You don't need to be afraid any longer weary traveling parents. There is hope. A little bit of planning is all it takes to make your next road trip a more enjoyable one.

It can be as simple as providing some entertainment. A bored child is a cranky, difficult child. Ask each child to choose three to five toys to bring with them. If you make the children a part of the planning process then they are more likely to choose something that they will enjoy.

In addition to the child picked activities, mom or dad should pack a few activities as surprises. Unexpected toys will help break the monotony of road travel. One great idea is window markers that lets the children draw on the windows and is easily washed off. Coloring books, crayons and pocket games will also help.

Toys and games from home will only entertain for a few hours so have a few interesting and fun road games up your sleeve for this eventuality. You could try counting games such as counting the number of blue cars or see who can spot the most number of out of state travelers by their license plates. If your kids are older they may enjoy a competition to see who can spot a specific letter or number the most number of times. I remember my brother and I use to have fun trying to make sentences with words starting from each letter in the license plates. Try the round robin style of telling stories. One person starts, telling the beginning of the story and then passes it on to someone else. As the story gets passed around each person will add to it.

You always know that when you're in the middle of nowhere a child will complain that they are hungry. Everyone knows that kids who are hungry are the ones most difficult to deal with. Never leave home without a cooler full of fun, easily consumed snacks. Sliced apples and peanut butter, celery stuffed with cream cheese, grilled cheese sandwiches cut into fun shapes, veggie sticks, or bananas make great on-the-road snacks for preschoolers. Soft drinks and other sugary beverages should be avoided as these will just make the children hyper and restless. Sitting in a car gives them no way to burn all that excess energy off. Juice boxes or pouches are not good choices in the car. When your child squeezes the container, juice will spray the entire car.

Road trips with your preschooler can be a fun chance to learn about and with each other.