Take A Journey With… Tom Williams – Founder of Desert Island Survival

His love for expeditions started in colder climates when he raced 367 miles to the North Pole in 2010 – and won! Since he has cycled over the Andes, sailed 8,000 miles through the Pacific Ocean, and is both a snowboard instructor and dive master.

In 2017, he founded Desert Island Survival, an adventure travel company which maroons people on uninhabited tropical desert islands.

His guests spend around eight nights sleeping on a completely deserted island, undergoing five days of ‘island training’ with experts, before being expected to survive for three days completely alone.

It combines uninhabited islands with the world’s most talented bushcraft instructors to create an experience that nourishes, transforms and inspires people brave enough to take on the challenge!

All a bit formal, that. So tell us something about you that not a lot of people know.

Well, I once bribed my way into a Bolivian prison…

Some readers might know the prison from the South American backpacker’s favourite book, Marching Powder.

Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty. Why did you start Desert Island Survival? What problem did you seek to solve?

I was working in finance and feeling my soul dimming every single day. I dreamt of escaping to beautiful destinations and meeting cool people, and that’s how the concept was born.

Initially, I created the company to allow people to experience being marooned and learning survival skills. However, it quickly became clear that being stranded on a desert island is also an impactful and transformational experience for people as well!

What would you say is the biggest motivator behind why you do what you do? And what impact does Desert Island Survival aim to have?

I didn’t start Desert Island Survival with the intention of creating transformational travel for people but ironically the greatest sense of purpose that the company offers me is the impact the experience has on people.

Seeing the shift in perspective our castaways have, after surviving with a little more than a machete on a tropical island, is immensely gratifying.

Watching people develop their resilience and self-confidence, and broaden their awareness of our place on the planet and of how far humanity has developed from life as a hunter-gatherer.

One of our guests recently described it as a ‘gratitude reset’, returning to civilisation with a new appreciation for everything, from running water to flat surfaces.

You mention that you never set up the company to be a ‘transformational travel experience’ but that it has been a catalyst for big changes in people’s lives. Tell us about this. Why do you think this is?

Many of our guests tell us afterwards that they felt like they were sleepwalking through life.

When you take time to slow down in nature, and find yourself feeling the happiest you’ve ever felt simply because you’ve caught a fish, you realise how little we actually need to be happy and how holding so much of what we do in our day-to-day lives does not serve us well.

We once had one lady lose nearly half her body weight, quit her job and then this became her passion!

You operate in Panama, Indonesia, the Philippines and Tonga. Tell us why these destinations – what about them really inspires you?

We specialise in tropical bushcraft and are always looking for perfect uninhabited desert islands to maroon our guests.

In the last seven years, I have found only four perfect islands to be able to do this and each of these has its own unique traits.

The Panamanian island is astonishingly wild, yet so easy to get to from Panama City.

The Indonesian island is wrapped in perfect coral.

In the Philippines, the beauty is off the charts and our local guides share so much about Filipino cuisine and culture.

And finally, Tonga is just the most picture-perfect remote paradise – and offers the bonus of swimming with humpback whales!

Be honest – what has been your biggest challenge since starting Desert Island Survival?

Covid was tough but actually, the hardest was when I was running one of our first expeditions on my own and macheted through the tendon on my finger on the very first night.

I had eight guests with me and opted to continue, but I had to dig deep. I went to the clinic got a few stitches and somehow muddled on. We now always have a minimum of 2 instructors on our trips!

Tell us about one marketing approach that has worked really well for you.

We are still finding our way using a blend of social media, SEO and YouTube.

The latter has been successful after pulling in some big YouTube names such as Kara and Nate with 3.7 million subscribers.

Now, think back to 10 years ago, what is one piece of advice you’d give past you?

Buy more bitcoin.

No, in all seriousness, it’s all the trite words of encouragement to have confidence, conviction and believe in myself. 

Fast forward again. What do you think has been the most important strategy, value or approach that has helped you get to where you are today?

Being an optimist and taking chances.

Overanalysis can often lead to paralysis. You have to believe things are going to work out and take risks.

We are too scared of failure but failure is how we learn and evolve.

We know that travel is ever-evolving, but what trends or strategies do you believe will be key in driving positive change in the coming years?

There are many excellent trends from direct giving, carbon offsetting and supporting any number of local charity initiatives.

All of these are noble and great, but I personally also like bringing people face to face with nature’s magnificence and raising awareness of the tremendous impact we are having on wilderness.

For this reason, we don’t clean up all of the plastic washed up on our desert islands as I want people to be viscerally shocked by the impact humans are making on our planet.

Quick Fire

• Favourite travel destination I’ve visited: Thailand
• Travel destination still on my bucket list: Myanmar
• Destination that I wouldn’t return to: Dubai
• Most treasured travel memory: First swimming with whale sharks in Honduras when I was 19!

About The Author...

Tom McLoughlin

Founder

Tom is here to steer the ship in the right direction, to ensure what we offer is best in class, and to keep clients and the team happy! Naturally, he loves to travel, but Honduras is a favourite destination after having spent a year there teaching after finishing school.