Surrounded by dense jungle on a desert island off the coast of Panama, Tess Davison, a physiotherapist from London, found herself lost. She had left her campmates to trek to a nearby beach but took a wrong turn amidst the swirling mass of vines and creepers. However, this was all part of the adventure she had signed up for. Davison had flown over 5,000 miles and paid a luxurious resort fee to test her survival skills without the comforts of civilization. She had learned to forage, spearfish, navigate, create rescue signals, and start a fire with just two sticks. After finally finding her way back to camp, Davison chopped down a coconut and lay on the beach, realizing the immense value of this experience.
Survival skills are no longer exclusive to TV adventurers like Bear Grylls, Ray Mears, and Ed Stafford. Tour operators all over the world are now offering the opportunity for individuals to truly experience what it means to survive in the wild. These specialized tours often come with hefty price tags. Tom Williams, who runs Desert Island Survival, the bushcraft survival company that organized Davison’s trip, reveals that most guests who join their 20 annual trips have never even camped before.
During the first five days on the island, guests are provided with food, hammocks, and intensive training in bushcraft survival skills. Following this training phase, they are left to fend for themselves for three nights armed with only basic supplies such as water, a machete, a hand knife, a satellite phone, and a medical kit. By the time they check into a beachside resort on the final night, it feels like a luxurious “10-star hotel”, according to Williams.
The popularity of survivalist tourism has been influenced by reality TV game shows that test contestants’ survival skills, such as Survivor and Naked and Afraid. But the main allure for guests is the chance to disconnect from the monotonous office life where individuals are glued to screens. “Techno-stressed” workers yearn to escape the constant connectivity of everyday life and seek digital-free breaks. Paradoxically, these experiences often find their way onto social media afterward, becoming powerful promotional tools for the survival companies.
While some operators maintain a purist approach, only providing primitive tools and training, others are incorporating luxury into their wilderness experiences. At the Sani Resort in Greece, for instance, guests can take a break from their sun loungers and multiple facilities to learn survival skills from the Bear Grylls Survival Academy. Similarly, Rvival in Scotland offers customizable trips including luxurious accommodations and tutelage from experts in various fields. These wilderness experiences have become particularly popular among white-collar workers and executives seeking a meaningful escape from the uncertainties of the world.
According to Anders Anderson, lead instructor of The Wild Tales, the appeal of survival experiences lies in the humbling power of nature. The jungle disregards physical strength or financial success; it strips individuals down to their core. His expeditions in Guyana offer participants an opportunity to truly disconnect and rediscover themselves.
In conclusion, survivalist tourism is booming as more people seek a break from their fast-paced, technologically driven lives. They crave the chance to test their skills, reconnect with nature, and find meaning in the simplicity of survival. The allure of these experiences lies in the uniqueness, creativity, and burstiness of the challenges, the perplexity of surviving in unfamiliar environments, and the retreat from the over-connectedness of everyday life.
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