How To Safely Run Away

Lowkey making this for myself any y'all because I'm planning on running away July 10th. This is a guide for how to prioritize safety for anyone who needs to leave a toxic family/relationship. I'm not encouraging running away, but I want to share what I've learned from both my own attempts and successful attempts.

What to pack:

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ᯓ★ Depending on how long you want to be independent before going to a shelter or someone's house or acquire your own living space, you'll need to pack the essentials. Here's what I reccomend for about 1 month on the run (you can minimize on items and wash your items more often for space):

𐙚 5-7 tops, both long sleeve and short sleeve

𐙚 4 bottoms, mainly pants 

𐙚 Pretty much all of your socks & underwear & bras (unless you have an insane collection of undergarments, bringing about 20-25 pairs underwear and like 13 pairs of socks should be enough)

𐙚 One medium size towel, something light and not too heavy

𐙚 A small toiletry kit; travel size toothpaste, manual toothbrush, rubber bands & other braces stuff if needed, very basic makeup if you have space. Skin care isn't super necessary, but if you have space bring the most basic products!

𐙚 lighter and a pocket knife

𐙚 mini first aid kit; Bandaids, gauze wrap & large bandaids, elastic gloves (the mini packaging), maybe tweezers

𐙚 You might not want to bring your phone, as it can be tracked easily. Bring a cd player, mp3 player, and maybe a flip phone if you have one. Utilize pay phones to stay in contact with people who won't snitch.

𐙚 Some snacks & food that doesn't expire quickly. Think ramen packets (harder to store, though), camping food packets (if your family camps often, you probs have one lying around!), freeze dried & dried fruit, etc.  

𐙚 All the money you have! You might have to work odd jobs & minimum wage at chain companies to afford food & laundromat visits, etc. Work hard and collect all the money you can!  Comment for a list of job ideas for minors/freshly 18 folks/etc.

Planning where you can go next:

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ᯓ★ You need to have a destination/general area you're traveling to. Whether you're going via plane (much more complicated, and you most likely will not be able to get tickets as a minor discreetly), or bus or taxi, you need to research towns and places near you. If you're traveling somewhere very far, you need to find out bus routes, taxi costs, and possible hotel prices.

𐙚 Figure out your final destination

𐙚 Research connecting buses & taxi availability AND prices 

𐙚 Establish the route you're taking and keep it somewhere digital & physical 

𐙚 If it's going to take multiple days, make sure you have hotels lined up, and call in advance to confirm minors are allowed unaccompanied!

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In general, try to tell only a few people or no one. Do not trust people you meet, there are creeps looking to take advantage of ppl without a support system. Again, only run away if it's necessary for your survival, and try to stay educated & lock down a job asap.

Tags:

Run away, running away, tips, help