I have three children who I love with all my heart and I can tell you that sometimes the thought of putting them in the car and driving through the hot field where they will argue, invade each other’s space and ask to stop and pee 14 times a day is instilling. fear in my heart Fear, I tell you.

And yet, particularly in this economy, there are days when it just doesn’t make sense to fly. Sometimes we have to get in the car to get somewhere.

Here are some tips (mostly learned the hard way) on how to have more fun on a family road trip.

1. Before you go, visit the library, buy a guide book, or visit your favorite travel websites to find kid-friendly parks, attractions, pools, and water slides. Try to work on at least one activity that is fun for your child every day (even on driving days).

2. Let your children participate in the planning process. Ask them what they would like to see and do along the way. Have them ask their friends about good places to stop or eat on the way. Let them take turns being the “captain” and making decisions about where to stop for lunch or which rest area to choose.

3. Let your kids pack their own “go bags” with little activities, mazes, books, and treats along the way. A child-friendly map is helpful. So is a pair of binoculars. Also, colored pencils or markers and games, puzzles, coloring books and plain paper. It’s also fun to include a disposable camera for each child and a blank journal for them to record the trip through their own eyes.

On the day of the trip, surprise them with a couple of new things for their “go bags”…things to suit their individual tastes and ages. Maze books, a kit to try and make balloon animals, fun facts about the places they will be visiting, etc.

4. Look for and learn new crafts that children can do in small spaces.: Finger knitting is perfect for younger children (do a search online for instructions). Older children can crochet or knit.

5. Find a new creative car ride game book. Here are a few, but you can find many more in books at the library or your local bookstore:

the alphabet game: Try to find each of the letters of the alphabet, in order, on license plates, road signs, billboards and more. Two alternatives: find objects that start with each letter or try to find all the letters, in order, on the license plates of other cars.

20 questions: One person finds something in the landscape or in the car and gives everyone 20 questions to figure out what the object is.

License plate “I see”: Make a graph of all the states. Cross each one out when you see a license plate from that state.

letter bingo: Print bingo sheets with words (or pictures) of the things you will see on the trip.

6. There’s no shame in using a portable DVD player and a couple of movies. Rent new movies on the go at DVD rental kiosks.

7. Download some new apps to help you out. We’ve spent many miles playing Wurdle, Fruit Ninja, and most recently Angry Birds. Tiny Wings is a nice game that is, well, less angry.

8. Bring some great songs to sing. We love to sing old folk songs, like “Oh My Darling, Clementine” and “Tumbling Along with the Tumbling Tumbleweeds,” but we’re kind of jerks. Find a CD or create a playlist that everyone will enjoy singing along to.

9. Carry small balls, a soccer ball, or a Frisbee so you have an easy game up and ready when you pull up at a rest area or park. Or use the timer on your watch or cell phone to time how long your kids run around the rest area. Anything you can do to make it fun to get out there, stretch and burn off some energy.

10. Set realistic expectations. Unless you plan to drive a lot at night or while the kids are sleeping, a maximum of seven hours of driving is all a child will enjoy.

11. Do road trip rituals. For the most part, I’d say it’s important to have some easily accessible healthy snacks that won’t spike your child’s blood sugar. But we do have certain foodie traditions that have become synonymous with road trips. We always have Easy Cheese and Triscuits, for example, and while my husband drives, I write them little abbreviated messages with dripping cheese and the kids try to decipher. We also love having pretzels and the kids try to eat just the insides to leave a pretzel heart. See what kinds of fun rituals you can come up with to help your kids build excitement for the family road trip.