One of my very favorite commercials is the one where the dad goes away on a business trip and his daughter gives him her stuffed monkey to take along; he uses his cell phone to photograph the monkey in various places while he's traveling and sends the photos back to his delighted daughter. If only it were that easy to help kids cope with parents who travel.

Business travel can be wracking for parents. The combination of working on the road and leaving your kids in someone else's care can really put a damper on the adventure of traveling. But there are a few things you can do to make the separation easier for your child, and for you.

Before you leave, help your child make a paper chain, with one link for each day you will be gone. At bedtime, or breakfast, or some other designated time during the day, your child can remove one link and count how many sleeps until you get home.

Let your child help you pack -- smaller kids can assist with your carry-on bag, while bigger kids can pitch in while you pack your actual suitcase. Packing is always fun for kids, even when it's not really for adults, and it will give your child a sense of adventure about your trip.

Tell your child where you are going and one or two things you will be doing. Show them the weather reports for the city you will be visiting, and tell them they can check the weather every day to see what it's like where you are.

Arrange a specific time to call home each day, to guarantee that you will get to speak with your child. This is good for your kids and good for you, too -- it's nice to hear their voices while you are on the road.

Finally, don't let the guilt get the best of you. Sometimes we have to be away from our kids; that's just a fact of life. And sometimes our jobs come first. When you get home, step away from work for a while and spend time with your kids; they will learn that even though you have to go away sometimes, you always love them and you will always come back.