There is a lot of great advice here, as always.
My only two cents is to cary enough to buy what you can't fly.
Fro me it would be the ability to buy a knife that woudl be leagal in the enviorment that I was in, and to be able to buy the proper gear that I couln't fly.

Luckly clothing and sealed food can fly prity easy, and the ony thing you wold have to aquire is things like knife, tinder and some other flambilbes that you would use to start a fire. beyond that I think what is in most our our kits anlong with a set of phone numbers shold be albe to get you throught bad situations.

Remember the best tool you have is your brain, and that can get you through some tough situations.

interesting that in reading the responses that several people mentioned carrying phnoe numbers but i didn't notice anyone saying that they carried a sat phone or gps with preset waypoints like uS embassy, or a spot to send out a message back home etc.

Back in the old days when Marty Focazio traveled the world for his job, I believe he said that he shipped some stuff to his destination hotel to be sure that it didn't disappear on the way through the airline terminals.

Phone, address and map to local American Embassy could be a useful thing, but the only person I've ever known who was married to a diplomat (American) was in Cypress when the war broke out, and it wasn't the American Embassy that got them out of the country, but the Canadian Embassy.

So, possibly contact info/map of the Canadian and British Embassies might also turn out to be useful. At least we speak their language... kinda-sorta.

Sue

This is what I carry via checked luggage when I fly or travel in CONUS:

Escape & Evasion Bag

2 bota bags,

messenger bag,

FAK (3"ace, 2"ace, nitrile gloves, 2 medium dressings, 6-3"x3" sponges, assorted bandaids, adhesive tape),

messkit (dryer lint, HoBo knife, p-38),

wet ones,

1ltr bottled water,

water purification tablets,

Roamer (Teddy bear),

medicine pouch,

zip ties,

5 trash bags,

2 bic lighters,

7 granola bars, 10 coffee bags, 6 Datrex rations, beef jerky

insect repellant,

metal enameled cup,

KaBar knife,

3 bandannas,

road maps,

toilet paper roll,

100ft of paracord,

cotton & leather work gloves,

Feador (penny whistle)

That's very cool, but I think I could make do with:

2 one quart zip lock bags

2 coffee filters

1 liter bottled water

1 small pen knife

Water purif. tabs

1 Cricket piezo lighter

local map

1 trash bag

3 large bandaids

1 sewing needle

Small tube neosporin w. topical anesthetic

3 sachets of 3 in 1 instant coffee

3 granola bars

1 Kleenex tissue packet

1 two person emergency blanket

25 feet paracord

Wrist watchband compass

Actually, I could do without all the above except the 3 sachets of 3 in 1 instant coffee. ;-)

I have spent thirty years traveling around the world, and have had very few issues with airline security or limits dictated by the laws of any specific country. I have always packed a knife in my checked bags, the size depended on the country. You must know the rules of where you are going. Lighters, too many matches or other types of fuels are the one hard limitation now. I have not tried wet tinder cubes, but I have never had any problem with a flint and steel, cotton balls and a tube of Vaseline lip balm. In my carry on I always carry at least the equivalents of what you find in the PSK and have never been questioned about them. For cordage, I use dental floss. I usually even carry a wire saw, never a problem. I have at times carried the tiny folding saw, but this is becoming more of an issue. A heat sheet survival blanket never raises a question. Prepared foods are not an issue. Empty water bottles are no problem, and you can fill them once you get through security. I always get a pocket phrase book for whatever language is appropriate, and endeavor to learn at least ten most useful words. Dressing appropriately is also critical, and never an issue. Learning a bit about the flora and fauna which might prove useful is a good idea. One of the first places you can visit once at your destination is a drug store or hardware store for the items you could not carry, but in some parts of the world, the stores are not classified so easily, so you may have to look around a bit. Prioritize your survival equipment: Shelter, water, signaling, fire, food. You all know the rule of threes: 3 hours without shelter, 3 days without water, 3 weeks without food. Think about what will put you in the survival situation, what are the likely circumstances. A properly dressed person with a waterproof/ windproof layer, some method of shelter, water and signaling should survive most situations a traveler would encounter. Your brain is your best tool though. Prepare it properly and you will survive.

