Rainy Day Staycation: The Best Board Games To Pack For A UK Holiday Cottage
Every UK cottage holiday includes an afternoon where the rain comes in sideways and nobody can face another wet walk. The cottage cupboard will offer a Monopoly with no hotels and a jigsaw missing a corner.
We don't sell board games. We design and print greetings cards, pin badges and party bits in the UK, so every game here is a recommendation rather than our own product.
These are the games worth the space in the car: compact, mixed-age, and quick enough that a wet afternoon turns into several rounds rather than one long slog.
Shop the cards that go with these
Shop funny cards How to host a games night Street party games for the whole road Dinner party games for adults
Cards for the people round the table
Funny cards, blank inside, drawn and printed by us in the UK. Order on a working day and it usually goes out the same day.
The ones to pack first
- Herd Mentality - a small box, one simple question a round, and it works with grandparents, teenagers and an eight-year-old at the same table. The best single game to throw in the car.
- Codenames - flat box, endlessly replayable, two teams, perfect for a long afternoon.
- Sushi Go - a tin of cards, five minutes to learn, good for younger children.
- Dobble - tiny, fast, and the game that gets played most on a rainy holiday.
- Bananagrams - a zip bag, no board, playable on a wobbly cottage table.
- The Crew - a small card box for the evenings once the kids are in bed.
- A pack of cards. Rummy, cheat and whist have rescued more holidays than any board game.
Packing for the car
- Take games out of oversized boxes and put the pieces in freezer bags with the rules. Half the volume, same game.
- Favour card games and tins over big boxes with plastic inserts.
- Pick games that survive a table that isn't flat.
- Two short games beat one long one - a cottage afternoon has interruptions.
- Check the rules are in the box before you leave the house.
- One jigsaw, 500 pieces not 1000, on a tray so it can be moved at dinner.
Rainy afternoons beyond board games
- A quiz written by whoever wakes up first, with questions about the family rather than general knowledge.
- Charades or articulate-style word games that need nothing but paper.
- A baking afternoon, since cottage kitchens are usually better than the one at home.
- A film in the afternoon is allowed. It's a holiday.
- Card houses, paper aeroplane distance contests, and consequences on the back of a receipt.
- A walk in the rain with the right coats, then games with the fire on. The combination is the whole point of a British holiday.
Matching the game to the group
- Mixed ages, wide range: Herd Mentality, Dobble, Sushi Go.
- All adults, after dinner: Codenames, The Crew, Wavelength.
- Two of you: a card game, Jaipur, or a crossword race.
- Small children in the group: Dobble, snap, Uno, and anything with a two-minute round.
- A big group of eight or more: teams rather than individuals, every time.
- A group who don't know each other well: question-based games, nothing with elimination.
Found your words? Now find the card
Shop funny cards How to host a games night Street party games for the whole road Dinner party games for adults
How to write it so it lands
- Pack the games where you can reach them, not under the suitcases.
- Leave the huge box at home - bag the pieces and the rules together.
- Check the cottage cupboard on arrival so you're not duplicating.
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Frequently asked questions
What board games should you take on a UK cottage holiday?
Compact, mixed-age picks: Herd Mentality, Codenames, Dobble, Sushi Go, Bananagrams, The Crew and a plain pack of cards. All of them fit in a single bag.
What's the best game for mixed ages on holiday?
Herd Mentality - one simple question a round, no reading-heavy rules, and children and grandparents can win equally, which keeps everyone at the table.
How do you pack board games for a holiday?
Move pieces into freezer bags with the rules and leave the oversized boxes at home. Favour tins and card games, and choose games that work on an uneven table.
What else can you do on a rainy day in a holiday cottage?
A homemade family quiz, charades, baking, a 500-piece jigsaw on a tray, and an afternoon film. A wet walk followed by games by the fire is the classic British version.
Do you sell board games?
No. We design and print greetings cards, pin badges and party bits in the UK. Every game named here is an outside recommendation, not something we stock.