The Europe-map edition from Days of Wonder (imported)Photo: Days of Wonder / Asmodee
The board, 80 trains and the card decksPhoto: Days of Wonder
Set up and ready to playPhoto: Days of Wonder
Short turns for young playersPhoto: Days of Wonder / Asmodee
Each city has a big landmark picturePhoto: Days of Wonder / Asmodee
The back of the boxPhoto: Days of Wonder / Asmodee
Video

Family game

Ticket to Ride: First Journey

A shorter, simpler Ticket to Ride made for children six and up

2–4players · best with 2-4
15–30 minplaying time
6+recommended age
Learning curve
Very easy1 / 5
EasyDemanding
Luck & skill
More luck than skill
LuckSkill
Interaction
Medium
Set-up
About 3 min
Reading
Little

The quick verdict

Full verdict ↓

Great for A 6- to 8-year-old's first proper board game: there are real choices to make, but no points to add up

Think twice if Your children are 8 or older. The full Ticket to Ride is marked 8+ and will hold their interest for longer

How we rate it

Learning curve. Two choices a turn and no scoring, so it sits below the full Ticket to Ride (our anchor for 2) and alongside Connect 4 and UNO at 1. Children may need help finding cities on the map for the first few games.

Luck & skill. You draw blind from the deck, so whether the colour you need turns up is mostly luck, and so are the tickets you are dealt. Choosing which route to claim first, before someone takes it, is the main skill.

Interaction. There are no attacks, but everyone races for the same routes and a claimed route can block someone's ticket. The rules soften this: blocked tickets can be swapped and nothing is ever lost.

Set-up. Give each player 20 trains, shuffle and deal 4 train cards and 2 tickets each, and put the 4 bonus tickets beside the board. There is nothing to punch out or sort, apart from bagging the trains by colour the first time.

Reading. City names on the tickets and board, in English, but each city also has a large picture, and train cards are matched by colour alone.

Learning curve: 1 = UNO or Connect 4; 3 = Catan; 5 = a heavy strategy game. These describe the experience, not an overall score.

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Is Ticket to Ride: First Journey right for you?

Great if

  • A 6- to 8-year-old's first proper board game: there are real choices to make, but no points to add up
  • Parents who already enjoy Ticket to Ride and want something their child can play with them
  • Short sessions after school or before dinner, since most games end within 15 to 30 minutes
  • Getting children looking at a map of Europe and planning how to get from one city to another

Skip it if

  • Your children are 8 or older. The full Ticket to Ride is marked 8+ and will hold their interest for longer
  • You want an Indian edition. There isn't one, so every copy here is an import
  • You usually have more than four players

A place on the honours list

Good company to be in.

Recognition from beyond our table.

Guldbrikken, Children's Game of the Year (Denmark), USA-map version, 2017 (Winner)

How Ticket to Ride: First Journey plays

Each player gets 20 plastic trains in one colour, four train cards and two tickets. A ticket names two cities, and your job is to join them with an unbroken line of your own trains. The board is a simplified map of Europe, with each city marked by a large, bright landmark.

  • Time to teach: about 5 minutes.
  • Reading and language: A child can take a turn without reading, because train cards are matched by colour. Tickets name two cities and the board marks each city with a large landmark picture, but a child who can't read yet may need help finding the cities for the first few games. The rulesheet is short, so an adult only needs to read it once.
Set up and ready to play · Photo: Days of Wonder

How to play Ticket to Ride First Journey · Triple S Games

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If this creator doesn’t allow embedded playback, watch on YouTube ↗.

A turn, step by step

  1. 1
    Draw

    Take the top two train cards from the deck. Unlike the full game, there is no face-up row to choose from.

  2. 2
    Claim

    Or hand in cards that match a route's colour and length (locomotives are wild) and put one of your trains on each space. You can claim only one route a turn.

  3. 3
    Tickets

    When your trains join the two cities on a ticket, turn it face up and draw a new one. If both your tickets are blocked, use your turn to swap them for two new ones.

  4. 4
    Win

    The first to complete six tickets wins; linking an eastern city to a western one earns a bonus ticket that counts as one. If someone places their last train first, the most completed tickets wins, and tied players share the win.

Read the official rules (PDF)Ticket to Ride: First Journey (Europe map) rules, English · English
The full explanation: how a game of Ticket to Ride: First Journey goes

On your turn you do one thing. You can draw the top two cards from the train deck, or you can claim a route by handing in cards that match its colour and length, such as two yellow cards for a yellow route that is two spaces long. Locomotive cards are wild and count as any colour. Unlike the grown-up game, there is no row of face-up cards to choose from and fewer options to weigh, so turns are quick.

When your trains join the two cities on a ticket, you turn it face up and draw a new ticket straight away, so you always have something to aim for. If other players' trains block both of your tickets, you can use a turn to swap them for two new ones. Unfinished tickets never cost you anything.

Joining one of the eastern cities (Moscow, Rostov or Ankara) to one of the western cities (Dublin, Brest or Madrid) earns a bonus ticket, and it counts as one completed ticket towards the six. The first player to complete six tickets wins and takes the Golden Ticket card. If someone places their last train before that, the game ends at once and whoever has completed the most tickets wins. Tied players share the win.

Compared with the full Ticket to Ride, this version drops the points, the scoring track, the long-route bonus and the penalty for missed tickets. That makes it easier for children to follow. Adults get fewer decisions, so expect a relaxed game with your child rather than a challenge for yourself.

