Going back to basics: favourite family games for on the road!

What’s your favorite game (card, board, video, etc.)? Why?

Growing up, we spent a lot of time playing board games. Sure, consoles were becoming popular, but we couldn’t afford them, and honestly, I’m so grateful for that – I can’t imagine I’d have half the funny memories I do from a games console, as I do of family moments playing board games!

Board games and card games, for the most part, are a brilliant way to get the family together. My earliest memory of a board game was playing “The Game of Life”: that was a firm favourite of mine, but sadly it got lost in a move when I was only 7 or 8, and we were limited to Scrabble and Monopoly after that. Both of which are also great fun. Monopoly in particular. I think every family must be able to recall at least one dramatic end to a game 🤣! It’s like a family rite of passage! When I got older, I remember Trivial Persuit entering the collection, and I enjoyed playing that, collecting those little wedges, with my Mum and younger brother.

We had various chess sets in the house too, from the travel companions with ludo and snakes and ladders, with those little magnetic counters, (available from every petrol station ‘back in the day’) to a beautiful ornate Chinese style marble version, which my Dad had purchased from one of the many auctions he loved to frequent, though we weren’t allowed to use that board! Perhaps the best set though was one my Mum and I fashioned, from plastic shot glasses, when I was in my late teens – there was a space underneath the clear shot glasses that was just the right size to place a miniature piece from a travel set – and those were probably my favourite games of chess!

I have fond memories of playing Uno with my family, too, in my early teens, sitting in the garden for hours, full of laughter. That was probably the card game I remember the best, other than solitaire, which I could have played for hours (if I was allowed to!) At one point, when I was around 9, money was really right, and I remember Mum making us a card game using recycled cardboard. She really was creative!

So where am i going, reminiscing about my favourite childhood games? Well, this prompt has come at an interesting time, as just recently I’ve put my car up for sale, with a view to buying a campervan – and I’ve been wondering what to take with us on our adventures for when the weather turns! I have 2 boys, 8 and 10, and I’m keen to focus on ‘family activities’ on our adventures, even when we are confined to the ‘van! My boys are in a different era to when I grew up, and although they have digital games, we still have plenty of board games too, and I want to do these as a family, rather than have everyone go off to their own device when the rain does come!

I taught them chess when they were 6 and 4, and they do love Monopoly, though emotions can run high at times! For my youngests birthday, I got him a Pokemon battle academy game: it’s only 2 player, but I’m hoping they will play nicely and utilise all the cards they’ve collected over the past few years! Does that make it a board or a card game, I wonder? We also have Uno, several sets of playing cards, and I’m currently thinking about getting a Yahtzee set – these are all great, compact, games that can be easily stored in a campervan – and played with without needing too much space too! I discovered Yahtzee when I was around 13, visiting a friend, where we stayed in a caravan for a few days – see? The perfect travel game! I’m already excited, and I’m nowhere near being able to buy a campervan yet 😅

Neither a board game, nor a card game, but one I highly recommend for younger families, is a tin of “Rorys Story Cubes”. Inside the handy little tin are 9 dice, each with an object on, which you then role and make a story from, using those objects! We discovered these when out with friends who had a set, and they were a big hit with the children – so much so that I decided to buy a set for ours. I’m so glad I did, they are not only small and easy to carry everywhere, but I haven’t bought another activity on any trip ever that’s created so much excitement, that everyone could join in on, and that no ones gotten bored of! Even the grown-ups have all had a go at story telling!

What about you? Is there a firm family favourite you’ve found for your travels? What would you recommend?