It is summer and time for family road trips. But, how do parents avoid turning into Clark Griswold in "Vacation," lower their stress and boost play during eight hours in the minivan?

National Lampoon's Vacation

This week, I am writing about family road-tripping, and one thing I've discovered is the drive can be more than a grind to get to Disneyland. Who knew 10 hours in a car is a great opportunity to forget the schedules, disconnect the Game Boy and connect.

"The process should really be more important than the destination," said Bonnie Michaels, a board member at the Take Back Your Time campaign, which is dedicated to battling overwork, over-scheduling and the time famine apparently underway in the United States and Canada. Kids "have forgotten what it's like to do nothing."

That's a problem because doing nothing allows kids, and their parents, to recharge and get creative, Michaels adds.

How do you keep the kids, and mom and dad, happy on those long drives? What are some of your best and worst road tripping tales? Post your ideas here or send me an e-mail, and remember to include your contact information if I can use your ideas in the article.

And if you think record gasoline prices are keeping families home this summer, you are wrong. This Fourth of July weekend, 34 million people are expected to drive 50 miles or more, down 1.2 percent but still a big chunk, AAA reported.