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37 Fun Things You Should Do On A Road Trip With Friends (Quick-Fire)

Jack, author at The Road Trip Expert, skiing in Canada

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Is there a better vacation than taking a road trip with friends?

You can’t beat the feeling of being on the road, your favorite tunes pumping out of the stereo, anticipating where your next exciting stop might be. There are so many fun things to do on a road trip with friends!

You could enjoy a little competition with our selection of road trip games. Alternatively, keep the chat flowing with our road trip conversation starters.

That being said, fun road trips can still have their shortcomings, including car boredom and mishaps along the way (everyone gets lost, right?).

Mine have certainly had their fair share of unfortunate events!

You know what?

There are many ways to ensure that you plan a road trip full of entertainment. In this article, I’ll share 37 ideas with you based on my own personal experience. Read on to find out how to make a road trip fun!

road trip with friends
On top of a volcano in Chile during a road trip with friends

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Fun Things To Do On A Road Trip With Friends

The sense of freedom a fun road trip can give you is great, and who better to share it with, than your best buddies?

However, I’m sure you’ll agree, that enjoying yourself isn’t as simple as following our road trip tips. That’s why it’s important to know what to do on a road trip to keep it fun and entertaining

Say goodbye to car boredom, goodbye to the mundane, and goodbye to any squabbles with your chums. With these fun things to do in the car on a road trip, you can let the good times roll.

1. Play A Road Trip Game

Road Trip Games With Friends

Choosing from our collection of road trip games is one of the simplest ways to stay entertained. We have a wide variety of easy-to-follow rules.

Play one (or more) of these games with your bestie to pass some time, have some fun, and maybe even get a little competitive with each other. We have a selection of other games to suit every situation:

2. Enjoy Our Road Trip Conversation Starters

We also have a big variety of road trip questions to get the conversation going in the car! They are perfect to keep the journey from getting boring. Strike up an intriguing chat with our varied list of discussion topics.

If you’re traveling with your significant other we also have a dedicated article full of awesome road trip questions for couples.

3. Listen To An Audiobook

Road Trip Audiobook

Audiobooks are the perfect resource for a bit of in-car entertainment. Not only can reading in the car lead to you feeling carsick, but it’s very much a one-person activity. Audiobooks are the perfect way to stay entertained for a while and keep everyone involved!

Even the driver can tune in without too much of a distraction. As with podcasts, they can also give you something to chat about, and something to focus on. We’ve got a full article on the best audiobooks to listen to in the car.

How to find audiobooks

Get onto this Audible Plus Free Trial and download some books that sound juicy before you go. This is my favorite resource for Audiobooks, mainly due to the huge selection available.

4. Tell a Joke

Girl laughing on road trip

Need some entertainment? Need a few laughs? Tell each other some travel jokes! There are a wealth of pages online with endless examples to keep you chuckling for hours.

If you’ve exhausted your current repertoire, use these funny road trip jokes to keep the rest of the crew entertained.

5. Listen To a Podcast

Road Trip Podcast

Listening to a podcast is a great way to kill some time during a long journey; it helps you stay stimulated. Whether that’s through laughter or through igniting an interesting conversation with your friends.

Download some podcasts that sound hilarious or interesting to you prior to departing. If you need more help check out this article on the best podcasts for road trips.

Recommended podcasts

Two of my favorite podcasts are:

  • How I Built This – this podcast tells the story of how some of the most famous and interesting companies were born. Innovators and entrepreneurs come onto the show and describe the twists and turns that come with starting a business.
  • The Joe Rogan Experience – this podcast is a long-form conversation hosted by comedian Joe Rogan who is super entertaining and always asks the most intriguing questions. Guests range from actors to musicians to sports stars to scientists and beyond.

Discuss the podcasts

When you do listen, take away the best points and talk them through with your buddies after. You might find you enter into some juicy discussions.

Before you set off, don’t forget to grab an In-Car Charger so that you can charge up your phone on the road. This is one of our favorite road trip accessories to remember!

