Roundup
The Best Board Games for Travel
A travel game has to fit in a bag, survive a tray table, and be playable by two people who are already slightly annoyed with each other.
By Scooter M. · Published · Last updated
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Games we claim to have play-tested: 0. Every gift guide in this category implies a shelf of played games behind it. We do not have one, and we would rather say so. What we do instead is on this page: the publisher’s own player count, playing time and age band for every pick, cited to the publisher; a live price rather than a remembered one; and a plain answer on who should skip each game.
The short answer
The best travel board game is Sushi Go!. Gamewright states 2-5 players and 15 minutes, it ships in a tin the size of a paperback, and it is a genuinely good game rather than a compromise. For two people on a long journey, Jaipur or Hive - the latter has no board at all, so nothing can be blown off a table.
Travel games fail in specific, predictable ways. Small pieces get lost between seats. Boards do not fit on a tray table. Games that need a scorepad run out of scorepad in another country. And anything with a hundred cardboard tokens becomes a bag of cardboard tokens.
So the filter here is physical as much as it is about the game: how big is the box, how many separate pieces are there, and what happens if the table tilts.
What actually makes a game travel well
Card games beat board games. Five of these eight are cards and nothing else. A deck survives a bag, a board does not.
Fewer pieces, not smaller pieces. A travel edition with tiny plastic parts is worse than a normal card game, because the parts are the thing you lose. Hive is the exception that proves the point: 22 heavy tiles and nothing else at all.
Short games, because journeys are interrupted. Six of the eight are 20 minutes or less by the publisher’s clock. A game you can abandon without resentment is worth more on a journey than a better game you cannot.
| Game | What is in the box | Players | Time | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Love Letter | About twenty cards | 2-6 | 20 min | Z-Man Games |
| Sushi Go! | A deck of cards in a tin | 2-5 | 15 min | Gamewright |
| A Little Wordy | Letter tiles and cards | 2 only | 15 min | Exploding Kittens |
| The Mind | A deck of numbered cards | 2-4 | 15 Minutes | Pandasaurus Games |
| Happy Salmon | Cards in a cloth pouch | 3-8 | 90 sec | Exploding Kittens |
| Qwixx | Six dice and a scorepad | 2-5 | 15 min | Gamewright |
| Jaipur | Cards and a few tokens | 2 | 30 min | Space Cowboys |
| Hive | 22 bakelite tiles, no board | 2 | 20 mins | Gen42 Games |
How to choose between them
Match it to the journey. On a plane, take the quiet ones: Sushi Go!, Love Letter, Jaipur, or The Mind, which is played without speaking at all. In a car at a service station, take Happy Salmon, which Exploding Kittens ships in a cloth pouch and rates at 90 seconds. On a holiday with a group, take Sushi Go! or Love Letter, both of which handle five or six people.
One practical note on Qwixx: it uses a paper scorepad, and the pad runs out. Refills exist but not in an airport. If a long trip is the use case, take one of the card games instead.
Quick picks
Ranked on how well each one fits the job in this page’s title, using the publisher’s own player count, playing time and age band. Tap any row for the full write-up, including who should skip it.
| # | Product | Best for | Gift fit | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Sushi Go!2-5 players · 15 min · 8+ | Best travel game overall | 8.9 | Check price on Amazon |
| 2 |  Hive2 players · 20 min · 9+ | Most indestructible | 8.4 | Check price on Amazon |
| 3 | Love Letter2-6 players · 20 min · 10+ | Smallest | 8.2 | Check price on Amazon |
| 4 | Jaipur2 players · 30 min · 10+ | Best two-player travel game | 9.0 | Check price on Amazon |
| 5 |  The Mind2-4 players · 15 min · 8+ | Best in silence | 7.6 | Check price on Amazon |
| 6 |  Happy Salmon3-8 players · 2 min · 6+ | Best for a car journey stop | 8.0 | Check price on Amazon |
| 7 | Qwixx2-5 players · 15 min · 8+ | Best for a table with no space | 8.0 | Check price on Amazon |
| 8 | A Little Wordy2 players · 15 min · 10+ | Best for two on a long journey | 7.5 | Check price on Amazon |
#1 - Best travel game overall
Sushi Go!
Gamewright · A small, cheap gift that is actually good
A tin of cards, fifteen minutes, and one of the best value-for-money gifts in the whole category. You pass hands of cards around and try to collect the sets that score well together.
#ad We do not hold a current price for this product, so we do not show one. How we make money.
What it actually is
A card game where you pick one card from your hand, pass the rest to your neighbor, and repeat - so every hand you see has already been picked over.
Does it fit this page?
Gamewright states 2-5 players, 15 minutes, in a tin. It is a complete game in something the size of a paperback.
