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If you’re spending time in the woods, it’s smart to learn some basic survival skills, like how to start a fire from scratch, how to build an emergency shelter if you’re caught out overnight, and how to catch a fish with a spear. Survival schools tend to be rugged boot camp–like outings—and who wants to waste vacation time for that?—but a new crop of outfitters are offering guided trips that teach crucial wilderness skills in settings that also involve gourmet meals, comfortable accommodations, and fun adventures mixed in with the learning.

Oceania Expeditions

Kabakon Survivor, Papua New Guinea

On Oceania Expeditions’ five-day , you’ll be stranded for three days on an island in the Bismarck Archipelago, off the shores of Papua New Guinea. Instead of a Wilson volleyball to talk to, you’ll have a crew of locals who arrive each morning via canoe from the island next door to teach you basic outdoor living skills. Days are spent hiking through the bush, fishing from outrigger canoes, picking tropical fruits, weaving hats, and building fires. At night, you’ll sleep in a thatched bungalow. From $5,886, all-inclusive.

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Santa Cruz or Marin County, California

Start with ’s five-hour clinic, which covers the basics of wilderness survival: building shelter, starting a fire, and learning about edible plants. You can sign up for a class in either the Santa Cruz Mountains or Marin County, both of which allow you to be back in San Francisco by dinnertime. Ready for more advanced classes? The group offers clinics on everything from backpacking in the desert to making bows and helpful tools. From $125.

IceHotel

Jukkasjärvi, Sweden

At Sweden’s , 124 miles north of the Arctic Circle, you can sleep overnight in a suite made of ice and snow. (Heated rooms are also available.) If that’s not enough of a lesson in survival, sign up for the hotel’s three-hour wilderness survival course in the Lapish forest, where you’ll learn to start a fire from scratch—in case, well, you’re stuck out in the cold overnight. Rooms from $528; wilderness class is $147.

Rule of 5

Santa Fe, New Mexico

promises to teach you the five fundamental skills of wilderness survival: shelter, fire, edge (using a rock as a knife), vessel (making a water dish), and cordage (turning plants into ropes). You’ll learn those important skills while camped out in a safari-style tent village on 65 acres of private land in the Tusas Mountains. Three chef-prepared meals a day are included, along with access to propane-heated outdoor showers. On multiday trips, you’ll spend the first and last nights at Santa Fe’s upscale Drury Plaza Hotel. From $425.

Wild Norway

Trondelag, Norway

They call it but it’s really just a wilderness camp that changes locations in rural Norway based on the season. A field biologist and a veteran of the Norwegian Naval Special Forces will show you where to fish for arctic char, how to forage for mushrooms, and the best way to set up an emergency shelter. They also offer a winter version that’ll prep you for a polar expedition. From $1,516, all-inclusive.

Canyon Ranch

Tucson, Arizona

At ’s all-inclusive resort, the focus is on self-improvement. You can go hiking or biking through the Sonoran Desert, get a coconut-melt body wrap, or take advantage of some 40 fitness classes that are offered each day, covering topics like nutrition and life management skills. You can also learn survival techniques like animal tracking, archery, primitive fire-making, and building a knife from a stone flake and a yucca string. You’ll end your day with a healthy organic meal and a mocktail, since booze isn’t served here. From $1,987 per night, all-inclusive.