6. Play Some Fun Road Trip Game Apps

All of the road trip games I mentioned earlier don’t require anything except you in order to play. If you want to introduce something different you could consider choosing something from our list of road trip game apps. There are a variety of apps to choose from that could entertain you in the car including trivia, music-based, and word-orientated games.

7. Listen To a Playlist

What To Do On A Road Trip

No road trip is complete without an ultimate road trip playlist, right? Personally, I think it’s the perfect time to enjoy some movie soundtracks (Gladiator is my favorite).

Before you set off, ensure you’ve compiled and downloaded a playlist of all the best road trip songs. I’m talking newbies, classics, and some old rock, and roll – anything you can sing along to is a definite priority.

Looking for a pre-made playlist?

I always find that tunes from the 90s go down a treat with my friends in the car. Maybe that’s just me…? The Easy 90s and All Out 90s playlists on Spotify are full to the brim with bangers you’ll no doubt recognize.

8. Pullover and Do Something Active To Let Out Some Built-up Energy

Keep energy levels high by playing some sports or doing something active at a rest stop. Find somewhere with a grassy area and let off some steam before you get back into the car. Finding attractions along a road trip route is one of the best ways to keep things spontaneous!

Before you set off on a road trip, pick up a football, frisbee, or simply a ball to catch. Packing the right road trip essentials leads to endless entertainment at rest stops!

This will keep spirits high, provide a bit of comradery and ensure your legs have a good stretch before you continue on the road. Personally, I also love to go on random hikes along the way.

If you need a little inspiration, why not do a search on GetYourGuide for attractions in the area?

GetYourGuide Logo

9 Test Your Knowledge With Some Road Trip Trivia

Trivia games infuse the journey with lively competition and camaraderie. They stimulate conversation, test shared knowledge, and make travel downtime engaging. By scoring over the trip, a grand trivia champion could even emerge. Check out some of your options in our road trip game apps post.

10. Enjoy A Road Trip Scavenger Hunt

If you’re traveling with kids they might enjoy engaging in a road trip scavenger hunt. This involves stopping off at locations along the route while they search for and collect items on a list (or complete challenges). If you’ve got a long drive ahead and need to stay in the car then our road trip bingo game might be more suitable (spotting things out the window).

11. Take Photos

Sunset on the coast of Portugal during a road trip
Sunset on the coast of Portugal during a road trip

As if you aren’t going to be taking photos anyway? But just in case you weren’t planning on taking (at least) a few snaps on your trip, picture this:

It’s someday in the future, you’re old and wrinkly, and you’re sitting next to your bud having a beer and reminiscing about those hilarious trips you used to take. You’re going to want to see some photos so you can have a joke about how cool you were back then.

Take photos, whether that’s simply with your phone or your fancy camera. Phones capture great photos these days. Here’s a beginner’s guide to awesome iPhone photography. If you’re feeling retro, you could also consider a Polaroid Camera. These snaps are perfect for adding to a scrapbook or journal.

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If you prefer to just go digital, no worries! Why not use some of our photo dump captions for Instagram when posting your pics to social media?

Share the photos with each other

Capturing memories while you’re away is great – you can relive all the awesome moments from your trip. But make sure you share them with your friends.

I’m not just talking about bragging about your trip on Instagram (although that can be fun too), but sharing with the people you experienced the trip with. Create a shared album on your phone and that way all of you can easily add your snaps to it!

12. Post On Social Media

Keep your circle in the loop by sharing updates on social media. Whether it’s an epic group selfie or a quirky roadside attraction, these posts can capture your road trip’s essence. Remember, it’s not just about showcasing the highlights but also the spontaneous, fun moments in between.

Use our collection of road trip captions to perfectly describe the moments you’ve captured! You could also consider blogging, vlogging, or recording some fun Tik-Toks!

