Dear Heloise: I don’t want to sound morbid, but you never know what will happen on a trip. Whenever my husband and I go on a trip, I take a picture of our tickets, passports, and any other important documents on my phone, then send them to my son before we leave. I let him have a copy of our plans in foreign countries and our hotel information, and I stay in contact by sending postcards to friends and family.

Why all the precaution? A dear friend of ours was in an accident years ago and could not communicate important information to anyone. He was in a coma for two weeks and missed his return flight home, which made his family frantic. His wife didn’t know where he was staying and only had old photos of him.

Thank God he was returned to his family, but if he had died, no one might have known what had happened to him. — Georgia N., in Charleston, South Carolina

LESSON LEARNED

Dear Heloise: Seven years ago, I nearly lost my son. His father took him boating out on the ocean, but before they left, I reminded him that our son was only 7 years old. So, his father should make certain that he had a life vest on. He put a life vest on our son, but he didn’t close it. While zipping around in his boat, our son flipped out of the boat and out of the life vest because his father didn’t close the vest properly.

If you have a child, always make certain that the vest is closed and securely on the child. I thank the heavens that I taught him to swim when he was 5 years old.

He started swimming toward shore, but a couple who saw what had happened raced to rescue him in their boat.

I don’t expect a 7-year-old to have the sense of danger that an adult would have, but his father knew better. So, thank you for reminding people to teach their children to swim. It helped save my son’s life until he could be rescued. — Ava E., in Hollywood, Florida