Want to take a trip cross-country, but don’t have the money? The board game “Ticket To Ride” allows you to travel the world in the comfort of your own home.

In this game, each player is given 45 trains to start off with and everyone draws three destination tickets. Each player must keep at least two of these cards. The game’s board looks like a big map of the U.S. with big cities being listed.

For example, Seattle to New York or Kansas City to Houston are just some of the map routes that you could draw with your destination tickets. Each ticket is given a different point value depending on how far away the two cities are from one another.

The important thing is to keep your destination tickets a secret from your opponents. Multiple tracks cover the board and you have to use your trains to secure your routes. Colored train cards are collected throughout the game and this is how you capture the tracks across the board.

The game box brags that the game “takes less than one minute to learn but a lifetime to master.” The game is really easy to set up and is fairly quick to teach.

I’ve taught several different people to play; they pick up the concept of the game pretty quickly and, after playing a whole game through, they are anxious to play a second round.

The game has a good balance between luck and strategy — that is the part of the game that I really find to be interesting. It can be compared to a chess game: you have to try and predict your opponents’ next move and be thinking two steps ahead of them.

Many people like to block their competitors’ routes, while other players like to get the highest point destination tickets, seeking to have the longest continuous line of trains, since extra points are awarded to this player.

Another highlight of this game is that it’s designed to be played with two to five players.

Some of the tracks have double routes. The number of people playing the game decides whether or not you may use the double paths.

I feel that the game is just as fun with two players as it is with four or five. This adds flexibility to make it never feel off-balance when playing with more or less individuals.

The game also has spinoff boards featuring Europe, Märklin or Nordic countries, if you ever get tired of traveling around the U.S.

Additionally, expansion packs can be purchased including special cards and new components such as dice. A Halloween theme set is also available. My personal favorites are Alvin the alien and Dexter the dinosaur, who put a really unique spin on the game.

I’ve enjoyed playing board games since I was very young and I am always looking for new and unique games. This one really stands out among the current games available, and I would highly recommend it to any game fanatic to add to their collection.

I know I’m not alone in feeling this way, as my friends are also hooked on this game.

Plus, if you want to bring the fun anywhere you go, an iPad, iPhone, iPod and Android app are all now available, as well as a computer edition of the game. You are able to challenge your friends or get randomly matched with people from around the world.

Think how fun it will be to tell everyone you were able to travel across the U.S. in less than one day. So jump onboard—your ticket awaits.