13. Document Your Trip

Keeping a diary of the road trip with friends

This will, of course, involve a bit of work during the trip, but you could reap the rewards after. Documenting your road trip with friends is a great way to reminisce and fondly look back at the good times you had.

What’s more, if you’re taking a longer trip and doing loads of awesome activities, it can be easy to forget parts! Pick up a travel journal before you set off and add everything as you go!

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Be creative

Documenting your trip doesn’t just mean writing down what you had for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day. You can do it however you wish, and get creative.

Here are some ideas for documenting your trip:

  • Jot down your favorite activities in a classic diary-style journal
  • Write a blog post or film a Tik Tok!
  • Take a photo by every place-name sign
  • Take a panning video at each stop and edit them together as a montage
  • Buy a small souvenir from each of the cool places you visit

Have fun with it and get creative. This will make it more fun to share with others once it is complete.

14. Have a Singalong Session

Road Trip Singalong

Now you’ve got your perfect road trip playlist, jam-packed with all those classic songs, make sure to belt them out at full volume together.

There’s no better feeling than being out on the open road with your favorite people and your favorite tunes blaring out. Take turns playing DJ to mix it up!

15. Take a Detour To See Something Cool

When you were planning your road trip, you probably decided the main things that you wanted to see and do. Outlining your ‘must-do’ activities is crucial (as suggested in my Create a road trip budget article), as these are probably the main reasons for your trip.

BUT…

Don’t plan too much, and consider taking the scenic route!

In my opinion, the best things about a road trip are flexibility and spontaneity! Especially when you’re road-tripping with your friends. With that in mind, be sure to take a detour and see something cool on a whim. Road trips give you the freedom to chop and change your plans as and when you want, so take advantage and get off the path.

16. Track Your Route On Google Maps

If you decide to take the scenic route and visit lots of random places you could consider saving each location in Google Maps. This means in the future you can refer back to the map and relive the journey you took.

17. Try and Use a Paper Map

Ditch the technology, turn off GPS, work as a team, and go old school. See if you can use a paper map to find your way around for a while. Don’t do it when you’re on the highway, though, that would just be silly. Try and do it somewhere that actually requires you to read the map.

This might sound counter-productive, but it can actually be great fun for a while. You might just find it’s the stimulating task you need to kill off some of that car boredom! Chuck a paper road map into your road trip packing list!

18. Watch the Sunrise/Sunset

It’s likely you’ll see at least one sunset during your trip.

Forget about trying to make up ground for an evening, and make time to pull over and enjoy it with your friends. They’re the perfect setting for a photo stop, a picnic with your buddies, or a relaxing beer after a day of driving.

The same goes for the sunrise. Sure, they can be early. But aim to see at least one sunrise during your trip. It’ll be worth it. If you have any hiking planned one of my favorite things to do is turn it into a sunrise hike!

Sunset on a road trip
What An Amazing Sunset!

19. Take Your Own Food and Have a Picnic

Eating out on a road trip can be super expensive. What’s more, the options are often limited and unhealthy.

Do yourselves a favor and take your own food. Not only will this save you money, but you can have an awesome picnic in the setting of your choice, with your chums.

Taking your own food on your road trip will give you freedom as you drive and explore and prevents you from having to eat dodgy overpriced gas station burgers.

If you’re going to pack food for your trip, make sure you compile some awesome road trip meals to take with you! That way you won’t forget anything crucial for your alfresco dining experience.

Road Trip picnic

20. Take Delicious Road Trip Snacks

Curating the perfect selection of road trip snacks adds another layer of excitement to your road trip. Variety is key – think crunch and flavor, sweet and savory, nourishment and indulgence. A good snack can spark a conversation, turn into a makeshift picnic at a scenic spot, or simply satisfy midnight munchies. Importantly, well-chosen snacks can also keep energy levels up, ensuring everyone stays lively and alert on the journey.

21. Eat Like A Local

Getting advice from locals is one of my favorite road trip tips. When you’re exploring somewhere new, stop off at a local convenience store or gas station and ask about the best places to eat or suggestions for interesting stop-off points in the area.

