Making that car trip with children less stressful

Summer family vacations are fun, unless you count that part about driving to the vacation destination with a backseat filled with one or more unhappy children.

Children can possess a great sense of anticipation but often a low level of patience. An upcoming beach vacation has them excited, but the all-day drive to get there not so much.

With a little planning and preparation, however, even a long car trip can be made more enjoyable, and certainly less stressful, for children and parents.

An important first step? Have the car ready for the trip. Get the oil, air conditioning and tires checked b...