Snacks on a Plane

Books, magazines, puzzles, and pen and paper used to be the polite shields against unwanted contact while traveling. Add to the mix iPods, laptops, portable DVD players, or whatever latest gadget is the rage and it's clear that actual interaction is becoming a rarity. But, especially if traveling with family during the holidays, classic word and guessing games are still great ways to pass the time. Here's a list of my favorites:

• Remember Hangman? It's still fun, after all these years.
• Travel Scrabble® rules, as always. Cribbage, backgammon, chess, and checkers also come in convenient travel versions.
• Card games should never be underestimated -- a deck of cards is great for anything from Go Fish to Hearts to Solitaire.
• The old childhood favorite of 20 Questions has a grown-up version as well called Botticelli. Print out the description and rules at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botticelli_(game) And since we're talking about food, give the food version of the game, called Vermicelli, a try.
• Kids still love I Spy and there are tons of related visual and object treasure hunt games out there on the Internet.

• House shoes for the plane if your feet swell like mine (walking around helps)
• A favorite pillow
• Chewing gum to relieve ear pressure
• Ear plugs if the engine noise gets to you
• Lotion-style antibacterial soap if you don't want to trek back to the latrine to wash your hands