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.