What the publisher states
| Figure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Players | 2-5 | Gamewright, published product page |
| Age | 8+ | Gamewright, published product page |
| Length | 15 min | Gamewright, published product page |
Read from the publisher’s own page. Where a publisher does not state a figure, there is no row for it here.
What is good about it
- Fits in a coat pocket, so it travels and it fits a stocking
- Fifteen minutes means a household plays it three times in a sitting
- Cheap enough to give alongside something else
What is not
- Caps at five - Sushi Go Party! is the version that seats eight
- Scoring is fiddly the first time through
- Almost too small to feel like a main present on its own
Who should skip it
Skip it as a sole main gift for an adult - it reads as a stocking filler no matter how good it is. Give it alongside something larger.
How it scored as a gift
- Easy to explain9.2
- Works for non-gamers9.2
- Group size range7.8
- Repeat plays8.6
- Feels like a gift7.4
Gift fit 8.9 / 10. That is our editorial judgment of how safe and well-aimed this is as a present, read off the published specifications - not a verdict on how good the game is, and not a test result. It is deliberately not marked up as a rating in this page’s structured data. How we pick.
#2 - Most indestructible
Hive
Gen42 Games · Someone who likes chess but is tired of chess
Chess played with heavy bakelite tiles and no board at all - the pieces themselves are the board. Gen42 states 2 players, ages 9+, 20 minutes. It is the most durable game on this site.
#ad We do not hold a current price for this product, so we do not show one. How we make money.
What it actually is
An abstract two-player game. Each insect tile moves differently, and you win by surrounding your opponent's queen bee.
Does it fit this page?
Gen42 states 2 players, 20 minutes, and there is no board - the heavy tiles are the game.
What the publisher states
| Figure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Number of players | 2 | Gen42 Games, published product page |
| Ages | 9+ | Gen42 Games, published product page |
| Game duration | 20 mins | Gen42 Games, published product page |
Read from the publisher’s own page. Where a publisher does not state a figure, there is no row for it here.
What is good about it
- No board, no cards, nothing to lose or tear - it survives being carried anywhere
- Twenty minutes for a genuinely deep abstract game
- The tiles feel expensive in the hand, which makes it present well
What is not
- Pure abstract strategy - there is no theme to enjoy if the puzzle does not land
- A stronger player will win consistently, which puts some couples off
- Two players only
Who should skip it
Skip it where one player is much more experienced than the other. Hive has no luck in it at all, so the same person wins every time.
How it scored as a gift
- Easy to explain8.2
- Works for non-gamers7.6
- Group size range4.0
- Repeat plays9.4
- Feels like a gift8.8
Gift fit 8.4 / 10. That is our editorial judgment of how safe and well-aimed this is as a present, read off the published specifications - not a verdict on how good the game is, and not a test result. It is deliberately not marked up as a rating in this page’s structured data. How we pick.
#3 - Smallest
Love Letter
Z-Man Games · Filling twenty minutes with something clever
You hold one card. You draw a second, play one of the two, and try to deduce what everyone else is holding. Z-Man's current edition takes 2 to 6 players, which is a wide range for a game this small.
#ad We do not hold a current price for this product, so we do not show one. How we make money.
What it actually is
A tiny deduction game with a deck of about twenty cards. Each card does one thing, and the whole deck fits in a hand.
Does it fit this page?
Z-Man states 2-6 players, 20 minutes, from a deck of about twenty cards.
What the publisher states
| Figure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Players | 2-6 | Z-Man Games, published product page |
| Age | 10+ | Z-Man Games, published product page |
| Length | 20 min | Z-Man Games, published product page |
Read from the publisher’s own page. Where a publisher does not state a figure, there is no row for it here.
What is good about it
- The entire rulebook is a card reference you can read in a minute
- Two to six players, which is unusually flexible for a micro game
- Rounds last three minutes, so being knocked out costs nothing
What is not
- You will be eliminated from rounds, which younger children mind
- Almost pure deduction - there is nothing to build or collect
- The box is small enough that it needs to be part of a bigger gift
Who should skip it
Skip it for a player who hates being eliminated, and skip it as a standalone main present - it is a companion gift.
How it scored as a gift
- Easy to explain9.0
- Works for non-gamers8.6
- Group size range8.8
- Repeat plays8.2
- Feels like a gift6.8
Gift fit 8.2 / 10. That is our editorial judgment of how safe and well-aimed this is as a present, read off the published specifications - not a verdict on how good the game is, and not a test result. It is deliberately not marked up as a rating in this page’s structured data. How we pick.
#4 - Best two-player travel game
Jaipur
Space Cowboys · Two people who want something quick and repeatable
Two traders, a market of goods cards, and a decision every turn about whether to sell now or hold for more. Thirty minutes by the publisher's clock and about ninety seconds to explain.
