The year 2020, and let’s face it even the first have of 2021 – most of us were still dealing with “The Pandemic”. It left most of us cooped up at home, or at the very least in our home city. Traveling seemed like a luxury that may or may not come back. While we may not be able to fully travel about the globe quite yet, there are some great board games featuring other areas of the world that do a nice job of “getting us out of our houses” – from the comfort of our own home.

Obviously one won’t be able to fully capture what it is to travel by playing a board game. I get that. That said – there are some really good games that either focus on the theme of traveling in general – or highlight specific destinations to explore.

For those that want to satisfy their travel bug. Here are some great board games about travel that I think any family would enjoy,

Honorable Mention

7-Wonders

Ok – so most of the destinations in this game have been ravaged by time. You won’t be seeing the Colossus or the Hanging Gardens on any upcoming vacations. That said, the game is relevant to travel as it provides a decent geographical and historical reference to the 7 World Wonders of the Ancient World.

Released in 2010 one could argue that 7-Wonders put the Card Drafting mechanic in board games on the map. Easily one of the most awarded games – 7 Wonders uses three decks of cards featuring depictions of ancient civilizations. As the leader of one of the great 7 cities of the ancient world, you must carefully gather resources, develop commercial routes, and affirm your military supremacy. With multiple paths to victory, the game stays fresh over many plays.

A game that is great for both beginners and experienced gamers. I would recommend this to anyone who can get a group of 3 to 4 players together, with 4 being the sweet spot. Its easy-to-learn system and quick playtime make it accessible to a wide variety of players. Avoid this as a two player game.

Trekking the World

A 2020 Golden Geek Nominee – the light game reimplements the already popular Trekking the National Parks and takes it global. Your globe-trotting character will be traversing the map collecting souvenirs, postcards, and crafts from the 4 corners of the earth. In addition, you’ll be attempting to collect cards that will allow you to take special tours in key locations to really amp up your score.

It is a really beautiful game. The map doesn’t name cities, like a traditional map, but rather the featured tourist attractions the players will be visiting. The flavor text on the “tour” cards may just spark enough interest to start forming your next vacation.

The gameplay is simple to understand. At first, you may think it is a light breezy game simply galavanting around the map collecting photos and souvenirs. Then slowly but surely you’ll start to see subtle ways to improve your score. It reminds me a bit of Ticket to Ride. Astute players may notice the color of the cards you seem to be collecting – and may try and counter you, either denying you the high point card – or worse – taking it for themselves.

Another game that is great for both beginners and experienced gamers. This could be a nice back and forth match between two players, or a fun family affair up to 4. It should have appeal to players of Ticket to Ride or other types of games where planning ahead pays big dividends. Because it is icon and number driven -it is easier for younger players as well.

Ticket to Ride – (Any of Them!)

Currently, the “Game of the Century” (debatable) – the original Ticket to Ride has players collecting sets of train cars and locomotives for train routes across the United States of America. Established as a “gateway” game for new board gamers – this modern-day classic is a good fit for just about anyone. I’ve been able to teach this game to kids as young as six as well as their grandparents.

Even if you own the original Ticket to Ride – Days of Wonders has released several iterations of the original – taking players across the globe. Using basically the same mechanics players can choose their favorite areas of the world to go to. While most of the games released tend to focus on areas in North America and Europe – there are other versions that have maps of Africa and Japan.

All of the Ticket to Ride games are targeted to new players in the hobby. They use very little to no text, making it easy for younger gamers to play. I highly recommend owning one of the versions for families – pick the area of the world of interest to you.

Pan-Am

If not painfully obvious by the title of the game, Pan-Am features you the player trying to accumulate as much Pan-Am stock as you can. Building your airline empire will consist of outbidding your opponents for key spots on the map, buy big and better planes to land around the world, and consistently outmaneuver the other players to advance your own interests.

This worker placement game is a nice fast, easy to learn, and quick setup game that can be played with the family. It is highly interactive which means no boredom between turns. Pan Am is a solid, entertaining, well-themed, affordable, and creative in its gameplay. It is a good game to get for a bit more experienced gamers, as there’s enough meat there to satisfy the more seasoned gamer, while not being so intense as to scare off more casual players. There are multiple strategies, some thought is required to play it well, and it appears to be eminently replayable.

The map features five regions (North and South America, Europe, Asia, and “the Pacific”) and over 40 cities. Between selected cities shows potential routes that you will be vying for. I am completely impressed by the artwork in the game. It does an outstanding job of reflecting the design and styles of the ’60s, just as Pan-Am was beginning to spread its wings (pun intended).

