Life Lessions from “Cabin Fever”
April 18th, 2005During a bout with insomnia this weekend, I caught the horror movie "Cabin Fever" on HBO. It’s interesting how something can be a bad movie, and a good horror movie at the same time. It was sufficiently scary for a 2am horror movie, and what it lacked in story it made up for in excessively gory special effects. But the main thing about a good horror movie is the practical life lessons that can be learned – such as the following:
Vacations are best spent near civilization
You’ll notice that the awful things that happen to teens and twentysomethings on vacation. typically happen in locales that don’t have good cell phone reception. My advice: don’t holiday anywhere with less than three bars of cell signal. Can you hear me now? Exactly.
Pick your vacation travelers wisely
If you’re going to a remote place with a group of people, pick those people very carefully. If you’re going to stumble into cannibals, the undead, serial killers or a flesh-eating bacteria, you want a solid team.
Pack your own water
Mainly because you just never know. Bad water could be as harmless as a case of food-poisoning, or as bad as the previously mentioned flesh-eating bacteria. Long story short: a case of Dasani will run you under $8. Play it safe.
Be nice to the locals
You may be from the big city, but they know the local score. Treat the locals with respect and you have better odds of not winding up on a milk carton. Act under the assumption that they not only know where the bodies are buried, but had a hand in picking the location.
Two words: Roadside Assistance
Whether it’s AAA or some service through your cell phone company – it’s worth it. For $4 a month, it’s nice to know someone’s got your back when you’re stranded in the middle of nowhere.