The prospect of flight delays and cancellations has made this year’s spring family trip a little less alluring. Should you be stuck on the runway for a few hours, here’s a new way to pass the time. Moleskine has just released City Notebooks, its DIY-guidebook series. While you’re listening to the pilot’s updates, you can start annotating the built-in maps with points of interest or daydreaming about the best place to see the view from Montmartre. Twelve different European-city guides are available now; the New York notebook is expected at the end of April ($17.95 each at the Conran Shop, 407 E. 59th St., at First Ave.; 212-755-9079).
For Kids Who Wander
This punchy yellow child’s raincoat will come in handy (from $104 at Petit Bateau, 1094 Madison Ave., nr. 82nd St.; 212-988-8884).
Compact Skin Care
Chantecaille cosmetics come in TSA-compliant minis (Chantecaille travel kit, $290 at Bergdorf Goodman, 754 Fifth Ave., nr. 58th St.; 212-753-7300; bag, $24.99 at Ricky’s, 509 Fifth Ave., nr. 42nd St.; 212-949-7230).
Look Cool Poolside
Vilebrequin’s summery swim trunks are sold year-round in hundreds of vivid patterns ($155, 436 W. Broadway, nr. Prince St.; 212-431-0673).
Hiking Flats
Walk comfortably all day in this rubber-soled skimmer-style flat (Keds, $39.99 at Macy’s, 151 W. 34th St., at Broadway; 212-695-4400).
Dual-Purpose Down
Moncler is pricey, but its puffers are more stylish than the usual, making it viable for a day hike or a night out ($362.50 at Barneys New York, 660 Madison Ave., nr. 61st St.; 212-826-8900).
The Fanny Pack Is Back!
Wear it proudly (double-zip belt bag, $34 at LeSportsac, 1065 Madison Ave., nr. 81st St.; 212-988-6200).
Waiting for Takeoff
Encourage Creativity
Colored pencils turn the SkyMall magazine into a coloring book ($39.50 at Lee’s Art Shop, 220 W. 57th St., nr. Broadway; 212-247-0110).
Master Class
Get the kids interested in Monet’s Water Lilies before you hit the Louvre (Mini Masters, by Julie Merberg and Suzanne Bober, $19.95 for box of four books, at the Children’s and Poster Shop, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Ave., nr. 82nd St.; 212-650-2926).
Delayed-Flight Noshing
Dried dates and sunflower and pumpkin seeds fill you up, and supposedly calm your nerves (dates, $1.75 at Health Nuts, 1208 Second Ave., nr. 63rd St.; 212-593-0116; sunflower seeds, $1.19, and pumpkin seeds, $3.29, at Whole Foods, 10 Columbus Circle, nr. 58th St.; 212-823-9600).
Games for Young and Old
Pogo Island, a game for the portable Nintendo DS, combines five popular games, including a word jumble and an addictive undersea-themed puzzle (Pogo Island for Nintendo DS, $29.99 at Best Buy, 60 W. 23rd St., at Sixth Ave.; 212-366-1373; available March 26).
Zone Out
Disconnect from the air-rage-aholics, (Boules Quies earplugs, $6.50 at Caswell-Massey, 518 Lexington Ave., at 48th St.; 212-755-2254).
When In …
Rome
Save the date: April 21 is the “Birth of Rome” celebration, which includes fireworks, parades, gladiator shows, and free admission to city-run museums and archaeological sites (Campidoglio and Giardino degli Aranci; 39-068-205-9217).
Milan
Skip the Last Supper; take the kids to the National Museum of Science and Technology for models and reconstructions of Leonardo da Vinci’s machines (€6 per adult, €3 per child; Via San Vittore 21, Milan; 39-024-855-51).
Paris
Through the first week of March, Cirque d’Hiver Bouglione presents “Artistes,” a circus featuring tigers and flying-trapeze acrobatics (€11.50 to €38; 110 Rue Amelot; 33-147-006-235).