A Woman Paid $13,000 to Get Lost in the Wild (3 photos) photo)

Esther Spangler found herself in the mountains, where she spent three days alone, navigating with a map and compass. In case of emergency, she had a GPS navigator.





Spangler, a Texas resident, had been struggling with postpartum depression for about five years, having lost her sense of identity after having two children. While looking for an unusual trip for her wedding anniversary, she came across the "Get Lost" program from the British company Black Tomato. The concept is simple - a tourist is taken to a remote corner of the planet and left to find a way back to civilization on their own.

Her husband supported the idea, suggesting that she go on a trip alone. After a year and a half of saving and preparing, in October 2021, she found herself in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, where she spent three days alone, navigating with a map and compass. In case of emergency, she had a GPS navigator.

"I felt like a walking skeleton. And there, in the mountains, for the first time in a long time, I felt a spark of life," she says.



Programs like "Get Lost" are gaining popularity among wealthy travelers who prefer extreme adventures to traditional resorts. The cost of such trips reaches $25,000, and they are booked by both ordinary adventurers and businessmen seeking personal insights.

"Often successful people choose such an experience to rethink their lives," explains Rob Murray-John of Black Tomato.

Each trip is individual: participants can only choose the climate zone in advance, but do not know where exactly they will go. They are taken to the wilderness, where after a short survival course they are left alone with nature. Their safety is secretly monitored by professional guides.

Spengler, having survived this experience, returned home with a radically different outlook on life. She decided to fulfill her long-standing dream and joined the army, and also became interested in survival courses.

"I realized that I don't want to go back to my old way of life. I want to really live," she added.