How hard would traveling great distances be after a nuclear war? This would be based off of the 1983 Doomsday TL which depicts a nuclear war in 1983.
For example, Let's say I'm a Mexican living in the Northern US, let's say Boston. The US was destroyed in that TL but not Mexico, and Mexico still manages to survive as a functioning nation afterward the nuclear war, and took in quite a large number of US refugees from border states. Assuming I survive, how long would it be before I'll be able to make it back home?
Now a harder scenario: Say I'm an Argentinian living in the UK. So I have to either fly or sail home. Again, UK is destroyed but Argentina remains as a functioning nation and remained actually fairly stable throughout the 1983 DOomsday TL. How long would it be before I'd be able to cross the Atlantic back home?
for Mexican senario
he and his family must travel over 4000 km from Boston to Mexico border
They will face destroy cities by Nuclear bombs and there Radioactive Fallout.
If they take US Highway system like every one else in this situation, they face traffic congestion
next to that commes bandits, distressed ready to murder for a Car, food, gasoline
They face also lost of infrastucture on Gasoline, Food, water.
so the chance to strand during there odyssey is very high
if they switch on Horse or to feet, will increase the Travel time by month even years.
for Argentinean senario
It depend how many UK harbor towns are hit by nukes
if the Argentine find a working ship (either Cargo ship or sailboat) with Crew willing to travel to Argentinean
would take several weeks to get from there
Note
Both scenario not deal with Nuclear Winter
with nuclear winter the chance that Mexican family died during there odyssey is very high.
the chance Argentine survived the Travel during Nuclear Winter is marginal,
Here is better Both try to stay were there are try survive the Nuclear Winter and then try to travel home
of course to find working vehicle after the Nuclear Winter, is more difficult...