8 Great Board Games for Adventurous Travelers
Finding it hard to satisfy your wanderlust while being stuck at home? Growing tired of all of your traditional board games for entertainment? Here are some great options that transport players to fascinating places across the globe, while educating them about world cultures and geography. You can play all of them at home with family and friends, including the kids, or, in some cases, challenge like minded travelers via online versions.
7 Wonders
Fancy yourself as the leader of an ancient kingdom? This award-winning card deck game summons you to assemble one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World. One game you could be erecting the Colossus of Rhodes, and the next tending the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Over the duration of three eras, you’ll construct architectural masterpieces, develop trade routes and engage in military battles. As each age draws to a close, you’ll have to pit your power against rival cities.
Players: 2 to 7
Recommended age: 13 and up
Buy it here: 7 Wonders
Also available on: Android and iOS
Backpacker - The Ultimate Travel Game
The excitement, uncertainty and magic of backpacking comes to life in this pocket-size card game. The aim of the game is to outfox your fellow players and get back home after amassing the biggest photo collection. You’ll visit spellbinding countries from Argentina to Australia, Egypt to England. You’ll discover beaches, treks, and wildlife, and receive both favorable and dubious travel advice. All this while you concentrate on not getting lost, sick or turning up late for flights.
Players: 2 to 6
Recommend age: 10 and up
Buy it here: Backpacker - The Ultimate Travel Game
Flags Around the World
Know your Dannebrog from your St. George’s Cross? This quick-fire game for geography lovers puts your knowledge of the national flags of 195 nations to the test. You can play the entire world or by continent(s). Choose a card and guess the country that the flag corresponds to. Each card features two educational facts about the country in case the person guessing, especially younger players, needs a hint. Place the cards you win where you think they belong on the map to score points.
Players: 2 to 4
Recommended age: 8 and up
Buy it here: Flags Around the World
Monopoly: National Parks Edition
If you’re dreaming of dramatic vistas and majestic wildlife, then this version of Monopoly takes you into the heart of USA’s natural wonders without having to leave home. Buy and sell 22 of the country’s most popular national parks, including Big Bend, Grand Canyon and Yellowstone. Test your knowledge of over 60 parks by matching animals to their habitats. To complete the theme, you travel around the board as either a bison, camera, canoe, hiking boot, tent or ranger hat.
Players: 2 to 6
Recommended age: 8 and up
Buy it here: Monopoly: National Parks Edition
Spaceteam
If traveling planet Earth isn’t enough, then with this fast-paced game will let you dream of becoming an astronaut. Working as a team, your mission is to make essential repairs to your spaceship before gravity sucks it into a black hole. Each player draws a card and reads the information aloud in order for others to help find the solution. Maybe there’s an airlock failure, or you desperately need to find a kilo bypass transformer. One game lasts for only five minutes, and no two scenarios are ever the same.
Players: 3 to 6
Recommended age: 10 and up
Buy it here: Spaceteam
Also available on: Android and iOS
Ticket to Ride Series
Here’s one for train enthusiasts and the logistically minded. The aim of Ticket to Ride is simple: connect cities by laying out train routes between them. Earn additional points by creating the longest continuous railroad and by connecting specified cities en route between your two major destinations. Different cards present varying challenges such as building an urban transit system and mapping a transcontinental route. The original game is set in 1900s North America, and there are versions set in Africa, Asia and Europe, too.
Players: 2 to 5
Recommended age: 14 and up
Buy it here: Ticket to Ride
Also available on: Android, iOS and Fire Tablets
Brainbox: All Around The World
Want to combine travel and geography knowledge with observation skills and memory? This family friendly game tests and enhances players’ knowledge about the capital cities, cultures, food, landmarks and more of worldwide destinations. Select one of the 71 cards, set the 10-second timer, and study and memorize the card’s images and facts. Then roll a dice and ask another player to ask the corresponding question. Expect things like Does Germany border France? and Which ocean borders Brazil? Answer correctly to win the card.
Players: 1 or more
Recommended age: 8 and up
Buy it here: BrainBox: All Around The World
Yokohama
Journey back to the mid-1800s and try your hand at being a merchant during Japan’s Meiji era. The city of Yokohama went from an unassuming fishing village to one of Japan’s most important harbors and trade routes in this period. It’s your job to open a store, establish distribution channels and successfully complete international sales orders. All the while you’ll be learning about the history and evolution of an era that saw significant economic, political and social change in the Empire of Japan.
Players: 2 to 4
Recommended age: 14 and up
Buy it here: Yokohama