When all is said and done, it is the preparation for your adventure trip that can make all the difference in its outcome.

Outdoor activity experts and seasoned adventurers would all agree that the time and effort placed in preparation makes or breaks the trip. Whether scaling mountains, kayaking a whitewater river or hiking extended trips, they would state the importance of following a preparation approach.

People who have experienced an emergency on an adventure trip will agree about the importance of a preparation approach. If they’d been prepared, they could have handled the situation—better.

Preparation takes time and effort and nothing may happen. But if you experience a crisis-free situation, it is your preparation approach that has served you well.

More importantly, should something happen, your preparation will afford you more knowledge, skill and resources to apply to the situation.

Here are 7 important actions to weave into the preparations for your next trip:

1) Develop a risk management plan for the trip and share it with the group. Balance risk with uncertainty and know the difference. Plan to manage the risk and determine the degree to which uncertainty can accompany you on the trip.

2) Follow an ethical decision-making process regarding how you and those with whom you travel deal with risk and uncertainty. Be caring in all decisions, because caring balances all perspectives. Being careful means you follow the decisions of others. Being careless means you want others to follow your decisions.

3) Make a list of all the variables that could influence your trip and work through each one to discover ways to lessen its negative impact. Checking the list with your travelling companions is a great way to engage newbies accompanying you for the first time. It is also a way to ask those with experience to share their insights (maybe you could learn something new).

4) Make sure you know about the people with whom you are travelling. Because friends bring friends, do not be lulled into accepting people without first understanding what knowledge, skill and attitude they bring to the activity. Depending on what you learn about them, those insights may adjust your trip plan.

5) Learn and practice first aid skills linked with possible illness and injuries for your trip; and remember, cold is always present in some form or another—therefore, be prepared! Practice, practice, and practice!

6) Make a checklist for the trip. Check it twice before leaving your home. Then check it again at the start point of the trip. And each morning of your extended trip, check it again. The checklist keeps you organized. Also, it helps you avoid leaving anything behind.

7) Anticipate and care rather than react and cure. Let this phrase guide your preparation approach. Anticipate what you can, and do so through caring decisions. To do so means you have a head start on dealing with an emergency. If you are using react and care actions, then you are exerting more effort that may or may not let you get ahead.    

Remember, Prevention is Queen, Preparation is King!