Many of the vacation rentals we showcase on PickPackGo offer game rooms, but I never considered a game room a must-have when booking any of the vacation homes we’ve stayed in over the years. After all, most of the homes were close to beaches, theme parks, or a national park where there were plenty of other activities to keep us busy. I guess, I just never thought about the need for a game room. Until now…

This past weekend, the wedding we attended in Montana was at a vacation rental that included a game room, and wouldn’t you know it became the most popular room in the house for all of the guests under the age of 18. Not that we older folks weren’t invited in to join the fun, but it was clearly their area and they were in charge of who played what and when.

Watching them for awhile brought back memories of ping pong and air hockey tournaments that we had as kids. I’d never considered our basement a game room, but on rainy or snowy days, that’s exactly what it was…our place to play games.

As the kids we travel with get older, I can now see how a game room in a vacation home could be a huge asset. Not only would it be fun for the kids on rainy or cold days, but it might even provide a little healthy competition among the generations staying there.