If you are lost or your vehicle breaks down in the Gobi, a desert or empty country, stay where you are or by the vehicle: report your position first, then get shade and keep warm, conserve water, and don't wander

In a real emergency, call 911 first, then read this.

Cost

Before going into empty country, tell someone your route, destination, return date, and the vehicle model and plate number. Take at least 4 liters of water per person per day. A satellite communicator or BeiDou short-message device costs over a thousand CNY, and renting one costs several hundred CNY. The hard part is holding to "stay put and don't wander."

What you get

The U.S. National Park Service page on the Mojave Desert has three sentences in the original. One is "at least 1 gallon (about 3.8 liters) of water per person per day, and 2 gallons per person per day for hikers and bikers." One is "tell someone your route, destination, return date, and the make and license plate of your vehicle." Another is "cell phone signal comes and goes." Death Valley's original: "do not hike in the valley bottom and at low elevations when it is hot," the backcountry has "almost no cell phone signal," and it recommends carrying a satellite phone. The original on the Mojave's desert driving page: "in an emergency, staying with your vehicle is the most important thing you can do." The page also says such cases are not common, but people have died of exposure to extreme heat or cold while walking back to the road. The priorities come in five steps. Step one is to report that you are safe and your coordinates, and if there is signal, send your position first and then call. Step two is shade and warmth, and the vehicle is the biggest shelter. Step three is to conserve water. Step four is not to wander. Step five is signaling. The tip from the Chongqing Emergency Management Bureau (重庆市应急管理局) is that three fires set in a triangle are an internationally recognized distress signal. If rescuers are near, shout "three short, three long, three short," and repeat after 1 minute. When there is sun, reflect it with a mirror, a can lid or another bright object. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism (文化和旅游部) reminds self-driving travelers to be careful about going to empty country, to travel with several vehicles where possible, and to rent a satellite phone if necessary

Notes

Graded C because these are official tips, not research data. The water amount, reporting your plan, signal coverage, staying with the vehicle and distress signals are all the officials' own words. The circulating "three in a group" signal could not be found in an official original, so it is rewritten as the official three fires and three short, three long, three short. Don't hike at noon looking for the way. Don't drink urine. Don't go without drinking in order to save water.

Evidence grade

C : The author's experience or common practice, without direct literature.

Sources

1. US National Park Service. Mojave National Preserve Safety. https://www.nps.gov/moja/planyourvisit/safety.htm
2. US National Park Service. Death Valley Safety. https://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/safety.htm
3. US National Park Service. Desert Driving Safety. https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/desertdrivingsafety.htm
4. Chongqing Municipal Emergency Management Bureau (2024). Emergency Science Popularization > Distress Signals You Need to Know in the Wild (long image) [in Chinese]: "Lighting three fires is an internationally recognized distress signal; arrange the fires in a triangle" "Three short, three long, then three short; repeat after an interval of 1 minute". https://yjj.cq.gov.cn/yjkp/scshaq/202409/t20240918_13639172.html
5. Ministry of Culture and Tourism (2018). The Ministry of Culture and Tourism Reminds Tourists to Choose Outdoor Adventure Tourism Carefully [in Chinese]: "Be cautious about going to uninhabited or sparsely populated areas" "Travel with multiple vehicles where possible, prepare walkie-talkies in advance, and rent a satellite phone if necessary". https://www.mct.gov.cn/zxbs/cxts/201811/t20181127_836244.htm

Translated from the Chinese original. Original book, section 13, tip 27. Content may be out of date and rules differ by place. When you actually deal with an agency, a doctor or a court, follow what local officials, doctors and lawyers tell you. Disclaimer