As fuel prices continued to rise, more families are choosing to fly to their vacation destinations instead. And there are lots of advantages to flying, including relatively short travel times, no hotel costs on the trip, and more time actually spent on vacation. But if your kids are bored and unhappy, your flight can seem to take forever. So here are a few suggestions to help make flying with kids easier.

Of course, booking your flight well in advance, perhaps even six months or so beforehand, is always a good idea. It not only helps you save money, but also gives you plenty of time to plan ahead for the flight to help make it a success. You don't want to be caught at the last minute trying to prepare for the flight and your vacation. It's just too stressful, and that stress can often rub off on the kids. So plan things out well enough in advance to avoid last-minute rushing.

When you book the flight be sure to arrange your seating so that the whole family is able to sit together. You can almost guarantee a miserable flight if everybody is split up and not sitting together. And you certainly don't want to have to beg and plead with your fellow passengers to get the seats you need at the last minute.

If your vacation destination requires a very long flight, it's often a good idea to arrange a night flight if you have kids along. By flying at night the kids will often be tired and may sleep for a good part of the trip, allowing you to get some rest as well.

The less time spent waiting in line at the airport the better too. So before you leave home print your boarding passes out in advance if possible, or use available kiosks to get your passes as quickly as you can.

Packing is a major consideration for a family trip too. Remember that the more bags you have to take with you, the more possibility that one of them will be lost. So try to combine your kids baggage in with yours as much as possible to avoid having to try to run down a lost bag on the first day of your vacation.

And while we're on the subject of packing, it's probably a good idea to let your children take backpacks with them on the flight. Make sure that they have any special toys, or games that they enjoy in their backpacks. And just in case, you may want to take a few extra games with you in your carry-on luggage as backups. Other items that can help kids stay busy and involved on the flight are coloring books if they are very young, or maybe a portable DVD player that can keep them entertained while flying.

Finally, why not take along a few nutritious snacks for the flight just in case your kids get the munchies? Just try to avoid sugary snacks and drinks that can cause too much agitation on the flight.

Hopefully, some of the suggestions can help you plan your vacation flights with your kids so that everybody has a good time while traveling.

Thad Pickering writes on many consumer related topics including vacation travel. You can find out more about how to find beachfront vacation homes and kaui vacation homes by visiting our Vacation Guide website.