If you are going to use a cotton ball, petroleum jelly and a flint with a scraper, why not just use a lighter?
Seriously. I learned to make and use hand drills and bow drills to start fires when I was in Boy Scouts as a kid. It is very hard and frustrating work, but rewarding to be able to start a fire using only materials on the ground. I also learned to make fires using flint and steel, but you have to bring the steel scraper with you. If you are going to bring a bunch of supplies to start a fire, then it is kind of pointless.
Exactly! Just carry lighters, Bics are nice, but with a zippo, you can carry plenty of extra flints (removed from old bics or bought) in the bottom of the zippo. They also work with different fuels.
Without a lighter, (or all the other clever gizmos), just learn to use some form of a bow drill. It’s hard to be some place where the materials for a bow drill are not available.