Tips and Games from an Improv Facilitator
Travel rarely goes exactly as planned. Reservations disappear, expectations clash with reality, and sometimes you arrive somewhere only to realize it’s not quite what you signed up for.
An improv mindset—rooted in flexibility, presence, and playful problem-solving—can transform those moments from exhausting setbacks into the travel stories you’ll be laughing about for years.
As an improv facilitator and performer, I’ll share a few simple tips and games you can enjoy now—and bring with you on your next trip.
When Travel Goes Off-Script
We had meticulously planned our road trip from Seattle down to Northern California, booking all kinds of lodging along the way—including a teepee in Ashland, Oregon. We figured our elementary-aged kids would enjoy sleeping sort of outdoors in the huge tent and would like the pool and hot tub listed as amenities.
As soon as we arrived and tried to check in, the comedy of errors began.
They didn’t have our reservation—but luckily still had a teepee we could book for the night. Unfortunately, they had no computer system to take payment. I believe they still had one of the credit card machines that you did by hand (remember the ones that go “chunk chunk”?). The guy at the desk wasn’t capable of running that machine at the moment, but he did direct us to take a few brownies from the basket by the door.
Reading the sign in front of the brownies made it clear that if he’d had some before his shift, that might explain why manually running a credit card felt like a daunting task.
While our kids were excited about them, we let them know those brownies were just for grown-ups. He told us not to worry about paying, we could do it tomorrow, and gave us some towels for the pool. When we found our tent, we realized it didn’t quite reach the ground, which meant there was a brisk cross-breeze running through the bottom. Still, we soldiered on.
We headed for the pool, and, as if in slow motion, saw the current bathers and the “Clothing Optional” sign posted at the pool at the same moment.
While we are up for an adventure, this was one nudie patootie too far and we packed up and found a boring, clothing *not* optional motel a little ways down the road. And laughed all the way there.
I don’t know if you’ve ever encountered something like this on your travels, but experiences like these can either be exhausting and disappointing—or, with an improv mindset, they become the stories you recount at family gatherings for years.
Why Travel and Improv Are a Perfect Match
What is it about travel that makes it such a good match for the improv mindset? As an improviser and applied improv facilitator for the past 15 years, I’ve learned to embrace playfulness, presence, and the practice of playing the scene I’m actually in—not the scene I wish I were in. I’ve also learned to look for the gift in the “mistake.”
Travel naturally invites this mindset because it constantly asks us to respond to the unexpected. We can resist what’s happening—or we can engage with it creatively.
Saying “Yes, And…”
Onstage, improvisers are shamelessly looking for ways to play together. We say Yes, And… to the offers our partners make, accepting and building on what’s given.
In travel, there are certainly things we should say no to—like an all-you-can-eat shrimp buffet or an unplanned nudist experience when that wasn’t on the itinerary. But often, we have the opportunity to say yes.
When we do, we give ourselves—and the people we’re traveling with—the gift of a playful response and a flexible agenda that makes room for the unexpected.
How to Play: “Yes, And…”
- One person makes a simple statement.
- The next person responds with “Yes, and…”, continuing the story
- Players continue taking turns, each time accepting what was said and adding a new idea.
Example:
A: The spaceship is heading to Mars.
B: Yes, and… we are beaming aboard.
The focus is on accepting offers and building together, not correcting or steering the scene.
Playing the Scene You’re In
Sometimes, our scene partner will make an offer that we think is the wrong one. Maybe it’s not as fun as the one we had in mind, it’s confusing, or we just don’t like it.
If we waste time wishing for a different offer, scene, or scene partner, we miss the scene that is actually already happening around us. We can participate, or drag our heels and insist on our own great idea being the star of the show.
The improv mindset of playing the scene you’re in gives you the power of presence and of loving what is. By playing what’s already in front of you, you increase your tolerance for uncertainty and your ability to feel like you can handle what comes your way.
The outcome begins to not matter as much, because you know you will be present for whatever comes, and able to meet that moment.
How Can Mistakes Become Gifts?
While traveling in Paris, we had to catch a plane early on New Year’s Day. We were on the early morning Metro alongside revelers who had yet to go to bed.
Laughing and singing, they were exquisitely alive and in the moment. We made plenty of small mistakes trying to find our way to the airport and weren’t always sure what we were doing.
Instead of getting upset, we paid attention. We used our few words of French—bonjour, merci—and were repaid by strangers sharing their cheese and bread with us. A literal gift.
The improv mindset kept us flexible and resilient in the face of uncertainty. We made it to the airport in plenty of time—with French cheese in our pockets to boot. Merci!
A Simple Improv Game to Try on Your Next Trip
If you’d like to practice an improv mindset before—or during—your next adventure, try a game called Bumper Stickers.
Because it is a word-at-a-time game, you get to practice letting go of your own agenda, playing with what is, and letting the mistakes that happen delight you and lead you into an unexpected place. This game can be played with 2-20 people and is perfect for on-the-go fun!
How to Play Bumper Stickers
- Take turns creating a bumper sticker one word at a time.
- When the bumper sticker feels complete, all players put one hand straight out and shout, “Stick it!”
Example:
A: Forever
B: Is
C: Just
D: More
A: Time
B: For
C: Pizza
ALL: Stick it!
Keep going, alternating who starts the bumper stickers.
A Flexible Mindset You Can Take Anywhere
Travel will always include uncertainty. Plans change, expectations get tested, and not every moment turns out the way we imagined. But an improv mindset gives us another option: we can meet what shows up with curiosity, humor, and presence instead of frustration.
The destination still matters, but the experience becomes richer when we’re fully present for the journey itself. That’s the real gift of an improv mindset: not perfect trips, but deeper connection, better stories, and a greater sense of ease along the way.
You can find more games like this in The Playdate Deck, a collection of playful, connection-building games I created to be portable and easy to use anywhere. It’s easy to toss in your bag before your next trip—whether you’re staying in a breezy teepee or a villa on the Italian coast—and is great for road trips, airport waits, family evenings, and spontaneous travel adventures.
We love to learn from our guest writers and appreciate their expertise! Visit Sara at https://www.saradelighted.com/
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