Traveling with children can be fun but it does take a little more planning and thought than a trip with just you and a friend or mate. But nothing is more rewarding than having the opportunity to show your children the world or spend some quality time with them. Whether you are taking a car trip, flying, planning a trip around a specific event, such as skiing some of the traveling with children basics apply. They start with packing.



Pack Smart:

1. Select versatile, easy care, comfortable clothing items. Darker colors and prints hide dirt and stains; white and light colors are magnets for spots.

2. Choose quick-drying clothes -- leave jeans at home in favor of thinner fabrics. For warmth, polyester fleece is better rather than a bulky cotton sweatshirt as fleece packs small and dries quickly when wet. This is helpful if you are traveling to colder regions or even the snow.

3. Pack around laundry stops. This is important if you are doing a road trip with your children. Calculate out which towns you will be stopping at to do your laundry. If the first opportunity to do laundry is five days into the trip, each person needs five days of underwear and clothing, plus spares in case of emergencies.

4. Include one off-season clothing piece for everyone - long pants in summer or shorts for spring and fall. Weather is too unpredictable not to be ready. By going with this method, if the weather changes, everyone will still be comfortable.

5. Pack bags with what is needed first on the top - swimsuits, a change of clothes for dinner, and pajamas, etc.

6. Keep a traveling medicine chest within easy reach inside the car. It should include Band-Aids, anti-bacterial ointment, motion sickness medication, frequently used over-the-counter medications, and all prescriptions used by the family. Pack plenty of wipes and hand sanitizer, too.

7. Consolidate - pack younger children's clothes together into one suitcase to minimize the number of bags and maximize space. This is important whether you are traveling by car or flying. The less luggage, the more room for everything else.

8. Stack a complete outfit together, roll up and tuck into a self-sealing plastic bag. Include top, pants, underwear, socks - everything needed for the day. Dirty items can go back into the plastic bag at the end of the day. Use a different color plastic bag or write the child's name on each bag to keep things separate.

9. Keep the diaper bag within reach inside the car packed with plenty of wipes, hand sanitizer, spare diapers, a plastic bag for soiled items, (unless you'll be traveling in the outback, plan to buy along the way instead of filling the trunk with diapers). Pack an extra pad or blanket that can be used when rest stops do not provide a changing station.

10. Encourage older kids to choose and pack their own clothes to minimize complaints and to teach travel skills. Double check the packed bags to make sure live pets are not included and underwear is!

11. Remind teenagers that this is only a suitcase, not their closet. Set and enforce a maximum number and size of bag for each teen.

Okay, the bags are packed and you are ready to go. Here is the next step - entertaining your children while traveling. If you plan ahead and plan right, you can provide enough stuff for your children to do so as they won't be pestering you with the question, Are We There Yet.

1. Bring a supply of toys and games, but avoid items with lots of small pieces that may get lost, and liquid or messy things that can spill. A plastic shoebox for each child makes a handy storage container that doubles as a lap desk. Allow each child to fill the box with favorites.

2. If you are traveling by car, classic family games make the time pass quickly. Look for license plates from different states, count a specific type or color of car, tell jokes - nothing to pack or moving parts to lose!

3. Get kids involved in the trip with assignments appropriate for their ages. For example, one child can keep track of all expenses; another can be the official map-reader.

4. Children's books on tape and kid's music help to pass the time. Many iPod come with digitized downloads of kids music and books - this way each child can listen to their own age-specific story or music.

5. Stop frequently. Visit local parks or sights or a fast-food restaurant with a playground. Although it adds time to the trip, stopping keeps the trip interesting for kids. A quick stop to burn off energy is often all they need to happily get back in the car.

6. When on an airplane, pack a knapsack for your kids. This goodie bag will be filled with items for your children to use and keep themselves entertained. For the bag itself, use an old bookbag or backpack, lunch box, shopping bag, small suitcase or a small purse. The length of the trip may end up determining the appropriate size of the travel knapsack. If you are traveling by plane, try to use something that closes tightly to avoid spills.

Make sure you have a separate bag for each child to avoid arguments. You might want to consider labeling items with the child's name for extra certainty. Fill bags with the same items if your children are near in age or have similar interests. Some suggestions for items to include are: spiral notebook, colored pencils, washable markers, story books, activity books, magnetic games, card games, travel-size board games, hand held electronic games, coloring books, books on tape, and a tape player or CD player and headphones or an iPod.

You may wish to include snacks to tide your children over between meals. This is particularly true if you're traveling by plane, since food and beverage service can be late and has been eliminated on some flights. Choose snacks carefully to avoid messes and stomachaches. Avoid sticky fruits and drinks that you cannot re-close and pack snacks in zipper bags for easy clean-up. Some travel-safe snacks are: fruit rolls, animal crackers, raisins, bottled water, sliced apples, carrot sticks, bananas, and small bags of cereal.

Taking the time to prepare some of these simple ideas will pay off in the long run for your patience and those around you - it will also help make your trip much more enjoyable and a memory for your children for years to come.