Family vacations are expected to be stress-free, but not everything goes according to plan. This is especially true if you’re going to a new location, traveling long distances, or you’re not sure what to expect when you get to there.
Thankfully, there are plenty of things you can do to be better prepared for a family vacation. And being better prepared will help you enjoy your vacation, rather than having to spend the whole time worried about what might happen.
Whether you’re traveling abroad and want to know what to do in a crisis, or you’re taking a cross-country road trip and want to make sure you can handle whatever comes, we’ve got you covered with some effective and practical preparedness ideas to keep everyone safe and secure.
Planning and Packing
The best thing you can do before any trip – especially with your family – is to plan ahead as much as possible. While you can’t possibly know every obstacle you might face on your travels, thinking of all the “what ifs” will make it easier to decide what to pack and how to plan for just about anything.
Start by considering where you’re going and what items will most be needed along the way. Aside from clothes and toiletries, some of the best things to keep in your suitcases include
- Disinfectant wipes
- Any medications your family needs
- Healthy snacks
- Water bottles
- Plastic bags
You should also have individual first aid kits for every member of your family that they can take along with them. A first aid kit isn’t going to do much good if its in a hefty suitcase that’s stored away in the belly of a plane.
If you’re going to a location that tends to have a specific climate, pack accordingly. It’s always better to take extra changes of clothes/layers than not have enough. You never know when one of your kids might get sick or have an accident, and you never know when the weather could change from what was originally predicted. You’ll never regret bringing extra clothes along!
Heading out of the country? Make sure you plan accordingly for every family member. In addition to the essentials listed above, it’s also important to have a universal travel adapter to charge your devices, travel insurance, passports, and visas. Traveling out of the country gets a negative reputation for being stressful, but it doesn’t have to be when you’ve planned ahead.
Finally, make sure to familiarize yourself with whatever location you’re traveling to. It’s always exciting to go somewhere new. But, you might run into differences in cultures and customs, and it’s best to prepare yourself ahead of time for such things. If you’re planning on spending time hiking or camping on your trip, being familiar with certain types of terrain and trails will keep everyone safer.
Preparing for Your Travels
If you’re planning on taking a road trip or heading somewhere specific in a car or RV, one of the best things you can do to prepare for emergencies and keep everyone safe is to make sure your vehicle is well-maintained. The last thing you want is to experience a breakdown on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere!
While you can’t always avoid car trouble, you can do your part to prevent it by preparing it beforehand. Make sure to take your vehicle to a mechanic you trust for a tune-up. Before a long road trip, some of the most important maintenance services to have done include
- Adjusting the steering
- Rotating tires
- Checking the brakes
- Maintaining the exhaust system
It’s also a good rule of thumb to deal with any issues that could be considered “cosmetic.”
For example, a cracked windshield might not seem like a big deal, at first. But, if it’s left alone, it could compromise the structural integrity of your vehicle. If it gets worse, it could also end up impairing your sight and making it dangerous to drive.
In addition to making sure your vehicle is well-maintained, it also needs to be properly packed. You might already have an everyday car survival kit, but making sure you have enough supplies for a longer trip is essential. Your vehicle’s emergency preparedness kit should include a spare tire and the right tools to replace one, road flares, a flashlight, a first aid kit, and non-perishable food and water.
The last thing you want to think about on the road is getting into an accident or your vehicle breaking down. Unfortunately, it happens – even if you do everything right! Making sure you’re prepared for the worst will help to ensure everyone’s safety, and make you more confident as you find the help you need.
Being Ready for Emergencies
If you do end up getting in an accident on your trip, or someone from your family gets sick or injured, there are ways you can prepare for those scary situations, too.
We’ve already touched on the importance of bringing necessary medications along while you travel. It’s a good idea to speak with your physician ahead of time if you’ll be gone for several weeks, so you can have a full supply of medications along the way without worrying about running out or having to refill a prescription in a different city.
Having several first aid kits with enough supplies for everyone will also be a big help if someone gets sick or injured. There are some emergencies, however, that warrant more than pre-packaged gauze and aspirin.
Though it can be difficult to think about, situations may arise that require emergency medical attention and care.
