In the course of logging about 60,000 travel miles with my kids in the past eight years, I've found that most complaints from the backseat can be tempered with simple solutions that can actually make it fun to travel as a family. A good game, for example, makes the miles fly by. In addition to games, I've developed many activities and strategies designed to amuse the most bored backseat passengers (click on the following links to see them all: audiotapes for the road, car-ride treats, classic road-trip games, inventing, finding and counting games, scavenger hunt for the car, scavenger hunt for the plane, tray-top games and the ultimate travel activity bag). I hope they'll help smooth your own family's journey.

GETTING TO KNOW ALL ABOUT YOU

These games are perfect for all modes of transportation: plane, train, car or whatever. They also help pass the time in restaurants before the food comes, or when you're waiting in a hotel lobby or standing in a ticket line. You might be surprised when you discover everything you don't know about the people who live with you. See how quickly you can turn a potentially unenjoyable situation into a vacation highlight.

TWO TRUTHS AND ONE LIE: Taking turns, the first person tells the group three statements about himself or herself. Two are true and one is a lie. Everyone tries to guess which one is the lie. For example, you could say, "I won a prize in spelling in second grade. My favorite food is sushi. I got lost at the zoo when I was little." Everybody then holds up one, two or three fingers to show which statement they think is the lie. The player sets the record straight, then the next person goes.

MAD, SAD, GLAD: Play this during dinner to see how everybody's day went. Take turns describing something that made you mad, sad and glad during the day.

PERSONAL ADVENTURES: Take turns sharing the memorable events of your lives. What was the scariest thing that ever happened to you? The funniest? The best? The worst? The most embarrassing? What have you done that you are most proud of?

WHAT IF?: Take turns answering these hypothetical questions and then invent some of your own:

•If you were king or queen of a country, how would you use your power?

•If you could be the best on your block at something, what would it be?

•If you could live any place in the world, where would you live and why?

•Describe your perfect vacation. Where would you visit and who would you want to travel with you?

•If you were stranded on a deserted island and could eat only one kind of food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

•If Spider-Man and Batman fought, who would win and why?

•If you could make up a holiday, what would it be and how would you celebrate it?

GROUP STORYTELLING: Someone starts a story and, after a couple of sentences, points to someone else to continue the story. It's more fun if you go fast. The crazier the story, the better.

When she's not getting to know her backseat passengers better, Susan Fox is a freelance writer in Palo Alto, California.

Please keep in mind that phone numbers, addresses, and prices are subject to change. Updated July 2005.