Are you ready for a road trip? People in the United States will take millions of trips this year — many of them traveling by car. The most popular treks are trips to the beach, visits to friends and family, and scenic drives. A scenic drive means there's something to see while you're driving, like an ocean, mountains, or a beautiful valley.

But sometimes when you're on the road, there isn't a whole lot to look at. For those times, you'll need to keep yourself busy. Here are some ideas:

• Bring a small map or road atlas. Use stickers to track your family's progress.
• Create a trip box that includes stickers, pipe cleaners, pens, paper, and anything else you want to have on hand.
• Draw. You can draw what's outside your window or make a game out of it by drawing a picture of someone that you know and making everyone guess who it is.
• Start writing in a trip journal and keep track of what you do each day on your vacation. Add photos later.
• Read aloud — a scary story or a mystery are great choices.
• Make up your own story and draw the illustrations to go with it.
• Listen to a book on tape or CD.
• Play some of your favorite electronic games or watch a DVD.
• Listen to music.
• Sing silly songs that you might be too old for, like "Old MacDonald," "B-I-N-G-O," and "She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain" — or even Christmas songs if you're in the mood. For added fun, make up your own silly songs with your family's help.
• Snooze.
• Play "I Spy."
• Play the license plate game by trying to spot as many different states as you can.
• Play "20 Questions."
• Play travel games, such as checkers, that have magnetic pieces that won't slip off the board.
• Play the "My Favorite" game by picking your top five songs, books, ice cream flavors, sports heroes, etc.
• Have a spelling bee or trivia contest. Bring index cards to write down words or questions.
• Don't fight with your brother or sister!

Reviewed by: Steven Dowshen, MD
Date reviewed: April 2012