Its presentation is how Pan Am is earning its spot on this list. I like the idea of buying and selling international routes. It’s a bit like classic Monopoly and Ticket to Ride merged together to form this game.

Pan Am sits at a nice price point and is easy to find both online and in stores like Target and Walmart. Look for at least 3 to 4 players to get a bit more player interaction and tension. It is a good game for those bored of Monopoly, but still like the “Cash is King” aspect of the game.

Before we Move on….

To this point, most of the games have featured the world more or less. But what if you want to focus on one continent, country, or city. Moving ahead I’ll pick some area-specific games –

Asia

Tokaido

In our modern lives, we often race from one thing to the next, never stopping to take a breath, have a good meal, or enjoy the company of strangers, With Tokaido travel to a quieter time, when the journey was even more important than the destination. You and your opponents will travel between Kyoto and Edo, along the East Sea Road in Japan, popularly known as Tokaido.

Tokaido is a set collection game, where you are on a “Japanese vacation” looking to have a culturally rich journey. The game itself is a bit of a”point salad” – meaning there are A LOT of ways to earn points. To be honest, for me part of the appeal of the game is the fact that there are so many different ways to score points – it never feels like I am totally out of it, even if I’m down in scoring by what seems like a lot. There are different character cards players can choose from which add a bit of flavor from one game to the next as you take your culturally enhanced journey.

Tokaido is for those that have already had a bit of gaming experience and appreciated the aesthetics of a game. It really is quite beautiful. There are some interesting strategic decisions during the game. I like how the person trailing in the journey gets to be the first person next round – you find yourself jockeying for key positions on the board to meet your goals and/or block others from achieving theirs.

The Voyages of Marco Polo

A bit of a hybrid dice rolling/worker placement game, Marco Polo will take you down through the Spice Road into China. The game is all about trading and maximizing the spaces available to you each round. You’ll need to decide which of the cities to travel to so as to collect goods and fulfill contracts.

Marco Polo is a great game that stretches each player’s brain to determine what the best course of action is each round. It is extremely satisfying to discover a clever synergy between your character, the city abilities, and your end-game city scoring cards. I generally like strategic dice rolling games and Marco Polo has just the right balance of actions available to let you progress your plans, but still end up wishing that you had another action or two.

Marco Polo is another game for players that have already had a bit of gaming experience. The use as dice for worker placement is a nice touch that isn’t used often enough in my opinion. As an alternative to the Adventure of Marco Polo – consider its sequel – Marco Polo II: In the Service of the Khan.

Europe

Pandemic – Fall of Rome

Maybe it’s because I’m writing this in 2021 – but somehow it just felt appropriate to put this game on the list. Unlike some of the other games on this list, where the theme of the game is set in a pleasant tone (vacations, building airlines, or train lines) Pandemic – Fall of Rome is a bit more — dramatic. No, you won’t be fighting a global Pandemic as in the original Pandemic, instead, you and your teammates will be working together to prevent the invasions of barbarians and the eminent fall of Rome.

In stead of searching for cures to unknown diseases, You will find yourself traveling the continent of Europe seeking to forge alliances with Barbarian tribes.

For those familiar with the original Pandemic, the barbarian tribes take the place of the 4 diseases. Like the diseases, barbarians are represented by cubes, and it’s your job to remove these cubes from the board before they spread too far and cause Rome to collapse. This is made trickier as with each turn you’ll be revealing city cards that indicate where barbarian rebellions have erupted. Too many of these and it’s the end of the game.

Like original Pandemic, you can ‘cure’ the barbarian blight by collecting a set of cards matching the tribe’s color, to form an alliance with them (more on that in a bit) or you can take a more brutal approach and muster your legions to wipe the barbarians off the face of the planet.

If you like the original Pandemic you’ll likely enjoy this. If you are a history buff, in particular European history – this one will be a good fit on your shelf. The same mechanics and principles in the orginal Pandemic have been reimplemented into this game. It’s not “Pandemic II” – this offers enough unique experience to warrant a purchase.

Diplomacy

Likely to be the oldest game (as far as original release date) on this list – Diplomacy still resonates with many players.

Each player in Diplomacy is one of the seven major powers in Europe just prior to The Great War (World War I). Each player is given three units (four for Russia) which are located on various supply centers on the board, within the initial boundaries of the nations they are defending. Units are simple: they are either ARMIES or NAVIES. Every unit has exactly the same strength and the same movement – one space.

Players spend some time scheming and talking. Then, on a set schedule, orders for the units are turned in. Nobody knows for sure what will move where until the orders are revealed. One by one, the orders are revealed… units move, support one another, navies convoy armies over sea zones for amphibious landings, and so on. The rules for conflict are simple: First thing — no dice, no cards, no randomizer of any kind. The game uses no luck-based element at all.

