Gaye Levy
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This is the time of year when families travel to visit friends and relatives near and far. When taking a road trip, it is easy to throw a bug-out-bag and extra food and clothing into the trunk of your car but what if you are traveling by air? Not only do you have those pesky baggage weight limits to deal with, but you also have the scrutiny and probing eyes (and sometimes hands) of the TSA to avoid.
Can you imagine what might happen if you showed up at the airport with a fully stocked survival kit? I am being just a wee bit facetious but these days, you can never be too sure what will happen if someone decides to label you as a prepper.
TSA notwithstanding, today I would like to share a reminder that no matter where you go, you should include some basic preps in your carry-on or in your check-through luggage so that no matter what, you will be prepared to deal with bumps along your journey.
Here in list form, and in no particular order, is a list of 30 items every prepper should carry when traveling.
Survival Items You Should Carry When Traveling
1. A wise traveler not only carries a passport, but also a photocopy of the passport and a scanned version on a laptop, CD, or flash drive.
2. Your health insurance or Medicare card.
3. Your driver’s license, proof of car insurance, and the 24 hour claims number for your insurance company.
4. Two credits cards housed in two different places (in case one gets lost or is stolen) along with the customer service numbers for the credit card companies written down and stored someplace other than your wallet. You might want to consider RFID sleeves for your credit cards.
5. A list of emergency contacts, including telephone numbers and email addresses.
6. A prepaid long distance card for making calls when there is no cell phone service or when the calls will be too expensive due to roaming charges.
7. A few blank checks or traveler’s checks plus some funds in the local currency (if you are traveling out of the country).
8. Prescription medications with at least 3 days over and above the number of days you plan to be gone.
9. An emergency first aid kit including bandages, pain medication, instant hot/cold packs, antibiotic ointment, lavender essential oil, an anti-diarrheal, allergy medication, heartburn medication, and anything else that you commonly use.
10. Insect repellent or essential oil alternative.
11. Sunscreen.
12. Protein or snack bars.
13. Travel tissues and a travel sized roll of TP (you would be surprised at how often this “essential” will come in handy.)
14. Baby wipes or my favorite, No Rinse Bathing Wipes. You can wash up pretty well with these in the event you can’t take an actual shower.
15. Hand sanitizer plus sanitizer wipes (Those tray tables on planes are horrifyingly filthy – this article says they very frequently are the home for fecal matter.)
16. A mini, LED flashlight and possibly an LED headlamp as well.
17. Pocket knife or Swiss Army-style knife. (This will have to go in your checked luggage)
19. An emergency whistle. This Windstorm Safety Whistle is my favorite,.
20. Paracord in bracelet, keychain, or lanyard form for portability.
21. Water purification tabs for ensuring safe, drinkable water if supplies at your destination are compromised.
22. A portable water filter and pouch, like this Sawyer Mini kit. The pouch takes up very little space when empty but would give you a clean container for your filtered drinking water in an emergency.
23. A small roll of duct tape and some tie wraps (also called cable wraps).
24. Mylar emergency blankets.
25. A pocket poncho for every member of your group.
26. Protective masks to wear when seated near obviously sick people (coughing and sneezing) while using public transportation.
27. Batteries (or rechargeables plus a battery charger).
28. Your cell phone charger or a USB cable to use as a charging cable.
29. Key passwords to access email accounts and online financial data.
30. Pre-printed labels with your home address, home phone number, and email address. Include one or more of these labels in each checked bag.
Extra Credit Bonus Items for the Traveler
As a proponent of essential oils, I travel with a small pouch containing my most important oils including Shield (a thieves like protective blend), lavender, and melaleuca (tea tree). I also carry some DIY Cold and Flu Bomb and DIY Anti-Viral Sanitizing Spray.
Something else I carry with me is a tin containing a portable survival kit. This portable kit contains a number of the items I would normally have in my travel kit but has the added advantage of allowing me to throw it in my pack or handbag while I am out and about at my destination. You can put your own emergency kit in a tin together. You will find some ideas in the article 8 Essential Items: The Perfect Portable Survival Kit.
