Your Bug-Out Route: 3 Crucial Rules

For many preppers, 'bugging-out' (evacuating your area in the event of a crisis) is perhaps the only strategy that is a viable option, especially for those of us living in highly populated areas.  If an apocalyptic scenario occurs, it is important to have a place to go when things get rough at the homestead. 

However, simply hopping in the car and driving wildly until you run out of gas is not a very smart idea.   You don't want to be caught out in the open with no knowledge of where you are.  Also, history has shown us that when there is a mass exodus of refugees from highly populated areas, certain zones end up with thousands of vehicles in endless lines on the road with no drivers and empty gas tanks.  You don't want to find yourself in that situation, so you may want to pay attention to these 3 crucial rules for formulating your bug-out strategy.

1. Know Where You're Going - There really is no point for bugging-out of a certain area if you have no idea where you're going.  Your first, and most important rule in bugging-out is to have a destination in mind.  Whether it's a cabin in the woods, a friend's couch, a church basement, or even an uninhabited patch of land in the middle of nowhere, it is better to have a place than run wildly into the countryside.  The first reason is that you can go to a secure area.  The second is that you can create a plan on how to get there.
2. Have an Evacuation Plan - Having an evacuation plan, or a bug-out route, is absolutely critical for arriving safely at your destination when a crisis occurs.  The reason for this is the fact that mayhem tends to make improvisation almost impossible, as there are more wild variables in play, such as damaged infrastructure and break-down of social order.  But, if you have a plan, you can eliminate those variables by avoiding highly populated zones and highways.  You will want to keep to the back roads as much as possible.
3. Avoid Bottlenecks - One of the absolute worst things you can do is funnel yourself into an area called a 'bottleneck'.  Essentially, it is a high-value route with no side roads, forcing everyone into a small space.  These become impassible very quickly if there is panic, so be sure to stay away from them as much as possible.  The most common bottlenecks are going to be roads that cross highway exits, bridges, and mountain passes.  Also, be sure to avoid geographical bottlenecks, such as roads that are sandwiched between a mountain or canyon and a body of water.  The key is, you want to be able to easily find an alternate route, because you may end up on foot if aren't keeping this rule in mind.

-K.H. Danielsen