Travelling in the wilderness feels like you are in an amazing race adventure or a character in a movie scene. Wilderness travel can be fun but it can also be dangerous. You do not know if you may encounter wild animals and poisonous plants. Well, you don’t have to stop and be disappointed. You can still enjoy your wilderness travel safe. With these tips, you could never go wrong travelling and entering the wild.

1. Bring jacket, blanket, tent and first aid kit

You may never know if your travel will take longer. You might need to sleep overnight and continue returning back or going to the next destination. You will also need the jacket to protect yourself from insect bites, stings and from the cold breeze. Whether you are planning to have a short travel, you must be prepared to prevent having diseases before your travel ends.

2. Aside from having a traveler’s basic things, bring a watch, map and compass

Don’t rely too much on your GPS. You need to gain navigation skills even if you just know how to read a map and use a compass. Many people lost in tracks hiking and walking on same places all over again. Try to practice in your home or neighborhood so you may avoid getting lost and test your map reading skills.

Try to not look at clocks or watches and then test your skills in telling sunrise and sunset time by searching “telling time using fingers” or “telling time using hand” on the Internet. Learn how to use a stick and shadow by searching “stick shadow compass” on the Internet. You will see search results telling you how to find direction without a compass and a map.

3. Remember the signs on your starting point

Remember the signs on your starting point or you can place a stick or any mark on that place. This may help you to get out in case of an emergency.

4. Know the edible plants

Don’t just get and eat plants. Know some edible plants and also the poisonous ones if you can. You may not know if your device will lost an Internet connection and you cannot do a reverse image search or you cannot share pictures to travel forums or online groups.

5. Practice fire making and cooking alternatives

Life’s easier if you will use and bring matches, lighter and some cooking utensils but in case you ran out of nowhere and had left things behind, you can still survive from starvation.

Aside from learning to make fire by using twigs, bamboo, wood or stones, you may want to learn to steam and cook food by using bamboos. Unlike in roasting or cooking food on a bonfire, bamboo cooking make your food tastes great and you can also cook rice there. You can learn other wilderness survival cooking skills by practicing using a pit, frying food using hot rocks, etc.

6. Aside from the main water container, bring your own water

In case you were lost from the group, you can wait for rescue or find them again without yourself being dehydrated or dying from thirst. You will have bigger chances of survival without eating food than without drinking water.

7. Bring walkie-talkies if you can

Aside from your cellphone, you can bring walkie-talkies as your communication back-up plan. Another good thing is, you don’t have to pay for data charges. It does not hurt trying to own walkie-talkies.

8. Get help

Tell your plans to the ones left at your home. Also leave an itinerary. Tell them if when will you be going and when you will be coming back. Know and have a small notebook of hotlines for you to seek emergency help in case you can call using your cellphone. Charge the batteries before you go and bring a power bank or extra battery.

Aside from bringing equipment, food, basic travel things and gadgets, follow these steps and you will surely have a successful wilderness trip. You might share your wilderness discoveries and research to everyone.