Wildman 800,

I carry lots of similar stuff, mostly in my carryon bag, but your lighters are not allowed in checked luggage in the US and WILL cause difficulty if they open your bag.

Lots of years of travel around the world brings me in major agreement with Montanero. Today I carry an enhanced AMK .3 FAK ,an enhanced Ritter PSK (without the scalpel blade) and a heatsheet in my carryon. An empty water bottle is included, but mostly because I drink more water than is convinent (a stainless single wall so it can be used to boil water). I also carry a BIC and matches on my person. The other items (including a knife if allowed where I am going) are in my checked bags. For the knife watch for places that do not allow locking blades.

My water filter is included in OCONUS trips for everyday use, as well as potential disasters.

The best,

Jerry

p.s. I will miss my larger kit, just like I would if I did not have it in the US.

Hello All,

I have been traveling abroad a lot in the past years. I work with nature conservation, so some trips involves visits to wilderness areas.

I'm now waiting for a flight in the Japan Central Airport. Going home after two weeks in Nagoya. Typhoon Chiba has just missed japan. I think it is a good oportunity to check, and share with you, what I'm carring ....


On person or carry on luggage:

Hiking boots
extra cloting, including fleece jacket and waterproof jacket and pants, wool cap and extra socks;
AMK heatsheet;
Pocket plastic poncho;
waterproof Bag
trash bag
Tikka XP flashlight
extra bateries for the flashlight
compass
Whistle and photon mini flashlight in a keychain
Palm Tungsten tx PDA, loaded with maps and satelite images for Nagoya and the region (in jpgs files, to be available offline)
casio protrek watch with altimeter, barometer, termometer and compass (used the compass a lot in the subway in Nagoya!)
cellphone (6 bands, GSM and 3G)
japanese phrasebook
some paper maps (free ones) for Nagoya and Region
A ziplock bag with: (some band aids, soap, hand sanitation towels, toilet paper
A small roll of duct tape
Small amount of nylon cordage, and a small carabiner

water bottle (pet coke bottle i have just drink


In my checked baggage:

DR PSK
ferrocerium rod
Leatherman squirt
victorinox minichamp
More clothes

I didn't bring a bigger pocket knife because I was concerned about what I read about the knife laws in Japan. In general I carry a 2 to 3 inches folder. I still need to buy a non locking one for countries like UK.


It is important to say that I haven't had any problem with the above equipment in any airport around the world(Including USA, Europe, South Corea, China, Colombia and others....)

In the South Corea customs declaration they asked about knifes, but when I showed the small pocket knife I was carring (Gerber Mini Fast Draw), the Customs official said it wasn't a problem.

Fabio

3) What do you buy when you get there (before the disaster)?

A local person.

I don't mean anything illegal, like bribing, buying a politician, etc. I'm talking about where you create a legal business relationship between you and someone else. That someone else has your best interests in mind. If things work out, you won't be alone in the middle of a collapse infrastructure.

Downsides:
- You didn't pay enough to keep the bad guys away from you (if you're concerned about this, perhaps you should consider a professional bodyguard)
- They may not help you at all.
- They are killed/incapacitated/unavailable when a disaster hits.

Upsides:
- If you travel frequently to the location, you have someone to receive your packages with your supplies.
- You may have access to an extensive local network of people to help you, or to move you from one place to another.
- Local intelligence (what neighborhoods to avoid, what scams there are, where you can get cheap supplies, what kind of "strange" laws are in the country ("but Mr. Mexican Police Officer, I just had a single minature replica bullet!"),
- They might know where the U.S. Consulate is. (Probably should register yourself at the closest one anyway).

One thing I have done in the past, is to pre pack basic survival gear and supplies, and have FedEx ship to my hotel over seas. That way I have what I feel might be needed during a critical situation, and avoid TSA and other travel restrictions.