Posts Tagged travel games
Christmas in July! Stocking Stuffers for Travelers Under $12
I’m fully aware temperatures have been a-blazin’ across many parts of the United States, and folks aren’t particularly feeling holly-jolly in the heat and humidity. But, I’ve happened to come across a few gifty travel-related items, and couldn’t help but pull them together to share with PracticalTravelGear.com readers now — rather than waiting for the holidays to kick off in November.
So, if the steamy summer weather has gotten you down (unless you live in the Pacific Northwest, where I hear it’s been unseasonably cool), go to your happy place and meditate for a bit while envisioning yourself amidst a pile of fluffy snow. Then open your eyes and read some of my picks for inexpensive travel gifts under $12. Because, trust me stocking-stuffer season is just around the corner.
Dr. Drip Coffee
Dr. Drip individual coffee packets aren’t instant coffee, but rather, cardboard-and-filter contraptions you place on top of a coffee mug to brew one cup of coffee at a time, using the classic drip brewing method. I tried a couple of different versions of Dr. Drip — The Ultimate Pick-me-up (Dark Roasted Sumatran Blend) and The Organic Tonic (100% Organic Blend) — here at home and on the road, and this java tasted much, much more like brewed Maxwell House than any Folgers instant.
The cardboard “stand” that you put on top of the mug, and the accompanying filter, are totally recyclable, compostable and biodegradable. How great is that? And the process for brewing couldn’t be easier — just pour hot water through the filter. Note, however, that the notches in the cardboard that sits on top of a coffee cup are too small for your oversized 20-oz mug (and since this only makes an 8-oz cup, you won’t want to put that puny amount into a big mug anyway).
At $8.99 for a box of five packets, this is some expensive coffee — nearly $2 a cup. (And since I drink 2 or 3 cups in the morning, that’ll add up quickly.) But for times when you — or your giftee — might like good coffee while camping, or as an alternative to the ridiculously watery coffee offered in most moderate hotel rooms, consider Dr. Drip.
Neutrogena Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes
My favorite hotels are ones that have make-up remover wipes as an amenity in the bathrooms. Few do – we’re talking upscale properties like the Ritz-Carlton. Still, I think it’s smart. Better to have a female guest take off their makeup with a disposable cloth, than risk staining bright-white washcloths with tan foundation.
Neutrogena Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes come in a packs of 25 pre-moistened wipes to get all the gunk off your face before doing a full cleanse. I like that these are TSA-friendly; no liquid to take up space in your clear quart-sized bag. The towelettes I sampled — Night Calming — have a pleasant scent, and remove makeup easily — including waterproof mascara. In a pinch, say, while camping, I supposed they could take the place off a full face-wash with cleanser; still, I’d want to wipe my face with water afterwards, then moisturize well.
This is an item retailing for $6.99 that I might not buy myself, but I’d be excited to receive as a gift. Consider pulling together a bunch of travel-sized toiletries in a toiletry bag for a thoughtful present for that female traveler on your list!
UNO H2O To Go Portable Card Game
Even if your kids already have the card game UNO, this portable, water-proof version could come in handy on your next camping adventure or trip to the beach. Cards are sturdy, clear acrylic, and attach via punched holes to a “take-along clip,” which you can latch to a beach bag or backpack. It’s not particularly easy to take all 108 cards on and off the clip — you can only remove perhaps one-fourth of the cards at a time. So, if you have a metal carabiner with a fastener with more leeway, I’d consider threading the cards on that.
Still, I like the idea of the portability of this game, as well as the durability of the wipe-clean, waterproof cards. (They are also super easy to shuffle.) Plus, UNO is such a universal, easy-to-learn game, kids can share it with others they meet in the campground, at the airport or in the lobby of a beach resort! I found UNO H2O To Go on Amazon.com for $11.99, but I bet you can find it in the toy aisle of your favorite big-box discount retailer, too.
