Ah, the fine art of traveling with kids. It’s an activity we suspect many of you will engage in over the next 10 days. In that spirit, we asked travel expert and mother of two Tracey Rosen to drop some serious knowledge just in time for the holidays. As mother of six and a half year old Kayla and three and a half year old Zachary (pictured) and president of the L.A.-based public and media relations firm Productivity, Tracey travels frequently – often with her kids and husband Andrew in tow.

Here, she offers tips for traveling with children, reveals what’s in her diaper bag and shows how a child’s drawing might just be the perfect antidote for in-flight rudeness.

How often do you travel with your children?

We probably travel with our kids every other month; however sometimes of the year, we find ourselves out of town two weekends within the same month, so it probably averages out to more like once a month.

What’s the best time of day to fly when you’re traveling with small children?

Believe it or not, we prefer to fly the red-eye flights if we are flying more than five hours. Our kids are accustomed to sleeping anywhere when they are tired, and this way they sleep through the flight and we don’t give them an opportunity to get antsy on the plane.

When a red-eye is not an option, we’ve found that an early morning flight is best because our kids can get excited about doing a particular activity when we arrive and they are usually on their best behavior in fear that they’ll lose that first activity if they act up on the plane.

What are your tricks for keeping kids occupied on long car trips?

I’m embarrassed to say this, but the DVD player in our car has been wonderful. Besides keeping the kids occupied watching a movie we found that it helps my son focus on something in the car and avoid getting car sick (as opposed to staring out the window and getting nauseous).

I also have each of my kids bring three toys that can’t roll around the car and can be played with in different ways, such as a doll with changeable outfits, an activity book with a Magna Doodle attached, etc. And of course, healthy snacks that don’t make a huge mess if they fall.

But the most important thing is that anything you bring for the kids needs to be in arm’s reach. My daughter usually stashes her toys in a small back pack, and I found a product called the Kiddie Kangaroo that fits on my son’s car seat to keep his toys and a water bottle within reach.

When you travel with your kids, what are some must-have items you always stash in your carry-on?

I always make sure that I have fruit snacks, raisins, and their favorite snack of the week, as well as Tylenol and Benadryl, a small activity book, crayons, a small toy or doll (I bring Word Spin or Sudoku for my older child), their blankets for snuggling, and a mini first-aid kit like the Medibuddy that can fit in my purse or the diaper bag (this became essential after my daughter fell in the airport on the way to St. Thomas and was bleeding, but we didn’t have time to leave the terminal to go to first aid to get a band-aid).

When my kids were in diapers, I always brought two extra than what I absolutely needed, a full stash of wipes (for diaper changes, hands, spills, etc.), and a change of clothes. Now that my son is potty training, I bring one or two extra sets of clothes and a Ziploc bag in case he has an accident.

The goal is to bring the largest diaper bag that can fit under the seat in front of you so that it is always in arm’s reach (and make sure you know where everything is so you don’t have to spend 10 minutes searching for a pacifier or snack if your baby/child is fussy).

What advice can you give parents traveling with children who encounter rude treatment from other passengers and employees on airlines?

Make sure that you’re not ignoring your kids and that any disgruntled travelers around you know that you are concerned about their comfort and are trying everything in your power to keep your kids calm, comfortable and entertained.

When my daughter was two and a half, a passenger behind us kept giving me dirty looks and making comments every time my daughter opened her mouth (and she wasn’t being loud). So I had my daughter draw a picture and then turn around with the cutest smile imaginable on her face and tell this older couple that she made it for them. At that point, they couldn’t help but smile and felt guilty that they had made their comments in the first place. Remember that you probably paid the same amount for your ticket as the person next to you and have just as much a right to be on the plane as they are. And if the plane is not full, flight attendants are usually willing to let you move to an area of the plane that is less crowded.

What’s the one piece of travel advice you’d want every new parent to know?

Try to stay calm, prepared, and involve your kids in planning a trip’s activities. Travel in and of itself can be stressful, and that obviously escalates when kids are involved. If you seem stressed, your kids will be aware of it and will most likely feed off of it. By planning everything in advance (but still leaving some room for flexibility for delays or adding a new activity that you didn’t know about), you can enjoy your time together instead of worrying about how to get there or what you are going to do next.

Also if you’re flying, try to book your trip on a 777 or Jet Blue (or Virgin America), because each seat has a television (usually with children’s programming or games) and the rows are wider, which allows your kids room to move around (and not be able to kick the seat in front of them).

At large resorts and vacation destinations, what safety tips should parents give their kids?

- Make sure your kids know your room number and what hotel staff uniforms look like in case they need help.

- Remind kids to stay on pathways and not near bushes or on the other side of fences (avoid falls or coming in contact with small animals or insects).

- Remind them that they can’t go to the pool area or in the pool without an adult that they came with (even if they can swim).

- And don’t let them climb on vanity stools in the bathroom unless you’re there so they don’t slip out from under them.

- And of course, always have a meeting spot that they can remember the name of in case they get lost.

- For the hotel room, most large resorts now offer bed rails for your child, as well as night lights and safety gates if your room has an outdoor area. I always bring outlet covers with me, as well. Either the hotel doesn’t offer them or housekeeping always forgets to keep outlets covered.

Has travel become any easier for parents in the last five years? Are there specific innovations or policy changes you can point to?

I think travel with kids has definitely become easier in the last five years. Hotels are offering more kid-oriented activities - whether it’s a kids’ program where you can drop them off for a few hours or family activities like s’mores roasting or movies by the pool area (my kids beg to go to the kids club and never want to leave).

Obviously, some hotels are more family-oriented than others, so I always look to find out if a hotel is best for business travelers or vacationers and confirm that our room has a bathtub in advance (many hotels are replacing tubs with over-sized showers).

We’ve also found that a lot of hotels have a secret stash of board games and movies available behind the front desk if you ask. You can usually get a good feel of a hotel’s family-amenities by visiting their web site as well.

Best kid-friendly travel snacks?

Fruit snacks, raisins, Gold Fish, and Graham Cracker sticks. Avoid snacks that are sticky or crumble easily. The snack should be healthy and filling enough to hold them over until the next meal but not stuff them where they won’t want to eat their next meal. I also pre-pack everything in snack-size Ziploc bags so they can be re-sealed and each of my kids can hold their own bag.

Let’s face it, traveling with kids can be a major hassle. Why is it worth it?

It’s the memories you create and the look on their faces when they try something new. You won’t take photos of them during a tantrum, so 10 years from now, when you look back at your pictures, you’ll focus on the fun that you had together.

Traveling also helps your kids understand that there is a whole world around them and they can learn about different cultures or appreciate what they have in their lives more.

Your kids also learn about compromising, i.e. going to a museum or a cultural tour in the morning and then in the afternoon going to a park or specific kids’ activity in the afternoon (as long as they help agree upon what the kids’ activity is). But most of all, you experience it together.