over 3 years ago - Shurenai - Direct link
In no particular order:
Miner 69er to rank 3, then later to 4
Mother Lode to rank 3, then later to 4
Strength to rank 3 to buy the above, then later to 5 for the above
Master chef at least rank 1
Living off the Land rank 1
Healing Factor rank 1,
Pain Tolerance rank 1
Better barter rank 1
The Darring Adventurer rank 1
Advanced Engineering rank 1

And if you haven't gotten a vehicle via other methods by the time you really want one, Int to 2 and rank 1 of Grease Monkey so you can make a bicycle

Of them, imo at least, Master chef rank 1 is a must have- first thing you buy in every save, it makes food much easier in the early game. After that, miner 69er and motherlode will boost tool quality levels and harvesting amount, making it much easier to make bases, and Advanced engineering 1 teaches you the Forge recipe which is invaluable at the start, all the way to the end of the game.