Spring break is upon us, and many of you will be heading out of town on vacation! We wish you safe travels and a good time! But before you jump in that car, or plane to your vacation destination, there are a couple of things you need to make sure you have with you! Better to be prepared when disaster strikes than not.
Health Insurance Cards
You make it to where you’re going, and are relaxing by the pool. Your oldest just wouldn’t stop running around the pool, and now he’s slipped and hurt his wrist. You bustle him off to the urgent care, and the first thing the receptionist asks for is your driver’s license and health insurance cards. What? You forgot them? Well in that case my friend, this little accident is going to come right out of your pocket. Luckily, if you can provide insurance after the fact, you can be reimbursed for the charges. Several weeks later. Don’t let an accident burn up all of your play money! Bring your insurance cards!
First Aid Kit
Maybe you didn’t go to the beach, maybe you took the family hiking. You’re out, enjoying the glory of nature, and your youngest trips on a root and scrapes her knee. Now it’s not a bad scrape – but you know the only thing that’s going to make her feel better is a band aid. Which… was forgotten. Now her little knee is full of dirt, and is open to the elements instead of safely protected behind a small piece of plastic and gauze. Grab a first aid kit on your way out the door! Always better to have something and not need it, than to need something and not have it.
Prescription Medications
Do you have a medical condition that requires prescription medications? Or an inhaler for an allergic reaction? Forgetting any of these things can quickly turn a dream vacation into a nightmare. So when you pack the car, make sure that anything your doctor prescribed you is in that vehicle. You might be able to get emergency refills of your medication where you are vacationing, but sometimes insurance won’t pay for that. And you’d be shocked at how much some medications cost out of pocket.
Map
How many times in the past year have you gone somewhere new, and when asked if you needed directions, “No thanks! I can Google it!” And you did, then turned on your GPS and let your phone tell you how to get there. What would we do without technology! Think about your car. Do you still have a map, or an atlas? What happens when you drive into an area that has bad reception, or none at all? You’ll be without your heading and dead in the water. And if you’re traveling, this can cause a host of problems. Before you ship out, you’ll want to do one of two things; either buy a map that includes where you’re driving to, or take a few moments on your computer to print out a physical copy of your directions.
List of Allergies/Medical Conditions
This is a worst case scenario preparation that is no less important than the rest of this list. If you are somehow separated from your family, or traveling alone, and something happens to you, you need to make sure that you have a list of your allergies and medical problems in your wallet. If you’re unconscious, and for whatever reason they give you a shot of penicillin, and you’re allergic to it? Hello anaphylactic shock! Or maybe you have a latex allergy? You never expect the worst to happen, and hopefully it won’t. But if it does, you should be prepared for it. Doing so could save your life.