#ad We do not hold a current price for this product, so we do not show one. How we make money.
What it actually is
A two-player card game about buying and selling goods. Selling more of the same thing at once pays better, but the price of everything drops as it is sold.
Does it fit this page?
Space Cowboys states 2 players, 30 minutes, and it is cards plus a handful of tokens.
What the publisher states
| Figure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Players | 2 | Space Cowboys, published game page |
| Age | 10+ | Space Cowboys, published game page |
| Length | 30 min | Space Cowboys, published game page |
Read from the publisher’s own page. Where a publisher does not state a figure, there is no row for it here.
What is good about it
- One of the easiest good two-player games to teach - sell or take, that is the turn
- Best of three rounds, so a session has a natural shape
- Small box, so it works as a travel game as well as a home one
What is not
- Two players only
- The camel rule confuses people exactly once, and then never again
- Card quality is the ordinary sort, not the luxury sort
Who should skip it
Skip it for a group. Jaipur has no variant above two players and nothing about it stretches.
How it scored as a gift
- Easy to explain9.4
- Works for non-gamers9.2
- Group size range4.0
- Repeat plays9.2
- Feels like a gift8.2
Gift fit 9.0 / 10. That is our editorial judgment of how safe and well-aimed this is as a present, read off the published specifications - not a verdict on how good the game is, and not a test result. It is deliberately not marked up as a rating in this page’s structured data. How we pick.
#5 - Best in silence
The Mind
Pandasaurus Games · A gift that will be talked about afterwards
You play numbered cards in ascending order without speaking, and somehow it works. Fifteen minutes, 2 to 4 players, ages 8+. It is the strangest thing on this site and the one people remember.
#ad We do not hold a current price for this product, so we do not show one. How we make money.
What it actually is
A cooperative card game with essentially one rule: play your cards low to high, as a group, with no communication of any kind.
Does it fit this page?
Pandasaurus states 2-4 players, 15 minutes, and the game is played without speaking - useful on a plane.
What the publisher states
| Figure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Play time | 15 Minutes | Pandasaurus Games, published product page |
| Players | 2-4 | Pandasaurus Games, published product page |
| Age | 8+ | Pandasaurus Games, published product page |
Read from the publisher’s own page. Where a publisher does not state a figure, there is no row for it here.
What is good about it
- The shortest explanation of any game here, by a distance
- Fifteen minutes and a very small box
- Produces a genuinely odd shared experience that people describe to other people
What is not
- Some players simply do not click with it and find it pointless
- Caps at four
- Slight - it is a deck of numbered cards and nothing else
Who should skip it
Skip it for someone who wants to see what they are buying. Unwrapped, The Mind looks like a deck of numbers, because it is.
How it scored as a gift
- Easy to explain9.8
- Works for non-gamers8.4
- Group size range6.8
- Repeat plays7.4
- Feels like a gift6.4
Gift fit 7.6 / 10. That is our editorial judgment of how safe and well-aimed this is as a present, read off the published specifications - not a verdict on how good the game is, and not a test result. It is deliberately not marked up as a rating in this page’s structured data. How we pick.
#6 - Best for a car journey stop
Happy Salmon
Exploding Kittens · Ninety seconds of chaos, over and over
The publisher lists the play time as 90 seconds and that is not a typo. Everyone shouts an action at once until somebody empties their hand. As a stocking filler for a house with children it is close to unbeatable.
#ad We do not hold a current price for this product, so we do not show one. How we make money.
What it actually is
A card game with no turns. You call out the action on your top card until you find the person calling the same thing, do the high-five or the fist-bump, and move on.
Does it fit this page?
Exploding Kittens states 3-8 players and 90 seconds, in a cloth pouch rather than a box.
What the publisher states
| Figure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Players | 3-8 | Exploding Kittens, published product page |
| Age | 6+ | Exploding Kittens, published product page |
| Play time | 90 sec | Exploding Kittens, published product page |
Read from the publisher’s own page. Where a publisher does not state a figure, there is no row for it here.
What is good about it
- An age floor of 6, so young children genuinely play on equal terms
- Ninety seconds means it fits anywhere - before dinner, at a table, in a queue
- Ships in a cloth pouch rather than a box, so it travels
What is not
- Extremely loud and physical
- No strategy at all, which is not what every recipient wants
- Needs three people minimum, so it is not a two-person gift
Who should skip it
Skip it for anyone with limited hand or arm mobility - the game is built entirely on physical gestures - and skip it for a quiet household.
How it scored as a gift
- Easy to explain9.8
- Works for non-gamers9.6
- Group size range8.0
- Repeat plays7.0
- Feels like a gift7.0
Gift fit 8.0 / 10. That is our editorial judgment of how safe and well-aimed this is as a present, read off the published specifications - not a verdict on how good the game is, and not a test result. It is deliberately not marked up as a rating in this page’s structured data. How we pick.
