There’s much to love about packing a bag, heading to the airport, and going off on an adventure that allows you to experience a culture that’s completely different from your own.
And it’s even better when you get to connect with locals. Alas, that can be more difficult than we’d like it to be, especially if you’re visiting a far-flung destination where you’re unable to tap into the network of friends, work colleagues, and other connections.
One smart method for socializing on your travels is to learn how to play one of the many games that are played all over the world. We’ve put together a list of five such games below — add them to your skill set, and you’ll find that you can play in games wherever you find yourself across the world.
Chess
Chess is the world’s game. It’s played in virtually every country on the planet, and what’s great about this game is that you can often find people willing to play in public. Most major cities have an area where chess players gather to play out in public.
We’re not going to sugarcoat it, though: chess is a tricky game to learn, and the quality of play you’ll find in street games will be high. Still, there are chess learning apps that can help you to quickly progress through the ranks, and once you’ve reached a decent standard, you’ll find an entire world of potential games opens up before you.
Poker
Poker may have begun its life in the saloons of New Orleans back in the early 1800s, but today the game is a global powerhouse. There are an estimated one hundred million players around the world, making it one of the most popular card games on the planet. There’s a lot of strategy that goes into good poker play, but it’s surprisingly easy to learn how to play poker. Anyone can pick up the basics within thirty minutes or so. As with chess, poker standards tend to be pretty high, so if you’re planning to join a public game on your travels, it’s recommended to warm up by playing a few rounds online first, just to ensure that you can feel confident when playing against your new-found friends.
Uno
OK, we’ve finally got to an easy game. Poker and chess require a little bit of time to learn how to play. Uno is different. You can pick the game up in a matter of minutes — in fact, it’s one of the few games where you can learn to play while playing.
Given how easy it is to play, Uno quickly became one of the most popular games in the world. If you’re looking for an easy way to make friends while you’re traveling, pack Uno in your luggage. It’s especially handy to pass some time in an airport if you have a layover; simply ask your fellow passengers if anyone would like a game, and we’re pretty confident that you’ll find at least a few takers.
Bridge
OK, now let’s go back to the challenging games. The bridge is complex. In fact, once you really dive into the rules, you’ll begin to wonder if the creators made the game intentionally complex.
Still, if you can go through the learning process, you’ll have a skill that’ll serve you well on your travels. The game is popular in the United States, the UK, Latin America, China, Japan, and elsewhere. In fact, if you’re looking for a guaranteed way to make connections when traveling, simply learn how to play bridge and then look for the local club when you land. Voila.
Charades
Finally, there are charades. While the rules differ around the world, the general principle — acting out without using words — remains the same. We’re including it on this list because it’s an excellent game to play when you’re visiting a country where you don’t speak the language. As we said, there are no words involved!
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