How to Play

When you purchase Trip Chaser, you’ll notice that there is no actual rules booklet inside!

We did this for two reasons: To reduce our environmental footprint in producing this game, and to keep everything as small as possible so that you can easily pack it in your suitcase to take on your next trip.

Instead, you will find the rules below, and the video rules at the bottom of this page. But if you would like to download and print a set of rules to have on hand, you can do so by clicking here.

the object
To win, obvs.

Prove who’s the most travel-savvy by buying, bartering, and gambling your way to various destinations. The more challenging a destination is to get to from North America, the more points it’s worth! Whoever has the most points at the end of the game wins humble bragging rights for life.

the gist
Travel more than everyone else.

Play two matching Destination Cards and the required amount of cash to travel. If you play three matching Destination Cards, you can cut the cost of the trip in half! Be careful — Event Cards can throw a wrench in your plans — and your travel fund. But purchasing trip insurance prior to travel can save you from catastrophe.

Contents & Setup
Let’s get setup!

The game is made up of:

  • 88 Destination Cards
  • 60 Event Cards
  • 78 Money Cards – There are 6 $500 cards, thirty $200 cards, and forty-two $100 cards.

The Event and Money Cards are pretty self-explanatory, but here is what those numbers on the Destination Cards mean:

And this is how many there are of each:

To set up the game:

  • Each player starts with $1,500 in their personal travel funds: One $500 card, three $200 cards, and four $100 cards. Place the remaining money in the bank off to the side but within reach.
  • Shuffle the Event Card deck and set them face-down in the center of play as a draw pile.
  • Shuffle the Destination Card deck and deal four cards to each player. Place the remaining Destination Cards face-down in the center of play as a draw pile.
The Play
Let the game begin!

Who’s first?

The player who most recently returned home from an overnight trip will start the game. Then play commences clockwise.

On your turn:

  1. Grab $100 from the bank and add it to your personal travel fund.
  2. Draw two Destination Cards from the center pile and place them face-up in front of you.
  3. Trade, discard, or add the new Destination Cards to your hand.
  4. At any time during your turn, you can trade the other players for money, Destination Cards on the table or in your hand, or anything else your conscience allows. The only rule is there are no rules! Just kidding. There is one rule: Trades and negotiations must always include the active player (you).
  5. Either travel or stay home!

If you decide to travel:

Present at least two matching Destination Cards and the amount of money required for that destination. If you have three matching Destination Cards, you can present the third card to cut the cost of your trip in half.

But wait! Do you want to purchase magical travel insurance for an extra $200? It is the most extensive and exhaustive insurance ever sold and will protect you from ANY negative event you may encounter on your trip.

  • IF YES: Pay the bank an extra $200 and be on your way. You still need to pick up an Event Card, but only the positive events apply to you! You can ignore all negative events and travel as you intended.
  • IF NO: Clearly, you’re more of a gambler (or you can’t afford the insurance)! Pick an Event Card from the draw pile and follow the instructions. Sometimes events can earn you money, but beware — sometimes they can cost you more than the insurance, or even more than what you have in your personal travel fund.

    Important note: If the negative Event means you can’t afford to pay for the Event plus the trip cost, or the negative Event prevents you from travelling at all, you must forfeit the money and the Destination Cards you were going to use.

If your trip is successful, retain one of the trip’s Destination Cards in your personal stash of completed trips (for point tallying at the end of the game) and discard the rest. If you drew an Event Card, place it on the bottom of the Event Card pile.

Since teleportation hasn’t been invented yet, you can only attempt to travel once per turn.

If you decide NOT to travel:

Fine. Be boring. Stay home and add $200 from the bank to your travel fund.

Your turn ends when you are done trading and you’ve either travelled or decided to stay home.

Important note: At the end of every turn, all players can have no more than five Destination Cards in their hands. If you have more, you must choose which card(s) to sacrifice to the discard pile.

how it ends
Hopefully, not in tears.

The game ends when there are no more new Destination Cards to draw.

All players discard their remaining unplayed Destination Cards and tally the total points for all of the trips they took.

There are bonus points available!

  • The player who took the most trips can add two bonus points.
  • The player who travelled to the most unique destinations (i.e. count Jamaica only once, even if you went five times) can add two bonus points.

In the event of a bonus point tie, the finalist with the most money left in their travel fund gets the points. If there is still a tie, split the points up.

Once points and bonus points are tallied, the player with the most total points wins!

In the event of a tie for overall points, the finalist with the most money left in their travel fund wins the game. If there is still a tie, the finalists must travel to Thailand and compete for the win in a Muay Thai Boxing combat. (Or… the finalist who most recently returned home from an overnight trip is crowned the winner.)

two player rules
Until you make some new friends, here’s what you do.

All of the above stays the same, except:

  1. Remove all of the Jamaica and Antarctica cards from the Destination Card pile before shuffling.
  2. The game ends when the Destination Card draw pile has been exhausted twice. (After the first time through the draw pile, shuffle the discarded Destination Cards and use them to continue playing until the pile is empty again.)

How to Play – Video

ALL NEW: Trip Chaser postcards!

Introducing another way for you to own the beautiful TRIP CHASER art – via postcards you can send to your loved ones, or even hang on your wall.

Learn more