Excerpt: Lonely Planet's Travel with Children

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Kids need to focus on something other than how far they're walking, so it's a good idea to have a few games you can play to take their mind off things. These games also highlight differences between their own culture and the culture being visited.

WHAT YOU SAW When passing through scenery ask kids to look around for a minute, then have them close their eyes and tell you what they remember. An observational game that will have kids appreciating their surroundings.

COUNTING GAMES These are easy games to make up in a hurry. Select a frequently occurring local feature—such as windmills in Holland or bikes in China—and two players can count all of these features on one side. First to 100 wins. To keep the game interesting you can count down from 100. Count several things with various points for each sighting and the game can be about addition. If you're near a roadway, counting arrows on signs is always a good one.

STEPPING OUT A quick game, but a good distraction. See who can take the biggest steps, the smallest steps, the silliest steps, the straightest step, a sideways step or the most backward steps (without running into anything).