road trip bingo or scavenger hunt

While anticipating a multi-state road trip we decided to invent the ultimate road trip bingo/scavenger hunt game.
Ones for children would have them look for trucks, tractors, cows, etc. We decided to make ours more
complicated.

Make up your own rules ,

for example:

things can only be discovered while the vehicle is moving and everyone is awake

each discovery must be witnessed (also seen) by someone else after it is spotted

you can form the selections below into bingo cards or assign points and go for a total

you can assign two points for first time seen, one point for second seen or just one point period

you can limit the amount of time, or say that the competition starts at one state border and ends at the next

you can work as pairs or individually

if you are in a caravan and using family band radios you can have the two or three cars compete against each other

some sightings will need to be debated, as in, is that really an antique car?

how long does a blinker have to be on for the driver to be considered oblivious to it?

Be careful to not make occupants of another vehicle angry by pointing at them eagerly.

 

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Here are our selections to hunt for, but don’t stop with this list:

 

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radar cop       motorcycle cop

police car      highway
patrol      fire truck      not-red fire truck
ambulance      military vehicle

eight motorcycles in a row       motorcycle with a trailer      motorcycle with sidecar       Harley

Ducati       antique BMV motorcycle       Suzuki GSX-R       Honda CBR1100XX      Cagiva Elefant

first evidence you have come from a state with motorcycle helmet laws to one that does not have them

took some letters off the make or model to spell something different, as in removed ‘ota’ so it now spells toy, or removed ‘to’ so it now spells yota.

abandoned, tireless, windowless, rusted body

tourbus      four matching tourbusses from the same company

airport shuttle            limousine      stretch Hummer limo

Mini-Cooper      PT Cruiser       Fiat 500

Jaguar XKE     Austin
Healey       Mitsubishi      Mercedes      Mercedes Gullwing

Lancia       Shelby Cobra       Peugeot     Ferrari      Maserati

Renault       Lotus      Citroen       Alfa Romeo

Lamborghini      Hummer

Mercury       Plymouth Barracuda      Mazda Miata         Chevy Corvette Sting Ray

Lincoln Continental       Aston Martin      De Tomaso Mangusta      Dodge Viper

Lincoln Navigator       pre-1960
Chevy pickup      pre-1945 Ford pickup

VW Microbus       VW bug      Honda Element       Scion xB

antique car       convertible      electric or hybrid car      right-hand drive car      car with tail fins

rental motor home       car towed behind a motorhome       Airstream       car towed behind a motorhome with two bikes on the back of the car

camping trailer       home-built camping trailer      rental truck

public school bus      private school bus      taxi

pizza delivery      tow truck

truck towing a truck      truck hauling hay or produce
truck with livestock      concrete mixer truck

tree company or yard service truck      dump truck

tanker truck      3 axle vehicle

truck with two trailers       truck with three trailers

private security patrol       truck with animal drawing/photo on side

loaded pickup      pickup gun rack with an actual gun in the rack

pickup moving a household      over-loaded pickup       mattress on roof

hay bales on roof       rolls of lawn on truck

4WD vehicle that looks like it would never be taken off-road
4WD vehicle that looks like it just came from off-road

bikes on a car rack      skis, surfboard or sailboard on a roof rack

towed sailboat

towing a boat with another boat on it (row boat, canoe, kayak) on it

three of the same vehicle in a row

three of the same color vehicle in a row

A long train with five engines.

cars from a wedding

 

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NPS 1920s car on deeply rutted road: 1920s car stuck in mud on deeply rutted road

foam dice       two or more stuffed animals on rear window shelf

three antennas
‘wash me’ written in dust in a window

paint job with flames       over 50% primer paint job       two colors of primer

duct tape holding a part of a vehicle together       repaired with pink duct tape
loose, flapping license plate

plastic replacing a broken window       broken tail light     smoking exhaust

wire wheels       gold spinner wheels

hood ornament that does not belong on that vehicle       bumper that does not belong on that vehicle

letters removed from car brand name to spell something else

two antenna balls       sport team antenna ball

out-of-state sport team antenna ball      holiday antenna ball

animal antenna ball      cartoon character antenna ball

brand/product antenna ball      fruit or flower antenna ball

antenna ball wearing a hat       antenna ball wearing lipstick

 

