Gizmos can make travel more fun

No matter how many letters you write to Santa, the elves aren’t going to set you up with tickets for an all-expenses-paid trip to Maui. Ditto for the African safari, the ski trip to Aspen, the Alaska cruise and the week at Disney World.

But Santa and his elves can provide lots of gadgets, gizmos, books and toys guaranteed to make traveling with the kids less painful -- and less costly.

“The best investment we ever made in our travel repertoire was a portable DVD player,” said New York City mom Diane Chernoff-Rosen, author of “The Grownup’s Guide to Visiting New York City With Kids.” DVD players, some of which are less than $300, will keep kids and their parents happy in the car, on a plane or in a hotel room, she said.

Many family travelers I know are planning to tuck an Apple iPod or an MP3 player in their favorite young traveler’s stocking so the kids can download all of their must-have music into a small gadget. (At 5.6 ounces, iPods weigh less than two CDs.) Although iPods start at $299, more than double the cost of many MP3 players, they win raves from parents and kids because they can hold up to 10,000 songs. Users can download their favorite tunes, new and old, whether they’re on the road or at home.

But it doesn’t always take an expensive electronic gadget to keep the troops happy. A crisp $20 will do, said Keith Bellows, editor in chief of National Geographic Traveler and the father of a well-traveled teen.

“I hand him $20 in the airport newsstand and let him rip,” Bellows said. “There’s something empowering for a child to have money in his pocket to spend on what he wants. It’s become kind of a tradition for us now whenever we travel.”

If you’re driving, comfort is everything. Along with their favorite snacks, present each child with a monogrammed fleece throw to cuddle up with in the back seat. They’re $29 and come in an array of colors. You can buy them online at www.landsend.com or www.llbean.com.

Audio books are a good bet too, especially ones everyone can share without complaining. Consider John Grisham’s “Skipping Christmas,” which is about a couple who discover their decision to forgo holiday festivities isn’t as simple as they think. There’s also “Jim Dale Performs a Christmas Carol,” in which the Tony-winning actor takes on all of the roles in the three-hour production. Kids often recognize Dale’s voice from the Harry Potter audio books. Younger travelers will like “The Cat in the Hat and Other Dr. Seuss Favorites.”

Another option for techno-savvy families seeking more peaceful drives: Download audio books from Audible, www.audible.com, then burn a CD to take along or transfer the audio books to other portable digital audio players. There are more than 18,000 titles to choose from, including hundreds for young readers. You can also download newspapers, radio shows and even study guides.

Don’t forget a couple of good old-fashioned books, particularly ones about the place you’re visiting. Ask your local children’s librarian for recommendations or visit the New York Public Library’s website, kids.nypl.org/reading for a list of 100 recommended 2003 titles.

“Books can help a child make a personal connection with a place and help make the place real,” said Margaret Tice, the New York Public Library’s coordinator of children’s services.

Any young child who will be visiting an art museum over the holidays would like “Dan’s Angel” by Alexander Sturgis, a curator at the National Gallery in London who is an expert at introducing children to art.

Games and toys that have something to do with the place you’re visiting can help, whether it’s a skiing Barbie or the new edition of the board game you played with your cousins every holiday when you were growing up.

Those planning family trips to one of the national parks can choose from National Parks Edition Uno or National Parks or Mountaineering Monopoly. All are available from the outdoor company REI (Recreational Equipment Inc., www.rei.com.)

As for Maui, maybe the elves will come through next year.

Write to Eileen Ogintz at Eileen@takingthekids.com.