“You Don’t Write, You Don’t Call…”

Some time ago, an out-of-state friend visited my home in Phoenix. We were chatting about this plan of mine to travel in the camper van with the dogs. Our conversation went something like this:

Friend: “So, Eileen, how will you keep in touch with people so we know you’re safe”?

Me: “When I travel, I check in via text with a few folks when I change campsites”.

Friend: “Ok, good. And you will add me to that list?”

Me: “Yes”.

NOTE: This is where I should have ended the conversation.

Me: <After a pause>….”Of course, that only works when I have cell service. Lots of places I go are out of range”.

Friend: “How are we supposed to know you’re safe when you are out of range”?

Me: (Realizing I’ve stepped in something)…”Well…if you don’t hear from me, you can start looking for me in the last place you heard from me”!

Friend: “Not good enough. What if you get eaten by a bear”?

Me: (Starting to bristle because this conversation is threatening this dang independence I am so proud of….)  “That hardly ever happens, and if it did, it would be on the national news. You can keep an eye out for it, and then you’d know”.

Friend: (who is not impressed with my sarcasm). “I am too busy to keep an eye out for the national news reports of you having become a meal for wildlife. You have a lot of people in your life who will want to have a way to know you are safe. And NONE of us have the time to do Google searches on ‘Recent Bear Visits to Women Traveling in Camper Vans’. Figure out something better”.

Me: (Realizing that I’m going to lose this one)…”Ok”.

Here is what I use.

It’s a GPS two-way communicator. I can program three standard messages, that are attached to a pre-populated email/text list of contacts. When I reach an area where I am unable to send a text, I send the pre-programmed message, “Safe at a location without cell/internet”. The message is accompanied by a link to the location specified by the GPS coordinates. It’s really cool.

The “do not respond unless an emergency” language is included because I only get a few actual text messages as part of my $15/month subscription. I can send an unlimited number of these pre-programmed messages.

The other cool thing is that the device also features an SOS capability. If I have a medical emergency, I can activate it, and whoever monitors these things can send assistance. Regrettably, from what I have seen, there is no way to send an event-specific SOS message such as, “Send someone with a really big net because I am currently being eaten by a bear”. Maybe the next software update will contain such a feature.

NOTE: The conversation above happened virtually word for word. Except there were some glasses of wine involved, so the part about the bear may not have really occurred. But it could have.

Thanks for following our blog, and for your supportive comments. We love to read them!