By Emily C.

Road trips are incredible amounts of fun! You get to go on an adventure with friends/family to a new or traditional destination, have no worries, make lots of fun memories, and just go with the flow. But, it’s all fun and games until you’re not prepared and something unexpected happens.

When people think of going on a road trip, they think about where they will go, who they will go with, and what they will bring- snacks, drinks, music, gas, money, map/gps, jumper cables, first aid kit, spare tire, etc. But people tend to forget that they should do one key thing BEFORE they go; it is the most important step in preparing for your road trip – that is to tell people your plans before you go.

You may be thinking, “Why do I have to do that?” or “How is this important?” Good questions. Have you ever seen or heard of the movie ‘127 Hours’ with James Franco? It is about a mountaineer who bikes and hikes and cave dives. He left his car miles and miles away, was alone, and didn’t tell anyone where he was going before he left. When he ventures down into one cave, his arm gets stuck between the wall and a ginormous rock, for 5 days! With all his yelling and longing to be found, no one comes. The place he is at is essentially abandoned, with only two other girls there that he had met earlier. And the place he is stuck in is the width of a hair from a bird’s eye view.

I am mentioning this movie because it is very powerful and highlights the importance of informing people of your whereabouts, where you will be each day, and when they expect to hear from you. This is crucial in taking a road trip, or any other trip for that matter. If your loved ones at home do not hear from you or know what you are doing or where you are going, they can send the necessary help for you knowing that you were last in a specific place because you had told them before.

Please be safe and inform your loved ones before you leave.