What's in the box

The board, 80 trains and the card decks · Photo: Days of Wonder
  • 1Game board
    simplified map of Europe with large landmark pictures for the cities
  • 80Plastic trains
    20 in each of 4 colours; the rulesheet says a few spares are included
  • 72Train cards
    six colours plus wild locomotive cards
  • 32Ticket cards
    each names two cities to join
  • 4Bonus tickets
    for joining an eastern city (Moscow, Rostov or Ankara) to a western one (Dublin, Brest or Madrid)
  • 1Golden Ticket card
    goes to the winner
  • 1Rulesheet

Box: 27.8 × 27.8 × 6 cm, 1.2 kg. Handy to know for gifting and travel.

From Days of Wonder's First Journey page and its English Europe-map rulesheet (item 720027). The USA-map box has the same parts with a map of North America, and its bonus tickets are for joining the west coast to the east coast. Neither source says how many of the 72 train cards are locomotives.

Where to buy

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How to make sure you get a genuine copyEditions and the details worth checking.

About the editions

There is no Indian edition, and we found no Indian distributor for First Journey. Funskool's name appears on an Amazon.in listing for the grown-up Ticket to Ride Europe, but not on any First Journey listing. Every copy is an import. Our Amazon.in link goes to Days of Wonder's Europe-map edition, an import.

Before you choose

  • Look for the Days of Wonder logo and designer Alan R. Moon's name on the box.
  • Count the contents: 80 plastic trains (20 in each of four colours), 72 train cards, 32 tickets, 4 bonus tickets and 1 Golden Ticket card.
  • The Europe-map box sold in India carries barcode 824968200278.
  • Make sure you are buying First Journey and not the grown-up game. Amazon.in has several low-priced 'Ticket to Ride Europe' listings from unfamiliar brands. Those use the full game's name, are not First Journey and are not sold under Days of Wonder.
  • Be wary of a First Journey box from an unknown brand that costs a fraction of the usual price; the genuine game carries the Days of Wonder name.

What reviewers and players say

Reviewers see First Journey as one of the best first board games for children of about 5 to 8. It keeps the heart of Ticket to Ride, collecting coloured cards, claiming routes and linking cities, but drops the scoring, so a child simply races to finish six tickets and a game ends in under half an hour. Parents who play the full game call it a faithful adaptation and a natural stepping stone. The catches: drawing blind from the deck adds a lot of luck, grown-ups get few real decisions, and most children are ready for the full game by about 8.

What people love

  • Children pick it up quickly, and with no points to add up a six-year-old can play without help after a game or two
  • Games are short, about 15 to 30 minutes, which holds young children's attention better than the full game
  • Bright artwork and slightly larger, detailed trains that appeal to children, and the parts are sturdy
  • A faithful mini version of Ticket to Ride that parents enjoy sharing before moving on to the full game

Common complaints

  • Without the face-up cards of the full game, you can wait several turns for the colour you need, so luck plays a big part
  • Some moves are obvious and adults have few real choices, so it is a game to play with children rather than for grown-ups
  • Children outgrow it: by about 8, most are ready for the full Ticket to Ride
Based on 7 reviews and discussions

Summarised in our own words from the sources above. We don't use Amazon reviews or ratings.

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Why consider itThis game

A shorter, simpler Ticket to Ride made for children six and up

A different fit

The full game this is based on, for ages 8 and up, with scoring, longer routes and more decisions

A different fit

Another children's version of a family favourite (Kingdomino), for ages 5 and up, with no reading at all

A different fit

A 20-minute card game for the same family table, with some simple addition built in

Players2–42–52–42–5
Best with2-442-43-5
Play time15–30 min30–60 min15–20 min15–20 min
Age6+8+5+8+
RulesEasyEasyEasyEasy
Indian editionImportedImportedImportedImported
On this pageExplore Ticket to Ride Explore Dragomino Explore Sleeping Queens

Questions people ask about Ticket to Ride: First Journey

Which Ticket to Ride is best for a 6-year-old?

First Journey is the one made for that age. The box says 6+, a game lasts 15 to 30 minutes and there are no points to count. The regular Ticket to Ride is marked 8+, so it is the natural next step once your child is comfortable planning routes.

Is Ticket to Ride: First Journey available in India?

Only as an import: there is no Indian edition, and the Europe-map box is the one sold in India. Our Check price on Amazon.in button goes to the listing we've checked; make sure the brand is Days of Wonder.

Should I buy the USA map or the Europe map of First Journey?

The rules are the same; only the map and pictures change. The Europe-map box is the one sold in India, and it is the one our Amazon.in link goes to, so it is the practical choice here. We did not find the USA-map version in India.

How is First Journey different from regular Ticket to Ride?

It has a smaller board, shorter routes, 20 trains per player and no scoring. You draw train cards only from the top of the deck, finished tickets are replaced straight away, and the winner is the first player to complete six tickets.

Game facts

Designed by
Alan R. Moon
Publisher
Days of Wonder (Asmodee)
First published
2016
Players
2–4
Barcode
824968200278
Language
Little reading – A child can take a turn without reading, because train cards are matched by colour. Tickets name two cities and the board marks each city with a large landmark picture, but a child who can't read yet may need help finding the cities for the first few games. The rulesheet is short, so an adult only needs to read it once.
Box size and weight
27.8 × 27.8 × 6 cm, 1.2 kg
Awards
Guldbrikken, Children's Game of the Year (Denmark), USA-map version, 2017 (Winner)
Sources & photo creditsThe references behind this guide.

Facts on this page come from the publisher, the Indian maker or distributor, and the sources below. Photos are credited under each one.