Checklist for traveling with kids

I've traveled with my kids a lot (14 international flights, 1 cross-country trip, + countless smaller trips), and by now I have a list of must haves for the plane:

1.  Food.  Plane food is never good, but add a picky eater and a long flight and it's a recipe for trouble.  I always try to buy snacks that can hold up to temperature changes and squished overhead compartments (forget chocolate and fig newtons).

2.  Game system.  For the younger set, the LeapFrog Leapster 2 Learning Game System - Green and for older kids, the Nintendo DS Lite Cobalt / Black is a great system since there are actually some educational/brain games available for purchase.

3.  DVD player.  I really love the 9" SONY Multi Region Code Free Portable DVD Player ALL ZONE DVD. DVD Region 123456 PAL/NTSC 100~240V 50/60Hz 6 Hour Long Lasting Battery, DIVX, XVID, AVI Multi System PAL/NTSC/SECAM because it is dual voltage and multi-region (which is great for expat families).  You can use it on the plane, in the hotel, buy DVDs in France while you're there and still use them when you get home, for example.

4.  Activity books.  My kids' favorites are the wonderful Doodles series, like Oodles of Doodles: Over 200 Pictures to Complete and Create, which adds a creative element to the standard coloring book and Best Travel Activity Book Ever (Backseat Books) by Rand McNally, which is a great value for money at $3.95.

5. Books.  The secret with books I think, is to buy a really great one and get your kids to read a chapter or two before you travel.  Sometimes it is hard to get into a book until you pass the first couple of chapters and the ants-in-the-pants syndrome that usually accompanies kids on planes doesn't help.  So buy something fun like A Mouse Called Wolf or Maybelle in the Soup and get them started on it before traveling.

6.  For Really Little Kids.  When my son was very small, he was terribly hard to entertain on the plane.  He would watch some movies, but at 2 he was too little for the Leapster and has never liked to color.  For kids like him I'd suggest pop-up-books and books with activity like Inside Freight Train   [INSIDE FREIGHT TRAIN-BOARD] [Board Books] and Trucks Go Pop! (Pop Up Books).  Sets like the Matchbox Handy Manny Worksite Pop Up Adventure PlaySet are lifesavers too and easy to pack.  My kids never had the LeapFrog Tag Junior Book Pal but it looks like it might be a fun travel tool as well.

What are your favorite travel tools and tricks?