Long gone are the days of pick-up-and-go travel, when my belongings fit perfectly into a overnight tote, when the books or magazines in that tote would actually get read. Now, of course, it's entertainment for my toddler that swallows up the space in my carryon—after all, baby's airborne happiness translates into a headache-free journey for me, right? Meet the 10 things that have successfully kept my daughter busy on cross-country flights. They're small and lightweight, so you can pack a lot of them without feeling (and looking) like a mule.

1. Travel-Size Doodle Pro: My daughter loves this thing. Kind of like an Etch-A-Sketch, only it has a stylus to draw with.

2. Animal Toobs: Tubes filled with sets of safari-animal and sea-life figurines.

3. Colorwonder: Mess-free markers by Crayola (color shows up only on Colorwonder paper, clear on everything else.)

4. Colorforms: Remember these from when you were little? Kids still love them. Reusable vinyl geometric shapes that you can stick and restick to any shiny surface—like windows and tray tables.

5. Felt or magnetic boards: There are a ton out there to choose from. We like the Eric Carle Very Hungry Caterpillar magnetic board.

6. Travel-size soft-cover books: Again, there are lots to choose from. We're fans of Lauren Child's Charlie and Lola series.

7. iPhone: I love my iPhone, but, truthfully, my daughter loves it more. I loaded it with a few applications for her, along with kid-friendly movies and podcasts rather than lugging a DVD player with me. Check out apps like Wheels on the Bus and Old MacDonald, and podcasts like Sesame Street.

(OK, here's where the list strays a little. We all know that if you give a toddler a gift, they're likely to spend twice as much time playing with the wrapping paper it came in. That said, some of the things that have engaged my daughter the most on the road are nontoy items from around the house.)

8. Post-it notes: My daughter has spent hours filling them up with drawings, handing them out, and sticking them all over the place.

9. Pipe cleaners: These can be twisted into endless shapes--try making little animals or something wearable. (I promise that turning them into sunglasses will leave you all looking ridiculous but laughing.)

10. Blue painter's tape: We actually haven't tried this one yet, but came across the idea on Delicious Baby.  It can be stuck on anything and removed quickly, and can even be used to outline games like hop scotch on the floor. (If your kid is really acting up and all else fails, you can fashion a straightjacket out of it.)

Visit See Jane Fly for more tips on traveling with kids and additional posts by Kena Frank.

Rebecca Etter, Travel Assistant

This convenient travel adapter from Kensington can be used in more than 150 different countries. It's four built in plugs slide out easily and are compatible with a number of your favorite travel accessories. I love that it's a compact no wire unit, this way I can leave the adapted bag at home and all the guessing work of which adapter to pack is taken care of.

Rebecca Etter, Travel Assistant

If you're looking for a way to speed up the car ride during a weekend trip, we think Klutz has come up with your answer. Their 120 page TRIPtivities® wonder-pad, stocked with puzzles, brainteasers, doodle pages, and word games has everything one would need (stickers and pencil included) to keep the back seat entertained. And for less than $10 it's really a road-trip no brainer.

For other suggestions for free road trip classics, check out our story on road trip games.

Rebecca Etter, Travel Assistant

I love Maclaren's new stroller liners, they are the perfect update for anyone with a buggy. The liners are reversible, vibrant, and fit all Maclaren strollers. They give older strollers a face lift (much cheaper than buying a whole new one) and give families a great way to customize their gear.

Yolanda Edwards, Travel & Lifestyle Editor

I have a new favorite elixir/potion that I bring with me on trips, in case our daughter gets sick, or is near someone sick. I have a small bottle (less than 2 oz) of Rosehip tincture, and some gel capsules of Elderberry powder, and I mix 10-15 drops of the tincture, with the powder of half of a capsule of the elderberry, with a little bit of water. It tastes good, and I swear, it works for us close to every time!

Rebecca Etter, Travel Assistant

iFlyz is the perfect accessory for any who likes to watch videos off their iPod or iPhone while traveling. It's lightweight and extremely easy to use, you just slide it on to your tray and suction it to your media device. The gooseneck is flexible so you can adjust it to whatever viewing angle is comfortable. It's simple and smart, now I can watch movies without having strain my neck or hold my iPod the whole flight.

Yolanda Edwards, Travel & Lifestyle Editor

I love this little bag for taking on trips.  It comes in gold, gunmetal, and lots of other colors, but I like the metallics the most, because the reason I travel with this bag, is for the rare moment I might go out and have to be slightly dressed up.  It weighs nothing, doesn't wrinkle, and looks good with hardly anything in it, or stuffed.  And they cost $14.99!

Yolanda Edwards, Travel and Lifestyle Editor

I just stumbled upon this book, Hungry For Paris, written by one of my favorite food writers, Alexander Lobrano, a contributor to Gourmet. I am headed to Paris in a couple of weeks, and have only two nights there, with our 5 year old. Knowing that we will be tired, from our flight, and from cramming in too much during the day, I want to find a restaurant that is in our hotel's neighborhood, so we can walk to and from dinner. I googled "8th arrondissement Paris restaurants", and up popped this book, and his website, which has an amazing reader forum and diners journal. Readers write in their questions (mostly the same ones everyone has, so it is good to read through all of them), and Alec actually responds to every single one. So, if Paris is on the agenda, get the book, and keep his website in your bookmarks.