Sized Travel Games
When your Mad Libs book is completely filled up, you can’t think of any picnic item that starts with the letter X, you’ve already seen the in-flight movie and didn’t even like it the first place, that’s when a pocket-sized travel game can really come in handy. Nowadays, nothing can compete with technology, not bottles of beer on the wall, not counting cars, and certainly not waiting for the beverage cart to come around with free snacks.
So why not whip out your cell phone and crush some candy? First, most smartphones don’t work on airplanes, unless you pay for in-flight Wi-fi, and second because your brain will eventually rot trying to fight off Carl the Cupcake and the Jelly Queen. Video games are also kind of isolating: you can’t really be a team player when you’re playing a game alone if you know what we’re saying.
That’s why pocket-sized travel games are so popular and so not mind-numbing. You’d surprised how much fun you can fit in your pocket, pocket-sized jelly bellies notwithstanding. Not convinced? Here are some games that will have you packing your cargo pants for the coast.
What Are The Best Pocket Sized Travel Games?
It doesn’t take much to qualify as a pocket-sized travel game, aside from the fact that they should be pocket sized and they should be games. In that case, pocket-sized pinball games from vending machines can be easily procured for 25 cents apiece. But chances are they won’t provide much entertainment and aren’t the best bet in a moving vehicle. However, to qualify as one of the best pocket travel games, there are quite a few more requirements.
You want them to be fun, but not as in fun for two minutes because otherwise, you’re looking at a pretty awkward road trip. You want them to be engaging and you want them to be thought-provoking and not just thought-provoking as in what you might bring to a picnic. Although no doubt, that can be a very thought-provoking subject. Here are some pocket-sized travel games that we think might fit the bill.
What Are The Best Pocket Sized Travel Games?
It doesn’t take much to qualify as a pocket-sized travel game, aside from the fact that they should be pocket sized and they should be games. In that case, pocket-sized pinball games from vending machines can be easily procured for 25 cents apiece. But chances are they won’t provide much entertainment and aren’t the best bet in a moving vehicle. However, to qualify as one of the best pocket travel games, there are quite a few more requirements.
You want them to be fun, but not as in fun for two minutes because otherwise, you’re looking at a pretty awkward road trip. You want them to be engaging and you want them to be thought-provoking and not just thought-provoking as in what you might bring to a picnic. Although no doubt, that can be a very thought-provoking subject. Here are some pocket-sized travel games that we think might fit the bill.
Alderac Entertainment Group Love Letter
No emails, Instagrams or texts here. This game takes place way before modern technology. The plot is simple. You’re one of the eligible suitors competing for the hand of the lovely Princess Annette of Tempest, who has incidentally locked herself in a castle. The only way to win her heart is by sending her a love letter – yes, an actual handwritten one. Unfortunately, you have to rely on others to get it to her and your goal is to get yours there first. The question is, can you do it while deflecting the advances of your competitors?
This two-to-four player game consists of sixteen cards. Each player begins with one card, and one is left out of the game. As the game progresses, each player draws a card and plays a card the idea is to expose your fellow players and knock them out of the game. Powerful cards make you a target, weak cards can get your letter thrown out in less time than it takes to delete an email. Check it out on Amazon here.
Zombie Dice
You’re a flesh-eating zombie and you’ve got brains on your brain. You’re hungry and you’re a roll of the dice away from juicy neurons. Can you eat your brains and keep your own? Zombie dice consists of thirteen dice and a cup. The dice are your victims. If you roll a brain, you eat a brain, if you roll a blast, you get shotgunned, if you roll a footprint, the enemy got away. Thirteen brains and you win, three shotgun blasts you lose. It’s a press your luck game of apocalyptic proportions. If time flies when you’re having fun, this could be your quickest road trip ever. Check it out on Amazon here.
Asmodee Jaipur
Camels are always a good association when you’re on a road trip. In the card game Jaipur, you’re on a mission to become the official merchant of the Maharajah. You just need to earn more money than your opponent.
In this two-player game, each player starts with five cards. Three camel cards and two merchandise cards lie on the table (or food tray, car seat, or whatever surface is available) between you. On your turn, you take some cards or sell some of yours. If you decide to take the camel cards, you’ll have more to trade with. You can sell all the merchandise cards that you want. For each sale, you receive tokens of different values. In the end, he with the most camels wins. Jaipur comes with 55 cards and 60 chips (not camel chips-don’t worry). You can check it out here on Amazon.
What Are the Best Travel Games to Take in A Car?
No dice. That’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of travel games in a car. Dice are meant to roll around by nature. Unfortunately, so are cars- the combination is ill-advised. However, while its no dice for dice, there are other loose game pieces that are not meant to roll by nature, such as pawns, checkers, and chess pieces. Magnetism can prevent them from doing so. This is why pocket travel magnetic games make ideal travel games for the car.
Yellow Mountain Imports Magnetic Chess
The object of chess is to keep your pawns, not to lose them when the car hits some rough road. The Yellowstone Mountain Imports Magnetic Chess Set will guarantee you don’t lose your pawns (at least not to the area under the backseat) with its magnetized board and playing pieces. But magnetism isn’t the Yellowstone’s only attraction. It’s gold and silver pieces make an elegant appearance and the size of the board is ideal for traveling. The board is light and compact enough to fit in your hand luggage and the pieces fit perfectly inside the game board for easy storage. Check it out here on Amazon.
Gamie Magnetic Board Game Set
Want to put some old school in your carpool? The Gamie Magnetic Board Game set is Milton Bradley’s legacy. It’s a collection of twelve pocket-sized retro board games that would have made the Brady Bunch turn green with envy. With such old favorites as chess, checkers, Snakes and Ladders, Chinese Checkers, Tic Tac Toe, Backgammon, Solitaire, and others, Shrinky Dinked down into a 5” square, and magnetic pieces to hold them in place, this set has a board for everyone on board. Check it out here on Amazon.
What are the Best Travel Games to Take on An Airplane?
What should you bring with you on an airplane? A travel game is right up there with toothpaste and hand lotion. Travel games are not just a traveling pastime, on planes they’re a traveling essential. Not only do they keep you occupied, but they’re also a great way to avoid unwanted conversations, shut out the screams of crying babies, and distract you from the fact that the person next to you is drooling on your shoulder. The best travel games to take on an airport are lightweight (not even magnetic chess is worth the price of a baggage surcharge), and ideally should fit in your carry on. Here are some games that we’re sure will guarantee a pleasant flight.
Smart Zone Games Hive Pocket
Take down your food tray and get ready to bug out. The only beehive that would pass through security at an airport, the game Hive is a board game with a difference – the difference being that there’s no board to speak of. In Hive the player pieces make the board. As more pieces are added the fight to protect the Queen Bee intensifies. With ants guarding the hive, beetles climbing to the top, spiders holding down the fort and grasshoppers leaping in for the kill, one false move and the Queen has had her last taste of honey. Check out the game here on Amazon and see why it’s creating such a buzz.
Dark Stories
Who stole the cookie from the cookie jar? You’ll find a lot more of mysteries more complex than that in Dark Stories pocket-size game, but that gives you a general idea. Dark Stories is essentially a set of cards, each with a somewhat unusual true crime scenario written on it. (Think: A woman opened a suitcase. Finding a dead man inside she took her own life). The player who draws the card fields “yes” and “no” questions from the other players, until eventually, they solve the mystery, or at least get an idea of what happened. Choose from Dark Stories 1 and 2 or the Real Crime edition. Check it out here on Amazon. For a game so lightweight, it’s some pretty heavy reading material.
