Hello Reader,

We were in Bangkok, Thailand for the earthquake.

First of all we are ok.

The airbnb we were staying in was a low-rise apartment, thankfully.

Yikes. Not on my radar of possible things to happen during our 6 month trip, as Bangkok hadn't ever really experienced one like that in most people's lifetimes.

In fact, we didn't realize it was an earthquake at first. I thought Derek was moving the bed around as a joke, until he said I think it's an earthquake. The lights were swaying, and I felt light headed due to the movement.

Even after growing up on the west coast of Canada, and doing earthquake drills repeatedly, we all kinda froze, and weren't really sure what to do. We left the building and went out front with the rest of the tenants. Then spent the next few hours in safer places away from large buildings and wires just in case.

Luckily there was not a lot of damage for the size of the Bangkok. My heart goes out to all the families who were affected by the earthquake, and loss of loved ones in Bangkok and in Myanmar, which was hit hard.

This experience also made us realize we should have a more formalized travel safety plan.

Do you have a safety plan when you travel?

If not, I highly recommend you consider making at least a basic one. You don't think it will happen to you, until it does.

Here are some things to consider, based on our most recent experience:

• Make sure your kids / other travel mates know who to call if you are hurt or out of commission.
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• Put important phone numbers on a piece of paper or somewhere you can easily access that’s not on your phone. Things like your Embassy or Consulate #'s, hospital or clinic #'s and nearest locations, emergency contact #'s from home. I know I don't remember anyone's phone numbers, and sometimes you might not have access to your phone. This is in addition to having all your important documents saved online somewhere accessible.
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• Make a basic plan for different emergencies such as fires, earthquakes, flooding, medical emergencies etc. Include exit routes from hotels, and meeting points etc. I like to stay in lower rise buildings, as high rises give me anxiety, around being stuck in an emergency.
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• Have a plan for if your kids get separated from you, and remind them about it at each place you visit. Have a designated meeting spot, and your phone numbers on the child. We also made our daughter memorize our phone numbers, and quiz her on it regularly.
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• Buy travel medical insurance. We always buy it just in case. This minor expense is worth it if you end up needing it. Make sure it covers what you want or need it to, including repatriation of the person back to their home country.​
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• If it’s safe to do so, bring your passports, important documents & wallet with you, in case you can't return to where you are staying quickly. Ideally have them all together in one spot to easily grab. But leave the rest of your stuff behind. Stuff is replaceable, you and your loved one's aren't.

I know it's not fun to think about these things for your vacation, but being prepared will give you peace of mind.

That's all for today.

Stay safe out there,

Donna

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