How to play road trip bingo
- Choose a card size: 3 × 3 is quick and easy for young players, 5 × 5 has a free center square and takes longer. Pick how many cards you need, one per player.
- Turn categories on or off. Skip Animals on a highway trip, or keep only Vehicles for a quick game with little ones.
- Press Make cards. Then press Print cards and bring a pencil or crayon, or hand out phones and tap squares on screen.
- Watch out the window. When you see something on your card, mark it. You can only mark things you spot yourself, not things someone else points out.
- The first player to mark a full row, column, or diagonal calls “Bingo!” The on-screen cards celebrate for you, and you can switch to a full-card blackout for a long drive.
A bingo game for the back seat
Road trip bingo turns the drive itself into the game. Instead of waiting for a number to be called, each player watches the road and marks squares as they see them. That keeps kids looking out the window, gives everyone something to point at, and ends whenever somebody finds a bingo.
The things on the cards are common sights on American roads: school buses and semi trucks, water towers and red barns, cows and horses, exit signs and gas stations. A few depend on where you drive and the season, like a hot air balloon or holiday decorations, so turn off a category if it doesn’t fit your route.
Ideas for your drive
- Play a second round. After the first bingo, keep going for a full card, or press Clear marks and start over.
- Give each kid a different goal. Little ones play 3 × 3 with pictures while older kids play a 5 × 5 card in words-only mode.
- Make a pit-stop rule. Anything spotted at a rest stop counts too, or doesn’t. Agree before you leave.
- Hold a prize at the end. A choice of the next snack or the next song works well.
Planning the trip around a holiday? The Thanksgiving bingo cards and Christmas bingo cards are made for the party once you arrive.
Parents: whoever is driving should stay out of the game, and passengers shouldn’t point out things they can’t safely see.
Frequently asked questions
How is road trip bingo different from regular bingo?
Nobody calls anything out. Each player has a card of things to spot and marks them as they appear outside the car window, so the game lasts as long as the drive. The cards use your own category choices: vehicles, signs, landmarks, animals, and roadside sights.
Can I print the cards?
Yes. Press Print cards and pick one card or two cards per page before you make them. Each printed card has a line for a name, and every card has a different layout so players can’t copy each other. Marks from on-screen play are left off the printout.
Which card size should I use for young kids?
Try 3 × 3 with pictures. It has nine big squares, so a child who can’t read yet can match the pictures, and a game can finish in a few miles. Older kids and adults usually like 5 × 5 with the free center.
Can I play without printing?
Yes. Tap any square to mark it, and the card lights up when someone gets a bingo. Your cards and marks are saved in your browser, so a refresh or a low-battery restart won’t lose the game. Undo takes back the last tap.
How many different cards can I make?
Up to 30 at a time, and no two in a batch match. Each card has a different set of squares in a different order.
What are the things to spot?
More than 70 family-friendly sights from American roads, such as a school bus, a water tower, a red barn, a cow, a hot air balloon, or a plate from another state. Use the category checkboxes to narrow them. A 5 × 5 card needs at least 24 things to choose from.
Do the pictures print in black and white?
Yes, the pictures print as emoji in whatever your printer supports. Choose Words only if you’d rather skip them or your printer doesn’t show emoji well.