The Training
What survival experts teach about staying alive and staying calm, gathered in one place.
First minutesStop before you act
Survival instructors teach one word for the first moments of any emergency: STOP.
- Stop. Do not run, do not rush. Panic wastes the energy you will need.
- Think. What happened? What do you have? Who knows where you are?
- Observe. Look at the weather, the light, the ground, the dangers and the help around you.
- Plan. Choose one next step, and only then move.
The mindPsychological resilience
Fear narrows thinking. Two simple tools open it again:
- Box breathing: breathe in for four seconds, hold four, out four, hold four. Repeat until your hands are steady.
- Small wins: give yourself one small task you can finish now: fill a bottle, mark a path, write down what you have. Each finished task gives back a sense of control.
Remember the old rule of threes: a person can last about three minutes without air, three hours without shelter in harsh weather, three days without water and three weeks without food. It tells you what to care for first.
No technologyNavigation without a phone
Learn the land before you need it. Note big landmarks, the direction of the Sun and the way back on every walk. Keep a paper map of your area and a simple compass at home. Our Compass guide shows how to find north from the sky.
The long runPlanning for the days after
- Water first: keep enough drinking water for every person at home for at least three days.
- A 72-hour bag: water, food that needs no cooking, a torch, a battery radio, a power bank, first-aid kit, medicines, copies of documents and some cash.
- A family plan: a meeting place near home, one further away, and one person outside the area everyone will call.
- The number: in Greece and across the European Union, the emergency number is 112.
Go deeperSources
Everything on this page was written for you here. These are the places we drew from, if you want to walk further on your own: