When vacation season approaches, many families plan to take to the road in order to escape the stress of the daily grind. But more than you realized, many families actually don’t know a poor planned family road-trip can be a greater source of frustration.

Unfortunately, these families tend to encounter this frustration halfway into the vacation, at a time when little can be done to remedy it. The level of stress during the trip is directly related to the quality of planning before pulling out of the driveway.

It can be disappointing if a family plan is just to promote family ‘togetherness’. It will not be a happy ending if get to the destination with parents and children at each other’s throats.

However, once parents discover how simple planning can make the trip fun and memorable, the difference in the quality of the actual vacation is measurable. Having the right tools on the road can make all your vacation different.

Following are some of my tips toward how to plan and conduct an effective faily road trip.

1. Rest Stops

Take time to plot out a trip that includes pre-planned rest stops, a cooler of refreshments (to avoid high-priced rest stop and fast food prices), music and books on tape or on mp3, and lots of activities for the kids in the back.

Keep everyone occupied with Ghost, 20 Questions, Punch Buggy and License Plate Bingo, then try a scavenger hunt, a tin foil sculpture contest and Penny Ante.

2. Time of Leaving

Try to leaving for your trip at a time other than in the morning or mid-afternoon. You may even want to leave in the early or late evening, there’s something to be said for the lull of the road to put bickering kids to sleep. You just need to make sure the driver is able to stay awake!

3. Ideas From Airlines

Borrow an idea from the airlines: show a movie. Rent (or buy) a TV/VCR made to play in your vehicle, hit “play” and go. Portable DVD players are more affordable these days and they can be a lifesaver on a long trip!

4. Goodies Bags

Make goodie bags for your kids to keep them occupied on the long trip. For the bag itself, use an old book bag 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.

At the same time, you need to make sure that 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.

Here are the some suggestions for items to include in bags: spiral notebook, colored pencils, washable markers, story books, activity books, magnetic games, card games, travel-size board games, kazoo, hand held electronic games, sticker books, non-melting crayons, coloring books, Mad-Libs, magnifying glass, paper dolls, magic slates, invisible ink books, small cars, finger puppets, small dolls/ action figures, felt books with stick-ons, blunt scissors, sewing cards, puzzles, pipe cleaners, slinky, origami paper, books on tape, and a tape player or CD player and headphones.

Speaking of packing, remember to let your child help you pack the bag and encourage him/ her to think about what he/ she wants to take on the trip. Allow your children to choose their favorite toys to place in the knapsack. And do not forget to pack your child’s security items such as a blanket or stuffed animal. That could surely spell disaster.

5. Snacks

You may wish to include snacks to tide your children over between meals, to avoid messes and stomach aches, you need to choose snacks carefully. Avoid sticky fruits and drinks, which you cannot re-close and pack snacks in zipper bags for easy clean-up.

Here are some of my travel-safe snacks suggestion: fruit rolls, animal crackers, raisins, bottled water, sliced apples, carrot sticks, bananas, and small bags of cereal.

Once you’ve figured out how to get to your destination, you’ll need a place to stay.

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