No more than one unit may ever occupy a space. if two units attempt to move into the same space, barring any support, then they will bounce off of one another and not move. If one of those two units has support from another unit that is capable of moving into the space, then that unit now goes into the space with an advantage and can occupy the space.

This is one of those games that also brings out the true ‘Meta Game’ in some people. What I mean is this: suppose Jill and Bob are playing Diplomacy. During the game, Bob double-crosses Jill. This may be a significant turning point in the game; it may be a relatively insignificant move. It may have not even worked. It really does not matter. What matters to Jill is that Bob double-crossed him. Skip forward three months. Jill and Bob are playing some other game. Does not matter what game it is. But Jill does something in the game to royally screw over Bob. The move may not even help Jill in the slightest; it just messes up Bob something terrible. Bob gets upset. He asks why Jill made that move. Andy smiles, and says “Remember that support order I was supposed to get in Berlin during that game of Diplomacy three months ago?”

If you are a board game collector – or just enjoy the classics – search this one out. Sure there are other war games “better” than Diplomacy – but this game isn’t about grand strategy or dice rolling – this is the game within the game(s).

North America

Parks

This game will make you want to dig out your backpack, grab a camera, find your trail maps, and hit the road. This game is all about cruising the United States and taking in the National Parks along the way. The game itself and components within – lend itself to the experience. The cards will pique your interest, either because you’ve been there before – or now you may just want to go.

Elements will change every game, making it certain you will never play the same game twice. The shared trail ends up being different for each playthrough. Sometimes it will be more to your benefit to collect one type of resource versus another. There are modifiers that your opposing trail-mates can only guess at. There is a satisfying push-pull between your decision constraints and the satisfaction of your results. All this and a simply beautifully put-together game as far as design and components.

Featuring a bit of a worker placement feel along with a race to the finish – players will be treking down a shared “trail”. The game takes place overall for 4 seasons. During the seasons, you will be taking actions with only two hikers. When a hiker reaches a spot they will take an action such as gathering resources, taking photographs, or visiting a park.

Great Western Trail

Currently sitting in the top ten on Board Game Geek – this game offers a lot for the gamer. It is also a bit more complicated, so don’t get this if it is your first foray into board gaming or you are buying it for someone else who is new to modern board games. That said this award-winning game will be sure to satisfy the wanderlust of anyone romanticizing the American West.

Picture America in the 19th century: You are a rancher and repeatedly herd your cattle from Texas to Kansas City, where you send them off by train. This earns you money and victory points. Needless to say, each time you arrive in Kansas City, you want to have your most valuable cattle in tow. However, the “Great Western Trail” not only requires that you keep your herd in good shape, but also that you wisely use the various buildings along the trail. Also, it might be a good idea to hire capable staff: cowboys to improve your herd, craftsmen to build your very own buildings, or engineers for the important railroad line.

If you cleverly manage your herd and navigate the opportunities and pitfalls of Great Western Trail, you surely will gain the most victory points and win the game.

The game is really dripping in theme and incorporates very solid mechanics to make for a great gaming experience.

One of the best games of the last 5 years. Those that enjoy Western Movies or come from a rural background will get a kick out of this. A sophisticated game with lots of ways to get points. It will take a few plays to get the hang of it – but it is such a great game you’ll want to play it a number of times! It will have you yearning to take the old cattle drive trails!

South America

The Quest for El Dorado

If you have been or going to be in the hobby for a while, you are going to come across the name Reiner Knizia. The guy is a board game genius.

In his award-winning game, The Quest for El Dorado, players will explore the dense regions of the South American jungle. It is a fantastic deck builder, which is a fancy way of saying you’ll be constantly getting cards to make your future hands better and help you win the game. The players will start on a random map setup and race their way to the mythical city in search of gold. You’ll be assembling a team and tools (cards) that will aid you on your quest. Each player must go through different terrains in order to reach the City of Gold. The terrains include jungles, lakes, villages, and rocky areas. To move from hex to hex, players have a starter deck of cards with corresponding movement points. Players will work to upgrade their decks during the game by purchasing new cards, (think Dominion). While the starter deck has a basic hand that allows you to cross almost all the terrains, you must upgrade to your deck with more powerful versions to traverse some terrain.

The game is an elegant balance of decking building and a race. The game is easy to learn but has plenty of thought-provoking choices along the way. It won’t take a lot of time to play and is very family-friendly.

While you may not be planning next vacation to South America based on this game – you will definitely get the feel of slicing down juggles and taking part of a wild expedition.

