The idea of van life, or even a weekend break in your camper, is to get away from it all. To be able to enjoy adventures outside, perhaps light a bonfire to roast some marshmallows over after the sun sets, or maybe enjoy the cloudless night skies looking for stars.
But what happens when the weather turns?
Just like many others, we often find ourselves in areas where WIFI is limited, which is absolutely fantastic when you are looking to switch off, but that also means that TV reception or streaming services are also scarce. So, what do people in campervans do in these situations?
Simple. We resort to good old-fashioned board games, a far more sociable way to spend an evening.
Best Games to Play in your Campervan
Whether you are travelling as a couple, a family or with friends, there are a whole host of different games to play, but what are the best ones to take camping with you?
Considering space, or lack of it, and age ranges, we have come up with a list of games that we have played over the years, often quite competitively, that will keep everyone entertained for hours.
Image provided by David Martyn Hunt
#1 Scrabble
Starting with a firm favourite, we never travel anywhere without our scrabble board, and have even considered adding one to our table top if we decide to convert our own van in the future.
Scrabble is a classic word game for up to four players. It challenges you to find not only words, but to find words you can place on the top scoring squares. The aim of the game is to gain as many points as possible from the seven little tiles in front of you.
#2 Bananagrams
Easy to play no matter what your age, this crossword themed game will test your ability to spot words quickly as you pit yourself against others to complete your anagram first. This is a quick fire, scrabble type game for up to eight players. Just remember, if any of your spellings are incorrect, you will be crowned the rotten banana.
#3 Magic:The Gathering
Growing in popularity since 2011, this card trading game has one simple aim: to kill your opponent. Imagine Sheldon and his friends in an episode of The Big Bang Theory, sitting around on a Saturday evening playing a game that consists of creatures, spells and objects that you can use to defeat others. Each player is a grand battle commander who starts with 40 health points and an army of creatures to defend them. The idea is simple: protect your health points while taking others.
This game may sound nerdy, but it soon becomes addictive and before you know it, you will have been playing for a couple of hours.
Buy Commanders Magic: The Gathering here
Image provided by Nate Cull
#4 UNO or UNO FLIP
UNO, the classic game of matching colours and numbers, is perhaps one of the most popular card games ever created, and if you haven’t yet played it, you really should; it soon becomes compelling.
If that isn’t enough, the creators have gone on to devise a new game, UNO Flip, a double-sided deck, incorporating the original deck with an evil second side, adding new challenges and an even more competitive edge.
#5 Articulate
The idea of this game is a simple one, describe what is on the card to your team mate without using the actual word. Easy right? Wrong. When you are up against the timer trying to get the rest of your team to say the word on your card is extremely difficult, but also very funny.
The fantastic thing about this game is that there is no limit to the number of people that can play making it versatile for both family games night and larger gatherings.
Image provided by Maria Eklind
#6 Trivial Pursuit
Perhaps one of the longest running board games still popular with families today, Trivial Pursuit is a game that tests your knowledge on both popular subjects like sports and music, plus also topics like history and literature as you move around the board competing to be the first to collect all the wedges of the pie. With the ability to add new question decks at any time, you can continue to keep things up-to-date regardless of how long you have been playing.
#7 Jenga
This game is unlikely to be a quiet one, but it does test peoples’ ability to slide the blocks out of the tower and continue to build it higher without toppling it over. Jenga is a game for all the family that requires no general knowledge and remains free of complex rules. A campsite winner no matter how old you are.
#8 Dobble
A card game that requires players to make observations at speed, Dobble is like snap but with multiple pictures on one card to match. It is fast paced and highly entertaining. You will see people forget their words and try to describe images in all manner of random ways all to be the first to shout out a matching answer to the card they hold.
Over time, this has become an extremely popular game and now has not only the classic option but many more including ones based on Harry Potter and Marvels. There is also a camping theme option and a waterproof set for those that would like to play on the beach or by the pool.
Image provided by Rich Brooks
#9 Boggle
For those that like word games, boggle is a compact game that can be taken anywhere. Set within a tray are a selection of cubes with various letters on and the aim of the game is simple. Within the designated timescale you need to find as many words as possible. Words must be a minimum of three letters long and each letter after the first must be a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal neighbor of the one before it.
#10 Herd Mentality
As the name may suggest, this is a game where you need to follow the crowd and write down the same answers as everyone else. If you answer with the majority you win the cows, if however, you are the odd one out, you gain the angry pink cow and your other cows become worthwhile until you can get rid of the doomed pink one.
While you can play this game with just a few people, it becomes funnier and more competitive in a larger crowd as more answers are offered up.
Of course, there are many other games out there, and if you have a particular favourite we would love to hear about it. Ultimately, this is about being present and enjoying time with others you are travelling with.
Do you have a preferred game you travel with? If so, please leave the details below.
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