Traveling cross-country with kids in tow can make fitness more difficult. You can't leave your children to take a long run, or spend an hour in a gym. But you can pack a selection of family friendly items to keep everyone healthy on the road.

The following choices will not only provide a good workout, but they have the added bonus of building memories with your family.

Playground Pump This application for your iPhone or iPod touch features 50 exercise cards designed for the playground. This is a fun way to get a full body work out while traveling. Make a pit stop at a playground and let the cards guide your routine. You are given 6 cards/exercises to perform using typical playground equipment during each workout: 2 upper body, 2 lower body and 2 abdominal cards equals a 30 minute session.

Fit deck Purchase a set or two of these exercise playing cards to carry on the road. Each 56 card fit deck has a different focus. Travel-friendly decks include body weight, yoga or the stretch deck. Each card features three fitness levels to accommodate different abilities. Shuffle and let your child become your trainer by pulling out the next exercise.

It wasn't until a close friend of mine wound up in a wheelchair that I took any notice of sports for quadriplegics. That's when I realized the athletic feats accomplished by these wheelchair-bound competitors are truly astonishing. While I, and my perfectly capable limbs, stood on the side lines and cheered, my friend was out skydiving, skiing and even kayaking as a "quad." Check out the ten best extreme wheelchair sports in this round up of videos.

Can't Feel My Legs, Haha
Clay Egan is one of the best Rock Climbing drivers in the world. This inspirational man broke his neck in a motorcycle accident, but that never stopped him from participating in events that have him literally falling off of cliffs. After one wild fall, he remarked, "Man I can't feel my legs!" Just a little quad humor.

Traveling with family on a budget often doesn't leave much money for souvenirs. As an alternative, create an edition of "Family Travel Gazette" -- a mock newspaper highlighting all the adventures you had while on vacation.

Using cut-out pictures from brochures and photos taken along the way, assign articles to each family member, including editorials on the trip; weather reports; food reviews; on-the-ground interviews; and headline news. What a great way to encourage kids' critical thinking and enhance their writing skills!

Once home, assemble all the articles and photos using a scanner and computer. Be sure to date the souvenir edition, and make copies for Grandma!

Pro tip: Alternatively, create a paperback or hardcover book of your trip, using a service like Fastpencil.

Give your children the task of collecting memories.

A fun way to do this is to set your child up with an audio recorder: the old cassette version can be found in second hand shops for only a few dollars. Bring lots of blank tapes and a set of headphones.

Articulating on tape everything they are noticing keeps them engaged in even the most mundane travel activities. Sightseeing takes an interesting turn when the child is encouraged to capture the moment. Preschoolers through elementary school age children love this -- and so do worn out parents.

Bonus: having your child's young voice on tape is a priceless treasure.