Prepper + Vacation = Wise?

Think about what it’s like to feel completely exposed and vulnerable and then try to combine that with the concept of trying to get some must needed rest and relaxation with the family.  You might think that sounds crazy, to me it sounds more like taking a vacation.

I should probably define the type of vacation that I’m referring to here, this isn’t the one where you take the SUV and hitch up a trailer full of preps in order to sit on the beach in Florida (I know because I’ve taken that vacation before).  I’m referring to the one where you get on an airplane and then go to a small island, get on a boat and go to an even smaller island with no preps, no weapons, no supplies and really very little options if the S hits the fan.  Worth it?  Absolutely.  Irresponsible?  Maybe but sometimes you have to live a little.

My wife had reminded me during the winter that I had not taken a real vacation in almost 5 years so I agreed to live the good life this time around.  Last week I found myself on a tiny island with beautiful beaches and crystal clear (and warm) water.  Because of the flight and the restrictions on weapons where we were, I had almost nothing I would consider of prep value with me (unless sun screen, board shorts and flip flops count).  I had my Streamlight flashlight and actually used it once when my wife thought she had something in her eye, but beyond that I was living on the edge.  I was driving a little rental car around with a bottle of water next to me (nothing in the trunk), eating out from meal to meal with no extra food in the house we were renting.  If something crazy went down while there I had a little bit of cash but chances of even getting off the island were probably going to be slim to none.  It would have been a case of make due with what we had, and that wasn’t much.

Why am I even writing all this?  I’m the guy who typically has a robust EDC and secondary and tertiary plans/equipment with me wherever I’m at, be it in the car or at the office.  My wife has an EDC and so does my daughter, all of our cars are equipped with extra gear.  Yet there I was deliberately placing myself in prepper no-go land, committing just about every single sin/mistake I often write about and advise against.  Why?

Sometimes…the reward is more than worth the risk.  Sometimes…just unplugging and tossing caution to the wind is good for the soul.  Sometimes…a happy wife is a happy life.  While my circumstances changed and I was most definitely at a major disadvantage IF something were to happen, nothing did happen.  If a solar flare would have plowed into earth while we were there and stranded us I suppose it might have sucked but we would have made a go of it.  Actually those island folks were VERY handy based on what I was able to observe.  They built and maintained their own homes, grew their own food, raised animals, caught rain water, threw away nothing but reused it…far more than I could say for more suburbanites.  Heck we might have been better off there if T-SHTF! 🙂

I’ll close with this.  One can spend a lifetime hunkered down never venturing outside of a 50 mile radius of the homestead.  The peace of mind associated with that is probably priceless but as with anything there are sacrifices.  Sometimes getting away from the grind and experiencing something completely new is more than worth it, even with the associated risks.

 

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    • Jeff on April 20, 2015 at 9:02 PM
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    Interesting angle. I always sneak preps into the car–my wife thinks I’m a bit crazy, if harmless 🙂

      • PJ on April 20, 2015 at 9:18 PM
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      Thanks for the comment Jeff. It hit me hard last Wed when we went to the little market and they were completely out of water, their shipment didn’t come on the boat until Friday. Wow…talk about a wee bit scary. Luckily the water from the tap was potable (and other places had water) but being completely surrounded by ocean didn’t inspire the most confidence.

    • Echo5Charlie on April 20, 2015 at 9:45 PM
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    Glad you had a good vaca. I would be out of sorts for sure, but the wife would be happy. You made it back just in time for jade helm articles and vids. The end is near blah blah.

    If I went, I might not come back.

      • PJ on April 21, 2015 at 6:32 AM
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      I spoke to my wife about that, about how easy it would be to move to a place like that and just fall off the grid. You could work for cash every day (most do since it’s a tourist industry) and basically unplug from the “real world.” Do you think people there care about an elections, or the stock market or if some country in the middle east is posturing? Probably not…

      My wife said that while the notion was nice, I’d get bored in less than a month. She’s probably right.

    • NRP on April 20, 2015 at 10:06 PM
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    Thank you PJ. you have NO idea.
    Back to the saying, “If” but guess what.
    What good is living life “if” you cant live, even “if” the SHTF, guess what, you were “living life”.
    AND thank you Ms. J. you got the old man out and hopefully hade a wonderful time.
    NRP

      • PJ on April 21, 2015 at 6:36 AM
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      Thanks NRP! It was a great time and our family definitely have some nice memories to reflect on. Now it’s back to reality and the daily grind, gotta pay the bills and all that stuff. 🙁

    • Paul on April 21, 2015 at 7:34 PM
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    Hey PJ
    My wife and I haven’t taken a vaca like that in some years now. With our kids older and just the plain old hassle of airline travel we just don’t have the desire
    Not to mention being out of our prep comfort zone( if you know what I mean)
    And we remember when people dressed up for travel, now it’s like a greyhound at 35000 feet…..my have things changed…….ps we are in our mid fifties FYI
    Paul

      • PJ on April 21, 2015 at 7:51 PM
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      Paul

      Absolutely agree on airline travel, for the most part it is completely awful. Our trip there should have taken 10 to 12 hours, it took 30. Slept on a terminal floor, got a seat in the plane which didn’t recline, had to pay for everything. Not to mention, boarding 3 dogs for the entire time was not cheap! Definitely a great experience (while there) but the logistics involved left much to be desired.

    • J on April 23, 2015 at 10:27 AM
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    PJ,

    The family and I recently did something similiar, driving back to where I grew up to visit my family. During the 2 day drive, I had some of the same thoughts you did relating to this.

    I think the main thing to keep in mind as preppers is not to take things to the point of forgetting how to enjoy life. Also, a good point to remember is that even if a major event happened while we were away from home, we as preppers are still better prepared than most in that we have knowledge as to what to do in such many situations. That knowledge can and will be the difference that gives a person a fighting chance in a world gone swirly down the Great Toilet when Murphy pulls the handle.

    Best of all, it does not need to be checked as luggage 🙂

    • The Maj on April 24, 2015 at 11:02 AM
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    I am not going anywhere that I cannot drive to at this point. It has nothing to do with prepping but simply the fact that if I get ready to go home, I go home and if I decide to extend the trip by a few days or a week it is less of a hassle. Too many times I have experienced the “not enough time for that” or have a schedule that makes the vacation seem more like work.

    Now, I will admit that it does give me peace of mind to know that I am not as prepared as I would be at home but I am not totally naked either.

    • Lindz78 on December 16, 2020 at 11:42 AM
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    Christmas 2020- this is my scenario… much more tension & uncertainty rt now than 2015. Taking a plane to visit fam soon. Gonna bring small preps & then get bulk food, water, etc after landing. You’re rt, you hafta Relax at some point, but with so much political flux, it’s unthinkable to leave your big preps behind this winter.

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