When the majority of us go away, we book up in luxury hotels or Airbnbs which provide home comforts. The more appliances on offer, the more appealing an accommodation option might seem. That’s no surprise considering that many of us go away to chill out. For some, even the idea of doing laundry during that luxury week is too much.

Sadly, easy trips like these don’t always make it onto the bucket list. They’re nice, for sure, but they don’t exactly create lifelong memories. When you look back in fifty years, the chances are that the majority of your hotel trips will blur into one. But, that’s never going to happen if you introduce activity to your bucket list with a wilderness trip.

A whole host of locations across the world offer wilderness opportunities even Bear Grylls would be jealous of. Whether you want to hike in the Scottish highlands or opt for outdoor adventures in Turkey, you can bet these are the kinds of trips you’ll remember until your dying day.

via GIPHY

Of course, if you’re used to kicking back on the beach, this can come as a bit of a shock. Instead of leaving you relaxed, a wilderness trip can be tough. But, they do say that few things worth having come easy. Though there will be plenty of physical and emotional effort involved, you can be sure it’ll be worth it. At least, it will if you put these preparations in place before you go all Ray Mears.

Know what you need in your survival kit

You should never go wild without a survival kit. Bear Grylls may get by on little more than his own urine, but you don’t want to end up doing the same. This is still supposed to be a fun trip, after all… Remember, too, that a heavy pack is the last thing you want if you’re trekking tough terrain. As such, you need to keep this simple while also making sure that you have everything you need. For one, pack at least one spare set of clothes. That way, you can wash your others in lakes and rivers and leave them to dry without worry. You should also make sure to take along maps and compasses. There won’t be any Sat-Nav where you’re going! Survival knives like these Spyderco knives for sale from KnivesShipFree are also essential. These are easy to carry and ensure you can cut branches, and prepare food. In the modern survival kit, it’s even worth packing fire sources and firelighters. You may fancy the idea of making fire from scratch, but you can’t risk not having a heat source when night falls.

Get necessary permissions

Getting permissions for your trip can seem incredibly un-adventure related, but it’s something you need to do. You can’t set up camp anywhere and do your thing. While necessary permissions vary, you need to make sure that you do your research. It may be that you merely need to inform the authorities of your presence. This ensures you don’t get a rude awakening when someone spots your fire and phones the police. You may also find that you need to apply for permits to pass through certain sections of your journey. In some cases, these may come complete with a small fee, or even a license which can take a while to get approved. As such, you want to take care of this aspect of your planning as early as possible to ensure nothing holds you back as the time draws near.

Plan your itinerary to the T

As you can probably guess, planning your itinerary for a trip like this is a whole different beast. For hotel vacations, you’ve always been pretty loose, right? It might be that you’ve always had a rough idea of what you’d like to do, but no concept of when or how. With a trip into the wilderness, that’s never going to work. To ensure that things like food rations and water sources never run out, you need to stick to a strict schedule. Even finding yourself one day past your plan could lead to going without water for extended periods. When you’re exerting yourself, that could be fatal. Instead of leaving this to chance, then, you need to plan every aspect of your trip. Again, it may not seem like the wilderness survival stuff of your dreams, but it’s crucial. Fail to do this, and you’ll never make a success of your trip. You would end up having to get off course all the time to stock up. Before you know, that will take up the entirety of your time. Don’t let it happen. Plan exactly where your stocking up points should be, and how many miles you need to travel each day to reach them. Then, make sure you keep that itinerary in your pack so that there’s no risk of your forgetting it before you leave!

Talk someone else through your plans

No wilderness exploration comes without risk, especially if you’re going it alone. That’s why the last part of your plan should be to tell someone about your trip in detail. It may even be worth giving them a copy of your itinerary so that they always know how you’re getting on. By arranging to phone them at set stops along the way, you make sure that they know you’re safe at all times. If you’re as little as a day late phoning, they can then contact the authorities in the area you’re in at the time. That ensures you’re never left in a dangerous situation for long. If you fall or otherwise hurt yourself, that person will come to the rescue sharpish.

There’s no denying that a trip like this is different from what you’re used to. Reading this, you may even start thinking that it’s not for you. But, once the laborious task of planning is out of the way, we guarantee that you’ll enjoy going wild for a while.

Don’t forget to Pin this to your Bucket List Board!