How to Win the Game Ticket to Ride

Take destination tickets with routes that overlap each other. This way, when you place trains on the board, there may be stretches of track that simultaneously fill parts of two different destination tickets.

Use the first several turns to draw train cards from the face-down pile. The goal of this move is to build your supply of colored train cards. Collect several cards of a few different colors to increase the paths you can take when you start playing the cards.

Place trains on the board when you can complete a few sections in subsequent turns. Work on completing your routes in chunks of two or three turns at a time so opponents do not have time to block you.

Place trains on any small, gray connections early. If you can claim them before the opponent, you can make it more difficult for them to complete a route. If you have trains to spare, use them to block any path you think the opponent is forming.

Draw additional tickets only when you know you have plenty of trains and time to complete another route. Choose routes with tracks you have already placed trains on to minimize the amount of extra work.