Winter Travel

Taking a road trip and sitting in the car for hours upon hours can get pretty boring -- especially for young kids. Being strapped into a car seat with nothing to do is never fun, and that's why it's essential to make sure you have plenty of things packed to entertain your little ones while you're traveling from point A to point B.

And of course, the absolute best thing to entertain kids are gadgets that provide plenty of options for passing the time. I learned pretty early on in my son's life that car rides are much more pleasant when there's some sort of electronic involved -- which is probably why we have at least five or six along with us on any given trip. (You gotta have options, people.)

Here are some of the best kid-friendly gadgets to help them pass the time in the car.

1. iPad -- If you have an iPad, then you honestly don't need anything else. Between watching movies & playing games, this thing has definitely saved our sanity on more than one road trip.

2. iPod Touch -- The iPod is definitely the next best thing to the iPad, and it's what we used for our son before we upgraded to the iPad. It still plays movies and offers games, but with a smaller, hand-held screen.

3. Headphones -- Do I really need to explain this one?

4. Leapster/Leap Pad -- The Leapster & Leap Pad is great for small kids who haven't quite mastered using big kid gadgets just yet. And since it offers educational games, they can keep on learning right through the summer.

5. Portable DVD players -- Portable players are pretty much dinosaurs when it comes to movie watching methods, but they will still keep your child entertained.

6. Extra chargers -- No matter what kind of technological device you pack for your kids, make sure to have at least one extra charger on hand in case you leave one at your destination. We've lost many a charger to hotel rooms and relatives' homes, so it's always smart to have a spare.

What are some of your favorite techie toys to bring on a road trip?

Image via Mary Fischer