While sitting in the car for 15 hours on my way to Ohio State, car games became the only way to keep our sanity. Here are my top five favorites and how to play them.

1. P'diddle

Having a headlight or tail light out is never really fun for the person who owns the car, but when you're just a witness to someone's misfortune why not make a game out of it? Here's how it works: For every head light or tail light that's out the first person to hit the ceiling of the car with their hand and say "P'diddle!" gets a point. To make it interesting, it can also double as a stripping game; the last person to hit the ceiling and say "P'diddle!" must take off an article of clothing.

2. Punch Buggy

A classic game known by many, punch buggy can get pretty competitive. For every Volkswagon Beetle you see, the first person to punch the other and say "punch buggy (color of the car) no punch back!" gets a point.

3. License Plate Game

One of the perks of driving is being able to see where everyone is coming from just by their license plates. A fun way to pass the time is to keep track of how many of the 50 states you see, with a goal of completing the list.

4. Zitchdog

For all the How I Met Your Mother fans out there, this probably isn't something you haven't heard of. Inspired by Ted Mosby and Marshall Erikson, whenever you see a dog in a car the first person to say "Zitchdog!" gets a point. By the end of the ride whoever has the least amount of points pays for dinner (or just gets bragging rights).

5. The Alphabet Game

For anyone that used to jump rope and sing the "A my name is __ my father's name is __" ect. this might be easy for you. Someone picks a category and you go through the alphabet naming something that fits into that category. The categories can be as simple as "girl names" or as specific as "songs by Taylor Swift".

Besides just car games, there are a few other necessities for long car rides. Always remember snacks, because snacks make everything less boring. Make sure you bring your aux cord with some good music lined up, because you're gonna need it. Most importantly, enjoy it. Being in a cramped car for hours can be painful if you make it that way, but it can also be an adventure you'll never forget.