Travel Scavenger Hunts for Kids

Travel Deck

• Kids can occupy their time on a road trip by playing with a scavenger-hunt card deck. University Games created a deck of cards called, "Scavenger Hunt for Kids -- Travel Game." The game comes with 54 cards. On each card is a different roadside object that kids must look for through the car windows. Certain cards encourage kids to use their other senses of hearing or smell to locate an object. To play, each child should have five cards of objects that they must search for during the trip.

Printable Scavenger-Hunt Lists

• The Moms Minivan website (see Resources) offers travel scavenger-hunt lists you can print out and give to kids during a car ride. The "Road Trip Scavenger Hunt" has objects to look for in the city, suburbs and the countryside. Kids can try and spot objects such as railroad tracks, a food store, a church, a dirt road or a dog. You can print the "Road Trip Scavenger Hunt for Preschoolers" that has colorful pictures of the items children must locate while riding in the car.

Airplane Scavenger Hunt

• Besides car scavenger hunts, organize scavenger hunts for kids to do while on an airplane. Create a list of items that kids can look for while seated on a plane. If you don't want to create a list, you can print out an airplane scavenger hunt list from the All Star Activities website (see Resources). Kids search for such items as a napkin, a flight attendant, a baby, a newspaper and an emergency exit. Kids can spend the entire flight looking for items on their lists.

Train Scavenger Hunt

• Kids can pass their time on a train with a train scavenger hunt. Before boarding the train, come up with a list of items that children can look for once they are seated on the train. Possible ideas of what kids can hunt for include a clock, a "No Smoking" sign, a freight car or signaling lights. Also include items that kids can look for outside of a train window, such as a house, a bridge or a lake.