Thankfully, with today’s technology in place, it’s usually pretty easy to find a medical facility nearby, no matter where you are. But, you can prepare yourself even further by researching local emergency care centers and urgent care facilities wherever you go. Take notes wherever you’re going of not only the medical facilities themselves but their hours and any specialties they might have.
You can make life easier for healthcare professionals by having all of your information readily available. If someone in your family gets sick or injured, make sure to have a kit or file with their insurance information, any allergies, or other notes from their primary physician back home. Having that kind of information at their fingertips will make it easy for those in the medical field to start treating you or your family member faster and more effectively.
Never Going “Alone”
Even if you’re trying to be spontaneous and exciting, planning a family trip takes time. If you have young kids, it can be especially challenging and time-consuming to get everything in order. So, use some of that time to create a detailed plan, and share your itinerary with someone you trust.
At least one person should know where you are and what your schedule looks like. It doesn’t necessarily have to cover every second of each day. But, giving someone a basic idea of where you should be on each stretch of your trip is important. This is good practice no matter where you go, but it’s especially practical if you’re traveling overseas or to a different time zone. You might not always be easily accessible in certain locations. So, if someone back home knows when and how to check in, they’ll be able to tell other friends and family members that you’re all safe.
Even sharing a rough itinerary with someone you trust can offer you peace of mind. Have that person check in periodically to make sure your schedule is on track and you’re in the location you planned on being when you handed them the itinerary.
When someone knows where you are and what you’re doing, they can be a point of contact if anything were to happen. If an emergency arises, friends, family members, and even police officers will look to the point of contact for answers, since they were supposed to know your last location and what you were doing.
If you’re staying within the country, you can use technology to your advantage to let people know where you are. You can allow someone to track your iPhone, so they’ll always know exactly where you are without having to check in.
You should also leave that contact person with the information they need to help from afar if needed. That includes things like the first and last names of everyone on your trip, cell phone numbers, and any other means of contact – including email addresses and social media accounts. They need to know how to be able to get ahold of you, and who else they should contact if they can’t find you or they know there’s been an emergency.
While giving someone your information is a good idea, make sure you’re putting it into the hands of someone you can trust. It’s easy for your identity to get stolen or for other scams to pop up if the wrong person gets your information.
You might want to consider having someone “watch” your home, or even stay there a few nights if you plan to be gone more than a week. It can be dangerous for certain individuals to know you aren’t home and won’t be back for a while. Summer is the most common season for burglaries, and some suggest that’s because it’s when most families go on vacation. Do what you can to make sure your home looks “lived in” while you’re away. It will make a big difference in deterring a would-be criminal.
Educating Your Family Members
No matter how much you plan ahead, pack the right things, and try to prepare yourself for an adventure, nothing will replace being able to think on your toes and respond to emergencies as they happen.
Before you leave on a trip, make sure your family is just as prepared as you – especially your kids. Teaching them the right skills about survival can make a big difference, especially if you’re traveling in an RV or planning on spending a lot of time in nature. Some of the basic survival skills your whole family should know include
- Situational awareness
- Signaling
- How to start a fire
- How to find/construct shelter
- Self-defense
- Knowing how to find food and water
If you’re not sure how to educate and prepare your family ahead of time, get them as involved as possible, rather than sitting down and giving them a lecture. Let them help you pack for your trip, and explain why you’re packing certain items.
Kids are naturally curious, so encourage them to ask questions about what to expect, and be ready to answer them in detail. If you have older kids, encourage them to dig deeper into their questions and do their own research. You might have junior survivalists on your hands if they show an interest in traveling and being prepared.
Finally, consider testing out certain elements of traveling in a controlled environment. If you’re going to be spending a lot of time camping, set up your tent in the backyard for a “trial run.” Doing so will help your children feel more familiar with the process, so their first experience in a tent or sleeping bag won’t be hundreds of miles from home.
If you have an older child, offer to let them drive during certain parts of the trip, or give them more responsibilities than you have in the past. It’s not uncommon for teenagers to want to tune things out when you’re covering important safety rules. Making them feel like they have a bigger role to play will keep their attention and interest.
No matter where you’re traveling, emergency preparedness should be a top priority. It’s not uncommon for life to throw curveballs when you’re on the road, in a different country, or just trying to take a relaxing trip. By preparing yourself for the unexpected, you’ll keep your family safe, and spend more time enjoying your travels.
[Note: This was a guest post.]
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