This game ticks so many boxes. It is great for families as well as hard-core gamers. A Knizia gem. I’d recommend this game to just about anyone.

Amazonas

It’s the 19th Century, and you have come to the lush tropical jungles of Amazonas in search of rare plants and animals. You must explore the twisting paths and waterways, leading your expedition from one village to another. Each village offers an opportunity to establish a new outpost. But beware – the Amazonas is not for the timid! Fearsome crocodiles lurk in the tepid waters of the rivers, and hungry jaguars stalk the twilight paths. Do not shy from such dangers too long, for the cost to build a new outpost increases the longer it takes you to reach each new village. Your funds are very limited, so speed is essential.

Amazonas is another excellent game that will appeal to novice players and the more experienced. Each game turn is quick once the players are familiar with the game. In fact, time will only drain away as each player tries to second guess the cards that their opponents will play. Once the cards are revealed, the effects are managed very quickly (within 30 seconds) and the next round can begin. Each game ensures a close finish and it is one of the most visually stunning games to look at on the market, incorporating vibrant color and quality artwork.

I think Amazonas is a keeper for a game that isn’t as widely known or played. The game looks good and is a good “after the gateway” game. It’s very simple to teach, and there are different strategies and tactics in the game. The components and board are gorgeous and beg to be played.

Africa

Carcassonne: Safari

In the standalone game Carcassonne: Safari, players go out on a safari and try to see as many animals as they can, despite these animals hiding in the bush, in the savannah, or near watering holes. Help your friends to dig out such holes and receive bonus points.

This version of Carcassonne does a nice twist on the original. Like all the Carcassonne titles, the game is quick to learn and because of the random tile laying aspect offers a fair amount of replayability. If you were a fan of the original, there is no reason to think you wouldn’t enjoy this standalone. If Carcassone isn’t your thing – consider looking elsewhere.

Carcassonne: Safari is the fourth title in the “Carcassonne Around the World” series. As a sidebar – if you are interested in the other Carcassonne around the world games – check this out.

Perfect for those that have enjoyed Carcassonne in the past. Carcassonne has a tried and true tile-laying gameplay that always seems to captivate new players. Great for 2 players – but can certainly accommodate more.

Camel up

Now I’ve never been to an actual camel race – but if I ever do make it to one, I hope it is as much fun as Camel Up is. In this quirky-themed game, up to eight players bet on five racing camels, trying to suss out which will place first and second in a quick race around a pyramid. The earlier you place your bet, the more you can win — should you guess correctly, of course.

Camels don’t run neatly, however, sometimes landing on top of another one and being carried toward the finish line. Who’s going to run when? That all depends on how the dice come out of the pyramid dice shaker, which releases one die at a time when players pause from their bets long enough to see who’s actually moving!

Now there is an awful lot of luck and speculation in this game – but that is where the fun lies. You’ll find yourself carefully analyzing what might happen if a certain colored die is drawn, then also what might happen after you roll said die.

Adults will enjoy it as they place their speculative wagers, and try and figure out the best course of action – kids will like it because of the randomness that keeps everyone in the game. A really fun game sure to generates lots of laughs along the way.

A great game to file under “family-friendly.” Everything from the board, to the camel playing pieces, to the cool Egyptian Pyramid is just a bit whimsical and off the cuff. A game that doesn’t take itself to seriously will provide a lot of fun for a variety of age groups.

Australia

Dingo’s Dream

Dingo’s Dreams is a delightful and clever family game for 2-4 players. Each player competes to be the first to successfully guide his animal through the dream world.

Each player starts with a grid of 25 tiles, set up at random in a 5×5 dreamscape. Each player also starts with one extra tile, with a picture of their animal on it. The opposite side of all dreamscape tiles also has a picture of the animal. Each turn, a random card is drawn, telling players which tile they should flip. When a player flips a tile, it means their animal is traveling through a part of the dreamscape. Each player’s goal is to guide their animal through the dreamscape by positioning him in a specified pattern (which is different in each game). After a card is drawn, a player takes their extra animal and slides him into the dreamscape, shifting one row or column of tiles until a new, different tile emerges from the opposite side. The player will use this tile to shift another column or row on the next turn, and so on until one player’s dreamscape tiles match the goal. The player then shouts their animal’s name– “Dingo!”, for example, to win the round.

A good game if you have young children running around the house. The game has kolas, and how doesn’t love those furry little guys!

Hopefully everyone will find some time and get out of the house this year and next. If you aren’t sure where to go, maybe inspiration will hit you via the next board game you play. Board games about travel and finding new places offer a glimpse of the next great destination for you and your family.