Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the past couple of years (and for the sake of argument, let’s assume you haven’t), you know that iPhones and iPads are the best thing to happen to traveling parents since portable DVD players.

If you have one, lucky you!

Now all you need are a handful of high quality apps with good replay value to keep your kids busy and happy while traveling. Don’t have time to slog through the entire iTunes App Store looking for them? Here are a few of my favorites.

I read an article recently about the rapidly dwindling number of California sea otters (they don’t know why this is the case yet) that left me sad. As a native Northern Californian, I grew up appreciating our spectacular coastline from Monterey to Big Sur. This is home to the much-adored sea otter.

The Travel Blog Mob is writing about travel misconceptions this month. A particularly relevant subject for traveling with kids given that parents tend to have loads of preconceived notions about what it entails.

When I first launched Ciao Bambino in 2004 as a planning service to help families travel to Italy with kids, I’ll never forget my conversation with a friend who looked me in the eye and said, “I can barely manage to get to the grocery store with my kids …”

The countdown is on and there’s shopping to be done. The good news is many companies have finally figured out traveling families can mean big business, so more and more products that make parents (and kids) lives a little easier on the road are showing up every day.

We’ve broken down the gift list by age group. Nancy Solomon covers gifts for babies, toddlers, and school age kids and Dana …

We spent last weekend in San Diego and had the opportunity to check out the new Legoland Water Park. My favorite thing about Legoland in general is that it’s so optimized for toddlers and school-aged kids.

You don’t have to worry about rides that are too scary (using your judgement based on your kids) and unruly teens.

“When I travel with my parents I always wear a fanny pack with a special holder for my water bottle. I like a fanny pack better than a back pack because it doesn’t feel as heavy.

In my pack I always pack tissues for the bath room and runny noses, my swiss army knife and snacks. Also, if you are staying in a hotel take all the shower caps, toothbrushes, soap and all the free stuff. It’s cool …

Does this sound like a dream not reality?

Kids’ clubs can be an essential amenity for parents seeking downtime on vacation, particularly at resort properties where families spend the bulk of their time onsite. Many parents hesitate to use kids’ programs because they don’t want to feel guilty that they are “dumping” their kids into glorified daycare or they feel uncomfortable leaving their kids in an unknown environment.

Good news: It is possible to have …

Every now and then when you’re on a trip you learn something you really feel like you should have known. Something so obvious, it’s embarrassing you didn’t see it sooner.

Mine goes something like this … traveling children, plus animals of any kind, equals happy children. We were in Nerja, Spain last summer when it finally clicked. There are cats everywhere in this fabulous beach-front city.

The thought of being trapped with a screaming child on an airplane is enough to keep even the most avid travelers on the ground. For others, it drives them to play Polly Pocket or to speak in an unnaturally high and sweet voice for hours on end. To spare you from this, we’ve come up with ideas that will help keep everyone sane on the plane.

Just like kids, parents come in all types of personalities—the planner and the non-planner, laid-back and uptight, etc. We’ve met them and possibly been them all.

As director of Arte al Sole: A Tuscan Cultural Adventure for International Children, each year I wonder how the experiences of the children who attend this day camp …