Games you’ll play during long car rides with a new partner

So you’ve decided to travel long-distance with your true love. You’ve made an excellent choice! Or a terrible one. Honestly, you won’t know until it’s too late. While you find out which, pass the time with some of these amusing games you’ll play whether you like it or not.

Wheel of podcasts

You thought you two had the same taste in podcasts. Yet after hour 8 on the road, it’s come to both of your attention that if you’re forced to listen to the other person’s favorite host again, you’re going to throw someone’s phone out the window. This is how you will end up playing Wheel of Podcasts, where you scroll frantically through your feed, trying to find something that appeals to both of you.

Spot that danger

A game as old as traveling itself. While one person drives, the other should be alert and try to spot as many dangers as possible. Pointing it out earns ten points. Making a high-pitched whine earns 13 if they can figure out what you are warning them about, but only three if they angrily shout, “WHAT?!” The more improbable the danger (that cow looked pretty shifty), the more points the passenger gets. Not dying is the real prize.

Sigh charades

In regular charades, you pantomime until your partner guesses the answer. In this version, you are limited to loud sighs to communicate your frustration. Does that sigh mean you want to listen to a different audiobook? Does that sigh mean you’re eating your apple too loudly? Does that longer sigh indicate that someone is tired of looking for a clean bathroom? Your guess is as good as theirs since they (like you) don’t want to talk like a human anymore.

Silence war

Neither one of you talks to the other or makes eye contact. You’ve both forgotten the reason for the silence after mile 347, but you’re not going to be the one to break the rules and lose the game.

Are we breaking up?

During a tense moment, one of you should be the first person to ask, “Are we breaking up?” The question not only leads to conversation, but you might discover that, maybe, you shouldn’t have taken a long car trip with someone you barely knew.