On one hand, the thought of taking my toddler daughter on a family road trip sounds like an amazing family bonding experience, ripe with educational and fun opportunities. On the other hand, the very thought makes me want to ... stay home.

Of course, family road trips aren't without a few hiccups no matter how old your children -- it's all part of the beauty of the experience. However, there are a few steps parents can take ahead of time to better pave the way. First up: A playlist of music for the trip.

This should be a mix that EVERYONE in the car can enjoy. It means a good, fun, non-X-rated (that means my running tunes get nixed) selection of songs that makes everyone want to sing along (or at least not kill each other). If nothing else, you can turn it up really loud to drown out the fussing in the backseat.

If you're planning a family road trip, here are 15 songs to consider to make the miles go a little more smoothly.

So, my family and I survived the 16-hour trip from Baltimore to Disney World. Not only did we survive it, we had an absolute blast. It was as close to perfect as a trip with three young kids could possibly be. Hallelujah! But, that's not to say our trips have always been so successful. We've had stomach bugs, flat tires, and ear infections plague many a family trip. Thankfully, just not this one! It seems like, more often than not, family trips aren't all they're cracked up to be.

Forgetting your last one? Check out these confessions from the Scary Mommy Confessional on family vacations. And, plan a solo trip with your spouse ...

I remember one of the first road trips we took after our second son was born. We were driving from Seattle to Oregon in order to stay for something like two weeks, and I could not believe the packing task I had to deal with. I brought so much stuff: baby clothes, toddler clothes, travel crib, bouncy chair, a swing, diapers, toys, mealtime accouterments, blankets, medicines ... the list went on and on. Now that the boys are older, the packing isn't nearly as epic. Still, every time I'm surprised anew by how much work it takes for the four of us to go anywhere—and don't even get me started on the laundry that awaits when we get back home.You know what's funny about the Herculean task of packing for a trip with kids, though? Apparently I've been doing it for years. It's just that instead of Pull-Ups and baggies of goldfish crackers and favorite blankies, I used to agonize over how to get all my OWN stuff from point A to point B.

I've been known to pack healthy snacks for long road trips because I hate stopping for fast food. But I've never had the ingenuity to do what this woman from Washington, DC does on the go: She actually prepares hot meals in her car from the passenger seat! The way Ellen Kassoff Gray sees it, the dashboard and glove compartment can get quite hot en route so why not take advantage of that heat to "cook" healthy food. Some people think food hot off the dashboard sounds gross, but I think it's pure genius!

I have a friend who used to chant "TREATS! TREATS ALL THE WAY!" every time we took a road trip together. Road trips were a golden ticket to the land of packaged junk food: steering-wheel-greasing potato chips, crumb-making cookies, and a never-ending rainbow of candy. 

And then we got older and started having babies and our metabolisms kindly informed us that the road trip smorgasbord must end. I still feel snacky when it comes to road trips, though, and sometimes it's miles and miles before you find a non-fast-food sandwich shop. So I've been compiling a list of my favorite fun but semi-healthy, travel-friendly nosh.

A well-packed beach bag might not seem like a heroic item -- until you ask yourself who’s going to lug that bloated tote across the burning sand and then run back to the car nine times to retrieve forgotten items. Not to mention the terrible humiliation when the mom on the blanket next to you hands your weeping child a frozen juice-box and you look like the bad mother of the year.

Never fear. I’m here to salvage your summer with a checklist for the ultimate unfussy, unheavy beach bag. Adjust it for your family’s needs (I assume you know better than I if you’ll be needing waterproof diapers, ferinstance).

Here’s the only stuff you need:

Whether by car or train or airplane, you and your family have to get where you're going this summer SO YOU CAN HAVE SOME FUN -- and ideally you'll get there with a little contentment along the way. In order to make happier travel times, your kids will likely need to be entertained along the way. So how are you going to pull that off?

How about if we give you some great activities for entertaining your kids while you travel. In fact, how about if we give you 25 great ideas. That ought to tide them over, huh?

Dear Kristen -- I'm going on my second week of parenting alone and I'd love to know if you have any suggestions for taking solo road trips? -- Caramama There's nothing in the sometimes single mom rulebook that says you have to stick around the house while your spouse is gone. And in fact, enjoying a little jaunt away from home can do wonders in passing the time. A little change in scenery and routine will keep you just busy enough so you're not staring at the calendar, or worse, feeling overwhelmed by having to manage the house and your kid(s) alone.But if you're not used to road tripping alone, even the shortest day trip can be a bit challenging. That shouldn't discourage you from going, but these helpful tips might at least prepare you a bit better for what's to come and truly allow you to enjoy yourself.