Trip Chaser – one of my favorite games yet!

Gameplay

Trip Chaser is played entirely with cards, though it will take you all over the world. The object of the game is to travel to different countries and earn enough points to beat out the other players, but it involves some strategy too.

 The deck comes with three different types of cards:

• Destination Cards: these cards have the names of different countries all around the world—Jamaica, France, Australia, etc. Each country is worth a different number of points based on how difficult it is to get there from North America. For example, Jamaica is rather easy to get to—a simple 1–2-hour flight—but Australia on the other hand requires hours and hours of travel, so you’ll earn more points traveling to less-accessible countries. However, all travel comes at a price…
• Money Cards: these cards have different increments of money: $100, $200, and $500. It says on each Destination Card how much it costs to get to each country, and like the point system, the easier it is to get to, the less it will cost to travel there. You just have to hope you don’t run into any travel delays…
• Event Cards: these cards have different travel scenarios on them, both good and bad. From messing up flight times (we agree, 12pm sounds like it should be at night!) to delays at security, these mishaps will cost you. Unless, of course, you purchase the magical travel insurance… more on that later.

To start the game, each player has $1500 and 4 Destination Cards. To travel somewhere, you must have at least 2 of the same Destination Cards and enough money to pay for your trip. The person who returned most recently from an overnight trip gets to go first, and here’s what happens on your turn:

• You get $100! Nice!
• Two Destination Cards from the deck are flipped over on the table for all players to see. You can decide to pick up one or both of the Destination Cards and keep them, switch out one or two cards from your hand for the ones on the table, or trade.
• This is where it gets interesting. If you have one Fiji card and you’re looking for the other, you can make a trade with one of the other players—for money or for other Destination Cards—it’s up to you! The only rule here is that trades conducted during your turn must involve you.
• Now, you can decide to travel or stay home. If you…
  1. Stay home: you get $200 from the bank and it moves on to the next player’s turn
  2. Travel: you must cough up 2 of the same Destination Cards and the amount of money it costs to travel there. You must also decide if you’re going to buy the magical travel insurance. This insurance will save you from any potential negative event, and only costs $200. If you don’t, you’re at risk of facing any of the negative events on the Event Cards. If you do, only the positive events apply to you!

Some important notes:

• You can only hold 5 Destination Cards in your hand at the end of your turn. If, during your turn, you’re holding, say, 7, you must travel somewhere or trade them out so that when you’re done, you’re holding 5 or less Destination Cards.
• If you have 3 of the same Destination Cards, you can use all three and cut the cost of travel in half.

The game ends when you run out of Destination Cards. Players make their last moves if they can, and then you must add up your total number of points. Whoever earned the most points wins!

History

This game is brand new! So, its history is rather short, but just as interesting. Created by husband-and-wife duo Dalene and Pete Heck, the idea for Trip Chaser came to be during the COVID-19 pandemic. You see, Dalene and Pete are avid travelers—they were actually named National Geographic’s Travelers of the Year in 2014, so when the global pandemic halted travel and saw everyone quarantining at their homes, Dalene and Pete weren’t sure how to scratch their travel itch.

So, with their newfound free time at home, they decided to act on an idea they’ve had for years: to invent a card game related to travel. They spent three years developing Trip Chaser, adding in their own personal touches by including some of their real-life experiences on the Event Cards. Now, Trip Chaser is on the market, and it’s the perfect game to play with family and friends.

Always keeping travel in mind, Dalene and Pete designed Trip Chaser to fit inside a box that can sit in the palm of your hand—so easy to slip into a suitcase or carry-on. You don’t need anything other than the cards themselves; the directions are online (one card features a QR code you can scan to access the directions anywhere), and no other materials are needed. Not only was this intentional so it can travel with you wherever you go, but also a conscious move by Dalene and Pete to reduce their environmental footprint in producing the game.