Avoid hassles when traveling with your family

As a frequent traveler, I often stumble upon destinations that are perfect for the whole family. Sometimes I can drag one of the kids along on a trip. Occasionally, the entire McMurren household hits the road. And that takes a little more planning. Let's review:

A. I don't care what anyone says, make sure you're at the airport at least two hours prior to your scheduled departure time. It's one thing if it's just you and your small carry-on bag. It's quite another if you have the whole gang in tow -- there are checked bags, the God-forsaken TSA and more moving parts to the entire transaction.

If possible, get someone to drop you off at the curb. Whether it's a taxi or a good friend, you can avoid the airport parking fees, as well as the potential nightmare of trying to find a parking place in the same zip code as the terminal.

Before you head to the airport, check online or call to make sure your flight is on time. Go ahead and check in for your flight and print your boarding passes. In fact, Alaska Airlines now allows you to download your boarding pass to your smartphone, here.

B. Books are nice, but electronics will save the day for a long flight. The night before your flight, make sure you plug in all your batteries and get them fully charged for your trip. This includes iPods, computers and cell phones. If you're going to be driving once you arrive, consider investing in one of those power strips that plugs into the power outlet of the car.

C. Staying connected. Today's new smartphones are revolutionary when it comes to GPS-guided directions, seamless communications across time zones and keeping track of kids in amusement parks or strange shopping malls.

Many travelers now use their iPhones or Blackberries as their defacto laptops on the road. But for the full-screen experience, travelers still are bound by whatever local network happens to be within range.

This can be troubling at an airport that wants to charge extra to connect, or at a hotel. Check with your ISP about a wireless card that fits into the USB port of your laptop. That way, wherever there is a cell phone signal, you can surf the web. Naturally, where there is a 3G signal, service will be quicker. I have one of these devices from GCI, which costs about $20 per month if you're a GCI internet customer at home.

D. In-flight. It's tough on everyone these days. There are too many people in too small of a space. Again, that's why electronics can really mitigate the misery. Whether it's an iPod, a laptop or a portable DVD player, it pays to have some distraction to take your mind off of being crammed into a tiny space. I also like the Bose noise-canceling headphones -- it's the same technology that the pilots use in their headgear. That said, the kids seem perfectly content with the cheap earbuds.

E. Luggage. When I'm traveling alone, I don't check baggage. But traveling as a family, it seems there is no way around it. Just make sure and carry aboard anything of any value: cameras, car keys, prescription drugs. If it's not the airline baggage people, it's the TSA with their hands all over your bags. There is no security -- get over it. If you have something (anything) of value that doesn't fit in your carry-on, just ship it by FedEx.

F. On the ground. The only thing that can dissuade me from renting a car when I'm with the family is the cost of parking it. If we're going to a big city where driving is impractical, public transit can work. But if we're visiting family, we typically rent the biggest car we can. And the best prices for airport car rentals typically are at Priceline.com. If possible, I take the bus to an off-airport location for big savings, but when you've got lots of little people and bags to keep track of, that's not practical.