Posted by Kara in General Gear, Kids and Family, Travel Light on July 26th, 2011
ZIP-IT Travel Crossword Game, by the Makers of Bananagrams
This compact, take-anywhere crossword race that can be played by two people in a restaurant, in an airport, on a plane or in an RV — just about anywhere you have a level playing space. ZIP-IT is a game for anyone ages 7 and up, and I’ve played it several times now with my 10-year-old, but I’d certainly have a ball playing it with another adult as well. In fact, I think I’ll take on my vocabulary-savvy mom when she comes to visit over the holidays!
ZIP-IT consists of a small, rectangular cloth pouch filled with 24 letter cubes; the two zippers on the pouch double as a score card: each time a player earns a point in the game, you move the zipper down one notch to keep track of who’s earned what.
To play, each player receives 12 letter cubes, and the first person to use up his or her cubes by spelling words (with letters on any side) in a crossword fashion wins a point. First to 10 points wins the game.
What’s cool about ZIP-IT is that you can even the playing field by changing up the rules, according to players’ skill levels. When I played with my 10-year-old, we made the rule that I had to make words with at least four letters in them; she could use words as short as two letters. Similarly, you could set a rule that every seven-letter word is worth an extra point.
ZIP-IT, which retails for $14.95, comes with “Weords,” Bananagrams all-new mini-dictionary featuring “weird words that win word games” (i.e., “Q” words that do not have a “U”). I’m thinking this little guide will come in handy as I study up for our competitive family Scrabble games, too.
ZIP-IT is not found online… yet. Check the Bananagrams website for a store near you, and call to see if the local brick-and-mortar outlet is selling this new game.
Related post: Miles of Smiles, Road-Trip Games for Kids
Posted by Kara in Kids and Family on November 16th, 2010
Games for Nintendo DS: Backyard Sports Sandlot Sluggers and Bakugan Battle Trainer
My 8-year-old son really, really likes playing video games on his Nintendo DS. While I limit its use when we’re traveling, I also embrace his bringing it along on car and plane trips to help keep him occupied. Yes, I always pack non-electronic activities, too, but when I just want to chill out and read a book in peace for an hour, I know the Nintendo DS can grant me that quiet time.
Me? I have only used a Nintendo DS once about two years ago, to review a grown-up game called Zenses: Ocean. I liked the brain-teasing games (accompanied by meditative music and soothing visuals), but after I fiddled around with it in order to write about it firsthand, I never played it again. I actually haven’t picked up a hand-held video game player since then.
When I was offered the chance to review two video games I thought my son would like, Backyard Sports Sandlot Sluggers and Bakugan Battle Trainers, I figured my son could help me explain how to play the games and share what he liked (and disliked) about them.
What I learned? Don’t expect an 8-year-old boy to do your work for you.
My son has played the two above games on our frequent trips and family vacations this summer. Given the shouts of “Home run!” and “Take that!” he’s emitted from the back seat of our minivan, I know he’s had fun playing them. He’ll even tell me he likes them… but getting him to articulate exactly how the games are played and why he likes them is another matter.
I watched over his shoulder as he maneuvered his quick-moving thumbs over the X, Y, A, B and arrow buttons on his Nintendo DS a bit recently, and came up with these observations:
In Backyard Sports Sandlot Sluggers, you play baseball games in various places in the neighborhood. Your fellow players are tween-age multi-ethnic cartoon characters. There are multiple game modes, including seasonal play (with or without playoffs), post-season games (with brackets and all) or a quick pick-up game. From my 8-year-old son: “I like the story mode, where you get to make a player, create a team and play other teams for points, and advance.” He also said he likes the Power-Ups, which are special moves you can temporarily activate — like the flaming bat or booger ball — that can give you a competitive edge.
Regarding Bakugan Battle Trainer for the Nintendo DS, it’s based on the very popular game (among elementary-school-age boys anyway) played with magnetized, plastic, balled-up monsters that pop open to reveal G-power when they land on a magnetized card. (Trust me, I don’t fully understand the board game either.) In original Bakugan Battle Brawlers, you get to create your own character and attributes, and then battle against other players to boost G-power and collect gate cards. With Battle Trainers, you acquire and hone the skills of up to 30 different monsters — essentially training them for better battle. From my 8-year-old son: “I like that it’s very similar to Bakugan, but it’s virtual.”
