Our top 10 favourite Drinking Games to play while travelling
Part of backpacking is all about the experiences you collect, the friends you make, and sometimes, it’s about letting loose and having a beer (or five). What better way to tick off all these boxes than with a good old drinking game? Whether you’re killing time on a Whitsundays sailing boat, having a tactical pre-drink at your hostel, or stuck inside on a rainy day, drinking games are a great way to bond with other backpackers, and maybe make some friends for life. Here are our top 10 favourite drinking games to play while travelling.
Note to non drinkers: don’t stress, all of these games are sober-approved, so you can have a great time getting to know your dorm-mates or tour group without the need to get drunk. Just bring along your favourite non-alcoholic drink to join in the fun!
1. Cheers Governor
Equipment needed: Nothing
How to play: All players must sit in a circle and take turns counting up. For instance, the first player says “1,” the next says “2,” and so on until you reach 21. When someone says 21, everyone toasts and shouts “Cheers to the Governor!” before drinking. The person who said 21 must then create a rule associated with a number. For example, instead of saying 7, say “crocodile dundee”, or instead of saying 3, clap your hands 3 times. If anyone breaks a rule or makes a mistake, they drink, and counting starts over from 1. The goal is to establish 21 rules without messing up.
Perfect for: Playing with a big group, and the more you drink, the more you stumble. Prepare for some major laughs.
2. Roxanne
Equipment needed: Sweet dance moves
How to play: Quite simply, play the song Roxanne by The Police. Every time the lyrics say ‘Roxanne’ take a drink, and every time the lyrics say ‘put on the red lights’ spin around. If you know the song you already know the chorus makes this a hilarious balance challenge and gets you pretty tipsy. Quick note – be careful while playing this game, especially if you’re prone to falling over.
Perfect for: Spontaneous short and sweet drinking games. Play anytime the classic song comes on in a bar or even while you’re getting ready for a night out.
3. Bullshit
Equipment needed: Deck of cards
How to play: Deal all cards. Take turns placing a card from your pile face down in the middle, declaring what the card supposedly says. The cards need to either be the same as the one below, or go up in numerical order. If a player doesn’t have the card they need to put next into the pile, they can bluff. Other players can call out ‘bullshit’, in which the player who placed the card must turn over their card, and if correct, the bluffer has to drink. If the players who called bullshit are wrong, they have to drink. The aim is to be the first one to get rid of all of your cards without being caught bullshitting.
Perfect for: The end of an amazing day of exploring, where everyone can relax and enjoy a drink together.
4. Most Likely
Equipment needed: Nothing
How to play: Sit in a circle and have one player pose a question about “who is most likely to…” to start the round. For example, “Who is most likely to get arrested?” or “Who is most likely to fall over tonight?” On the count of three, everyone points to the person they think fits the description. Each player takes a drink for every finger pointed at them.
Perfect for: Some light-hearted teasing among people who want to get to know each other a bit better.
5. Drug Dealer
Equipment needed: Deck of cards
How to play: Each player gets one card. There needs to be one King and one Ace in the mix, and the rest are numbered cards between 2 and 10. Deal cards face down and let players discreetly look at their cards. The King is the Drug Dealer, the Ace is the Cop, and the numbered cards are Bystanders. The Drug Dealer “kills” Bystanders by winking at them, who must then dramatically fake their death. The Cop tries to identify the Dealer. For each Bystander killed without detection, the Cop drinks. If the Drug Dealer kills the Cop, they must drink.
Perfect for: Playing in a cosy hostel common room, where there’s enough space for everyone to spread out and get into the game.
6. Topple
Equipment needed: Deck of cards, bottle
How to play: Balance the deck of cards on top of the bottle. Each player takes turns gently blowing on the cards, trying to knock off at least one card but not the whole deck. Any player who accidentally knocks the entire deck, doesn’t blow any card off, or gets the last card off the bottle, has to drink. For a twist, you could swap drinking penalties for dares.
Perfect for: A great quick game to play before heading out for dinner or a bar for the night.
7. Spoons
Equipment Need: Deck of cards, enough spoons for each player minus 1.
