25 Fun Things to Do on a Road Trip with Friends or Alone
Are you planning a road trip solo or with friends, family, or a romantic partner, and wondering how you can make the journey a fun experience? You’ve come to the right place!
Going on a road trip, whether alone or with companions, can start out fun and exciting, but the long, tiring journey may become boring at some point. To make your road trip enjoyable and memorable, there are various fun things you can do on the way and at your destination.
Continue reading this article for fun activities to do on a road trip alone or with loved ones to entertain yourself, reduce boredom, stay busy, bond with friends and family, and make the journey seem shorter.
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20+ Things to Do to Make a Road Trip Fun
- Catch up
If you’re going on a road trip with someone or people you haven’t seen in a while, start by catching each other up on what has been going on in your lives. It will enable you to reconnect and strengthen your relationship with them so you can have more fun together on the journey.
- Listen to music
Everyone enjoys listening to music, and it is a must-do fun activity on road trips, whether you’re traveling alone or with companions.
Listening to music will lift your spirits and keep you company if you’re alone. Studies also suggest that music changes the way we perceive the passage of time, for instance, by making long periods of time in a journey seem shorter.
If you’re on a friends’ or family road trip, consider everyone’s taste when deciding what songs to include on your road trip playlist. To be fair to everyone, you should take turns.
READ ALSO >>> 20 Ways to Make Time Pass Faster
- Stop at attractions along the way
If you’re going on an especially long road trip, stopovers are good for breaking the monotony of being in the car. You can stop at other tourist attraction sites along the way or at diners and coffee shops.
When planning a road trip, research the other places you can visit along the journey to your destination so you can have other things to look forward to when you hit the open road. They will elevate your road trip experience.
- Sing karaoke
Do you remember the entertaining celebrity carpool karaoke videos that James Corden used to upload on YouTube several years ago? You can do something similar when on a road trip with friends and family, or as a couple. Who knows, you might discover a hidden singing talent.
Bring a portable karaoke machine or look up YouTube channels that upload karaoke versions of songs with lyrics. Play some popular songs and sing along to the instrumental music while doing a bit of choreography.
If you all have the same taste in music, the better. You will have fun as you sing and mess up the lyrics, tone, melody, or dance moves.
- Play road trip games
Playing games is one of the fun things to do on a road trip, whether in the vehicle or at stops. Depending on the game, you can play alone or with companions.
Some fun games to play on a road trip include Never Have I Ever, road trip-themed Bingo/I Spy, poker, chess, trivia, tongue twisters, Who’s most likely to, Monopoly, guess the song, Would you rather, 20 questions, and many more.
- Enjoy the scenery
The journey is just as (if not more) important as the destination of your road trip. You must enjoy it.
Looking at the things around you as you go along the journey, e.g., the landscape, trees, wildlife, art, and buildings, is among the fun things you should do on a road trip. Enjoy every moment wherever you are on the road.
- Eat snacks
Yes, eating is a fun activity for most people, and it can also be a bonding time while on a road trip with friends and family.
If you’re with companions, have everyone suggest or buy their favorites to increase the variety of snacks, then share among yourselves. You can even use the snacks to play games such as rating each other’s snacks, mystery box challenge, guess the ingredients, and flavor roulette.
When buying or sharing road trip snacks, remember to keep everyone’s food allergies in mind. Also, avoid any super oily foods or other food items that will likely make a mess and be difficult to clean off the car upholstery. Ensure you have a car trash can and keep it in an easily accessible place.
- Take pictures
If you don’t document something with pictures, did it even happen?
Taking photographs is one of the fun things you must do on a road trip, whether you’re with friends and family or alone. The pictures are a great way to capture moments and preserve memories of this adventure.
Take solo and group photos as well as pictures of the scenery and things you see at stops along the way and at your destination. If you’re on a solo road trip, bring a selfie stick or a tripod stand, use the hood of your vehicle, or have the courage to request strangers nearby to take photos of you.
