When I was a kid, summer drives from Connecticut to Mississippi meant we listened to the radio and counted billboards until we reached the next Stuckey's. There we could fill up with gasoline and that free box of peanut brittle. Things have changed dramatically since then. Kid's in my day only dreamt of cartoons in the car and now with DVD's and minivans, this too, is now a reality.

Good parents have a bag of tricks ready. These days many parents can find an ally at Madallie.com: A Children's Travel Store. Here parents can shop online for fabulous entertaining and infotaining ways to keep kids happy and occupied while traveling. Very creative finds here...almost makes you wish you were a kid again yourself. I'm sure if you pick out some really great items, this kids might just let you play along. If not, remember they have to fall asleep sometime! This online store was created by two travelling moms who were frustrated trying to find ways to keep their daughters happy while traveling. You know what they say about necessity being the mother of invention! Here parents can find a one-stop shop for packing their kid's vacation travel goodie bags. Easy...simple....done!

Still no matter how well you prepared, no matter how much whiz-bang technology you have packed into your minivan and even if you have the patience of Saints, parents can still hear those dreaded two words...“we're bored!” I know...it sends shivers down my own spine just typing those words here!

I'll be honest, some the road trips with my kids seemed more like a bad Chevy Chase movie than a joyful family vacation. That is why, for this column, I've asked my teens to list some of the car games they find less lame. I guess I should probably post one of those disclaimers that reads...the opinions expressed here do not always reflect the views held by management... or something to that effect. In any event, we hope this list helps you pass away the miles. We hope this helps you pass away the miles. If your family has additional suggestions for car games, we'd love to hear from you and post your advice for all to enjoy. Click here to email us.

Are we there yet?
Driving in the car with your family on long car trips can suck. Your brother has to stop and pee every five minutes. Your sister is whining that she's hungry. Your mom is certain that you were suppose to turn right 10 miles back and your Dad keeps yelling he knows exactly where he is going. How can you keep your sanity? Here are a few suggestions from VacationKids.com to make this quality family bonding time less nerve wracking for everyone...

Remember When
Create a scrapbook of your vacation. Keep a daily journal of events using words, drawings, pictures, postcards...whatever you want. An inexpensive binder/scrapbook, markers/crayons, scissors, glue stick and you're ready to go. Start each book with introductions written by each of your fellow travelers...their age, current hobbies and what they are looking forward to the most. Write down details like the popular songs on the radio and where you stopped to eat. Include lots of details, facts and trivia. End the book with questions like...“What I liked the most about this trip” or “The one thing I would change”. The more details you add the stuff you'll have to show your friends. Later on, you'll remember more about every trip you take.

Listen to any good books lately?
Some of us find it hard to read in the car. The road is bumpy and your eyes jiggle all over the page. It's enough to make you car sick! If it's dark outside, those itty bitty book lights make you cross-eyed. Solution: Let somebody else read for you...heck, you're on vacation anyway! Borrow some audio books from your local library and listen to your favorite books.

DVD Me...Please
Portable DVD players are the new thing. Maybe your folks have a laptop that can play DVD's. In any case, consider a couple of good movies for the road. As long as you and your siblings can agree on the same flick then everything will be fine or take turns so you don't drive your parents crazy.

52 Pick-Up and More
For a million and one things to do with a deck of cards visit www.pagat.com. Here you will find the rules to just about every card game on the planet. Print out the rules to some new card games and learn them while you're on the road. It's also a great place to prove that your sister really is cheating at Go Fish!

Scavenger Hunt
Designate a scorekeeper. This person is responsible for creating a treasure list on a piece of paper. Then the rest of you are on the hunt watching for hidden treasures as the miles pass by...cows, blue houses, stop signs...anything your little heart desires. The scorekeeper writes done the name of the person who is the first to find each treasure on the list. The person who finds the most treasures...wins!

Punch Buggy
Parent usually hate this one but kids love it because it is a good excuse to beat on your siblings. But really, how many families do you know that act like the Brady Bunch? The rules are really simply. Whom ever first sees a Volkswagen beetle slugs everyone else and yells “Punch Buggy”. If your smart you'll add “no punchbacks” or else everyone is allowed to slug you back. You can even make up rules like double punches if you spot a bug from the 60's.
Of course parents usually prefer the non-violent version of this game where you just keep score and there is no punching. For this version, we yell “cha-ching” every time we see a bug...which means you can slug the other players later on when your folks aren't looking...Just kidding, of course!

Twisted Fairy Tales
Someone is the designated the “Author”...they get the pad and paper. The Author starts the story out by saying “once upon a time...” The author write a story but asks the others for nouns, verbs and adjectives to help fill in the blanks. This works especially well if your traveling with little kids. They usually have great imaginations and might even have invisible friends who will want to play along.

Road sign Boggle
Write down the words on a road sign or the name of a town that you see along your route. Then someone is the clock watcher and yells “go”. Everyone else has one minute to write down as many words as they can using the letters from the road sign or town name. Trust me, you can make a lot of words with a town like Sippiwissett, Massachusetts!

Alphabet Soup
See who can spot all 26 letters of the alphabet on license plates, road signs, whatever...within a certain amount of time. This one is a real old favorite.

Hangman
Everyone knows the rules to this one. If not, watch Wheel of Fortune before you go.

Licence Plate Dollars
As you pass cars on the highway, each person gets a turn to collect a license plate. Add together all the numbers on the license plate and that's the amount of driving dollars you earn. The person who gets the most license plate dollars usually gets to spend them on something like...deciding hamburgers or pizza at the next pit stop.

All the States
This takes a little planning. When the trip starts, everyone gets an outlined map of the United States and puts their name on it. The object is to try to spot cars from as many different states as possible. You can keep track by coloring the states...this means you need to know your geography too. Bonus points can be given for naming state capitals. You can designated daily winners, most unusual or total trip sitings.