27 Items Every Prepper Should Carry While Traveling

Gaye Levy, Contributor
Activist Post

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 of the TSA to avoid. Can you imagine what might happen if you show 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 vacation and travel preparedness items to take along on your next trip.

Items Every Prepper Should Carry While Traveling

1. A wise traveler not only carries a passport, but also a photocopy of the passport and well as a scanned version on a laptop, CD, or flash drive.

2. Your healthcare insurance or Medicare card.

3. Your driver’s license, proof of insurance and the 24 hour claims number for your insurance company.

4. Two credits cards (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.

5. A list of emergency contacts, include 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 plus some funds in the local currency (if you are traveling out of the country).

8. Prescription medications sorted into daily packets 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 packs, antibiotics, antibiotic ointment, an anti-diarrheal and anything else that you commonly use.

10. Insect repellent and sunscreen.

11. Protein or snack bars.

12. Travel tissues and a travel sized roll of TP (you would be surprised at how often this “essential” will come in handy.)

13. Hand sanitizer plus sanitizer wipes.

14. A mini, LED flashlight and possibly an LED headlamp as well.

15. Pocket knife or Swiss Army style knife.

16. Chemical light sticks.

17. An emergency whistle.

18. Paracord – in bracelet, keychain or lanyard form for portability.

19. Water purification tabs for ensuring safe, drinkable water if supplies at your destination are compromised.

20. A small roll of duct tape and some tie wraps (also called cable wraps).

21. Mylar emergency blankets.

22. A pocket poncho for every member of your group.

23. Two-way radios that include a NOAA weather scan and emergency alert.

24. Batteries (or rechargeables plus a battery charger).

25. Your cell phone charger or a USB cable to use as a charging cable.

26. Key passwords to access email accounts and online financial data.

27. Pre-printed labels with your home address, home number, and email address. Include one or more of these labels in each checked bag.

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.

Read other articles by Gaye Levy here.

Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation!

Gaye Levy, also known as the Survival Woman, grew up and attended school in the Greater Seattle area. After spending many years as an executive in the software industry, she started a specialized accounting practice offering contract CFO work to emerging high tech and service industries. She has now abandoned city life and has moved to a serenely beautiful rural area on an island in NW Washington State. She lives and teaches the principles of a sustainable and self-reliant lifestyle through her website at BackdoorSurvival.com. At BackdoorSurvival, Gaye speaks her mind and delivers her message with optimism and grace, regardless of the uncertain times and mayhem swirling around us.