- Record videos of your journey
Similar to taking photos, videos are a good way to document your trip, perhaps even better. Whether you plan to share the videos on social media or need them for personal use only, recording videos of your journey is a fun road trip activity you can do alone or with loved ones.
However, don’t be too focused on looking at the camera or talking to it that you miss the actual experience. Also, don’t fake certain emotions and actions for the camera in order to make the road trip experience seem exciting, smooth, or challenging if it isn’t. Be as real as possible in your videos.
- Find souvenirs
Souvenirs are an important part of the travel experience. They’ll remind you of the places you have visited and the feelings you had at the time. They are also a way to promote the local economy and will be great conversation starters later.
On your road trip, have fun finding or buying souvenirs at the tourist attractions and other places you visit. Some keepsake items don’t even have to cost you a thing if you’re traveling on a budget.
If you can afford it, get some souvenirs for loved ones who aren’t on the trip too. It will show them you were thinking of them while you were away.
- Try the local cuisine
Travel exposes you to new experiences. If you are travelling through/to an area whose local foods are different from what you are used to, gain a new experience by trying the local cuisine. It will make your road trip adventure more complete.
Trying the local cuisine will help you connect with the local community, promote the local economy, discover new favorite dishes, and immerse yourself in or learn more about the area’s culture.
If you have a sensitive stomach, it is okay to stick to what you’re familiar with. You don’t want to risk a reaction that will make your road trip experience miserable.
- Listen to audiobooks
If you’re a book lover who doesn’t want to fail to meet your daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly reading target due to being on the road, take your books with you.
Listening to audiobooks is one of the fun things you can do on a road trip, especially when you’re alone. Besides learning new things and getting entertained by the stories, the narrator’s voice will help alleviate loneliness in the car or at your stops for the night.
The audiobooks you take on a road trip can be about anything, whether fictional or non-fictional. You could choose to listen to books about your road trip destination and the places you pass by or visit along the journey.
- Read a book
If you aren’t the one driving or have some time to rest, reading a physical book or an ebook is another fun activity to do on a road trip. And just like audiobooks, the books can be from any genre and on anything you like. They also have the same benefits.
- Listen to podcasts
Podcasts are a great way to entertain yourself on a road trip while also learning new things and eliminating feelings of loneliness if traveling alone.
Since cell service may be spotty in some areas, consider downloading your favorite podcasts before starting the journey so they’ll be available whenever you want to listen to them.
- Tell stories
If you’re going on a road trip with friends or family, you will likely have a lot to talk about in the vehicle or whenever you stop. Telling stories is a fun way to pass time during a road trip.
You can relive memories of past trips together or other experiences you’ve shared, tell ghost stories or other intriguing tales associated with the areas you pass, talk about what you are looking forward to doing at your destination, share funny stories, or discuss your favorite celebrities, movies, books, and songs.
Keep the conversation going, and try to include everyone so no one feels left out.
- Make road trip jokes and puns
Joking is another fun way to entertain yourself on a road trip with friends or family. Come up with jokes that use puns, make car or travel-themed knock knock jokes, ask What did … say to … questions, ask What do you call… questions, or joke about the things you see along the road, such as town names, billboard pictures, funny signboards, the landscape, or snacks, among other jokes you like.
However, do not make fun of people, whether your companions in the car or others around you, as part of ‘joking’. Telling good jokes will keep everyone in a good mood on your road trip.
- Watch movies
A road trip can feel long and monotonous at times, especially when you’re on a stretch where the surrounding landscape has been the same for a while. The conversations could also die down, some people may fall asleep on the way, and there are also the evening hours when you’ve turned in for the night.
One of the fun things you can do on a road trip alone or with companions to avoid boredom is to entertain yourself by watching movies. They can be on streaming services or predownloaded ones.
- Learn a new language
Perhaps you don’t know the language of the people at your road trip destination. Or, maybe you are planning a future trip to a place with an unfamiliar local language.
