Sometimes you’re coasting along through life when the sudden ringing of a telephone heralds a warning, the sky opens, and a mountain drops into your path. This mountain is the Family Emergency and it takes precedence over all the other mountains you’re trying to move.

Often the first thing you have to do in reacting to the Family Emergency is transport yourself from where you are to wherever the rest of the family is gathering to deal with the crisis. That means getting ready to travel with no time to waste while your mind runs in a thousand directions at once. So you’ll already have a leg up on that unexpected mountain if you’ve done part of your travel planning in advance.

Try these suggestions:

• Make a list. For me, packing begins with the packing list, and I keep the master in my computer. It lists everything I use on a daily basis under specific headings: Makeup, Toiletries, Medication, Clothes, Work, and Recreation. Makeup and clothes are self-explanatory. Toiletries includes shampoo, toothpaste, soaps, creams, lotions, hair dryer, etc. Medication includes the few prescriptions I might be taking as well as my large stash of daily vitamins. Work would be my laptop, notebooks, pens, reference works. Recreation is puzzle books, pleasure reading, craft projects, MP3 player.

Before each trip, I copy the master list and quickly make any changes—usually to wardrobe, prescriptions, or work—that are unique to that trip. My master list also includes a heading for “Snacks,” which I delete if I’m flying because of the limited luggage space. But if I’m driving, I try to take along a bag of healthy snacks—especially if I’m going into a stressful situation where I might be tempted to eat junk food. Once I’ve made the changes for that trip, I print out the list and start checking off items as I toss them into the suitcase.

• Pack in advance. Where possible, I buy travel-size items so I can lighten my travel load. Toothpaste, mouthwash, soap, lotion, Vaseline, and other toiletries are available in cheap trial sizes. If I can’t find something in a sample size, I buy small bottles and make one. I try to keep my toiletry bags stocked year-round. That way when an emergency arises, I can immediately check off that section of my list and move on to areas, such as prescriptions and vitamins, that have to be stocked fresh.

Another way to speed up your packing is to buy a couple of versatile travel-friendly outfits that can easily be converted from business to evening wear and can spend a few hours in a suitcase without looking as though they’ve been wadded up in the hamper. Keep these items clean and separate from your everyday wear so they’ll always be ready to go when you are. Another good idea is to always have your suitcase stocked with several pairs of clean underwear, just in case an emergency call comes the day before you were planning to do the laundry.

When you have your master checklist prepared in advance and know the basics—toiletries, clothing essentials, underwear—are at the ready, you’ll eliminate a lot of the stress of packing as you try to deal with the emotions of planning a trip while processing your other concerns.