Printable Road Trip Bingo Cards, Free

A game that only needs a window seat

Long drives have a rhythm: the first hour is excitement, the third hour is complaining. A spotting game helps in the third hour. Each rider gets a card of 25 squares and watches the road for a water tower, a license plate from another state, a rest stop sign or a hay bale. Nothing is called out by a host. You cross a square off the moment you see it, and the miles go by faster.

Free downloads are usually a single page, so two kids in the back seat end up fighting over the same squares. Here the cards are dealt from 55 items when you print, and no two in a set match. A set of 6 covers a minivan, while a caravan of three cars can print 12. The list leans toward what you really pass on US interstates and two-lane roads: farm stands, tow trucks, railroad crossings, a giant roadside statue.

One safety rule goes with it: the driver never holds a card. Passengers do the looking and the marking, and the driver can join in only by calling out what they notice. If you are the only adult, let the kids run the game and report what they see.

Words on these bingo cards

Water tower
Out-of-state plate
Rest stop
Billboard
Gas station
Tractor
Cows
Horses
Grain silo
Red barn
Semi truck
Motorcycle
RV
Camper trailer
Tow truck
Road construction
Orange cone
Detour sign
Toll booth
Overpass
Tunnel
Bridge
River
Lake
Mountain
Windmill
Wind turbine
Cell tower
Exit sign
Speed limit sign
Mile marker
Welcome sign
Scenic overlook
Historic marker
Farm stand
Roadside diner
Motel sign
Fireworks stand
Hay bales
Cornfield
Hot air balloon
School bus
Ambulance
Police car
Railroad crossing
Freight train
Plane overhead
Hawk on a pole
Deer crossing sign
Bumper sticker
Convertible
Dog with its head out
Truck stop
Giant roadside statue
Rainbow

Setting up a spotting game for the car

Open Words and delete anything your route will never show, such as a mountain on a drive across Kansas, or add local landmarks like a particular bridge.
Pick Number of cards for the riders and print with Print or save as PDF. A clipboard or a hardcover book makes a firm surface, and a pencil on a string beats a pen that rolls under the seat.
Decide the win before you leave: a full line, four corners, or the whole card. Agree whether a sighting counts for everyone or only for the first person who calls it out.
Agree on a prize, such as a snack at the next gas station or the right to pick the next song.

Questions about road trip bingo

Can the driver play?

Not with a card in hand. The driver can call out things for the passengers to mark, but eyes stay on the road and hands stay on the wheel.

What if we never see a square?

Some items are rare on purpose, like a hot air balloon or a plane overhead. If the game is still unfinished at the destination, give the winner to whoever has the most squares marked.

How long does one game last?

On a day of driving a card fills slowly, often two to four hours for a full line. Print two or three sets before you leave, pressing New cards between them, so a fresh round can start after each fuel stop.

Do the cards work for a trip in another country?

Partly. Road signs and plate formats change, but barns, bridges, trucks and rest stops show up everywhere. Edit the list under Words to match the country you are visiting.

Printable road trip bingo cards