Where to set up home come the end of the world.

Getting ready for the end of the world is no longer the kind of niche pursuit undertaken by cult leaders in Guyana and paranoid Cold War suburban fathers, it’s now a favoured pursuit of the Silicon Valley ultra-rich. PayPal co-founder Mr Peter Thiel is said to have an agreement with fellow west coast entrepreneur Mr Sam Altman that, when doomsday comes, the pair will pop in a jet to Mr Thiel’s property on New Zealand’s South Island. How nice for them.

New Zealand is often the favoured destination of such billionaires. The allure of whom to the locals can only be measured by the fact that in August, Ms Jacinda Ardern’s government decided to ban the sale of property to foreign nationals. But, perhaps the Silicon Valley survivalists have a point. With a madman in charge of the world’s nuclear arsenal (thank you, Mr Thiel) and the vast swathes of the planet having spent significant periods of 2018 burning, perhaps it’s time to take a look at where to head when all goes to pot and resources are scarce…

Why it’s safe: A climate of almost unending rain, plus some attractive local glaciers guarantee a decent supply of fresh water. The local guanaco population offers meat and fur if things get particularly fraught.

Where to buy: Houses in a national park are, unsurprisingly, rare. One could take refuge in a hikers’ shelter, but if you’re in for the long haul, perhaps best to head north. A lodge in the the Pata Rio Futaleufú community features land for organic farming, plentiful fruit and room for your flock of sheep to pasture. The view isn’t bad, either.

Where to stay: The Singular Patagonia, Puerto Bories, Chile

Located just across the Argentine border on the gateway to the Rennell Islands, the Singular offers five-star luxury with the added bonus of an quick escape route to Antarctica if things get really bad.

Why it’s safe: Located pleasingly away from any tectonic plates and major cities, Ilulissat, has it all. If by all you mean “icebergs” – which is what its name means in Kalaallisut (Greenlandic). Mr Knud Rasmussen’s birthplace is about as remote a town as one might find – or at least the most remote with a football team. And as the planet gets warmer, the temperature, which hovers around -14ºC in March, can only get more hospitable.

Where to buy: Consider this small arctic villa, walking distance to the Rasmussen museum – yours for £105,000. There is very little else to say about it, to be honest.

Where to book a room: The Hotel Arctic

The Hotel Arctic, in downtown Ilulissat, rather charmingly describes itself as a “four-star hotel with five-star conferencing facilities” – which can’t help but make one think of the Days Inn at Fleet M3 Services, rather than a stunning venue to watch the northern lights while chowing down on dried musk-ox while staying in a luxury igloo at a Unesco World Heritage site. Still, the Wi-Fi is all right.

Why it’s safe: An unending geothermal energy supply, plentiful supplies of fish (for now at least) and a surplus of all-weather football pitches that will see you through any impending climate catastrophe. Icelanders survived economic catastrophe and made it to the World Cup, so they won’t mind the arrival of a band of billionaire Chicken Littles. Try a spot in the north east. It’s further from the rest of humanity… 

Where to buy: Gone through the minor bureaucratic formality of gaining the Icelandic Minister of Justice’s approval to buy real estate? Get a run-down five-bed in the village of Patreksfjörður for just £145,000.

Where to book a room: Deplar Farm, Sveitarfélagið Skagafjörður

Situated very much in the middle of the preppers’ Venn diagram of where the middle of nowhere meets bespoke luxury, Deplar Farm is a grass-roofed hotel in the middle of a valley on the north of the island. It offers lots, but most importantly a pool that is both outside and warm enough to watch the northern lights in your Orlebar Brown swim shorts.

Why it’s safe: Her Majesty’s government doesn’t spend about £70m a year protecting the Falklands simply to annoy Argentina. It pays to keep a pad in the South Atlantic where prepper-oriented citizens can head to live among the penguins. Extensive military protection, pubs that serve Bass and a hearty wool trade. What more could you want? Perhaps rising sea levels might be a concern, but one can always hop on the nearest Royal Navy frigate.

Where to buy: A would-be prepper only needs to read a recent list  for the sale of a farm posted on a Falklands’ message board to imagine the potential for a base away from the worst the world can offer. Highlights include: 8,400 hectares of land, 3,500 fine wool Dohne merino sheep, 40 beef cattle at present; brand new inverter and battery power setup with wind turbine solar and generator backup; 15,000 litre storage gravity fed water system fed from a natural spring, storage capacity easily added to; large amount of fencing material, all for £1m. Never leave home again!

Where to stay: As befits a proper prepper destination, the selection of hotels on the islands isn’t exactly worth going to war over. But the Sea Lion Lodge on Sealion Island offers views of penguins from your bedroom. Which isn’t something you can say for any Ritz-Carlton.

Why it’s safe: The prepper location des nos jours thanks to Mr Thiel and others and a perception – disliked by Kiwis, especially Maoris – that New Zealand represents an empty utopia. Why not ruin the isolated billionaires’ dreams of escaping the rest of the human race by pitching up in the same place?

Where to buy: The best plots are located on a deer farm on the edge of Mount Barker. The perfect location to build your own lair/destination for the end of the world. Surrounded by deer fencing, there’s no reason you’ll ever be disturbed by anyone. Ever. It also makes the deer easier to catch.

 Where to stay: Cardrona Valley Lodge

Skiing, whisky, quad-biking… nearby access to supplies of fresh water. Who says the middle of nowhere has to be boring? Cardrona Valley Lodge is one of many luxury retreats around the edge of Wanaka. If you’re lucky, you’ll avoid people stockpiling canned goods.