Road trips are a little less fun if you have

Road trips are a little less fun if you have a bunch of children along for the ride. Its often the only affordable mode of travel though, and for a parent who has to not only pay attention to the road, but keep the kids occupied, it can be a challenge. There is a great little device that can keep the children entertained for hours on end. Its a portable DVD player and youll find its charm reaches well beyond the affordable price.

If youve attended a kids movie at the theater lately you likely noticed how many seats were filled. Flicks for kids are really popular and there are numerous titles to choose from. Its really too expensive to try and take your child or children to every movie out there so most parents opt to spend some of their family entertainment budget on DVDs. This is a great way to be able to share the movies with the kids and also keep them so they can be watched again and again. The same movies that you watch in your DVD player at home can be viewed on a portable DVD player.

The price range for these small entertainment treasures vary depending on the brand name and the quality. If you are using it primarily in your vehicle its probably a good idea to buy one on the lower end of the price scale. A portable DVD player can take some banging and dropping but as with any type of electronics it will eventually decide not to work. Some parents have found it best to purchase one for each child to hold on their laps because this saves an argument about which movie to watch first. Headphones can be bought for just a few dollars which keeps everyones movie to themselves and also avoids extra noise for the driver.

Cars or vans arent the only place they can be used though. Many families pack them along when traveling by air too. Not all airlines offer in flight entertainment anymore and if you are scheduled for a long flight, a portable DVD player can actually be used by everyone in the family. Just bring along a couple of different movies so everyone can have a choice. Remember that it is an electronic device and that means youll have to keep it turned off during take-off and landing.

Using it at home is certainly fine too. If you are planning on doing this often invest in an AC adapter for it. Using batteries for a portable DVD player is obviously necessary when you are out and about, but at home save money by plugging it into an electrical outlet. In a pinch you can also hook it up to your television set and use it as you would any traditional DVD player. The quality might not be as good, but youll likely still enjoy the movie.