Survival holidays where people go to learn survival tactics and skills are getting more and more popular. Most survival holidays take place in the jungle, desert or in the wilderness away from civilization. They are meant to equip the participants with basic necessities for human life for example water, shelter, food and habitat. Those who go for these holidays learn new techniques for example how to signal for help, how to navigate safely, how to think straight in desperate situations and how to avoid unpleasant interactions with plants and wild animals. Additionally they learn how to cure injuries using herbs without the use of conventional treatments.
Survival holidays are meant for people who are adventurers, dare devils and those who are strong at heart. What do people learn during their survival holidays?
First aid
This is one of the most important things taught in survival holidays. Here, you are taught the importance of first aid and how to perform one. For example you will learn how to treat snake bites, burns, bone fractures, headache, infection, food poisoning, sprains and wounds. You are taught all these because they are a common occurrence in the wilderness and in case you have either of the above health problems you will know what to do and how to do it.
The importance of shelter and how to make one
Most people who go for survival holidays carry tents or tarps with them. However, a typical survival course involves the use of natural forms of shelters for example a cave or fallen down tree. You will learn how to make a tent and the importance of having a shelter in the wild.
How to make a fire and the importance of a fire
Most survival courses regard making fire as one of the most important survival techniques that all individuals who participate in these holidays must learn. You will be taught how to make a fire without a match stick or a lighter. In fact this is the first technique you will learn before venturing into the wilderness. Fire is presented as a very important tool in meeting several survival needs. For example the heat produced by the fire helps in warming the body, helps in drying wet clothes, cooks and warms food and also helps in disinfecting water. Although it may attract wild animals, it can also be used as a deterrent to wild animals.
Water and food
During survival holidays, individuals learn the importance of water and food. An average human being can survive without water for three to five days. In survival courses you will be taught that water loss, e.g. through perspiration, should be avoided. This therefore means that you should take water in small quantities just to survive and reduce dehydration. When it comes to food, you will learn the right food sources that can be eaten in the wild. For example wild edible fruits, culinary root tubers, edible beans, leaves, cacti, algae, nuts, cereals and moss. You will learn how to fetch and prepare them.
Mental preparedness
Survival courses equip individuals with strong mental preparedness in case of disaster or mishaps. It should be emphasized that the mind and its processes are very important to survival. The will to live in a life and death situation is what separates those that live in such situations and those that do not. A good example of such a situation is the story of Juliane Koepcke, the sole survivor of a plane crash in the jungle of Peru.
If you are interested in survival holidays, it is important for you to equip yourself with guide books or simply take a survival course from an experienced instructor. There are several wilderness survival courses available today. The following are some of the best survival courses.
Aboriginal Living Skills School
Known as Cody Lundin’s ALSS, this survival school has been in operation for the last 20 years. It focuses on training individuals on primitive living skills, outdoor survival skills with emphases on urban rural and suburban preparedness. It also teaches on disaster survival. It is located in Prescott, Arizona.
The Bear Grylls Survival Academy
Located in Scotland, United Kingdom, the Bear Brylls Survival Academy gives you the opportunity to put your new found skills into test. With some of the best survival instructors in UK you will be equipped with all the tricks and techniques you need to survive anywhere in the world.
Wilderness Adventure Sweden
This is one of the hardest survival courses in the world. Here, you will learn how to survive in bone chilling temperatures in the wilderness of northern Sweden. It includes snowmobiling, snowshoeing, dog sledding and cross-country skiing.