[Bus Rec] No boredom on the bus! Fun activities and games to liven things up
There are times when you might charter a bus for a company event or enjoy a day trip by chartered bus for a neighborhood event or bus tour.
For those looking for something fun to do while traveling on the bus, this article introduces games and activities you can enjoy right on the bus.
These days, many buses are well-equipped so you can have fun without preparing anything, but we’ll also introduce options that require just a little preparation or no equipment at all.
Most of the activities are suitable for a wide range of ages, so everyone from children to seniors can enjoy them!
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[Bus Rec] Never Get Bored on the Bus! Fun Games and Activities (1–10)
Rock-paper-scissors game
When you’re traveling by bus, games that don’t require many props are best, right? How about keeping it simple and playing rock-paper-scissors with no materials at all? Try a survival format: one representative versus everyone; if you lose to the representative, you put your hand down, and those who win stay in and play again, advancing as they keep winning.
It’s also great when you’ve prepared a few games but still have a little extra time left.
Having small prizes makes it even more exciting!
Guess the arrival time!
When traveling by bus in a group, you’re usually given an itinerary or schedule in advance, or at least told things like what time you’ll arrive at each place and when to meet up, right? This is a game where you guess the exact arrival time.
You’re usually told an approximate arrival time, but try to guess the exact minute the bus will arrive.
Since it’s hard to answer out loud, it might be better to write your predicted arrival time and your name on a note, then reveal them after arriving, or after setting off for the next location.
Survey
You might think, “What’s so fun about conducting a survey in advance and then presenting the results?”—but it actually gets surprisingly lively.
For example, ask participants ahead of time to answer several questions like, “Who looks like the richest person?”, “Who’s the best singer?”, “Who’s the funniest among us?”, and “Who’s the most narcissistic?” Of course, have the participating members answer about people within the group.
Even if you don’t see yourself that way, you may discover surprising sides of how others perceive you—and that really energizes the room.
[Bus Activities] No More Boredom on the Bus! Exciting Games and Activities (11–20)
Price Guessing Quiz
Everyone, do you usually pay attention to the prices of everyday items? You probably have a rough idea of how much an onigiri, sandwich, or snack you pick up at a convenience store costs, but not down to the exact yen.
This is a simple game where you guess the prices of those everyday items all around us.
It could be fun not just with food, but also with household goods.
Try mixing in things around you with brand-name items, luxury goods you might never buy in your life, or rare curiosities.
You’ll be surprised by unexpected prices—and that’s part of the fun of the game.
Word association game
Games to play on the bus aren’t much fun if they end too quickly, right? It’s best when you can keep playing for a long time and suddenly realize you’ve already arrived at your destination! With this word-association game, you can keep it going as long as everyone’s vocabulary allows.
For example, if the prompt is “When you think of apples…,” you might answer “tasty” or “red,” saying whatever comes to mind from “apple.” If someone answers “red,” then the next person starts from “When you think of red…” and continues the chain to the next player.
Magical Shout
Participants try to think of the quiz answers and shout them out faster than anyone else.
Instead of raising hands or pressing buttons to decide who answers, the rule is that whoever figures it out shouts the answer immediately.
The person who answers first earns the points, but since it’s hard to judge when voices overlap, encourage contestants to project their voices loudly enough to drown out others.
A plus is that no equipment is needed once the quiz is ready.
As everyone thinks of answers while aiming to shout louder, the energetic, fast-paced format will liven up the atmosphere.
Telephone game in the palm of your hand
The classic recreation game of telephone.
This version is a telephone game where you write letters with your finger on someone’s palm to pass the message along.
Because you’re writing with a finger, it can be hard to understand or a bit ticklish, but that’s part of the fun, isn’t it? Since you’re on a bus, the shaking might make it harder to convey the message, but that could be another element that livens things up.
Will the message make it correctly all the way to the last person? It’s also fun to look back and figure out where it went wrong later (lol).