Though I’d never in a million years sit down and play these games the way my son does, I can recommend them for other kids his age. They are rated E for Everyone, and except for some mild fantasy violence in the Battle Trainer game, I think the scenarios are quite mild and, I believe, appropriate for eight-year-olds. That is, if you’re the type of parent who allows vide0-game play at all. For me, I’m happy to have my son enjoy his “electronic time” — in moderation — on vacation.
Buy Sandlot Sluggers on Amazon.com for $19.99 and Bakugan Battle Trainer on Amazon.com for $14.99.
Posted by Kara in Kids and Family on August 20th, 2010
Table Topics To Go
The premise is simple: provide a list of open-ended conversation starters to promote dialogue among strangers… or even family members who live together, but who might not know intimate details or odd quirks about one another. That’s what Table Topics sets out to do with its clear cubes of 135 question cards; plop the box on a dinner table and let the conversations fly.
But when you’re on the road, these 4-inch acrylic cubes aren’t that easy to transport (and the easy-off tops make it easy for the cards to slip out). That’s where the “on the go” version comes in: they are 40 cards that slip into a plastic case and they aren’t much bigger than a deck of cards.
Topics are in themes — there are conversation starters for a honeymoon (I know, oxymoron) and some specifically to pull out at a picnic or tailgate. I have the Kids Table Topics To Go, and the cards offer questions for the whole family: “If you could be a super hero, which special power would you choose to have?” and “What do you love most about yourself?”
Some questions are a little silly and some are more poignant and thought provoking, but the bottom line is, these cards promote conversation, for sure.
The Table Topics To Go are $9 each for 40 cards. We whipped through the Kids’ questions quickly, and when my son tried to “re-ask” the questions on day 2 of a multi-state road trip, he was met with a resounding chorus of, “We did this already!’ from the rest of us. So, you could re-use the cards with extended family or friends, but once you’ve gone through the cards among your immediately family, you’re done.
Are they worth $9? It might be easier to just write up a bunch of conversation starters on your own index cards (which you can buy at the grocery store for $1.99). That said, for a novelty gift — they come in bachelorette and wedding shower themes — I think they’re great. These would also make fine stocking stuffers, too. For travel activities, specifically, check out the travel and road trip editions.
Posted by Kara in Kids and Family on June 11th, 2010
Fun That’s Easy to Pack: The Pocket Disc
I have a friend who backpacked around the world with a Frisbee in his backpack and it was a good icebreaker no matter where he went. A stiff piece of plastic is not the easiest thing to carry though, so these cool Pocket Discs from PhD Productions are a great alternative for fun on the go.
If you’ve been to Guatemala, you’ll recognize the design. These crocheted rings are produced in “fair trade” conditions by Guatemalan weavers. In a country where 75% of the population lives below the poverty line, projects like this can mean the difference between putting food on the table or not. So think about that if you’re on the fence about buying one: it’s $10 to $15 spent well.
There are two prices because there are two styles. The regular Classic Edition is fine for tossing around a room, but the heavier Sports Edition will go longer distances if you’re out tossing it in a field. Either way, you’re unlikely to hurt anyone or break anything with these Pocket Discs, so you can let the kids go at it without having to hover. (Yes, I’m talking to you Helicopter Mom.)
This is a great toy to travel with because it appeals to all ages and it doesn’t take up much room. It’ll lie flat in any bag and can even be rolled up and stuffed in a corner. It’ll still work fine when you start throwing it again. Just be advised that these are not guaranteed to be colorfast, so don’t throw one in with wet clothing if you haven’t washed it at least once.
I’ve had a blast playing with this. It flies almost as well as a plastic Frisbee, but is easier to catch on the run, especially for kids. It also seems less prone to get picked up by a gust of wind.
My daughter loves playing with these fun fliers and I’m getting tired of hearing “Can I keep it?” every time I pull one out. Look for yours at independent toy stores, Play it Again Sports, Dunham’s Sports, or EMS. You can get one online at Amazon or at the Pocket Disc site. Even if you don’t buy from them direct, visit the website and check out their games section for ideas on things to try with your disc.
Posted by Tim L. in Kids and Family, Travel Light on May 16th, 2010
