Traveling

I wonder... why is it so hard to travel with little ones?
Is traveling really that much of a shock to the system, that they just don't know what to do with themselves?
Maybe, if you are like me, I have my house set up. Little man knows where he can and can not go, and I know how long I have to go and get him before he gets in real trouble when he goes where he isn't sopposed to... I know exactly where he is and what he has (the vast majority of the time) by just the tiny sounds that he makes. This isn't true in a new setting.
I become this hawk, and he my prey. He can't go anywhere, unless I have gone there first. He hears the words "NO, Come back now!" way more than he's used to hearing them. I'm sure this wears on him... like I'm nagging him... maybe good prepreation for later in life??? : )
He doesn't eat. He's in this stage in life where everything is new, and he just got the ability to go and check everything out. Why waste his time eating when he can be exploring new and exciting worlds? And then, he wonders why by the end of the day, he's still fighting sleep, but is just as miserable as can be.
And then, there's night. Every new sound wakes him up. And he's not that great of a sleeper anyway, but in a new environment, hope is lost. I have never been gone for more than 3 nights, and even that was just once or twice, and by the end, I'm just beyond exhausted. Compound this with the fact that I usually travel without my husband, my right hand, and no wonder I don't leave more often.
So, what's a Mom to do? I pack as many snacks as I can that I'll know he'll eat. I pack his favorite toys to keep him distracted from Grandma's favorite (insert something expensive and breakable or eatable) I'm like a boy scout, and come pretty prepared. I do like my packing technique... the day before we leave, everything I use I put in a suitcase. That way, I don't forget anything. I know about not washing the blankets and other sleep things so that they still smell like home. I try to make things as comfortable for him as possible... Short of making him sleep in the pack n play for a couple of weeks before we leave, wich then I'll be exhausted BEFORE we leave, not sure what else we could do. This is another one where I'll leave it up to the other mom's... Any great and revoluionary ways to make travel with your little one better? Find a way to fit your entire house, or just the nursery, in a suitcase? : )
Thanks!