Some of us have long bus rides to both mission trips and camps this summer. Instead of just enduring the ride, why not make it one of the highlights of the trip? Below are a few ideas for a better bus ride.

On The Road Again
Your bus will stop fairly often. After those food/potty breaks, play Willie Nelson’s “On The Road Again” as soon as the bus starts driving. The first two times you play it, kids might not even notice. By the third time, they’ll start to sing along. On your 5th stop, kids will start booing, demanding you turn the song off. By the last stop, on your way home, you’ll intentionally not play it…and kids will boo again, this time demanding it.  It will become like Pavlov’s dog. How can the bus possibly move without Willie singing us along?  Years from now, when they hear ol’ Willie on the radio, they’ll remember one of the best weeks of their lives.
18 Wheels On The Big Rig
Another classic song to sing on the bus ride is ’18 Wheels On The Big Rig.’   If you can get one of the leaders to work on learning it ahead of time, it’s easier to teach. I recommend singing it at about the 7 hour mark, preferably after a gas station stop where kids have refilled their bloodstreams with Monsters and Red Bulls.

Bus Program
Why not have youth group on the bus, just like you do on a normal Wednesday night at church? You probably already have a guitar on the bus. You can put song lyrics on PowerPoint and link your laptop to the screens. You can download here  a script for bus program characters with  descriptions and games. Add a short talk at the end and you’ve added another fun, yet meaningful element to the bus ride.

Mixers/Games
It’s easy to get stuck in your seat on the back of the bus and miss out on opportunities to meet new folks sitting up front. Help kids that aren’t yet friends get to know one another before they get to your destination.  It will make their camp/mission trip experience even better.  Also, those relationships will motivate kids to be at church events when you get back home.  
Prizes
Everyone is more motivated to play when prizes are involved. You could offer some sweet incentives like $ to the camp store or a free milkshake at the snack shop.  One way to keep them involved is to make a poster board with each camper’s name. After each game, award each winner a sticky star. By the trip’s end, whoever has the most sticky stars wins the prize!  
Blanket Drop
My favorite opening mixer to do on a bus is Blanket Drop. It’s a great way to make sure everyone knows each other’s name. Divide into two teams, front of the bus & back of the bus. Two leaders hold a blanket up from ceiling to floor. Each team puts one person in front of the blanket on each side. On the count of three, the leaders drop the blanket. Each person tries to say the other person’s name standing on the other side of the blanket first. The faster person steals the other and brings that person on their side. The team with the most people wins. You can also play without stealing people and just play to 10 points. Before the game begins, make sure you give a good 5 minutes for people to walk around and learn first names.  
PowerPoint Games
If you bring an adapter, it’s fairly easy to connect your laptop to most bus DVD player setups. If so, you can play some PowerPoint games and make them into contests for prizes.  Chad Swanzy has some good free downloadable PowerPoint games at YouthLeaderStash.com You can also download some free here.
Mafia
If you’re a youth leader, you’ve probably played Mafia. If not, here are the rules.  All you need is a deck of cards.
Bus Bingo
This is a great mixer to help folks get to know one another. If you can swing it, I’d create your own version based on the kids going on your trip. Here’s an example one we did a few summers ago. We took one specific fact about each person on the bus and had folks try to figure out who it was. If you don’t have the time or energy to pull that off, here’s a generic one I made that you can use. Even thought it’s not the “Specific Bingo’ it still will work well and help the group mingle.
Two Truths & A Lie
This is another great way to help everyone on the bus get to know one another. Give each of your friends a chance to hold the mic. They’ll share 2 truths about themselves and 1 lie, in random order. Everyone on the bus will get to guess which is the lie.
Most Embarrassing Moment
Another similar activity is to have everyone write down their most embarrassing memory.  Collect them, then select the best ones.  Pull up 3 people to whom the embarrassing moment could have potentially happened. Read the story out loud. Then give each a chance to explain more about what really happened. 2 of them will be lying, trying to pawn the story as their own. After all 3 have shared, offer a time for questions from the crowd.  Then reveal the actual victim.
Would You Rather
Give a scenario like “Would you rather have 10 inch fingernails or 10 inch toenails. If you’d rather have 10 inch toenails go on this side of the bus, if you’d rather have 10 inch fingernails go on this side of the bus”.  Divide it up long ways so people don’t have to walk down the aisle to the front or back of the bus.  There are quite a few websites and apps that can help you create questions, but better yet, why not gather a few kids at the front of the bus and let them own this game, coming up with their own questions for everyone?
Bus Idol
Make your own version of American Idol or The Voice! Bring an iPod pre-loaded with Karaoke tracks of fun songs. 
Rap Battle/Poetry Jam/Song Contest
Have kids write raps/poems about the trip and read them on the mic in front of everyone. Offer extra star stickers for participants!
“Hey I just met you, and this is crazy, we’re on the same bus, so call me maybe?” 
Who Am I?
Similar to 20 Questions: Someone is “it” and thinks of a person, real or fictional, and others try to guess who they are with questions that can only be answered yes or no. A yes answer entitles you to another question, a no means the next person tries until someone guesses the correct character.
Mustache Contest
Whoever captures the best random mustache on camera, while at a travel stop, wins a fake mustache to proudly wear at camp.
Happy Driver
Make sure to get on the good side of your Bus Driver so he/she will give you freedom to make the bus ride fun. A good way to make them happy is to keep that bus clean. Bring extra trash bags and collect it often!
Drinks/Snacks
If you have a while in between stops, it’s helpful to have a cooler with cold drinks/snacks. Tell kids ahead of time if you’re planning on selling them. You don’t want to hear “I paid $xxx for this trip, I deserve a free coke.”
Endless Ideas
The possibilities never end. Just take normal youth group games and change them to make them work on a bus. Don’t settle for a movie marathon, make that ride one they won’t soon forget!