Photograph Signs

Take a picture of every wacky road sign you pass. Make it a competition to see who can snap shots of the most signs. Give extra points to really weird signs.

"I Spy"

Play "I Spy" with physical and cultural characteristics you see as you travel. First, look around and silently pick a characteristic that everyone will be able to see. Say: "I spy with my little eye . . ." Then describe the characteristic and have your family members take turns trying to guess what you see.

Use an Atlas

Plan a vacation for your family. Learn as much as you can about the place or places you will go so you know how best to prepare and pack. Using a road map or atlas, figure out the number of miles or kilometers to your destination. Then, double the number of miles or kilometers to figure out how far it is from your house to the locale, then back to your house.

Mark a Map

Navigate

Be the designated navigator or map monitor for your family road trip. Trace your family's progress on a map. Once an hour, report on your current location, direction of travel, the next exit, the nearest town, and the next state.

Identify Your Climate Zone

Is it tropical, dry, mild, continental, polar, or high elevation? What is the climate zone of the place you are traveling to? Have a discussion. Why are some places popular destinations for summer or winter vacations? Has your family ever made a decision about whether to travel to a location based on its climate?

GPS Search

Use your car's navigation system (GPS) to search for all the U.S. historic sites tied to presidents.

Photograph Land Features

Take photos of different types of land features, like mountains, cliffs, and deserts.

Make a Movie

Write a script. Cast all the people—and animals!—in the car as characters in the movie. Shoot the movie using the inside of the car as the only setting.

Play Window Bingo

Print blank bingo cards before you leave. In the car, fill out the squares by writing down things you think you'll see out the window. Mark off each thing you see. The first to get five in a row wins.

Count Buggies

Count all the Amish buggy-crossing signs you see. Double points for each actual buggy you spot! Amish live in 30 states across the U.S. Ohio, Indiana, and Pennsylvania have the highest Amish populations.

Play a Geography Name Game

Say the place name of any city, state, country, or continent in the world. The next person has to think of a place that begins with the last letter of the previous place name. For example, person 1 says Texas. Person 2 uses the final "s" and says South Carolina. Person 3 uses the final "a" and says Albany. Keep going until no one can think of any more names. Then use a world map or atlas to keep going! The only rules are to never use the same place twice and to only use real places.