Prepare: Business Travel Preparedness

I travel frequently, (1-2 trips per month) and as such, like to travel ready for anything. By car, I can carry anything I may need. But most business trips are by airplane, which raises questions as to what I can legally and safely carry while on trips away from home.

To start, most of my trips are to urban and developed locations and all are in the continental U.S. (CONUS). I have colleagues who travel outside of the U.S. to Africa and Asia for instance; I could not imagine what I would do in those circumstances so I am thankful for what I have to work with.

When I travel, I carry a roller board suitcase and a backpack. I have always preferred backpacks over over-the-shoulder computer bags. Besides the fact they can be carried on two shoulders (I use this more frequently than you would think), they are designed to be carried for longer periods of time and have more features than a standard laptop bag.

While I would like to say I carry some expensive Kelty business ready backpack, all of my backpacks are generic, rugged bags which I replace annually.

There are a few things I prepare for while on business trips. They include:

Low risk:
Flight delays or reroutes due to weather, repairs, etc.
Getting bumped from my hotel or losing reservation
Change in travel plans, i.e. extra night or day travel

High risk:
Plane crash landing
Weather disaster such as hurricane
National emergency which grounds flights, i.e. such as 9/11
Other national emergency, like the kind we talk about here...

Here is how I pack:

My roller board contains my spare shoes (generally a pair of sneakers for workouts), workout clothes (sweatpants, t-shirt, hoodie and socks), and another set of business clothes.

Depending upon the time of year, I will carry gloves, thermals, a hat and a heavy pair of pants such as jeans and a pair of boots when traveling in the winter. I always bring along a hat regardless of the season.

The outer pockets of the roller board contain nearly always food. I pack foods which are approved for air travel and can be brought onboard. Almost always they consist of:

Packets of oatmeal
Boxes of raisins
Ramen noodles
Protein bars

You cannot carry bottled water through security; TSA will throw it away. So I sometimes purchase two overpriced bottles of water at the airport store once inside the gate area. Sometimes, the airline will give you a bottle if you ask on the plane, but not usually.

In my roller board, I also carry a portable water filter and bottle contraption I purchased at REI.

In my backpack I carry more food and other supplies. Besides protein bars and hard candy, I also have the following:

flashlight - 2. One small standard and another a clip on carabiner type.
3 heavy duty plastic bags. These are large enough to hold a laptop and are especially sturdy. When my company moved our office, the office manager gave me some of these.
2 standard black trash bags - for shelter, to carry
2 ziplock bags - pack small items, carry water, etc.
Tools and knives are no-nos on the plane.
I usually have a small first aid kit.
1 pair of nitrile gloves
2 N95 masks
(nope, I have never received a funny look or had a problem with these in my bag).
1 compass
1 road map for the area I am visiting.
1 spare pair of socks.
Sanitizing gel (actually, I stick this in my pocket in case it is taken by security).
1 pack of kleenex - those little packages. Guess what - toilet paper!
1 pack of matches. I manage to put those in my suit jacket and they are never taken by security.
1 lightweight wind/rain coat.

If the plane goes down in the middle of the wilderness and I survive, I have the makings of a shelter, light, and something to eat.

I know it is not likely I will survive an aircrash, but what if I am stranded at my destination city? Say there is a nuclear attack or other SHTF event? I will have the start of my pack to get from Point A to Point B (home).

Wish list:

We all wish we could travel "packed".
I wish I could bring along a multi tool.
I wish I could bring along another form of communication besides a cell phone.
I wish I could pack a car, trailer fully stocked in my roller board too.

SHTF: Post Crash Travel, BOV, Car Wars

The topic of ground travel, by car, truck or tank, has been explored post-SHTF for years. In survivalism, there are two schools of thought:

Bug In - In your current retreat, or after a quick trip, to another retreat. Residents will "hunker down" and wait things out or move on with their life in their new home.

Bug Out - Can mean one of two things: Leave for a distant retreat or stay on the road traveling from place to place searching for supplies and a place to hole up.

Let's tackle Bug Out.

There is nothing wrong with planning on getting out of dodge, say an urban or suburban location, for a remote rural area. Having a fixed destination, be it yours or a friends is a plan for many survivalists.

However, remaining mobile is another matter. Highways and Interstates will be the first to become impassable and later, a series of traps and ambushes.

Next will come the secondary roads and state highways. Towns will be roadblocked and open areas will house more ambushes and traps - some temporary and others permanent.

Finally, roads surrounded by any number of towns or refugee camps will become the lairs of bandits and vermin lying in wait.

In the Mad Max world, scavengers roamed the back roads and highways for a tank of juice or can of dog food. That unrealistic situation would end in the real world with a simple roadblock or cinder block tossed through a moving car window.

In reality, roads would be the last place I would want to wander around on searching for supplies or shelter.

However, having a vehicle to get from Point A (home) to Point B (retreat) is necessary. Word to the wise: you can never haul everything with you. A car or truck can only hold so much. Maybe a month or two of food, a few guns and any available remaining room populated by gasoline, spare tires and water.

A trailer is useful, but remember, that is another set of tires to go flat and the weight drastically slows down the ability of the vehicle hauling it. A trailer should have been loaded and moved long before the SHTF.

Nope, for me, a BOV (bug out vehicle) is an off road capable pickup, high off the ground, with a week or two of supplies in the back, family and friends inside the cab and enough firearms on board to keep bad guys off my back.

Supplies for the retreat will have been propositioned and additional supplies, if needed, will have to be obtained or bartered for later. There is no way I am going to haul six months worth of canned goods, a generator and 500 gallons of fuel along for the ride. Too much and too dangerous.

A BOV is a last ditch option as well. Unless totally necessary, a plan which involves hitting the road at the last minute is not a real plan. For instance, if economic collapse is the problem, like now, it will build over a period of time giving one plenty of time to plan a long term exodus to a retreat.

However, in an unexpected nuclear strike scenario, fleeing at a moment's notice will be the rule of the day. If this should happen, keep these suggestions in mind..

- Have the car or cars always full of fuel or close to it.
- An extra five gallon can filled for each car. Do this now.
- At least one extra empty five gallon gas car for each vehicle.
- Maintain the spare tire in the vehicle and consider adding another kept in the garage which can be tied to the roof.
- Have bug out bags always ready.
- Have portable food and water ready to go as well.
- Family and friends should be trained to get out the door and in the car in minutes, not hours.
- One car is easier than trying to maintain a caravan of untrained vehicles.
- Have radios including FRS and CB for contact. Don't count on cell phones.
- Have directions and driving plans laid out ahead of time. Do not plan on using the main roads, interstates, highways or toll roads. Instead use back streets, country roads and trails for escape.
- Have rally points along the way with times and meetups arranged ahead of time.
- Plan on refueling and rest stops along the way. Don't count on the kindness of strangers or traditional businesses being open.
- Don't stop for any reason until the final destinations are reached.

The roads are the last place I would want to be post-SHTF. One day you are in a vehicle, the next on foot and a day later, taking a dirt nap. Either bug in or bug out with the minimum supplies and plan today on stocking what you need tomorrow.