You pull over to the side of the road. There's smoke coming out of the hood--the car has overheated.

You're halfway between your house and your parents' house for a visit.

What's the first thing you do after you pull over? I hope you have your cell phone on you.

You've been there. An emergency. Something unexpected happens, and you are far from a land line. What do you?

Thank goodness for cell phones.

My older sister said she'd never have a cell phone. She's not into high technology. But her daughter insisted. She bought my sister a cell phone and put her on her family's cell phone plan.

I breathed a sigh of relief.

My sister and her husband have retired to the southwestern desert. If they go to visit family or go on vacation, they have to drive highways where there are miles between exits. We always worried. What if their car breaks down? What if they have a health emergency? What would they do in the heat if they had to walk to get help?

There's really no better insurance than having a cell phone. And it's truly amazing the cell coverage that is available with many services any more. Even if you are out in "no man's land" there is often at least some cell coverage.

My sister never thought they'd actually have to use this cell phone in their travels. But on their way to my son's graduation in California, their car over heated in the desert. They rested a while. The car seemed alright and so they ventured on. In a couple of miles, the car started smoking and came to a dead stop.

They didn't know it then, but the water hose had broken. Thank goodness they had their cell phone and could call the auto club. And then they called all of us to let us know they would be late.

If they had not been able to call and didn't arrive on time, I would have been wringing my hands and pulling my hair. But their cell phone call put all of us at ease. The auto club got out there right away and got them to the nearest repair station. The repair shop replaced the water hose and they were on their way again.

They actually made to my son's graduation on time!

If you want a cell phone only for emergency purposes, plan on just using it occasionally, or if you don't have a lot of money to spend on a cell phone, consider a prepaid cell phone.

I just can't say enough about having a cell phone when you go on road trips. It's an absolute necessity. I can't imagine anyone going on a road trip without a cell phone!