Vacationing with kids in a car is no vacation. Or another way of saying this is "being cooped up with the kids in the car is the pits". If you don’t plan on popping in a DVD and letting the kids watch endless movies here are sanity saving ideas for your car trip.

Long trips can be boring for kids and every two seconds (well maybe one) they are asking, "are we there yet"? Plan ahead before the trip to make your drive pleasant for everyone—of course this works best with school age children.

·Get a map and show the children before leaving where you will be traveling. If your children are old enough give each one their own map and markers. They can plot the trip so they can see you are getting closer. Before leaving home have them mark on the map certain destinations and at that point in the trip hand out a treat or tell a new story etc.

·Allow enough time for the trip. Have frequent rest stops. This will not only help the children but it will help you. Drive two hours then get out and do some exercises like touching your toes, jumping jacks, running around the car three times both ways. You and your children will be refreshed with the break.

·At certain intervals if you are taking it leisurely stop at a school or a city park and let them burn off some energy on the playground equipment. Go to a local deli or grocery store in whatever town you are in and buy the fixings for a picnic. The added bonus is that the kids can run around. Or stop at a restaurant where there are play areas for children to play.

When I was a child we would travel 625 miles from one state to another. One of my memories is stopping at the same place every year, eat a lunch my mother had packed and have a licorice ice cream cone across from the park. We would then play for 30 minutes while my mom took a nap. I wonder if that is why I love licorice anything to this day.

·Make sure you have plenty of healthy snacks for the trip. Bring them out at different intervals. Bring plenty of water in a cooler and other drinks your family likes.

·Include plastic cups, one dishtowel for each person, a Frisbee to eat out of or to play with at a rest stop. Baby wipes are a must for everyone in the car.

·Have plenty of their favorite music. Have sing along songs that the whole family can sing to.

·Each child needs to have their own book bag or back pack. Stuff it full of things for them to do. Reading books, coloring books, new small toys, and one of their favorite. Some could be wrapped and at certain places they have marked on the map they could open this surprise.

·Travel games are great fun because they are the only time they can be played so they are new and different. Games like "I Spy or also called Travel Bingo"—spy license plates from different states, an animal, a certain kind of road or building (barn, gravel etc), and different road signs.

·Bring lap pads to play cards on or to eat on. It could be a travel desk suspended from the back of the front seat.

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