Whenever I go on vacation or travel for any reason, I always pack a few board or card games. When we go out in our RV I can pack some full sized games (I tend to stick with the theme and pack games like Parks or Trekking the National Parks), but when we travel by plane, ship or car, you can be sure there are some card games or small board games crammed in the corners of my luggage. Even some big-box games get stripped down and their components stuffed in a makeup bag or small storage box. (And then I keep them there because oversized boxes are such a waste, but that’s a topic for another article.)
People often ask me, “If you’re going on vacation, why take games? You’re going somewhere to do things you can’t/don’t do at home. Why not enjoy those things and save the gaming for when you’re stuck at home?”
Here are six reasons why my games hit the road with me.
1. Meet new people
We started by playing games on camping trips as a way to unwind at the end of the day. We’d set up outside on the picnic table (by the campfire in season) and have some fun. What we found, though, was that we often became an item of interest to other campers. They’d stop by and ask what we were playing. If there was room and they seemed interested, we’d offer to let them join in. This often led to new friendships. Not surprising, really, because campers are a notoriously friendly bunch.
But… Once we started taking games on other kinds of trips, the phenomenon persisted. If we played in a hotel lobby or by the pool, interested people would appear. Same if we set up in the lounge on a cruise ship, or in a public park. There’s something about games that breaks down inhibitions in some people. My theory is that seeing people playing games triggers a reversion to childhood when you were naturally curious and unafraid to approach new people and ask, “What ‘cha doin’?”. Once first contact is made, it’s pretty easy to make friends, or at least interesting acquaintances.
2. Reduce stress
I go on vacation to de-stress. Unfortunately, travel often seems intent on causing more stress. Delays, missed connections, annoying people, and other inconveniences abound. Games are great at taking our minds off problems and bringing us back into that vacation mindset. Sure, the plane might be late, but we can still have some fun in the waiting area. (Unlike the people who are just sitting there, fuming.)
And even once we get to our destination, there’s joy in just taking a break from the push to do it all before we leave. We find somewhere beautiful and play. Or we end a hectic day with a few easy hands of Love Letter. Games are our therapy, and no matter where we are they help us de-stress.
3. Save a rainy day
This one is obvious, but weather has ruined many vacation days. Sure, in many places you can keep going even through the rain, but if you just can’t or don’t want to, games are a great way to pass the time until the weather improves. You can stay in your hotel room or tent if you want, or you can venture out to a restaurant or lounge to do some people-watching. (And maybe meet some new friends.)
If you want to enhance the experience, pack some games themed to your destination. For example, if you’re heading to Japan, pack a copy of Hanamikoji. Heading out on an archaeological expedition? Pack Lost Cities. You can keep the flavor of your destination even if you can’t go out and explore.
4. Save a social event
Every now and then, even the best-planned social event becomes a clunker. Maybe you traveled to celebrate your aunt’s 65th birthday, and the party is a snooze. Or the pool party planned for the 4th of July family reunion gets rained out. Or how about the time you traveled to a convention, and it was so boring that even the free food and drinks couldn’t save it? If you’ve got a little party game like Codenames or Flip 7 to offer, you can boost the excitement level of a boring event.
5. Make family visits easier
You probably know the drill. You trek hundreds of miles to visit family, and after the initial rush of seeing each other, you’re just sitting around watching TV and asking, “When’s dinner?” Or somebody starts mouthing off about politics or religion and you can’t wait to get the heck out of there. Or the kids get bored and start complaining that Grandma’s wifi is terrible.
Games can create a pathway to a more meaningful get together. They can give people an easier, low-stakes way to socialize. Cooperative games like The Mind can help with bonding. Kids can be entertained screen-free. And games can even distract the mouthy family members from their rants and press pause on your desire to flee. Games won’t make you suddenly love your crazy family, but they can make it easier to be around them.
6. Save money
Even though you’ve planned a vacation to a fabulous destination, you may not be able to afford to do every excursion that you want to do. However, you can always create memories of playing games in some wonderful places. Maybe you can’t hit every tourist destination in Paris, for example, but you can take home a memory of playing a card game like Fox in the Forest on a park bench in view of the Eiffel Tower. Or perhaps your cruise fare was most of your budget and extra excursions are a bit out of reach. Take a copy of Hive to the beach in St. Thomas and create a wonderful memory. No, it isn’t necessarily the same, but it beats sitting in your room lamenting the cost of things.
Final Thoughts
Of course, there are vacations that even games can’t save. Some trips are just one disaster after another. (They’re often the ones that make the best stories. Like, twenty years later.) However, we’ve found that most travel related miseries can be made better if you’ve got a few games stashed in your luggage.
And even if you have a great trip and don’t need games to fill the void or save a disaster, games are still good for bonding with your companions and making new memories. They are screen- and battery-free, good for your brain, and relatively low cost. Those are entertainment wins no matter where in the world you are.
