Emergency Fund is a subject I talk about often, but a recent experience is why. When you experience death or tragedy in your family there are last minute things that cannot be planned for, traveling (car,flight,train, rental car, etc) and hotels. If one of these happen to hit your family the last thing you want to be worried about is, "Can I afford to attend the funeral of my loved one?"
Steps to prepare:
1. I would decide on the of preferred means of travel and price a ticket for everyone you would be responsible for. If you choose to fly I would recommend multiplying the average ticket price by 1.5-1.75 to account for the last minute ticket purchase.
2. Now let's decide on a hotel. Whatever is your usual amount you spend PER night on a hotel have a week of that amount saved. If you usually spend $100 per night you should have $700 in a fund for emergency travel.
3. Food, this can get very expensive while traveling due to the constant eating out so this is also an expense that must be accounted for. Over the course of a few weekend trips find out the average that you and your family spend per day and save a week worth of that amount.
I know these steps can be very expensive when added together, but it's better to prepare than miss an important event because of lack of funding. If you do not meet your goal that is ok, having something is better than nothing.