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political sticker      religious sticker

student of the year sticker      radio station sticker

over 10 stickers

 

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four or more women only in one car      four or more men only in one car

one adult in front and one adult in back

dog in car       dog in back of pickup       dog in boat       dog with head out window

three dogs in one car      dog loose in front seat       dog in lap of driver
dog in passenger seat in front and human in backseat

dog wearing sunglasses

two nerds from central casting       Governor of California look-alike       President of U.S. look-alike

driver shaving       driver applying makeup

driver playing a musical instrument      driver playing a musical instrument while steering with their knees

two people on cell phones in one vehicle       watching TV in a car

singing in car       conducting music       bee in car

playing air guitar or drums       at least four people in car, all singing

people kissing in vehicle

terrified student driver or instructor (professional)

parent with child student driver       friend(s) teaching friend to drive

all passengers asleep

obviously does not know how to drive that stick shift       obviously lost

washing all of their exterior windows at a gas stop      didn’t pull to the forward pump at a gas stop

SUV parked in a large-vehicle-parking-only zone meant for people towing

Vehicle with no lights on just at or after sunset when everyone else has their headlights on already.

 

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near- accident       driver weaving out of lane while dealing with kids

one adult and three or more smiling, behaving kids

adult smoking in car with children in it

car driving 20 miles under the speed limit
merging on to a freeway at 25 miles per hour under the speed limit

running a red light       drunk driver

oblivious to their blinker being on

couple argueing       family argument

argueing on cell phone while driving

two vehicles obviously racing each other

car cutting in & out of traffic more than six times in a row

car pulled over by cop       pulled over by two officers

car you saw previously speeding pulled over by a cop

tailgating with empty lane available       semi tailgating another semi

car speeding up when another car tries to pass

car slowing and moving to the right a little when another tries to pass

slow car in designated stretch of passing lane

slow vehicle that will not pull over with ten others behind it

slow vehicle pulling off the road when it only has one vehicle behind it that wants to pass

long skid mark in one line      skid mark across two lanes

skid mark across two or more lanes and off the paved road

skidmarks that stop just before they would have gone off the roadway

skid marks eight car lenghts long

six drivers in a row in the same lane with both hands on the steering wheel at 9 and 3 o’clock or 10 and 2 o’clock positions

flat tire       stalled at the side of the road     people pushing a car       lit flare

pulled off to side with hood open

climbing on hood to adjust load

gracefully letting another car into backed-up traffic

driving top down in bad weather

pulled just off the road to go fishing

on the way from rural to urban, the first freeway on-ramp metering lights

on the way into the mountains: first sign referring to chains, first pole by side of road for snowplows

 

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first sign going east that changes from soda (west coast) to pop

restaurant sign that mentions avocado sauce instead of guacamole

sign: hot coffee       sign: two for the price of one

sign: no public restrooms       sign: to airport

sign: to hospital       sign: no parking

sign: for sale       sign: for rent / lease

sign: going out of business       sign: open 24 hours

sign: tow away zone       sign: home cooking

revolving sign       lit sign with some letters burnt out

sign advertising a tour

sign in the shape of a food item       sign in the shape of an animal

sign that a business was founded the year you were born      lit up sign telling you your speed

sign: next rest area a number of miles over 100      sign: rest stop with wireless internet

sign: X miles to your final destination      sign: exit towards your final destination

sign posted by a government agency telling you something you should not do that can kill you, and mentioning that it will kill you

sign that is misspelled

sign: prison area, no hitchhiking allowed      sign: no hitchhiking beyond this point

sign: bridges may be icy      sign: bridges may be icy when pavement is dry      sign: roadway may be icy

