You're twenty minutes away from your campsite/parents' house/hotel and your five-year-old has to go. Really has to go. Well, slam on those brakes, Mom, because if there's one thing you don't mess with, it's bodily functions. “We endured countless messes until my eldest learned to give us notice when she had to use the bathroom,” says Ingrid Kasaks-Moyer, mother of three kids, 6, 8 and 11, from King City, Ontario. “Let's just say a roll of paper towels and a small towel for her to sit on afterward comes very highly recommended.” To avoid a similar scenario, keep fluids to a minimum and consider stopping every hour or two, based on your children's ages and how often they go at home.

It isn't too anal to plan your trip from beginning to end. Think about the ages of the kids, their temperaments (and yours), and make up a guide that will suit your family, from start to finish.

Kathy Buckworth's latest book, “Journey to the Darkside: Supermom Goes Home” is available in bookstores everywhere. Visit http://www.kathybuckworth.com/.