Another bonus item is solar lighting. I throw both a solar lantern and my SunJack LightStick in my bag. They are not as small and portable as a flashlight, but they operate without batteries and can be used in a variety of situations to provide an abundance of light as well as emergency signaling.
Since everyone’s needs are different, you might find some additional ideas for your travel kit in the article Don’t Fly Without These 20 TSA-Approved Items in Your Prepper’s Carry-on Bag.
Here some some air travel tips from Daisy Luther, the author of that article:
Pay attention to the flight attendant. Aren’t you going to feel kind of stupid if the plane crashes and you have no idea where the nearest exit is? Take 2 minutes out of your life to listen when the flight attendant goes over the safety information.
Dress appropriately. Whenever I see fellow passengers wearing flip-flops, high heels, or other inappropriate footwear, I cringe. You should always wear shoes that are sturdy and comfortable enough for a long distance hike. As well, clothing items made from natural fibers are less flammable and more breathable. Cover as much of your exposed skin as possible by wearing long pants and sleeves.
Wear your carry-on bag. That well-packed carry-on bag isn’t going to do you much good if you don’t have it with you. To keep your hands free for other tasks, I recommend a backpack or cross-body bag for your most important survival items.
Bring snacks. I always pack things like Clif bars, nuts, and dried fruit. The more snacks you have, the longer you can wait before eating your fellow passengers, Andes-soccer-team style.
The Final Word
There is nothing remarkable about this list and, as a matter of fact, it is fairly mundane and undoubtedly includes things you routinely pack along as a matter of course. Still, if there is just one item you have overlooked – and you need that item – you will be happy to have it along to help you out of a jam or to make your journey more secure.
And just for the record? I pack all of these items and a whole lot more when I travel. I can get by with just a couple of pairs of shoes but not without my preps. You just never know.
Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation!
Gaye
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Below you will find the items mentioned in this article.
No Rinse Cleansing & Deodorizing Bathing Wipes: One wipe is more than enough for a complete “bath”. These are a good backup when traditional showers are not available such as the week or weeks following a disaster. Also good for the sick room as well as camping, boating, hiking and such.
Kershaw OSO Sweet Knife: This “oh so sweet” knife is solidly built, stainless steel knife that comes razor sharp right out of the package. It will pretty much cut through anything the price is amazing. (Newcomers to my website take heed: I love this knife!)
Windstorm Safety Whistle: This particular whistle can be heard a long distance away and above howling wind and other competing sounds. I love my cheapie whistles but this is the one I would depend on for wilderness survival.
3M N95 Particulate & Respirator Mask: This is an inexpensive mask that can be used in a variety of emergency situations. They come in a box of 20 and are NIOSH-certified. The molded cone design is fluid and splash resistant and will greatly reduces your exposure to airborne particles.
Sawyer Products Mini Water Filtration System: Fans of the Sawyer water filtration systems are evangelistic in their praise. Did you know they only weight 2 ounces and fit in the palm of your hand? Be sure to also check out the Family Color Coded Gift Pack.
Travelon RFID Blocking Purse Organizer: If you are like me and move things around from pack to pack and purse to purse, you are going to love this organizer. The outer sides of the organizer will block RFIDs, protecting the entire contents. I have had mine for over a year and love it!
Emergency Mylar Thermal Blankets: These come in compressed packets small enough to fit in a pocket or wallet. You will be surprised at how warm these will keep you.
4 Pack Emergency Poncho: You may also find these at your local Dollar Store.
Solar Powered LED Inflatable Air Lantern: These are fantastic! I own two and want to get more. They just work! For more information, read: Review: Inflatable Solar Air Lantern for Emergencies.
Blocklite Ultra Bright 9V LED Flashlight: One of my readers (James) claimed that these work great. So I bought one. Then I bought another. All told, I have 8 of these spread out in drawers, in my emergency kits, the car, everywhere.
Lavender Essential Oil: This is the Swiss army knife of essential oils. My favorite lavender oil is from Spark Naturals. Enjoy a 10% discount with code BACKDOORSURVIVAL.
