Brain Teasers

There are lots of ways to pass time on a trip. Of course, there are conversations, card games, listening to music, and even having sing-alongs. But my favorite way to pass the time during those long miles is with brain teasers.

Usually, we will find some free printable brain teasers on the Internet before we go on a car trip. There are all kinds of online puzzles and games available that you can either print out or play on your computer. The kids especially love them, and it is easy to find one to the right level of difficulty. Most of them are simple logic puzzles that, with a little bit of diligent work, can be quite easily resolved. Finding hard brain teasers is, of course, a little bit difficult, but it can be done.

Sudoku puzzles are a great form of brainteaser. Sudokus are basically a type of logic puzzle that has become very popular in recent years. They are different rows and columns of numbers that you have to get to match up in just the right way. The only way to do it is through trial and error. You look at the pattern, try to find numbers that match it, and work through it until you find the right combination.

Of course, one of the most classic brain teasers is the crossword puzzle. Papers all over the world have crossword puzzles, but my favorite one is in the New York Times Sunday edition. New York Times puzzles get harder and harder as the week goes on, and the Sunday New York Times always has the most difficult puzzle. I know a lot of people who spend all Sunday doing brain teasers in the Times. Now that is dedication!

If you want to get a truly great assortment of brainteasers, you have to go to a good bookstore. There are plenty of online brainteasers, but if you are a big fan you probably need to just bite the bullet and buy a book. After all, it is nice to have a whole book filled with logic puzzles so that you can go through them, page after page at your leisure. The way that I do it is to download some free puzzles on the Internet to see which ones I like. Then, when I find a style that fits me, I buy a brain teaser book. I usually have two or three for a long road trip.