Before we left on our year long backpacking journey around the world, I had made some assumptions about the trip. Many assumptions. One of those was that we would play lots of games. I brought a deck of cards thinking we'd play rummy all the time. We played twice. I downloaded a chess app on our iPad thinking I'd finally learn to play. We never opened it. So how did we pass so much time when traveling on planes, buses, and trains? Well Auston slept nearly the entire time, waking to eat a snack and then passing back out. And I read a lot.

Still, we do love playing games back home and I like to think I come from a game-loving family. My mom and sister are always introducing new games to us and some of them are perfect for travelers. As we begin planning some side trips around Spain and France, it’s time to think about excellent game options for traveling light!

Let's get more creative than a deck of cards. Everyone knows they can bring one and probably should because game options are endless. Of course there are also the games requiring no supplies at all like “20 Questions” and “Would You Rather”. If those suit you then great, but if you're over the typical card and verbal games, then here are some other options to consider adding to your travel luggage for your next trip.

1. Farkle

This is a dice game that was introduced to us by our family when we arrived home from our round-the-world trip. It involves a bit of luck and little strategy as you roll six dice, keeping the points you want. Then you re-roll the remaining dice while being cautious that if no more scoring dice are rolled, you lose all your points for that round. All you need is at least two players, six dice and a way of keeping score (pen/paper or phone/tablet). Rules here.

2. Quiddler

If you’re into word games but don’t fancy traveling around with a whole Scrabble set, then Quiddler is a great option. It’s a card game where the goal is to create words with the highest point value possible beginning the first round with only three cards and working your way up to the final round with ten cards. It can be played with 1-8 players so you can pass the time solo or with some new travel friends. Rules here.

3. Bananagrams

Another fun word game that’s even more reminiscent of Scrabble is Bananagams, for 2-7 players. Every player works independently and simultaneously to build words from the letter tiles in a crossword format. Once a player has used up all their tiles without any misspellings or incorrect words, that player is declared the winner. Rules here.

4. Pass the Pigs

This is the only game on the list that we haven’t actually played before but it was recommended to us as fun game that’s convenient for travel as well. All you need is the two pig dice and a way of keeping score. The game is for two to ten players and like Farkle, it’s about pressing your luck. If you roll the pigs in a scoring position (the way they land is worth various points), you decided wether to take the points and end your turn or roll again and risk losing all your points. How lucky do you feel? Rules here.

There you have four great game options that won’t take up the precious remaining space in your travel luggage. Add them to your travel gear and be ready to entertain yourself because you never know when you’ll have a long, boring flight delay!

[divider_10px]Have you ever played any of these games? What’d you think? What’s your favorite game to have for your travels? Let us know![divider_10px]