One of the fun things to do on a road trip is to learn a new language. You can use flashcards, a language dictionary, or apps such as Duolingo, Memrise, and Babbel. If you’re the one driving, there are hands-free language learning apps with audio courses you can use.
If you’re with companions who are also interested in learning the language, you can quiz each other. You could also have fun trying to converse in only that language for a particular amount of time.
- Journal your journey
Preserve your memories of this adventure by writing about your road trip experience in a travel journal. Write about your thoughts, mood, and experiences, both big and small moments, on the journey.
Reading your journal days, months, or years later can jog some memories you might have forgotten over time.
READ ALSO >>> Benefits of Journaling
- People-watch
You come across people from all walks of life while traveling. To entertain yourself while in the car or at the places you stop at, people-watching is one of the fun things you can do on a road trip alone.
Observe people on the sidewalks, at cafes, or at the attractions you go to. Use the limited details you have about them, such as their body language, clothes, and appearance, to guess their background story and the relationships they have with those they interact with.
However, do not stare at anyone for too long while people-watching. It may be misinterpreted.
- Experience the local nightlife
What can you do on a road trip at night for fun? You may be wondering. After stopping for the night, you don’t have to go to bed immediately. Go out and experience the local nightlife to get more glimpses into the local culture and social life.
Some places completely transform at night. Depending on what is available where you are, you can just take a walk around the town, visit bars, clubs, or restaurants, attend a live music performance, go to the theater, attend a festival, or go to night markets.
It is important to stay safe while out in an unfamiliar town. So, read reviews and look up or ask for recommendations before going to any place. Also, do not overindulge in alcohol or go home with strangers. If you go out with your road trip companions, keep them in sight at all times.
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- Go camping
Where do you plan to sleep during your road trip? Although hotels and Airbnbs may provide more comfortable accommodations, choose to camp outside at least once on your trip. Sleeping under the stars will be so fun.
Choose a safe campground, bring your camping gear, set up a tent(s), start a fire to stay warm and cook/reheat food or make s’mores and marshmallows, and while the night away playing games, telling stories, stargazing, or just enjoying the sounds of nature.
You can combine your road trip camping experience with other fun activities such as hiking, birdwatching, playing musical instruments, swimming, sunbathing in a hammock, and fishing, among others.
- Brainstorm on ideas for your next trip
Would you want to travel with these people again? If you’re having fun on your road trip and want to go on another adventure together someday, come up with ideas for your next road trip and start planning it.
- Make a time capsule
Most people don’t go on road trips often. Some may do it annually in a particular season or only for special occasions. Since you probably won’t be with these people on a road trip again until some later date, give each other an incentive to want to meet up for another fun adventure by making a time capsule.
In a time capsule container or any other box/tin available (for the short term), you could put souvenirs from this road trip, your pictures, copies of your travel journal entries from this trip, and letters to your future selves detailing your current thoughts, feelings, hopes, and travel bucket list.
You can also include letters to each other saying your favorite things about the other and telling them how much they mean to you.
Lock the container and have the most responsible person among you store it in a safe place, or bury it together somewhere when you get back home. Remember to set a date to reopen it, and stipulate that everyone should be there (unless they have unavoidable reasons).
If you’re on a solo road trip, you can also make a time capsule for your future self.
READ ALSO >>> 7 Things to Do Now That Your Future Self Will Thank You For
- Talk about your experience so far
Talking about shared experiences is fun. On your road trip, whether you’re still on your way to the destination or on the way back home, have fun talking about your experiences on this journey.
If you are alone, you can call your friends and family to let them know how the trip is going, or record a vlog detailing your experience.
Are you ready for an enjoyable, memorable experience on your road trip?
If you were looking for ways to make a road trip fun before starting your journey or during your travels, we hope the above ideas were helpful. Do these fun road trip activities as you navigate the open roads in order to entertain yourself, stay busy, and strengthen your bonds with your travel companions.
The road trip will be a fun adventure that will help you gain new experiences, explore new places, make new friends, and create meaningful, lasting memories. Enjoy your road trip.
Wishing you happy and safe travels!
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