6 of The Best Games to Play On a Charter Bus

Student groups, vacationing families, corporate travelers, sports teams—everyone needs entertainment while on the road.

Luckily, whether you need to kill some time on a long-distance road trip or squeeze in some team-building activities while stuck in traffic, Shofur is here to help. We put together some of our favorite games to play on a charter bus, a minibus, or any other transportation service you can rent for your next group trip. And the best part? Most of these only require pens, paper, and your imagination—perfect for easy-to-set-up team-building and fun while on the road.

Call 1-800-436-8719 to set up your own personalized charter bus rental, and then read on to learn how to play these fun road trip games!

Two Truths and a Lie

What it is: a group bluffing game

Objective: to fool your friends and learn more about each other

Best for: groups of 6 or more

What you need: some interesting facts about yourself

The basic premise of this game is simple enough. Taking turns, every player lists off three statements about themself: two of which are true, and one of which is false. The remaining players must then discuss and consult each other before coming to a consensus as to what statement of the three is a lie. The person in question either confirms or denies the guess, and play moves on to the next player.

People usually approach this game with two strategies: disguising their lie as truth or disguising their truths as lies. In the first case, the key is to make your lie as believable as possible, so no one would question its validity (for example: “My favorite cake flavor is chocolate”). On the other hand, if you have a fact about yourself that’s unbelievable or way out there, the group is more likely to assume it’s the lie (for example: “I’ve gone skydiving in 5 different countries).

This game is a go-to icebreaker activity for people who’ve just met or want to get to know each other well. However, if you’re close with your traveling companions or otherwise have grown tired of the format, here are some variations to help spice things up:

• If you’re traveling with a competitive bunch, have each player weigh in individually and keep score of how many lies they guess correctly, rather than having the group come to a consensus. Whoever has the most correct guesses when you reach your destination wins.
• Instead of revealing which statement is a lie right away, have every player say their truths and lie, let everyone guess what isn’t true, then go back around the circle a second time and let people reveal what was true and false. This can be especially tricky when your players know some of their fellow passengers but not others, so friends can corroborate each other’s lies and throw people off.
• Rather than having everyone give facts about themselves, your group can take turns giving three bits of trivia—two that are weird but true, and one that’s totally bogus. This version usually goes over well with a group of people who have an array of specialized interests or knowledge banks (academic decathlon clubs, different departments of a company, etc.).

Say the Same Thing

What it is: a cooperative talking game

Objective: to say the same exact word at the same exact time

Best for: 2 players who know each other well

What you need: your brains and communication skills

Pair up—if you’re on a charter bus, you can turn to the person sitting next to you—count down from three, and say any word. No, really, any word.

After this first round, you and your partner should take a second to think about the similarities between your two words. What connects them? What is a single word that sums up that connection?

Once both you and your partner have made your connections, count down again from three and say your new words at the same time. Repeat the say-connect-say process until you both think of the same connecting word and say it at the same time. The goal is to not only think of a connection between the two given words but also to think of a connection your partner would make as well. People’s brains and thought processes work in different ways, so it may take a while to come around to the same words.

First Letter, Last Letter

What it is: a talking and thinking game

Objective: to say a word that begins with the last letter of the previous word said

Best for: 2 or more players

What you need: the ability to spell

First, pick a category or a topic—something broad, like “geography.” One player starts by naming something within the category (in this case, “Canada” would work just fine). The next player must then name something else related to the category that starts with the last letter of the previously named thing (like “Alabama” or “Amsterdam”). If you can’t think of a word or if you repeat a word that has already been said, you’re out.

This game is especially great for field trips, youth group outings, and other travels with younger kids. But if you’d like to add an extra challenge to entertain an older crowd, we have some suggestions:

• Rather than saying just one word at a time, try building an entire (comprehensible!) conversation with the same rules! Pick a conversation topic and someone to give the first statement. Then, each player replies to the previous statement, with the first letter of the first word of their sentence beginning with the last letter of the last word in the previous sentence.
• Feeling competitive? Instead of taking turns, don’t set a play order and just have players call out words when they think of a good one. Whoever calls out the most words wins.

