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 water, staying still by day and moving only when it cools at night. 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. 重庆市应急管理局 (2024). 应急科普>>在野外你需要了解的求救信号（长图）：「燃放三堆火焰是国际通行的求救信号，将火堆摆成三角形」「三声短三声长，再三声短；间隔1分钟之后再重复」. https://yjj.cq.gov.cn/yjkp/scshaq/202409/t20240918_13639172.html
5. 文化和旅游部 (2018). 文化和旅游部提醒游客谨慎选择户外探险旅游：「谨慎前往无人区和人烟稀少区」「尽量多车同行，提前准备对讲机，必要时租用卫星电话」. 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