SINGAPORE - Carrying small logs and branches that they have found, Ethan Seow, 12, and his eight-year-old brother, Ean, are building a fire to cook pasta outdoors.
Besides slaking the thirst of adventure travellers unable to head overseas due to Covid-19, the draw of wilderness training lies partly in its appeal to self-reliance amid the societal upheaval wrought by the pandemic, industry insiders say. Covid-19 restrictions notwithstanding, Mr Glen Poh, 31, has seen a 30 per cent uptick in enquiries and sign-ups for the wilderness survival courses he offers, compared with last year, before the pandemic broke out.
Mr Poh, who is also a fitness instructor, learnt outdoor survival skills by camping in the wilderness in countries like Greenland, Zambia and Malaysia, where he also trained with local bushcraft practitioners. He has trained participants from about age 18 to 60. His company did a soft launch offering outdoor survival skills sessions early in October, which start at $250 a head.
And I thought we’re advised against going out