22. Buy Local Souvenirs

When stopping off in random places I also enjoy picking up mementos or souvenirs to remind me of my time there.

23. Camp For (at least) One Night

I love camping.

In my opinion, there’s nothing better than getting out in the open, setting up camp, and being at one with nature. It’s also one of the perks of taking a road trip; you can enjoy car camping anywhere as you are in control of your destination!

Want to camp on the beach? Awesome. 

Don’t forget to follow a camping road trip packing list to make sure you have all the extras needed!

How to find the best camping spots

Ioverlander is a superb app that shows you established campsites and wild camping spots within a certain area. It’ll tell you whether they’re free or how much they cost, as well as what facilities are available.

Get your buddies around the campfire for an unforgettable road trip experience.

Don’t forget to pick up Cards Against Humanity! My favorite travel game.

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camping on the beach during a road trip with friends
Our camp spot on the beach during a road trip with friends

24. Watch A Movie On Netflix

Downloading movies in advance of a long-haul flight is something I always recommend. It’s also one of the best ways to entertain yourself on a long car ride. If you need a break from everyone else in the car you could watch a movie or episodes of your favorite show with subtitles or headphones.

25. Learn A Language

Practice a foreign language together in the car for endless laughs. The easy option is to use an app like Duolingo however I prefer listening to something on Youtube or Spotify.

26. Do Your Phone Admin

Use the time between stops to sort your phone out. This includes answering all your messages, organizing your photos, and sorting through your emails. I also like to remove any apps I’m not using and free up storage by deleting any downloads on YouTube or Netflix that I’m unlikely to watch in the future.

27. Catch Up – Have a Heart to Heart

Let’s face it, you’re going to be spending A LOT of time together. Taking a road trip with your friends means a lot of time in close quarters when you’re on the road.

For that reason, it’s the perfect time to have a serious chinwag and catch up on everything.

Talk about:

  • Your problems
  • What’s going well
  • Your work
  • What you’re studying
  • You love interests
  • What you’ve been doing recently

Talk about anything and everything. It’s time for some bonding. If you’re stuck for ideas, check out these road trip conversation starters.

28. Discuss Future Travel Plans (or wishes)

Talk about where you want to go in the future. This is one of the best topics of conversation. It’s sure to bring up some exciting stuff and keep you chatting for hours.

Even better?

Take a scratch world map with you, so as you discuss you can scratch off where you’ve already been and start plotting where you want to go next!

Been is a nice app version of this. It’s easy to tick off countries and then will show you a personal world map with the countries you’ve visited highlighted.

While you’re at it, plan your next road trip together. Recommend places to your friends that you’ve already been to and that you’d know they would love. Keep the adventures going.

29. Talk About a Mutual Friend (or Friends)

As I said, you’re going to be spending a lot of time in close quarters so a road trip with your friends is a great time to have a chat.

Chat about the friends you share in common.

I always find this topic interesting and provides a lot of conversation, as you fill each other in on the trials and tribulations of your friendship group members.

30. Put Down Your Phone

put down your cell phone during a road trip with friends

Believe it or not, this doesn’t just apply to those driving! Don’t constantly play on your phone during your journey.

Not only is this not fun for the driver, but it will distract you from enjoying the moment. You can play on your phone anytime, but you might only take this trip once. Use the time to bond with your friends on the trip, instead of those far away through social media.

Obviously, you don’t have to do anything drastic, like lock your phone away in the glove compartment. Instead, use apps that are interactive for everyone in the car such as these road trip game apps, quizzes, music, and podcasts.

31. Laugh About The Mishaps

There’s no way you can predict exactly what will happen on your trip.

No matter how much you plan, how detailed your itinerary is, and how good your packing list is, you need to accept that things won’t always go to plan. You could end up taking a wrong turn and a 2-hour detour. You could end up with a flat tire in the middle of nowhere (I did in Chile).

Bottom line?

