If you asked me what my favorite game is, there would be no hesitation in my answer. Although I have grown up enjoying board games like Scrabble, Pictionary, Chess, Uno, and Sorry, other newer games have also been a hit for our family. We have made many great memories playing Blokus, Quirkle, Catan, Monopoly, and Risk. But my all-time favorite would be the best board game ever invented (in my humbler opinion), and that is Ticket to Ride!
So what has made Ticket to Ride so fun? Well, it’s all about the ones you play it with. Years ago, our family moved to Asia to serve as missionaries. We quickly made friends with another American family that was already living there. They welcomed us into their home and fed us our favorite meal that reminded us of America: grilled BBQ chicken! Then we would sit around the table and play various board games. They introduced us to Ticket to Ride and we were hooked! Part of what made it so special was the fact that it had train routes all over America and it gave us a feeling of being back home again. What wonderful memories it brought back for each of us from our travels around the good ole’ USA raising our support in churches!
I just love trains!
On a personal note, the train game reminds me of my time riding the rails on the North American Rail Pass years ago. For thirty days, I had travelled Amtrak around America and the VIA rail across Canada. I had met so many interesting people and made some wonderful memories. Read more about that adventure here.
Technically, in the game Ticket to Ride, the person who has travelled to the most states is the player who gets to go first. Learn more about how to play the game here.
Our family loved the game so much and bought our own. In the states, we have found the game at yard sales and Goodwill thrift stores. We soon discovered that there were other versions featuring train routes in Asia and Europe. We bought those games and learned how to play with teams. Soon we made up our own rules of playing teams with the original Ticket to Ride game that featured America.
Our bright spot during lockdown
In 2020 the Corona virus forced us to be on lockdown for several months. But we made the most of it with our family! In fact, we began to schedule three o’clock in the afternoon to be our appointed family time to play trains. What a pleasurable break from homeschooling, housework, and book writing! We got so serious about our Ticket to Ride games that we would keep track of our personal record of points using a dry erase marker on our refrigerator.
Ticket to Torture?
Sure enough our kids began to tire of it and renamed it Ticket to Torture! Haha. We would bribe them with ice cream to play with us… that’s how desperate my wife and I became. Although you can play up to five players, you can play with as many as only two people.
You can even play it on Zoom
There were many other American families we would meet up with for fellowship around food and Ticket to Ride. When we returned to Florida at the end of 2020, we soon found ourselves too busy and no one to play our favorite game with. So we would actually play over Zoom with our friends in Nepal! We each would set up our own game boards and place the trains on as each person took their turn. We have even played Ticket to Ride on Zoom with our friends while they are stateside!
It’s worth the drive
We love our friends so much (or maybe playing Ticket to Ride) that when we get time off from work, we don’t mind driving 600 miles to North Carolina to visit our friends who first introduced this game to us. We love them and enjoy their company, but most importantly it’s Train Game time! Whenever we do get together, our final game is always the most important because the loser gets to take home the dreaded trophy, which is a green spatula with the letter “L” written on it in red marker for “Loser”. That person must then make dessert the next time we meet together.
I am thankful that we got to meet up with our friends once again and play Ticket to Ride this past weekend. Yes, I brought the “Loser’s spatula” and was happy to leave it for my dear friend who earned it!
Start making your memories now!
Take some time this holiday season and play a game with your mate, children, extended family, or friends. It will draw you closer to one another and give you some lasting memories to cherish!
If you are interested in getting this super fun game, it is half price for a limited time this week! Order the classic version of Ticket to Ride on Amazon here!
About the author:
Luke graduated from Crown College of the Bible in 2003. He married Jamie in July of 2006. God has blessed them with five children. Together they had the privilege of serving in the pastorate of a Baptist Church in Florida from 2007-2011.
In August of 2011, our family began our journey to serve the Lord as labourers among Unreached People Groups in Asia. We prepared ourselves at Baptist Bible Translator’s Institute in Bowie, Texas. During that time, God directed our path to work among the Tibetan people in the country of Nepal.
In February of 2014, we moved to Kathmandu, Nepal and experienced God’s work of grace and protection upon our family. We had the privilege to serve at the Crown Nepal Bible College. Teaching classes and preaching at youth conferences was a great opportunity for our family. We also were able to assist in outreaches to villages of the Tamang and Gurung people.
In 2021, we moved to Tampa, Florida. We currently are serving in our home church Southside Baptist Church and teach in the Christian Academy. Luke continues his writing ministry (www.pilgrimoftruth.com) and video messages on his YouTube channel (Pilgrim of Truth). His goal is to aid believers in making Christ known to the world. He continues to seek to assist churches in America. His heart’s desire is to help meet the needs of the unreached people groups in the world.
