About road trips
A road trip is a long journey by car, where the drive is part of the adventure. Since cars became common in the early 1900s, families have filled long hours on the road with spotting games: counting cows, hunting for number plates and calling out landmarks.
Spotting games are good for more than passing time. Looking out at the horizon can help with car sickness, and searching for things trains attention and vocabulary. Every square on these cards is something you might see from the car window, explained below for younger travellers.
Did you know?
In 1888, Bertha Benz made what is often called the first long-distance car journey, driving about 106 km (66 miles) from Mannheim to Pforzheim in Germany.
Car sickness happens when your eyes and your inner ear send your brain different messages about movement. Looking out at the horizon often helps.
The stop sign's eight-sided shape is used for that sign alone, so drivers can recognise it even from behind or when it is covered in snow.
The US Interstate Highway System was approved by Congress in 1956.
Australia's Highway 1 loops around the country and is one of the longest national highways in the world, at roughly 14,500 km.
Everything on the cards, explained 40
Car-window list 40 words
- airplane
- A flying machine with wings and engines. Also spelled aeroplane.
- barn
- A large farm building for storing hay, machines or sheltering animals.
- bicycle
- A two-wheeled vehicle you pedal.
- billboard
- A huge sign beside the road, used for advertising.
- bird on a wire
- A bird perched on an overhead power or phone line.
- boat on a trailer
- A boat being towed behind a car on a wheeled trailer.
- bridge
- A structure that carries a road over a river, valley or another road.
- camper van
- A van fitted out with beds and a small kitchen for holidays on the road.
- cow
- A large farm animal kept for milk or meat, often seen grazing in fields.
- dog in a car
- A dog riding in another vehicle, often with its head out of the window.
- exit sign
- A sign showing where to leave a highway.
- fire truck
- A big emergency vehicle that carries firefighters, hoses and ladders. Also called a fire engine.
- flag
- A piece of cloth with a design that stands for a country, state or group.
- gas station
- A place to fill up a car with fuel. Also called a petrol station or service station.
- hay bales
- Bundles of dried grass, rolled or pressed into blocks, used to feed animals.
- horse
- A large animal with a mane and hooves, kept for riding or farm work.
- lake
- A large body of water surrounded by land.
- motorcycle
- A two-wheeled motor vehicle.
- mountain
- A very high, steep hill.
- plate from another state
- A car number plate from a different state or region than the one you're in.
- police car
- A car used by police officers, usually marked with lights and stripes.
- red car
- Any car painted red. One of the easier squares!
- rest stop
- A place beside a highway where travellers can park, stretch and use the toilets.
- river
- A large natural stream of water flowing towards the sea or a lake.
- road work
- Repairs or building work on the road, usually with signs and workers in bright vests.
- roundabout
- A circular junction where traffic goes around a central island.
- school bus
- A bus that takes children to and from school.
- sheep
- A woolly farm animal, often seen in flocks on hills and paddocks.
- speed limit sign
- A sign showing the fastest speed cars may legally drive on that road.
- stop sign
- A red, eight-sided sign telling drivers to come to a full stop.
- toll booth
- A booth or gate where drivers pay a fee to use a road or bridge.
- tractor
- A powerful farm vehicle used to pull ploughs and trailers.
- traffic cone
- An orange cone placed on the road to guide traffic around work or hazards.
- traffic light
- Red, amber and green lights that tell traffic when to stop and go.
- train
- A line of carriages pulled along railway tracks by an engine.
- truck
- A big vehicle for carrying goods. Called a lorry in the UK.
- tunnel
- A passage built through a hill or under water so the road can go straight through.
- water tower
- A tall tank on legs that stores water high up, so it flows to homes with good pressure.
- wind turbine
- A tall tower with giant blades that turn in the wind to make electricity.
- windmill
- A building with large sails that turn in the wind, traditionally used to grind grain or pump water.
Eyes out the window, not on a screen
Road trip bingo is spotting, not calling. Each passenger gets a card, and when they see something on it out of the window (a red car, a windmill, a bridge, a bird on a wire) they mark it off. The first full line wins, and nobody needs a caller, so the driver can stay focused on the road.
The 40-square list mixes things you'll see on almost any drive (traffic lights, trucks, a stop sign) with rarer finds like a boat on a trailer or a toll booth, so every card has easy wins and a few long shots. Because every card is different, siblings can't simply copy each other.
Tips for the drive
- Clipboards or a hard book make cards easy to mark in a moving car. Crayons beat pens on bumpy roads.
- Pre-readers: 3×3 cards with short words, and an adult reads the squares aloud.
- Different scenery: city driving and country roads favour different squares, so play a round for each leg of the trip.
- Make it last: play for a full card on long highway stretches.
Before you go
Print a few spares, since cards tend to get sat on. Paste in your own squares, like the name of a town on the way or a landmark you'll pass, for a trip that feels personal. Nothing you type is uploaded.
Questions people ask
How do you play road trip bingo?
Each passenger gets a card. When you spot something on your card out of the window, mark it off. The first person to complete a line shouts bingo. There is no caller, so the driver can concentrate on the road.
What age is it for?
Readers aged about 6 and up can play on their own. For younger children, use 3×3 cards and have an adult read the squares aloud.
What if we're driving in the city?
The list mixes city and country sights. On a city drive, squares like traffic lights, buses and roundabouts come up fast; in the countryside, look for barns, cows and hay bales.
Can I add places on our route?
Yes. Edit the list to add towns, landmarks or rest stops you'll pass. Keep at least 24 squares for 5×5 cards.
What is in the Medium and Hard PDFs?
Each has 20 unique 5×5 cards, two per page, and a checklist of all 40 squares. Medium has a free centre square; Hard has none.