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34 Responses to “30 Items Every Prepper Should Carry When Traveling”
I agree with all your suggestions! The only thing that bugs me is the illustration, NO traveler with ANY experience would travel in sandals…..
You are just asking for trouble.
Tex
Last year, Billy and I bought those neat survival kit backpacks for each other for our birthdays. We bought two different ones and we dumped everything out in the living room floor and then “customized” them for our more personal use, adding a few items and swapping with each other on other items. They will go with us on vacation(we drive, I’ve never flown.) Hopefully they won’t be needed but it’s a bit scary these days to get too far from home. Thanks for the blog, Gaye!
I like to carry a small emergency radio as we often travel to more rural locales and, with the unpredictability of the weather nowadays, it has come in handy!
For international travel, Have the phone number and ADDRESS of your embassy/consulate and a friendly county – Canada? written down before you leave. Check travel alerts at http://www.travel.state.gov. If you have choices, stay were Lufthansa or British Airways put up their flight crews. If there is an emergency and these airlines are having their crews shelter in place – you shelter in place. The most dangerous part of your trip might be the trip to the airport. Never, never, never be an ugly American when you travel. It may be the taxi driver or a shopkeeper who will have the info, and share that info with you, that could save your life.
These are great tips – especially the one about staying where the flight crews are lodged. So the question is this: where do you get that information?
Just an FYI, lots of police and emergency medical responders want to see medicines in their original containers with the pharmacies label. It makes verification of contents easier, an ER doctor can locate and call the doctor that prescribed the meds, if their should be a medical emergency. Some pharmacies, I think Target is one, will on request give you a second smaller container with the pharmacies label, they do this for traveling specifically for the reasons I’ve stated.
I like the idea of smaller sized travel bottles and am going to check that out with Costco pharmacy where my husband gets his meds. Thanks for the tip.
Gaye: I’ve added a couple of N95 masks to my travel kit. Seems like chaos always brings airborne debris/smoke/dust. Goggles not a bad idea either. You’ve given me some items to add to my list as well. Thanks as always!! Matt
I like that you list didn’t start out with a fire starter like most seem to. When you travel you need to remember that you’re surviving in a “modern jungle” if you will and what you really need are all of those things that help you get through it if need be.
I know what you mean. Some of the items I see on certain lists seem silly – but then what do I know?
First I cannot fly, I am on the no fly list (because I wrote an article saying the the Bush administration took down the WTC, I will not be groped by some government freak, I cannot get a passport.If I had to go anywhere. I would drive. If you want freedom stand up to the government Gestap[o and do not fly. If people did it the airline would go bust and they can blame it on TSA.
Oh my gosh – I had no idea you had been targeted in that manner. There is no such thing as free speech these days and even I am constantly “looking over my shoulder”. Be that as it may, I hope that Backdoor Survival is benign enough to fall off the government radar screen.
Thanks for your support. I worked for the government, I know what bastards they are. BTW, I managed real estate for for35 years
Hey – are there any pressure cookers out there – not canners, I have several sizes of the All American, which I love – but we need pressure cookers WITHOUT PLASTIC HANDLES and such to use on cookstoves – fireplaces, etc. Pressure cookers shorten the cooking times – but with plastic handles and such can’t be used in places other than “normal” stove tops. Are there any good ones out there? Thanks!
I will issue a shout-out on Facebook and the Sunday Surivival Buzz. Someone out there should be able to help.
Never get a knife in our airport not even tweezers
No tweezers? Cripes – even the TSA brochure indicates tweezers are ok.
Sorry I did not make it more clear that the list of items includes those you can carry in your checked luggage. I did mention it at the get go but I should have made that more clear when I listed the knife.
I am still surprised about the tweezers, though.
Ah I see makes better sence. Although not sure.what we allowed in luggage on knifes. Yea no sharp object even tweezers, fair play if you take a plane with them lol. Just world we live in now so sad. I love this site and your views just found it few days back. Im not a prepper but will take advice from here to better myself