(Particularly useful when you’re out in the wilderness, or on an extended international flight). When the iPod battery runs low, TuneJuice provides up to 14 hours of additional audio play, or 2 more hours of video enjoyment. It runs on four AAA batteries.

And if you haven’t invested in one yet, a dependable, portable DVD player for the car (and future airplane trips for that matter) can bring hours of happy silence (provided the kids take turns picking movies and use headphones). One of the best (though not least expensive) is Phillips PET1030 (approximately $240). The LCD display screen is among the biggest at 10.2 inches, and (important for long trips) the battery life runs around four hours, which is at the upper end of the spectrum for portables.

Family Reunion

Determined to dodge any familial landmines at your upcoming reunion? We can’t work miracles here, but the Family Reunion Planning Organizer does provide a central spot to help you select invitations, a menu planner, timeline, nametags, genealogy tree and more ($29).

Not sure what to wear? Eliminate the guesswork and lend a little uniformity to the group photo by outfitting everyone with T-shirts. Choose from a huge assortment of family reunion T-shirts (and all other manner of personalized reunion items) from ReUnion Gear (pictured).

If you think it may take a nudge to get older relatives to share their stories with the kids, you may want to take along a family journal book. To Our Children’s Children from Main Street Books  is filled with thought-provoking questions designed to get the whole family talking.

Wondering how to keep the kiddos busy when the memories run dry? Pack a retro rubber horseshoes set from Sports Unlimited ($12), and even younger kids can participate. Bigger kids won’t be able to resist the kooky fun of ambushing their cousins with the marshmallow shooter twin-pack, $34.95. which blasts soft, sticky ammunition up to 30 feet.

Since you never know if there’ll be enough seating – or if someone will want to stretch out for a nap, take along a park blanket from Warm Biscuit.

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