Holidays, vacation, days off–all these sweet words are tightly tied together with traveling. Many people choose to spend a few days out of town and get to interesting destinations by car. Road trips are perfect little getaways for anybody who doesn’t like to follow someone else’s agenda: choose your own departure time, pack as many things as your car can fit, pick the most beautiful and undiscovered roads, and reach destinations that are not accessible by public transportation.
Just one thing: on a road trip, where you are the master of your own entertainment, you are also responsible for all kinds of emergencies , which can occur with unexpectedly. You cannot prepare for every possible situation in advance, unless you have a unique ability to foresee events, of course. But you can prepare a special roadside emergency kit, which will definitely help you handle a lot of issues that commonly happen to other travelers.
Start packing your roadside emergency kit with standard items, then you can supplement and customize it to your personal needs. Here is the list of basic survival things:
— Cell phone. Every cell phone, even one with no service can dial 911. It just has to be charged enough to make a phone call. You can pack some old phone that you don’t use anymore and keep it as a part of your emergency kit.
— First aid kit (read more below).
— Flashlight.
— Flares and a white flag.
— Jumper cables.
— Jack (and ground mat) for changing a tire.
— Work gloves and a change of clothes.
— Basic repair tools and some duct tape (for temporarily repairing a hose leak).
— A jug of water and paper towels for cleaning up.
— Nonperishable food, drinking water, and medicines.
— Extra windshield washer fluid.
— Maps. Electronic navigators are definitely useful devices, but only until you are lost in areas with no signal.
— Blanket.
— Cash money.
— A pen and a notepad in case you will need to write directions or phone numbers.
During the cold winter season, don’t forget about:
— Extra hats, socks, and mittens
— Ice scraper/snowbrush
— Tire chains
Let’s take a look inside the most important part of emergency package–the first aid kit . To pack it properly you should:
— Check the Red Cross approved list of first-aid items . You can buy them directly from the Red Cross or your local pharmacy.
— Include all special medications, if you are currently taking any.
— Find a container that will fit things you are planning to pack. Plastic boxes and nylon bags are the best for this purpose.
— Store your first aid kit in a safe and easily reachable place.
— Regularly check the labels on medications and don’t forget to replace the expired ones.
— After using supplies from a first aid kit, remember to replenish them again.
— Consider adding an easy-to-comprehend first-aid manual to that set.
Now you are ready to tackle an extreme situation on your trip, but let’s hope that you will never need to!