With about a decade dabbling in JavaScript, I can confidently say the most universal safeguard is:
if (typeof myVar !== 'undefined') {
console.log("It exists!");
}
This typeof check is super safe because it doesn’t blow up even if myVar was never declared. It’s my default when building robust javascript check if variable exists logic — especially when I want to avoid those ugly reference errors that can halt execution. Whether you’re working across modules or loose scripts, this one’s reliable.