Family travel: "Stop telling us to pack light!"

Before I had a baby, I had my packing routine down to 15 minutes flat. I kept a toiletry bag prepared so I always had it at the ready. I had mental lists for different trip types (beach, mountain, city). But my 9-month old has thrown that all out the window. Packing is now a multi-day event. This weekend, we're heading to Charlevoix, Mich., for a family getaway. It's only a two-hour flight, but I'm already gathering the little lifesavers I've found to help us en-route. A fellow mom turned me on to the glory that is a pacifier clip. Our babysitter shared with me the genius of single-serving bags of formula, so you don't have to mess with measuring. And I wouldn't dare to leave home without my daughter's stuffed lamb, which ensures that she can feel comfortable wherever we land. What are your family travel lifesavers—the products and tricks you keep in your back pocket?

Earlier this year we reported that Avis and Budget adding satellite TV to rental cars. The new in-car live TV Cruisecast service, has 22 channels of satellite TV and 20 satellite radio channels. The cost is $9 a day. We received the following letter from a reader: I was disheartened to read of your "kudos" to this company for promoting the idea of sticking kids in front of video screens on car trips (March, p. 33). As a magazine that celebrates the wonders of travel, I find it troubling that this is being lauded. Don't kids spend enough time in front of screens in their everyday life? Do they really need to miss out on the great sights that a road trip has to offer because they're watching "Hannah Montana" instead? I realize that watching videos on long trips is something that is now a reality for parents, but should Budget Travel be promoting this crutch, instead of encouraging us to allow our children to look out the window, observing the real world in real time? Yes, they may occasionally become bored, but here's where the imagination comes into play—an archaic notion, I confess. Your readers deserve to be reminded of this sentiment much more than Avis Budget Group needs the plug… Thanks for listening, Maureen Block We think that Maureen is probably right and that, in hindsight, perhaps we shouldn't have praised the idea of putting TV screens in rental cars. What do you think?

Tourist officials in Australia couldn't have better timing. They've relaunched Australia.com, their trip-planning website, on the same week that Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman light up the screen in the movie Australia, putting the country back on the minds of many Americans. On Australia.com, you'll find many more suggestions for accommodations and sidetrips than before, including thematic trip ideas, such as aboriginal, outback, coastal, and culinary. Eight suggested itineraries can help you with your planning. As for the movie, you should see it if you want to be inspired by the Northern Territory and Western Australia. It was our number one pick of the movies that most inspired us to travel this year. (We saw a preview. It hits screens in major cities this Friday.) In director Baz Luhrmann's tribute to his native Australia, aristocrat Lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman) takes an arduous journey across the country with a rough-and-tumble stockman named the Drover (Hugh Jackman) as World War II is about to break out. To learn how to plan a trip to see key scenes from the movie, read Movie Quest 2008.

What's the ultimate place to entertain a group of kids? One leading contender is the dinner show Medieval Times. At several spots nationwide, you watch as knights ride real stallions and attempt to unseat other riders--all in a re-creation of an 11th-century tournament. This year, the two-hour show is being overhauled with a new script, soundtrack, and set of stunts. In addition to five new battle scenes, a prince (who is later kidnapped) has joined the cast. The updated show debuts this month at the Medieval Times castle in Buena Park, Calif., followed by Schaumburg, Ill., in September, and Atlanta and Toronto this winter. The new show is already running at theaters in Kissimmee, Fla., Hanover, Md., Myrtle Beach, S.C., Dallas, and Lyndhurst, N.J. While growing up in Orange County, Calif., many of my elementary-school friends celebrated their birthdays at Medieval Times, where the kitschy utensil-free meal meant we ate roasted chicken and spare ribs with our hands. The messier we were, the better. Happily, my favorite parts of the show have stayed the same. The servers are still serfs and wenches who speak Old English. Plus, the arena continues to be split into groups that cheer on various knights. Medievaltimes.com, from $47 for adults, from $29 for kids under 18. Prices vary by location. Through Sept. 1, one kid gets in free with every paying adult if you call 888/935-6878.