These travel-themed board games will either gratify or aggravate your wanderlust.
Board games’ popularity has escalated since we’ve been stuck at home. I hadn’t joined the craze until a friend loaned me her Monopoly National Parks edition after reading my post on the US National Parks Pass.
After Husband and I played it (I charged exorbitant rent for landing on the Grand Canyon; hey, it’s the Grand Canyon), I went on a quest to sample other travel-themed board games.
Conclusion? If you’re tired of Animal Crossing and Exploding Kittens, here are a half-dozen travel-related games you may want to try, including my favorite (#6.5), plus a brand new game I can hardly wait to play (#7).
You can buy and sell twenty-two of the country’s national parks, including the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone, as well as test your knowledge of over sixty parks by matching animals to their habitats. I fell in love with the tokens: you travel around the board as a bison, camera, canoe, hiking boot, tent, or ranger hat.
Note: If you’re not keen on playing a game based on capitalism, there’s always the Monopoly Socialism parody version. Players move around the board contributing to community projects—unless they steal from the projects to get ahead—and contribute to the Community Fund (that is, unless they’re looting it). This one’s best played while consuming alcohol.
Perfect for would-be Richard Bransons. Pick a city, build your hub, and start expanding your flight empire by building flight routes around Europe. Also good for those who follow the market; at the end of the game, whoever owns the most stock in the various airlines, wins.
By the same game designers as Airlines, it’s based on a similar concept. Players compete to build train routes between different cities, overcoming various challenges and earning additional points by doing things like creating the longest continuous railroad or connecting specified cities. It’s good for the geographically-minded and those adept at logistics.
The original version is set in the United States. They came out with another base version set in Europe, with different rules and strategies. You can keep the game fresh by buying regional (for example, Asia or Africa) or country-specific (France, India, Japan, etc.) expansion sets. There are also kid-friendly editions.
Note: The United States- and Europe-based versions are usually around $45. Right now, the Europe version is on sale for $30.
The aim of this game is to travel the world and amass the biggest photo collection (while not getting lost or sick, or missing flights). It’s barely bigger than a deck of cards, so you can take it with you in your backpack.
I like this game because La Sagrada Familia is one of my favorite buildings (the famous cathedral by Gaudí) in one of my favorite cities (Barcelona). You play by rolling dice and matching those dice to window panels. There are a few restrictions and rules, and it gets more complicated as you play on. This game is perfect for two players, a plus for Husband and me. It, too, has several expansion sets available.
In this game, you’re tasked with erecting one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, along with developing trade routes and defeating your enemies on the battlefield. This one’s a bit more advanced, so be prepared for some “figuring it out” as you play.
Dual is the two-player version of 7 Wonders; its speed of play, multiple paths to winning, inherent randomness, and engine-building feature make it the most satisfying and fun travel-related game Husband and I played.
In this game, players compete with Pan American Airways and others to build an air-travel empire. Players outbid rivals for lucrative landing rights, buy planes with longer range to reach the far corners of the world, and use insider connections to advance their interests.
This was just released; I haven’t yet had a chance to play it. But seriously, given how much I’m mad for planes and air travel, how could I not love this?
Twist’s Take: Missing travel? Bored? Grab one of these travel-themed board games.
