How to Survive Time Travel

The mystery of time travel has been solved. Humankind has built a machine that can move through time. You can go back in the past and witness any event in history. Or you can uncover the mysteries of the future.

But only one person can make the journey, and you’re going to be the first person to travel through time. Get ready for a trip like never before, because where we’re going, we don’t need roads.

Today, time travel technology doesn’t exist. But there are many theories that explain how it could be possible. According to Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, as you approach the speed of light, time will slow down for you relative to the rest of the world.

And the theory also says that gravity bends time. The stronger gravity is, the slower time will move. General relativity also suggests the existence of wormholes. These are passages through spacetime that can span billions of light-years.

What if we could build a machine that could approach the speed of light; travel near a black hole with it’s immense gravity; or move through a wormhole? Why should you not travel backwards in time? And why might you want to travel somewhere as empty as possible?

Step 1: Be Prepared for Anything

Even though you can travel through time, it’ll be hard to know what lurks on the other side. Be prepared for any type of danger. How much do you know about where and when you’re traveling to?

The amount of oxygen in the atmosphere is constantly changing. If you arrive somewhere, and the oxygen levels are too different than what you’re used to, it could be hard to breathe. You might want to bring a portable oxygen concentrator for your trip.

Another thing you’ll want to consider are diseases and illnesses. You could be exposed to a slew of foreign viruses that existed in that time period. Catching a disease is bad enough, don’t catch one in another time period.

Figure out which diseases you might encounter. Learn about the proper precautions you’ll need to take. And if you want to be really cautious about the illnesses you might face, wear a suit.

No, not the suit you’d wear to work. You’re not time traveling to your next interview. A hazmat suit can help to protect you from airborne diseases. Ok, you’re suited up, and the machine’s booting up. Is there anything that you shouldn’t do before you step in?

Step 2: Don’t Travel Back in Time

I know it might be tempting to go back in time to see dinosaurs, or to fix a mistake you made in the past. But by doing so, you’d create time paradoxes.

Altering the past could drastically change our current timeline. Even just being in the past and not doing anything might change the present. And in the worst case scenario, triggering a chain of events could affect your past relatives. This could stop your grandparents, or parents from ever meeting. And as a result, prevent you from being born. You’d face a fate worse than not surviving. You’d cease to exist.

But, traveling forward in time is also possible. Technically, the astronauts aboard the International Space Station are living in the future right now. This is because they’re constantly moving at 8 km/sec (5 mi/sec). Because of time dilation, the astronauts are about 13 miliseconds in the future, compared to us. Oxygen concentrator and hazmat suit? Check. Don’t travel to the past? Check. Looks like you’re prepared to go on our trip to the future.

Step 3: Look Out for Obstacles

Now that we’ve figured out when you should time travel to, it’s also important to know where. Will you end up in the same spot? Or will you end up somewhere completely different?

Are you traveling through a wormhole, or rematerilalizing into another time? Trust me when I say that you’ll want to go somewhere open and empty. When your body reintegrates, whatever’s occupying the space could mix in with you. Objects, bugs, or even other people might get stuck inside your body.

A better way of time traveling could be with an enclosure that protects you from the environment. That way you don’t materialize somewhere that you wouldn’t want to be.

You’ve plotted your course. The machine revs up, and in a blinding flash, you’re in the future. Everything around you has changed, but there’s something wrong. There’s nobody around. Not a soul in sight.

Your machine is gone, there’s no turning back. You’re stuck in the future, and you’re the last person on Earth.