We’re just a few short days away from the sweetest of all holidays and whether you and your sweetie are a “chocolate and flowers” kind of couple, a “dishes and backrub” duo, or you go all out, you owe it to your significant other to give these games a go.
Not only are these picks exciting and fun (especially if you SPICE IT UP), but they are perfect for the traveling pair that is looking for things to do in tight spaces.
As usual, I’ll include some spicy prop bets that are sure to get the blood pumping. The top 5 Spice it up options are the SPICIEST YET!
If you missed Part I and Part II, they’re certainly worth checking out so you can keep “5th Wheel Fire” alive.
Without further ado, let me introduce you to the TOP FIVE best RV couple-friendly games!
5. Farkle
Shake ‘em up and let ‘em roll in this high risk-high reward dice game! The exceptional 2-player+ game is won by reaching a predetermined high score total, but you can get there in one of two ways. Make risky, epic runs or simply nickel and dime your opponent to the victory!
With each roll, you decide which combination of dice you want to keep towards your point totals. If you roll a combo that uses four of your dice, you can choose to keep those points and pass the last two dice to your opponent where they have the option to start fresh, or build on what you’ve already rolled. Have one die left? Roll a 5 (50pts) or a 1 (100pts) and KEEP ROLLING with all six dice!
But whether you choose to keep rolling or pass the leftovers across the table, once a roll doesn’t complete a scorable combo, you FARKLE! and all points accumulated in that run go straight in the black tank.
Spice it up: Winner gets to choose a reasonable budget (i.e. $20-500) and get it in a variety of small bills. Stick a box fan in your phone booth shower, close the door and turn the fan on while the loser drops the bills over the top of the shower. For 90 seconds, any money the winner grabs is theirs to spend! We recommend finding a unique keepsake at a special stop on your route or doing a fun excursion with your significant other that you might not have done otherwise!
4. Sequence
Strategy meets sabotage in this card/boardgame. Draw cards and match them with corresponding card images on the game board. The goal is collect cards and place your tokens on the board in a five-spot sequence. The first to manage two separate sequences wins the game! HERE are the full rules.
If you want to burn a turn in an effort to sabotage your opponent, you can block them to keep them from completing their lineup!
Spice it up: The winner gets to design and acquire a custom t-shirt in the loser’s size that says something to the effect of “My (fill in the blank) is MUCH better at board games than me” or whatever pseudo-embarrassing phrase you’d like. The winner gets to decide when and where that t-shirt gets worn for a week!
3. Yahtzee!
Another classic game that never gets old is Yahtzee! The beauty of this game is that while strategy is needed to some extent, skill is less of a factor, so it allows either person to find a victory at least part of the time.
Roll the dice to collect combinations of straights, sets, full-houses and the like. Keep an eye on those bonus point opportunities because they can pay off in a big way!
Once all the blocks on the scorecard are filled either by collecting the combo or putting a “zero” down, meaning you forfeiting that combo, tally up all the points and see who wins!
Spice it up: “5-of-a-kind picks the wine” in this edition of Spice it up! For every Yahtzee! scored, whoever scored gets to pick the beverage of their choice next time special beverages are called for.
2. Backgammon
It’s no surprise that the Number 2 highest rated couple’s game is nearly 5000 years old! More couples have solidified their commitments over this game than arguably any other game in history.
In full disclosure, this is not a game for the casual board-gamer. It’s very much in line with chess in that the novice player will be at a distinct disadvantage to the experienced player. That said, if neither one of you have a clue how to play, it may be the perfect time to learn so you can remain at a similar level as you progress!
Move your “checkers” around the board based on the roll of your dice. Once they are all moved into your “home board”, you’ve got to “bear” them off the board. The first player to remove all their checkers off the board ends the round and the points are tallied up.
The full rules can be read HERE.
Spice it up: I know it’s dangerous to give blanket permission for just anyone to give a back rub, so we’ll give a caveat to this one. The winner receives a 1-hour massage from either their significant other OR by a pro. And just to make sure that the prize is worth winning, the winner gets to decide where the massage comes from!
We’ve finally made it all the way to NUMBER 1!! Before we jump into the “One game to rule them all”, if you’ve read the prior two installments, let me stop and say “Thank You”. We at the Travel Happy Blog hope your relationship has been enriched during your travels with your significant other and wish you all the best in your future adventures together!
Let’s wrap this thing up with a pretty bow!
1. Cribbage
Believe it or not, the number one highest rated, travel-happy, RVing couple-friendly game Cribbage! This sleeper pick certainly surprised me, but the more I read about it, the more I can see the draw.
You’ll need a cribbage board (for ease of scoring), a deck of cards and basic math skills to play.
There are plenty of spots you can go to learn the basic rules and strategies like right HERE that will explain things much better than I will.
What you need to know to warrant giving it a Go (if you play cribbage, you may get my little pun) is that cribbage is a fast-paced, strategy game that is best played with a good cup of joe or caffeinated tea in hand to keep you sharp.
I highly suggest watching a few YouTube videos before jumping in this one, but once you get it, as is apparent by the avid players in my polls, you’ll want to play it all the time for the rest of your lives!
Spice it up: If you want to play the number one, most highly voted game, the stakes must be equally high. Most of you who have traveled together for any length of time have probably binge-watched many shows on the various streaming services.
Buckle Up.
The loser relinquishes rights to decide on the next binge-worthy show (per THEIR opinion) until at least one season is complete. No matter if you end up watching “Project Runway”, “Ink Masters” or “Yellowstone”, the loser has to do it with a smile.
This series has been a blast for me personally as the games between the wife and I are pretty standard. We have been playing Crazy 8’s, Go Fish, and ERS in tournament bracket form for the last ten years, but we are excited to shake it up with a few of these! And you can bet, we’ll be Spicing it up along the way!
If you play any of these games, please come back and let me know how you enjoyed them! Have other suggestions or want to see certain content written in the blog?
Comment below and check back to see your suggestions become a reality!
Travel Happy
