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Traveling with children can be a challenge, as any parent knows. Fortunately, there are ways to reduce the stress and nerves. Make sure your family travels without incident by following these tips.

1. Book online. Instead of dragging kids to a travel agency where they’re bound to get bored looking through your options with the travel agency, look at travel sites online. You can spend as much time as you need when the kids are in bed or at school.

2. Book everything in advance. This means organizing and paying for not only the plane tickets, but also the hotel and the car. When you arrive at your destination, you don’t have to walk around to find a vacancy, you just pick up the car and drive straight to your hotel. You can even visit many hotels virtually online.

3. Be prepared. Bring toys and things to keep your kids busy on the plane. Surprise older children with a fun travel game, a new Gameboy cartridge or a coloring book. If the flight gets particularly long, buy several treats beforehand and stow them in your carry-on, and pull out a new item when the kids get bored and whiny.

4. Build the anticipation. For children from 2 to 10 years old, you can develop the idea of ​​flying, especially if they have never been on an airplane. Before you depart, learn about the type of aircraft you will be flying on and talk often about how exciting it will be.

5. Pack snacks. Sure, the airlines give out snacks, but some companies are cutting back on freebies like peanuts (which aren’t suitable for under-2s anyway) and cookies. To keep your child from getting grumpy while waiting for their food, bring Cheerios or a sandwich.

6. Separated siblings. If your kids tend to fight, it might be a good idea to sit between them! This keeps them from fighting for at least elbow room and keeps them at arm’s length so they can’t hit each other. Change seats halfway through the flight if it’s a window seat to avoid problems.

7. Play music. Bring an iPod or Walkman for each child so they can listen to music. It helps calm nerves and keeps them busy for a long time!

8. Layered clothing. When flying from one hemisphere to the other, climate changes must be taken into account. If you’re departing from a warm climate but landing in a colder place, remember to bring sweaters for everyone on the plane. They won’t help if you have them all stowed in the suitcases. And if you end up somewhere warmer, remember to wear light clothing underneath your winter clothes.

9. Hold onto them. It’s all too easy to lose a young child in a crowded airport. Even if you lose sight of your toddler for a few seconds, you’re having a heart attack and it’s best to avoid the situation. All children under the age of 10 should physically touch a parent at all times. If you are of different ages, you can give responsibility to older children and hold the hands of smaller children. This could also be a good time to buy a children’s set and use it with younger children who tend to stray.

10. Stay hydrated. Dehydration is very common on airplanes because the air is reused and dry. To avoid this, make sure you drink plenty of water and that your children do too. This is especially important for nursing mothers.

11. Carry medication with you. Never leave medication in your check-in bags, they could get lost, and trying to get another prescription medication can be a real hassle when you’re miles from home. Even over-the-counter medicines like cough syrup and allergy medicine should be packed in your carry-on, the last thing you want to do when you arrive is look for Benadryl.

12. Fly at night. When traveling with a baby, it’s often a good idea to take an overnight flight so the child sleeps throughout the flight. This can work for older kids too!

13. Keep the kids busy. Bring paper and crayons so they can make cards and drawings for your loved ones. These make great gifts when staying with family or friends. If not, it can be the start of a drawn travel journal to share with friends when they return.

14. Make it an adventure. Look out the windows at the clouds and see what you see, animals, castles, etc. What would your kids do if they lived on the clouds? Ask the stewardess if your kids can visit the cockpit to see how the plane is flown and have them tell you all about it when they come back. On most long-haul flights, it is entirely possible for children to visit the pilots for a few minutes once they have reached cruising altitude.

15. Play games. There are many travel games that can be adapted to airplanes. Puns work best for this, they can be kept fairly quiet and distract children. Memory games keep kids so busy remembering the order of items that they forget to fight or squirm.

16. Take layers. If you’re traveling with your spouse or another adult, it’s a good idea to switch with the kids. While one adult stays in the waiting area with them and plays a game, the other can collect the tickets and make other arrangements. The same applies to picking up your luggage and looking for the rental car.

Air travel doesn’t have to be a nightmare if you prepare ahead of time. You know best what your kids like to do and what distracts them, these should be your surprises. For example, if you know your son loves I Spy books, get him a new one to look at on the plane. And if your daughter is dying to get the latest boy band CD, surprise her with one as soon as you take off.

Remember, keep it fun and safe, and everything will go a lot smoother for you and your family.

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