Don’t let these hiccups spoil the rest of your trip! Try and laugh them off as part of the adventure.

Sure, it’s a smart idea to plan for the worst – it can save you money in the long run and soften the blow if something goes wrong. But don’t stress if and when things go south.

changing a flat tire on a road trip with friends
Changing our flat tire

32. Sleep

sleeping on a road trip

For obvious reasons, this one doesn’t apply to the driver! But, if you’re traveling a long way during your trip, it might be a good idea to take turns to catch some precious Z’s.

If your friends are anything like mine, chances are your road trip is going to be a lively one – it might involve partying, it might be jam-packed with daytime activities, or it might have both!

Even though sleeping in a moving car is tricky, catching a few hours on the road could be wise.

Driving?

Consider reading our article on how to stay awake while driving.

Sleep and drive in shifts

Clearly, a car full of sleeping passengers isn’t always the best for the driver. Particularly if you’re driving a long way on a boring road. Frankly, that’s just unfair.

Sleeping in the car on your road trip only really works if there are more than 2 of you, and you can rotate. One person stays awake with the driver, while the others have a doze.

This worked particularly well during my road trip up through Chile and Argentina with 3 of my buddies, for example.

2 of us would take on the driving and navigation, switching as we went and keeping each other entertained. The other 2 would get some shut-eye in the back, especially if we were driving at night! It’s crucial to know how frequently to take breaks when driving long distances in order to stay safe.

33. Play The License Plate Game

The license plate game is a fun way to spend some time on a long car ride. It’s a simple game that can be played co-operatively or competitively. The aim of the game is to spot as many different license plates as possible from different states.

If you are reading this before heading out on your road trip, make your way to our guide. We’ve got a full article on how to play the license plate game which includes printable resources to use whilst playing!

34. Play The Quiet Game

Sometimes even the best entertainment for road trips can get a bit exhausting. If you need a break from each other, try playing the quiet game. The rules are simple, the last one to make any noise wins the game! The perfect way to pass some time.

35. Play The Top 3 Game

One of my favorite fun activities to do on a road trip is the “Top 3” game. The game is simple, choose a category such as movies, food, cities, etc. Then take turns to list out what your top 3 favorites are from that category. It’s fun to hear each other’s top 3 movies or top 3 places to visit.

36. Support Each Other

A road trip with friends can be tough.

If you can’t laugh at all the misfortunes, help each other through them! Some people find obstacles and mishaps harder to take than others, so be a supportive friend when the going gets tough.

You’ll find you get on better, and work better as a team and everything will just feel easier.

37. Keep In Touch With Loved Ones

I’m sure you’ll agree it’s always important to keep in touch with loved ones. If you’re on a cross-country road trip it can be easy to get distracted by how much fun you’re having. Take some time out and message/call your loved ones. Send them some photos and let them know how it’s going!

37 Awesome Things You Should Do on a Road Trip with Friends – Pin for Later

21 awesome things you should do on a road trip with friends

Your Road Trip With Friends

Now I’ve given you my 37 top tips for taking a road trip with friends, I want to hear from you!

Which awesome thing are you going to make sure you do?

Or do you have any other suggestions for things to do on a road trip with your chums?

Either way, let me know, and leave a comment below!

Disclosure: Some or all of the links in this article may be affiliate links. This means I earn a commission if you make a qualifying purchase, but this is at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting The Road Trip Expert.

Jack, author at The Road Trip Expert, skiing in Canada

Jack Mecklenburgh

Author

Hey, I'm Jack. Travel is my passion. I particularly love to load up the car with camping gear and get out into nature. I love outdoor sports, and if I can combine them with traveling, I'm a happy happy man. My road trip highlight was driving an old sedan 6000km through South America. I enjoy sharing road trip tips I've learned from my adventures and writing travel guides on places I've visited. In over a decade of travel, I've visited dozens of countries and spent time living abroad in Canada, Australia, Spain, and RĂ©union.

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