After nearly nine years, I think we’ve finally done it. We’ve mastered the fine art of traveling with kids while not reaching the brink of insanity. Like many families this summer we opted for taking a road trip instead of a big vacation.

I packed up the car and we pulled out (nearly on time). I even baked some homemade treats for the car (and almost no one spilled them or smooshed them into the seats). Then the girls (almost) all agreed on what movie to watch in the car. (Nearly) no one complained about where they were sitting or who was breathing on them or who was looking at them funny. My husband and I had a (mostly) uninterupted conversation while the kids happily watched a movie.

While the trip definitely still had its down moments, it was by far the best road trip we’ve ever taken as a family. No one peed her pants. No one threw her sister’s glasses out the window while the car was moving. No one spit on anyone else. No one had a marathon cry session. No one had a constipated poop crisis. No one spilled an entire chocolate milk on the floor of the car. (And these are just the memories off the top of my head from previous road trips … imagine the fun stuff I’ve blocked from my brain.)

Seriously, I do have a few tips for those of you who haven’t hit the road yet this summer. Hope they make the trip more fun for everyone.

Get a DVD player in the car. I know that kids watch too much TV, but seriously, there are some really dreadfully boring parts of any long drive. Watching a DVD helps to pass the time on those long stretches and I love, love having ours. I was nearly in tears when I thought my 3-year-old broke ours. Lucky for me, it was a false alarm—it was just unplugged.

Plan to play some games, too. The alphabet game and the license plate game are classics. Everyone has a great time and you can’t help but get nostalgic when you play them.

Drive at night or early in the morning. I used to think this was impossible, but we’ve grown to really love this mode of travel. On our return trip home a few weeks ago we hit the road before sunrise and were half-way home before anyone awoke. We stopped for breakfast and were home before anyone mentioned lunch. If you choose to go this route you must make sure you get in a nap or you can trade shifts with your spouse. It’s dangerous if you don’t plan on getting some scheduled shut eye.

Plan some surprises along the way. Whether they are small gifts that entertain the kids in the car, detours for milkshakes, new DVDs for in-car viewing, or just fun snacks, I say that shock and awe go a long way in keeping the peace. Surprises help everyone remember that a road trip can be fun.

Question: What do you to survive taking your show on the road?