When I lived in a sticks and bricks, I lived alone. I joked that if I died at home on a Friday, no one would know until Monday morning, when I did not report for work. But hey, at least someone would miss me before the domesticated critters started feeding on my carcass!
Now, traveling North America, I have no set schedule, except the one I make. I am accountable to no one. While my Facebook page and the map on the blog give a general idea of where I am at any given time, no one knows specifics, like the names of RV parks, or a detailed schedule. On only one occasion, when I was taking a helicopter flight over the Grand Canyon, I called my friend Rhonda, gave her information about the whereabouts of the RV, and told her I would call her at a designated time to let her know that everything turned out okay.
Truth be told, I like it this way. I don’t need an overseer or a keeper, and I don’t want to burden anyone with the minutiae of my travels.
Inherent to this lifestyle is the risk of injury or death, like in the motorhome. Recently an RV in North Carolina burned beyond recognition, and authorities asked for help in determining the identity of the solo driver. How terrible!
What if I was in an accident in the RV? I added emergency contact information to the iPhone, where first responders are trained to look on the lock screen, under “Emergency” and “Medical ID.” (If you would like to do this too, go to the “Health” app on your iPhone, choose “Medical ID” in the lower right-hand corner, scroll to the bottom and click “Edit.”)
But what if injury or accident occurred away from the RV? Who would take care of the pets? In the medical information I added a section about the animals and the location of the RV:
As for a Good Samaritan getting into the RV, I haven’t figured that part out yet if I get separated from my keys and I am unconscious or dead. I don’t want to put information about the whereabouts of a hidden key in the non-password-protected area of the phone, in case the phone is stolen. A friend who is also a solo traveler keeps a key in a lock box on the exterior of her RV, similar to boxes used by realtors for homes for sale. Still, one would need to know the combination.
I would love to hear how other people on the road, especially solo travelers, and those traveling with pets, manage this issue. Is there someone on the planet who knows your whereabouts at all times? Are there any specific apps you use to check in? Where in your RV, your toad, and/or on your person do you keep emergency information?
This Post Has 12 Comments
Thank you for this post!! I, too, have Crohns & 5 dogs, 4 cats. I’m (shhh) getting divorced & going FT Summer 2017. My absolute biggest fear is something happening to me & no one knowing my babies are alone in rv. My “real” kids are concerned but are putting on brave faces. I have medical needs, as do you, but “if not now..WHEN?”. We will never “be cured” so now, now is the time to enjoy whatever my future holds. Love reading your blog!!
Hi,
I’ve had that same thought – only I’m self employed, so I wondered, “how long will it take for someone to discover my dead body?” lol.
Now that I live in my RV I haven’t had that thought yet. I have met a few people I enjoy traveling with, but I still go off by myself. And I’m a loner – no one knows where I am most of the time. I guess I never thought of what might happen to me out here by myself. Maybe I should.. ?
Thanks for the honest post. You’ve given me something to think about.
Happy travels. Be safe!
-Carolyn
CarolynsRVlife.com
I live alone in an apartment with my dog now and am going full time in spring 2017. While I have many friends I have had the same thoughts. I have put emergency information in my phone, one can only hope the good Lord will watch over our beloved pets!
Be happy, enjoy every day and follow your heart!
Safe travels!
Cheryl
Hi Tammy,
I’m a solo traveler who doesn’t generally use Facebook or other social apps. Unless I call or text a family member, they have no idea where I am. I just promised to start updating the family Facebook page with my whereabouts. Until your post, though, I hadn’t thought of noting the campground I’m in. I think I will start doing that. My vehicles are registered at my brother’s house, so I’m not concerned with who will get notified if I meet my demise. I have a friend who has a list on her refrigerator of who to contact in case of emergency, including friends. I should do that, too. My family would not know who else I would want contacted if something happened to me.
And thanks for the note about emergency contacts on an iPhone. I didn’t know that was available. I’ll set that up today!
Would a “help I’ve fallen and can’t get up ” button work? Think they have gps built in and they would have all the info…
I ordered these cards for the pet concern. I have one in my wallet and one on my keys directing them to my wallet. I figure if something really bad happens I don’t really care if they have to break into my house. http://crittercozy.com/Household-Safety/home-alone-wallet-card.shtml
Just asked Evan what he sees his fellow emergency responders reach for on calls. He said if someone is unconscious, they’ll pretty much always look in the wallet. Less so for the phone – he said maybe if someone has that specific phone and knows how to access the info, they’d think to look, or if the phone is unlocked they might look in the contacts for a phone number that seems like a good contact. But we’ve had iPhones for like 8 years and neither of us knew about the emergency info there :). Maybe you could have the card in your wallet and on the back you could write out an explanation of how to access your up to date contact info on your phone?
Hi, Paige & Evan! Thanks for the information about the cards. It’s good to know that the phone thing is not as widely known as I thought. Yikes! Hope the neighborhood had a great Halloween yesterday! Miss you all.
Jane,
I am seriously considering something like that. I am a full timer and about to set out for my winter travels. I have been stuck at my daughter’s home for awhile now waiting on repairs to be completed (btw-if you think a shop takes a long time try having a relative who is a mechanic do the work, you may think the price of the repair is worth it 😉
I used to be concerned about emergencies and checked in regularly with my daughter until I realized she was too busy raising a family to notice if I hadn’t checked in (strike one). I frequently stay out of cell and wifi range (strike two). Finally, while I am only 50ish, I took a serious fall (thought I had cleared an obstacle and hadn’t) last month resulting in a very nasty blow to the back of my head as it crashed into the bathroom vanity in a freefall. This made me realize that even with checking in, no one would know if I was unconscious or dead in my RV in the middle of nowhere, much less parked next to my daughter’s home (strike three).
Like Tammy, I have the emergency thing in my phone. However, I am not nearly as concerned about getting hurt and not getting back to my fur baby (again covered by the phone and others being around me). I guess if it is my time to go there is really nothing I can do about it and worrying won’t resolve anything.
Happy trails,
Mush
Thanks. I didn’t even know I had a health app on my iPhone. Thanks too to the reader who posted the emergency card for pets. Good idea!
I was thinking they had those automatic food and water devices that are used for pets. Can’t you put those in your RV that would allow your pet to survive alone, in the event something happened to you?
I wish it was that simple, Judy! The dogs are crated when I am away. And, those automatic pet feeders are not all they’re cracked up to be. I owned the supposed Fort Knox of pet feeders when I lived in my sticks and bricks, and Boss Tweed broke into that thing within two weeks! Also, given this lifestyle, it could literally be days or weeks before anyone misses me and realizes the animals need assistance.
Look up Dynotags. I bought the tag for my keychain. They also have the usual medic bracelets, necklaces, etc… but they are all equipped with a QR code (the squiggly line squares on everything) it can be updated online with as much or as little info as you like, and as often. I may change the keychain tag to a wallet tag but I really like it. The emergency personnel scan the QR code and enter the 4 digits on the tag to Access the information. Very reasonable on Amazon.
Beth