Telephone

What it is: a talking game

Objective: to pass a message and see how it can change over multiple iterations

Best for: larger groups (like a busload of passengers!)

What you need: good hearing, lipreading, or guessing skills

Start at one end of the bus, either the front or the back. One person at the starting end thinks up a phrase, sentence, or saying. It can be made-up (it’s often more fun if it is) but shouldn’t be longer than 10 or so words. The person who comes up with the phrase then turns to whoever is sitting next to them and whispers it to them. The seat-buddy then whispers what they hear to someone sitting either in front of or behind them—depending on whether or not you’re going up or down the bus—and that person tells their neighbor, and so on.

The catch? Players are only allowed to say the phrase once. If you don’t fully hear or understand what someone whispered to you, you cannot ask them to repeat it. In that case, you just need to guess what was said and whisper that to the next player.

By the time the phrase has been passed up and down the entire length of your motorcoach, it will probably sound a lot different than the original—and that’s the fun part! This game is great for letting kids and ESL students practice their language skills, teaching active listening, and showing how small misconceptions can make a huge difference in the end. Or, alternatively, it can be a good icebreaker activity that gets your passengers to laugh and loosen up.

For a fun and competitive twist, split the bus down the aisle so everyone is in one of two teams: right side and left side. Have someone from both teams at the back of the bus come up with one phrase each, and whisper it to each person on their team until it reaches the front of the coach. The winner can be either the team that reaches the front of the bus first or the team that had the most accurate phrase to the original by the end.

I Spy

What it is: a visual game

Objective: to spot items in your environment and have your friends guess what you see

Best for: 2 or more players

What you need: good vision and interesting scenery

One person looks around—inside your charter bus rental or out the coach’s panoramic windows—and picks something they can see. They then say to the group, “I spy with my little eye something…” followed by an adjective or phrase that describes the object, place, or person. Traditionally, you’d usually describe the color, but other descriptors can include the texture or the letter it starts with. Now the other players look around and try to guess what is being “spied.” The first person to guess correctly gets to “spy” the next object.

You can spice up this game by keeping score of how many correct guesses each player makes or how many times someone guesses right on the first try. Whoever has the most points at the end of the trip wins!

License Plate Games

What it is: a visual game

Objective: to observe the license plates you see on your trip

Best for: any number of players

What you need: pen and paper or some way to keep track of the score (optional)

The basic premise of this game is looking out the windows at the cars, buses, trucks, and other vehicles on the road around your charter bus and taking note of the license plates you see.

However, besides that, how you want to play depends on what your players think will be the most fun. Here are some popular renditions of this classic road trip game:

• Before the trip, pick a letter, number, or string of letters or numbers to keep an eye out for. Every time you see a plate that starts with, ends with, or contains them, you get a point. Whoever has the most points when it comes time for drop-off wins.
• Focus on the state every license plate hails from. See who can find the most states by the end of the trip, or challenge each other to find all 50 states. You can even print out a checklist or make bingo cards and pass them out to everyone before you embark!
• Each picks a nearby license plate that has random letters on it and tries to come up with the weirdest, funniest, or most fitting phrase those letters could be an acronym for. For example, a license plate that reads “YJT” can stand for “Yonder Jazzy Thespians” or “Yachtsmen Jabber Thoroughly,” and so on.

Hit the Road with Shofur

However you choose to spend your time on the road, Shofur will ensure your time between here and there is safe, comfortable, and efficient. From connecting you with a certified professional driver and well-inspected motorcoach to decking your bus out with WiFi, TVs, DVD players, and any other boredom-busters your passengers may need—we’ll iron out all the little details for your transportation service so you can sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride to your destination.

Need to book a bus for your next group trip? We’ve put together a complete guide to charter bus rentals to help you get started. If you have any questions or if you’re ready to reserve your coach, give us a call at 1-800-436-8719. Our 24/7 reservation team can walk you through any part of the rental process, whether you’re not sure what kind of bus you’ll need or you’d like to request an ADA-compliant motorcoach. Just put together a headcount, an itinerary, and a list of amenities your group might want, and we’ll offer you a free and personalized quote with no obligation to book. Call Shofur today to get started!