Ha!
The traveler is a not a gotta-have-it thing. Some say forget it. I say, it's a good addition. It's one of those things I think over, like -- what would I do if I had to do it all over again thing... Almost like what you're doing now.
My take is it's a good extra but not a major enhancement. So, if you're about to die, I'd just get the boat, keep the traveler in the box, and sail it a bit and then see if the traveler starts talking to you. It'll say, "Put me on... Put me on..." If it does speak to you like that you may have hypothermia from sailing too soon in the season anyway.