#7 - Best for a table with no space
Qwixx
Gamewright · A table where somebody always complains about waiting
Six dice, a pad of scoresheets, and fifteen minutes. Everybody uses every roll, so nobody is ever waiting for their turn - which is exactly why it works with grandparents and children at the same table.
#ad We do not hold a current price for this product, so we do not show one. How we make money.
What it actually is
A dice game. One person rolls, but every player marks something off their own sheet from that roll, so there is no downtime.
Does it fit this page?
Gamewright states 2-5 players, 15 minutes - a scorepad and six dice.
What the publisher states
| Figure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Players | 2-5 | Gamewright, published product page |
| Age | 8+ | Gamewright, published product page |
| Length | 15 min | Gamewright, published product page |
Read from the publisher’s own page. Where a publisher does not state a figure, there is no row for it here.
What is good about it
- Nobody waits - every roll is used by every player
- The scoresheets make the rules self-explanatory
- Very cheap, and about as portable as a game gets
What is not
- It is a dice game; luck decides more than skill
- Score pads run out and need replacing
- Does not look like much when unwrapped
Who should skip it
Skip it for someone who wants meaningful decisions - Qwixx is mostly about making the best of what the dice gave you.
How it scored as a gift
- Easy to explain9.6
- Works for non-gamers9.4
- Group size range7.8
- Repeat plays8.0
- Feels like a gift6.6
Gift fit 8.0 / 10. That is our editorial judgment of how safe and well-aimed this is as a present, read off the published specifications - not a verdict on how good the game is, and not a test result. It is deliberately not marked up as a rating in this page’s structured data. How we pick.
#8 - Best for two on a long journey
A Little Wordy
Exploding Kittens · A small, inexpensive two-player gift
A two-player word game from the Exploding Kittens studio, listed at 2 players only, ages 10+, fifteen minutes. It is the cheap, small answer to 'something for the two of us' rather than the impressive one.
#ad We do not hold a current price for this product, so we do not show one. How we make money.
What it actually is
A word game for two. You build a secret word from letter tiles and give your opponent clues, while trying to guess theirs first.
Does it fit this page?
Exploding Kittens lists it as 2 players only, 15 minutes, in a small box.
What the publisher states
| Figure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 10+ | Exploding Kittens, published product page |
| Number of players per game | 2 only | Exploding Kittens, published product page |
| Play time | 15 min | Exploding Kittens, published product page |
Read from the publisher’s own page. Where a publisher does not state a figure, there is no row for it here.
What is good about it
- Fifteen minutes and a small box, so it fits a weeknight and a suitcase
- Considerably cheaper than most two-player boxes
- Age floor of 10 makes it workable for a parent and an older child
What is not
- Strictly two players, by the publisher's own listing
- Word games are divisive and this one has nothing else in it
- Slight enough that it needs to accompany a larger gift
Who should skip it
Skip it for anyone who dislikes word games, and skip it as a main present - it is a companion gift, not a centerpiece.
How it scored as a gift
- Easy to explain8.8
- Works for non-gamers8.4
- Group size range4.0
- Repeat plays7.6
- Feels like a gift6.6
Gift fit 7.5 / 10. That is our editorial judgment of how safe and well-aimed this is as a present, read off the published specifications - not a verdict on how good the game is, and not a test result. It is deliberately not marked up as a rating in this page’s structured data. How we pick.
How these were picked
We have not played these games and we do not pretend to have. What we did was read each publisher’s own page, take their stated player count, playing time and age band, check that every pick genuinely fits the constraint in this page’s title, confirm it is still being sold, and pull a live price rather than a remembered one. Every figure here names the publisher it came from, so you can check it yourself in about a minute.
How we pick sets out the full method, including what would change a ranking.
Questions people ask
+−What is the best board game to take on holiday?
Sushi Go! - Gamewright states 2-5 players and 15 minutes, and the whole game is a deck of cards in a tin. It is small enough for hand luggage and good enough to play repeatedly over a week.
+−What board game can you play on a plane tray table?
Card games. Love Letter (2-6, 20 minutes), Sushi Go! (2-5, 15 minutes) and Jaipur (2 players, 30 minutes) all fit. Avoid anything with a board or with small loose tokens, which are the two things a tray table cannot cope with.
+−Is there a travel game that is not a card game?
Hive. Gen42 states 2 players, 20 minutes, ages 9+, and there is no board - the 22 heavy tiles are placed directly on any surface. It is the most physically durable game we cover.
+−What is a good travel game for a family with children?
Happy Salmon, rated 6+ by Exploding Kittens for 3-8 players in 90 seconds, or Sushi Go! at 8+ from Gamewright. Both are small, and both can be played in a car park or an airport gate without a table.