For Christmas several years ago my sister gave me a "Just in Case" kit for my car. It was a simple little duffle bag filled with a fleece blanket, a flash light, bottled water, snacks, and a couple of road flares. I thought it was a great idea, especially since I was constantly on the road either commuting back and forth to work or traveling. A couple years later I decided to add to the kit. I threw in a couple pairs of socks and some old sweat pants and a shirt…just in case. For me, this little kit was sufficient. I already carried a first-aid-kit and a couple rolls of toilet paper under the seats of the car, so some water, food, extra clothes and a blanket were enough for anything that I would encounter in my regular travels. Luckily, I have yet to have to use any of it. I like to "be prepared" when I go on longer trips, too. Being prepared just gives you peace of mind, lets you enjoy things more, and gives you choices. Several years ago, when I took my nieces on a cross-country road trip, we were trying to fit four teenage girls and myself in a little car for a two-month trip. (Yes, I am the adventurous sort.) Even though we were tight on space, we made the conscious decision to bring extra pillows, blankets, and a tent. We planned on staying in hotels or with family and friends for the majority of the trip, but we wanted to be prepared. What if we did get stranded? What if we ran out of money—or the credit card got lost/stolen—in the middle of nowhere? What if we just got tired of the comforts of a hotel room and felt like camping when we got to the green part of the country? We never used the tent, and it kind of “got in the way” as we were constantly packing and unpacking the car, but it was nice to have it there, to have options and a safety net of sorts. I do the same thing when I’m packing my own bags for trips. I want to be prepared. I don’t know if I’m going to feel like wearing a button-down shirt or a T-shirt. What shoes will I want to wear? Will we end up going somewhere and needing to be a little dressy? What will the weather be like? Life is full of choices. No matter how hard we try, we cannot foresee what the future holds. We cannot control life, no matter how great we are at planning and scheduling. Stuff happens. Being prepared for those moments makes them a lot easier to handle. Was it annoying to have to work around the tent and extra blankets and pillows that summer? Yes…but I wouldn’t have gone without them. Is it sometimes frustrating to remember to rotate the water bottles in the car? Yes, but it would be more frustrating to be stranded on the side of the road in the middle of summer without them. Being prepared does take effort, but that’s how it is with anything worthwhile. In recent years the Just in Case kit has been upacked with the luggage and hasn’t quite made its way back to the car, because I keep meaning to rotate the contents. Rest assured, however, that it will make it back in before I make any serious trips. It’s good to rotate the contents and take stock of your contingency plans once in a while—whether it’s a Just in Case kit for your car or the exit strategy for emergency situations in your house. You can purchase fancy car emergency kits…but they’re usually pretty expensive, and unless you’re planning on a huge road trip out in the middle of nowhere with no cell-phone service, they’re probably not something you’ll need to spend that much money on. Go with the basics that you can find around your house: * Blanket * Matches or a lighter * Road flares * Water * Food (fruit snacks, granola bars, jerky, etc.) * Toilet paper * First-aid kit * Extra clothing—socks, sweat pants/shirt * Prescription medications Your emergency kit will be different than mine because you and your family are different than I am. I like to have a phone charger with me whenever I travel. I like to make sure to have actual cash hidden away in cubbies just in case I lose my credit card somehow. (It’s also nice to find the cash later, when you’re cleaning, and have forgotten about it.) Being prepared does not have to be a cumbersome project, but being unprepared is always overwhelming.