We all know how dangerous driving can be. However, when you are driving down the road and suddenly you feel your car pulling to one side or making a strange noise, what do you do then? Misadventures in cars can be fun and they can also be incredibly dangerous. If you feel like you are in a traveling mood, there are a few things that you should keep in mind before you hit the road.
First of all, when you travel, nowadays it s always a good idea to bring a fully charged cell phone. Some people might think that this is just being paranoid. However, in this day and age, you can never be too sure (which is a sad thing). No other time is this especially true if you are a) a woman, b) traveling alone and c) traveling through unfamiliar areas. A wrong turn can put you in the wrong neighborhood trust me. Additionally, there are also plenty of affordable GPS units out there, which are always handy if you are directionally challenged. Otherwise, always plan to have at least one paper map of the United States in your vehicle (because face it technology isn t perfect and can fail sometimes).
The next thing you want to think about is food and other comfort items. For example, it is always a good idea to have a small, closed bin packed in the back of your car or in the trunk area. In it, you should include at least one change of clothes to include a pair of sweatpants, a sweatshirt, gloves, underwear, t shirt, socks, a plastic bag and any other clothing items you think are necessary. You should also have a flashlight (make sure you check the battery life every now and then), a swiss army knife of some sort, spark plugs, some dry food as well as a few bottles of water. Depending on where you live or where you are traveling to, this list of items may be bigger.
Misadventures can be fun as long as you are prepared. Everyone loves a good laugh where they can look back at something that happened to them unexpectedly that made them smile. However, it won t be quite as funny if you or someone elses life is at risk due to lack of planning. There is a fine line between being paranoid and being prepared for the unexpected. While we may never know what fortunes may befall us, we can certainly do our best to prepare ahead of time. Packing something as small as a little car emergency kit can go a long way. For example, what if you were to become stranded on the side of the road at night? You have already called a tow truck, but they ve informed you that it will be a few hours before they get to you. It s cold out and your car battery is dead. In your emergency car kit, you pull out an extra sweatshirt and put that on to keep warm. When you become hungry and thirsty, you have a dry snack to keep you satisfied as well as a bottle of water. Little things like this make all of the difference.