sign: keep right except to pass

sign: sanitary landfill      sign: open range, loose stock

sign: buckle up, it’s the law      sign: drowsy driving causes accidents

sign: day use only

sign: Pacific time zone       sign: Mountain time zone

sign: Central time zone       sign: Eastern time zone

sign with bullet holes       words on a hillside

sign: Continental Divide

rocks by side of road to spell out a message       blank billboard/sign

mural on building wall

Welcome to (your destination) sign

kayaks on trailer , Bullwinkle trip mascot and Wyoming Welcome sign

2005 moose driving Jeep:

welcome to idaho sign 2010 late at night.: photo taken after dark, vehicle lights in foreground, Welcome to Idaho sign in background

people posing next to Welcome To . . . sign

Phung, Kelly and Christina at Idaho border: three smiling grinning ladies with Idaho sign in background

woman next to roadside sign

hawk       flock of birds

birds on a wire

ducks flying in formation

small birds mobbing a hawk

cow       horse

entire herd of cows sitting or lying down

goats, sheep or llamas

deer       elk

bison or pronghorn       moose

coyote       baby animal

rain seen falling from a distance       funnel cloud       dust storm

first instance of heat making road look like it is wet

field of flowers       snow-capped mountains       waterfall

vine-covered wall       statue

no clouds anywhere from horizon to horizon

double rainbow

rolling tumbleweed or sagebrush

 

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harvesting crops       barn       windmill

building under construction       building being torn down       building that had a major fire

farmers market       playground

clothes on a clothesline       outhouse

eight or more vehicles in yard

drive-in movie theater

statue       statue of someone on a horse       over 8 feet tall sculpture

big bear peeking in a building window

3 tiered fountain       first street light on in the evening

historical marker       4 way stop sign intersection

one way street       flashing lights on construction barrier

tunnel too short for interior lights       three tunnels in a row

chips missing from underside of overpass

bridge       railroad bridge,       wooden bridge       pedestrians-and-bikes-only bridge

dock       pier

traffic cone       crew painting a road       worker leaning on a tool (shovel, etc.)

jet ski       ATV

beer can       bulldozer

ten or more hay rolls

tractor       major truck stop with showers and laundromat

gravel side road       Starbucks

10+ story building       three story tall sign

dumpster       team at play

smoke from smokestack       smoke from a fire
flooded roadway

one shoe on or near the roadway       two shoes hanging from a phone line/electric line over the roadway

When entering the new state, the first flag of that state

walking a dog      pushing stroller      cat in a window

all parking places along side of road, in turnout, filled

row of cars along road

 

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cowboy hat       straw hat

wearing helmet while in vehicle

flaming red dyed hair       obvious toupee

braids       mirrored sunglasses

handlebar mustache       full, long beard

wearing plaid shirt or jacket      socks don’t match       twins

jogger      six or more joggers together       woman with lots of tattoos

hitchhiker       bicyclist       six or more bicyclists together

 

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crop duster       kite or model plane

helicopter       jet

planes in formation

contrail       UFO

 

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personalized plate       personalized plate in other than English       diplomatic plate

first license plate from your destination

Washington plate       Oregon plate

Nevada plate       Utah plate

Colorado plate      Wyoming plate

Montana plate      Idaho plate

Arizona plate      East Coast plate

Canadian plate

September 11th California Memorial License Plate

California Arts License Plate (the one with the palm trees and the sun setting into to ocean)

California Whale Tail License Plate

California Collegiate License Plate

California Lake Tahoe License Plate

California Firefighter Plate

California Yosemite License Plate

California Kids License Plate (can have a hand, heart, star, or plus sign)

California Olympic Training Center License Plate

California Veteran License Plate (100 possible insignias)

 

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also read: Road trip advice and etiquette

for more games to avoid the potential dreariness of a long drive.

We advise people to check everything that powers, stops, cools, heats, ventilates and lights their vehicle before they leave on an adventure. Road trip vehicle prep and recommended service has checklists (including many things people can do without a mechanic).

sign no trespass, rr tracks, shopping cart.: bent sign keep right:

see also signs