Summer isn't quite over yet, and if you're planning on one final summer road trip before fall rolls around, chances are, you want it to be as fun and easy-going as possible. The traveling aspect of taking a trip can be frustrating. Children can quickly and easily become bored, which can lead to whining, fighting, and driving parents crazy. Planning ahead is key, and by mapping out some fun road trip games for the kids or the whole family to play while on the road, can be a great way to pass the time, and keep everyone entertained.

Here are five road trip games that our family loves to play when we hit the road:

Scavenger Hunt

I like to scour the internet for printable scavenger hunt pages. I try to find cute pages that the kids can color in, and write on. Types of items we look for on our scavenger hunt include: 

Stop Sign

Bird

Flowers

Food Signs

Blue Car

Fence

Airplane

Trees

Balloon

Animal

Name that Tune

One player takes a turn humming a few bars of a familiar song. The rest of the players have to guess the name of the song. Once the correct name has been called out, it's fun to sing the rest of the song together as a family. Let the player who correctly guessed the title of the song choose the next song in the game, and take the next turn.

50 States License Plate Game

Give your travelers (all but the driver) a list of all 50 states. Have them check off each state they see a license plate for on the road. They can even keep tally marks beside the state names of additional plates they see for that state. Keep the game going for the entire trip, and see who comes closest to spotting the most state plates at the end of the trip.

I Spy

I Spy is a classic car travel game that everyone can play- young and old. Go around the car and take turns saying 'I spy _________ (ex. something green).' Players must guess what the Spy has spotted and take turns guessing until they get it right. This game can keep travelers entertained for hours!

Alphabet Game

Go through the alphabet from A to Z, and try to spot something that matches each letter. For example, a food sign for Applebee's could be for letter A, a bridge could be for letter B, etc. Go through the entire alphabet and see how long it takes for your family to come up with an item for each letter.

Make sure you also bring along snacks and drinks, and other non-tech reliant activities. Pack travel journals, so your family can keep track of fun places you stop and visit while on your trip. You should also plan to bring along coloring books, crayons, stickers, a few small toys, playing cards for older children, etc.