If you’ve noticed my blog has come alive again. The 3-week houseguests have left and I’ve sort-of-almost recovered my health. It’s still a struggle, I tell you, with all the fluctuations in temperature in Berlin, and the tiring job of fixing up the house myself. I was just doing some reflection and realised that when my in-laws were here, we never really went on that road trip that we planned. Then it hit me… Family road trips are amazing in theory, but when you are IN IT (stuck between people in a packed car) it can be a total nightmare! C’mon, who here hasn’t gotten stuck in a petty fight between siblings or in an argument with mom after eight hours in a car? Let’s admit it…hours upon hours, in close quarters with the people you love most can lead you to daydreams of not-so-nice behaviour. LOL!

So here is a great DIY solution that would have been fun for the entire family – Roadtrip Bingo! (which I found online via Pinterest). If you’ve ever played foxybingo then you already have an idea how this game is played. Instead of using numbers, each unique bingo card will have pictures. Whoever completes a line wins the game! This is simple, fun, and encourages people to look out their windows, enjoy the scenery, and be more present during the trip! I would much prefer this than having everyone hooked on their iPads/iPods and missing the views.

The great thing about this is you can tailor fit it to where you are going and who and who you’ll be travelling with! You can make it more complicated for adults who are really into bingo (i.e. Road sign bingo can have five boxes horizontally and five boxes vertically filled with different road signs). Prepare as many unique bingo cards as needed by using a picture bingo card generator like ESL. Print it out and laminate. (I recommend laminating so the cards can be reused for future different trips and use less paper.) Make sure to bring enough white board marker pens and small prizes to make the game more exciting! Ideas for pictures or themes can be:

• car colors
• road signs
• kinds of transport (cars, trains, planes, etc.)
• landmarks (church, supermarket, railroad, etc.)

I remember that road trip to Davao from Iligan City, wherein we loaded up everyone and their cousins in an L300 van and a pickup truck. So many arguments and seat transferring occurred that day due mostly to the cramped space, with the hottest argument being about buying Durian or not. Durian, which is a smelly local fruit, is a great divider – you either love it or hate it. And it ended up with a mid-road trip shuffle, people getting in and out of the cars, until everyone could agree on where the Durian will be loaded, with much heated debate. I think we may have been less cranky with a fun game to distract everyone.

Here is a sample you can download and print:

// FREE printables//

I also remember the time we travelled with my in-laws Myanmar. I think a road trip bingo game would have saved us hours upon hours of hearing about absolutely everything that was coming up on the horizon (Look there is a temple, look at the temple, look at the bush, look there’s a tree, oh there’s another temple, etc.). I think that last trip was the reason why I avoided a road trip at all costs, this time – ha-ha! Next time, I will be more prepared – with road trip bingo cards at hand! LOL! What was your most memorable road trip? What do you think of the idea of a roadtrip bingo?

layout via diplomatic wife //  image via how to plan a successful roadtrip