Okay So Now What

Here’s the good news you’re alive, here’s the bad this is just the beginning. You managed to get out of the city without too much trouble (Trouble being a relative term) and hopefully without any extra speed holes (No they don’t make you run faster either) But what do you do know? Where do you go and how do you go about doing it?

Plan Your Route

The last thing you want to do is just wander aimless without any sliver of a plan. Before you decided to leave you’re home you need to think of a destination that will be you’re focus in the documentary After Armageddon (Follow this link below if you want to watch it)

http://www.therazors-edge.com/after_amageddon_survival_video.html

Remember to also plan not just what you’re destination will be but how you’re going to get their. In the video the family decides to travel inland through a desert region and almost die from it. Sticking closer to the coast would run a higher chance of running into other people, but the payoff would be a cooler climate that saves you both on water and possibly your vehicle from overheating. Another thing the video doesn’t cover is hyperthermia. This is the exact opposite of hypothermia where the body can’t cool itself off, and like hypothermia you can die from it.

Day Or Night

One option to deal with the potential threat of running into hostiles is to travel at night. Travelling at night also has the bonus of allowing you to hear sounds from farther away by simply opening your mouth a little and it helps keep your body from over heating. The downside is that the human eye can’t see nearly as well at night then during the day increasing the chance of injury. If you smoke you might want to take up chewing tobacco or going smoke free at night. Someone with a thermal sight can spot the cherry of cigarette miles away (It’s something a sniper can zoom in on very well) From previous experience a decent thermal sight can spot body heat from about 2 to 3 miles away, a lit cigarette I was able to spot about 10 miles away.

Stay Off The Beaten Path

Try to plan your route to use as many back roads or side roads as possible, remember the goal is to avoid people, but also these roads will most likely be clear of abandoned cars or road blocks. These obstructions are also excellent places to set up an ambush. Try to keep to the high ground as much as possible, but also use what’s called “dead ground” or the sections of ground that are lower like the base of hills to get from one point to the next. This will allow you to remain unseen and sneak past any hostiles. Or you can use this ground to get the upper hand to sneak up on them.

Time For A Fill Up

Chances are good that the majority of the gas stations or truck stops you run into are going to be looted, unless of course you’re out in the middle of nowhere. So where do you get the fuel and supplies you need, the obvious first choice would be abandoned cars. Another often overlooked source of potential supplies is campgrounds or road side rest stops. There’s usually a building that houses tools and possibly fuel for lawnmowers, chainsaws, or weed whackers. Tourist stops may have a basic gift shop that has water or some type of food. Depending on the time of year campgrounds will also be full of RV’s which are packed with all the marshmallows and hotdogs you could ever want. They also provide a relatively safe place to rest as well.

Have A Plan B C And D
If you find that your destination of choice is an irradiated cease pool full of mutants always have an alternative place to travel to, and a few others to choose from after that if choice number two turns out to be no better then the first. If all your choice destinations turn out to be duds, well theirs always Mexico.

What Would MacGyver Do

Don’t be afraid to think outside the box, either in terms of getting transportation or finding food and supplies. Find books on local edible plants and berries catch rodents or even stray dogs. Even road kill as gross as it sounds can still be edible if it hasn’t been dead for long. If your car runs out of gas use alcohol, it may not run as smooth after but it will run and that’s what’s important. And remember to search the dead for any useful items such as ammo.

And the most important thing as always is trust your instincts, and never let you’re guard down.