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We’re halfway through Summer. And for those of you prepping to head off to college… well, take it from me, you might need this advice.

The first day of school may have been a little scary when you were younger, but you can handle anything now, right? Bad news: if you just graduated from high school, you’re not out of the woods yet. Your freshman year in college is one of the biggest transitions of all, and one of the first challenges you’ll be facing is getting along with your roommate.

Good thing The Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook: College has some hints, tips, and tricks in case it’s not working out between you two.

Bastille Day in Philadelphia via VisitPhilly

With Bastille Day coming up this Saturday, July 14th, I looked to the Worst Case Scenario Almanac: History for some advice on how to celebrate this revolutionary holiday.

While you probably won’t get in a fight with bayonets, barricades are just the thing to keep your block party going all day long.

Here are some strategies to make sure it’s effective:

Happy Independence Day!

Along with parades and fireworks, grilling up delicious food is practically a requirement for proper celebration of the 4th.

Worst Case Wednesday is all about keeping you disaster-free, so here’s a few tips from The Worst Case Scenario Almanac: Great Outdoors to make sure the only thing cooking today is your burger.

It’s summer, so if you’re lucky, you’re probably going on vacation. While this should be a time to relax, travel can involve all sorts of little stresses and snags, making summer vacation not much of a vacation at all.

Luckily, The Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Travel has thought of everything. Here are a few of the best tips for trip this summer:

Bathroom Emergencies: If you need a bathroom in a hurry, head for the nearest large hotel. Most hotels have bathrooms on or near the lobby that are usually clean and well-kept.

Freshening up: Department stores are great places to freshen up or reapply makeup. Just head for the sample counters and you’ll find an array of lipstick, makeup, and perfume at your disposal.

Taxis: When getting out of a taxi, make sure you leave the door open while you are getting your bags out of the trunk; that way the taxi can’t drive off before you get your bags out.

Luggage Markings: Give each piece of your luggage a unique look—tie a bandana to a handle or purchase a colored luggage tag. Bags often look alike, and even though you may be able to tell one bag from another, not everyone else is as smart as you are.

Avoid Wrinkles: Use plastic dry-cleaning bags between fine garments to keep them from wrinkling. Pack smaller items in zip-lock bags to keep them wrinkle-free.

Create Space: If you run out of space, zip your suitcase and drop it a few times on the floor. This will compress items a bit and free up space.

Avoid Equipment-Specific Bags: If you are taking valuable electronic equipment with you (such as cameras, video recorders, or laptops), consider packing them in a diaper or baby bag instead of the fancy, easily identifiable cases designed for them. A diaper bag is much less likely to be stolen and has a lot of extra pockets for storage.

False Wallet: Prepare a “mugger’s wallet” that contains a small amount of money along with a photo ID (not your driver’s license or passport) and additional, but replaceable, cards, for bulk. Use this wallet for your daily small expenses, but be prepared to surrender it in an emergency. Carry the wallet in your front pocket, and place a rubber band around it. You will feel any attempt to remove it.

Avoid this situation with WCS: The Great Outdoors

In the event our Worst-Case Wednesday posts haven’t been helping you out much, Amazon is currently running an awesome Big Deal promotion, offering up a bunch of eBooks from $0.99 to $3.99.

Included in this batch of books are the Worst-Case Scenario Almanac: The Great Outdoors, the Complete Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Man Skills, and the Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbooks for Golf, College, and the Weird Junior Edition.

I’ve got all the books and links rounded up below. Check ’em out. The promotion ends June 24th, so get them while you can!

Image via Jaunted

With summer in full swing, it’s time for another seasonal Worst-Case Wednesday. Again, I’ve delved into the Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Life for some strategies. I’ve taken a random sampling of summer scenarios (apologies for the abundant alliteration) to handle common summer conundrums.