Road Trip Ideas: Activities, Games, and Things to Do for Adults
The best road trip ideas solve a real problem: long stretches of highway that feel tedious without the right combination of entertainment, conversation, and structured activities. Things to do on a road trip with other adults are different from family car games — they can be more complex, more competitive, and more interesting than “I Spy.” Getting this list right before you leave makes a significant difference in how the hours feel.
This guide covers what to do on a road trip that works for adults in a car together for hours, specific fun things to do on a road trip when the scenery gets repetitive, and road trip activities for adults that range from passive to actively engaging depending on energy level and passenger count.
Conversation-Based Road Trip Ideas
Road trip ideas that generate genuine conversation are the most consistently useful across different groups. The Conversation Starter Game (a card deck by We’re Not Really Strangers or the Table Topics travel edition) gives you pre-written prompts that produce real answers rather than surface-level small talk. Pass the deck around and let each passenger draw a card when the conversation lulls.
Podcast listening with shared discussion is another underrated what to do on a road trip approach. Pick a podcast with a clear narrative arc — true crime, history, documentary-style — and discuss it in segments. Use natural pause points (gas stops, food breaks) to share reactions before moving to the next episode. This creates a shared reference point for the trip that you’ll still talk about weeks later.
Things to do on a road trip at different energy levels: when everyone is alert, use a competitive trivia app (Trivia Crack, Quiz Up, or the free Jeopardy! app) with the front passenger running questions aloud. When the group is lower-energy, rotate music control so each person curates a 30-minute playlist — it’s surprisingly revealing and a low-effort way to pass time.
Fun Things to Do on a Road Trip: Games and Challenges
Fun things to do on a road trip with a competitive edge include the license plate game (spot plates from as many states as possible), 20 Questions with themed categories relevant to the trip destination, and the “story chain” game where each person adds a sentence to an improvised story that escalates into absurdity.
Road trip activities for adults that involve the physical environment: count specific car colors (first to 20 red cars wins), identify as many chain restaurants as possible in each state, or photograph the most interesting roadside sign in each county you pass through. Small competitions with low stakes keep energy up during the flattest stretches of highway.
Road trip activities for adults traveling with a route focus: identify one specific stop per 2-hour segment — a specific overlook, a famous roadside attraction, a local diner someone recommends — and build those stops into the drive as reward moments. The combination of forward momentum and specific planned stops makes a 10-hour drive feel structured rather than endless.