Planes, Trains, and Automobiles: Mighty Girls on the Go!

By Jennifer de Beer, A Mighty Girl Senior Research Intern

For many of our A Mighty Girl supporters, the season of summertime and school vacations is upon us, and along with it the typical periods of travel. Oftentimes, the process of getting to and from the destination of choice can be the most challenging part of the getaway.

Long hours in the car, on a train or plane, or even just the time waiting for the next mode of transport, can bring many an adult companion — let alone their children — to tears. Never fear: here at A Mighty Girl, we've carefully researched the best in kids' travel resources and compiled our latest collection, Planes, Trains & Automobiles: Mighty Girls On the Go!, featuring toys and activities to help break up the monotony and entertain your young traveling companions!

Occupy and engage those Mighty Girl minds with a wide range of products, specially selected for ease of transport and/or use during travel! You will find items appealing to the broad spectrum of Mighty Girl interests, including creativity, geography, math puzzles, word play, and logic/ spatial games — with a variety of formats, besides. So, go ahead and brush up on your Broadway tunes, pick out a few select titles on audiobooks (be sure to check out our Book section for great suggestions — and don’t forget the headphones!), and then dive into Planes, Trains & Automobiles: Mighty Girls On the Go! for some inspirational finds!

A newly-added sub-category in the AMG Toy Collection features Activity Books. Here you will find options like Really Ridiculous Super Silly Game Time and Alphabet Dot-to-Dot, along with old favorites like The Best of Mad Libs and coloring books. You will also discover challenging puzzles in an easily-portable book format, such as Sudoku math games and The Everything Kids’ Puzzle Book, filled with word puzzles, mazes, and more. Perfect for some mental calisthenics, all in the name of fun!

Many familiar favorites from the board game world are now available in travel editions, and we have gathered a great selection for you in our new Travel Games category. Choose from classic games like Chess / Checker sets, Yahtzee and Scrabble, or from newer additions like Blokus or Qwirkle. You will even find several versions of memory games, such as the ever-popular I Never Forget a Face Travel Memory Game. Some of these options will work well while en route, and some will be excellent picks to have on hand once at your destination, taking up little space in the meantime.

Younger travelers will likely find the journey and wait times especially tiresome, and the rules of structured games and activities too complex. For them, we have a number of great selections in mind, including the fine motor skills practice of a Buckle Toy or the creative — but mess-free! — exploration found in an AquaDoodle set. The reusable sticker sets, like those found featuring ocean creatures and dinosaurs, also work really well on windows, for an alternate play surface.

If you are looking for solo entertainment options, consider some picks like Wikki Stix, Crazy Aaron's Thinking Putty or the Eni Puzzle. Game sets like Travel Magic Forest and Travel Tangoes - Animals each offer opportunities to puzzle out solutions, and are best suited for single players.

For activities to engage a larger group of participants, or even the whole family, we have several entertaining and interactive picks, like the brainstorming prompts in Namits (also with a Junior version), The Family Road Trip Box of Questions, or the storytelling card prompts from the Tell Me A Story series. Those hours together in transit may just lead to some of your favorite vacation memories!

A great way to prepare children for the trip, and keep the excitement alive, is to choose activities related to the journey at hand. If you are traveling by plane, for example, you might be especially interested in the ideas found in 52 Fun Things to do on the Plane. International travels can be enhanced with choices such as the Latin America Sticker Collection, Around the World Coloring Book or the WorldWise Asia Card Game, depending on your destination. Car trips are legendary for family vacations, and a great way to pass the time is to really be aware of what is going on outside of those windows. Check out Travel Bingo, the National Parks Coloring Book or one of our Kids’ Road Atlas picks for some great ideas.

Sometimes just an additional distraction or two, especially if they’ve not been seen before, can make a world of difference to a young and weary traveler. There is also the additional benefit of having options on hand for those potential down-times and rainy days away from the familiarities of home. Whatever your reason, we hope you will explore the engaging options found in our latest collection, Planes, Trains & Automobiles: Mighty Girls On the Go!, and select a few new finds for your upcoming travels. Bon Voyage!

Additional Resources

• For more ideas to keep travelers busy, check out our Activity Book, Coloring Book, and Travel Games sections
• Reading together is a great way to pass the time on a trip. Check out our recently expanded Top Read Aloud Books Starring Mighty Girls for some great titles.
• Even travelling Mighty Girls can participate in a Mighty Girl Book Club. Our book club section features lots of ideas about setting up your book club, as well as suggested reading lists for ages 6 to 14 and up.
• If you want to put together a playlist of Mighty Girl music for your travels, don't forget to check out our Music section.
• If you're bringing a portable DVD player or tablet, check out our suggestions of great Mighty Girl movies and TV shows.