How to play: The key to the game Spoons is speed. Place the spoons in a circle in the middle of the table so that everyone can easily reach one. Deal each player four to seven face-down cards (fewer cards mean a longer game). Players should only look at their own cards. The dealer then draws a card from the remaining deck, choosing to either keep it and discard one of their own cards or pass the drawn card to the player on their right. This continues around the group as players keep drawing, discarding, and passing cards.
The goal is to get 4 of a kind. Once someone collects 4 of a kind, they grab a spoon, triggering everyone else to do the same, even if they’ve not got 4 of a kind yet. The player left without a spoon has to drink and is out. Keep playing until there’s only one left standing.
Perfect for: Any time! Whenever you need to pass a bit of a time in a hostel or before a big night out. You can swap out the spoons for other items you might have on you too, like hair-ties, keys, pens etc.
8. Never Have I Ever
Equipment Need: Nothing but honesty
How to play: As far as drinking games go, this ones a classic. Each player takes a turn saying “never have I ever” followed by a statement of something they’ve never done. For example, “never have I ever travelled solo” or “never have I ever broken a bone”. Anyone who has done it must drink. The statements tend to get pretty deep pretty quickly, leading to some hilarious revealing moments.
Perfect for: Big groups travelling together, like a Travel Buddies tour group. It’s the easiest way to get to know someone’s deepest darkest secrets.
9. Snake Eyes
Equipment needed: Nothing
How to play: Players sit in a circle with their heads down. On the count of three, everyone looks directly into the eyes of someone of their choice. If two players make eye contact, both must drink. The game continues until one player finishes their drink, declaring them the loser.
Perfect for: Playing whilst on a camping trip sat around a campfire. It’s an easy way to bond and laugh with new friends.
10. Kings / Ring of Fire
Equipment needed: Deck of cards, large cup or jug
How to play: Place the large cup or jug in the centre and spread out the deck of cards face down in a circle around the centrepiece. Each card has a specific action/meaning, which you can come up with and write out yourselves, but below are some of the most common rules we see. When a player draws a card, they must perform the corresponding action. The game continues until all cards have been drawn, and the player who draws the last card must finish their drink. Anyone who breaks the ring of cards i.e. leaves a gap between cards when picking one up, also has to drink. Keep playing until the last King card has been pulled and the cup in the middle has been drunk.
Perfect for: Pre-drinking in a hostel before a night out. It’s a classic that gets everyone ready for a fun night ahead.
Rules:
2 to 8 – drink the number of sips shown on the card.
9 / rhyme – say a word then proceed around the circle with everyone saying a word that rhymes. If someone hesitates too long or fails to say a rhyming word, they drink.
10 / categories – select a category and proceed around the group naming something from that category until someone fails to do so. For example, countries, animals, singers etc. The person who fails to name something from the category has to drink.
Jack / create a rule – when a person selects a Jack they must set a new rule, for example, no drinking with the left hand.
Queen / create a dance – the person selecting Queen makes up a dance move. Going clockwise, the next person must perform that move and add their own. Each following person must perform the moves from the people before them and add their own until someone is unable to complete the sequence. The person who fails to complete the full sequence of dance moves has to drink.
King / King of cups – this is where the cup in the middle comes into play. Each person who selects a King contributes part of their drink to the cup in the middle. The person who selects the last King has to drink the contents of the cup.
Ace / Waterfall – each player starts to drink at the same time and must continue to drink until the person who selected the card stops.
An important note for all backpackers: Obviously we think that drinking games are a great activity, but drinking can also turn a great night into something you might regret come morning time. Be sure to drink responsibly, don’t let peer pressure make you drink more than you’re comfortable with, and don’t be the one to pressure anyone else into drinking if they don’t want to. Keep some water nearby to keep you hydrated between beers and of course, have a meal first. Keep the night fun and easy and you’ll walk away healthy and with the best memories.
Raise a glass to unforgettable backpacker memories!
Playing drinking games while travelling are the perfect ice breakers for backpackers. It’s a great way to share some laughs, and create unforgettable memories. Trust us when we say you’ll want to save this post to have ready to whip out at any point, because these games make your group adventure way more fun.
So, gather your travel buddies, grab a deck of cards, and let the fun begin. Ready to make the most of your journey? Book your next adventure with Travel Buddies and start creating memories that last a lifetime!
