Survivalist, prepper, trained specialist or not, experiencing a catastrophic, doomsday or SHTF event while traveling abroad changes things.
“Resilience is being able to overcome the unexpected. Sustainability is survival. The goal of resilience is to thrive.” -Jamais Cascio
Take any wild animal out of their natural habitat and put them in a slightly different one and it will cause confusion, defensiveness, tension and often fear.
It’s no different with us humans when displaced in a different culture, country or merely when separated by an arbitrarily far distance from “home”. Escalated dramatically by a SHTF scenario.
The primary language and culture are really the only differences you need to worry about as the standard operating procedures for city-wide emergencies are relatively the same in developed cities.
What to do Before and During a SHTF Event //
Stick with or grow in groups of people that seem trustworthy and reliable – safety in numbers.
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If in a non-English speaking country, seek out other foreigners, especially bilingual speakers.
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Pre-study the city’s exit strategies; public transport, tunnels, bridges etc.
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Follow the crowds, not the mobs.
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Go to an ATM and max out your limit before the power runs out.
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Save your device batteries for emergencies.
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Always have a pocket sized urban / wilderness survival kit on your person as an EDC.
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Pick up printed city maps; local, metro, tourist, etc and have it in your pack.
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Always have some water and high energy / protein snacks in your pack.
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Know where your Embassy is located.
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It’s better to follow police than military, unless otherwise instructed.
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Be alert, increase your situational awareness.
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Keep calm and carry on.
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The bigger and more developed a city, the better prepared and equipped it will be to handle crises. But it’s in these heavily populated areas that the crises will be far more impacted. A catch-22 of urban survival.
Prepping for disasters is excellent but remember, that “shit” could happen anywhere and at anytime, not just when you’re in the comforts of home.
When The Shit Hits The Fan While Traveling.
[The featured photo was taken at Taipei, Taiwan.]
6 Comments
You raise a good point. I know a few preppers who spend a lot of their income on supplies but it’s assuming SHTF while they are already home. What if there at work or traveling or simply can’t reach home during a SHTF? All that wasted.
What’s worse is if someone you told about your setup takes over your setup, SHTF becomes WTF.
I love your travel survival tips, keep them coming!
Another great point, John. Great article and nice questions for us to think about.
(PS: where did you take that photo?)
It was during the changing of the guards at the National Revolutionary Martyrs’ Shrine in Taipei. Not exactly a SHTF moment but kinda hard to get a photo of doomsday lol.
hashtag #SHTF