Traveling with children can make you ponder certain topics, such as: Why aren't you a Trappist nun? Why are rest areas so many miles apart? Why hasn't natural selection eliminated whining from the species? Of course, none of these questions will even flicker across your mind if you have a TV/VCR in your minivan, in which case you can stop reading this right now. Although I have nothing against multimedia on wheels, it lacks the challenge and suspense of keeping kids entertained on family vacations. For those willing to go the distance, I've worked out a step-by step strategy.

Step One: A selection of good books is your first requirement for any family vacation. Don't even question this step. If you don't know which books your kids will like, or don't have the time to choose, help is just a phone call away. The Travel Pack is a nifty assortment of at least five books and book-type things, such as activity books and stickers, that are geared to a kid's age, sex and reading ability. It can even be customized to reflect special interests or vacation destinations, and the version for kids under 7 comes in a backpack. ($24.99; for all ages, from Children's Literature; 800-469-2070)

Step Two: Kids Travel, subtitled "a backseat survival kit," is a fun, goofy, absorbing book-kit that consists of games, puzzles and projects, much of it geared (but not limited) to long car trips. In addition to 48 pages of suggested activities (license plate bingo, palm-reading, songs), it has a back cover that doubles as a clipboard and triples as a penny hoops game. But wait -- there's more: a workbook full of stuff like mazes, crosswords and instructions for drawing superheroes. Markers, string and other necessities are included in an attached pouch. Truly hours of fun, and maybe even minutes of quiet. ($19.95; for ages 7 and up, from Klutz; 800-558-8944)

Step Three: When you run out of ideas, the 52 Deck series is there for the flipping-through. These eminently portable packs of cards are geared to subjects and places. For the travel process itself, there are 52 Fun Things to Do on the Plane ("Instead of being on your way to visit your grandmother in Detroit, imagine you are on a top secret adventure ...") and 52 Fun Things to Do in the Car. Once you're at your destination, packs range from the general, such as nature activities, to the specific, such as adventures at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In addition, several cities -- Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Washington -- have a pack of their own. ($6.95; for ages 6 and up, from Chronicle Books; 800-722-6657)

Step Four: One of the bummers about traveling is that you don't have room in your suitcase to take the whole house, or even the whole toy chest. Thank goodness, then, for Travel Games, cute portable versions based on popular games, including Travel Connect Four, Monopoly Jr. Travel Game, Travel Hungry Hungry Hippos, Travel Hot Shot Baseball and Don't Wake Daddy Travel Game. These are not the sturdiest games you'll ever see, but they're small and light. As a bonus, we suspect that the very tiny pieces probably do a lot for hand-eye coordination. ($3.99 to $8.99; ages vary, from Milton Bradley and Parker Brothers; 413-525-6411)

Step Five: Have a great vacation!