Everything you want to know before you start an expedition

We work that out together in an introductory call of about an hour. We go through your experience, your physical baseline, how many days you can free up and what you want to get out of the expedition. Then we suggest one or two expeditions that fit.

So you do not have to pick the right one from the calendar yourself. Most people arrive with one expedition in mind and leave with another, because the conversation brings out something the calendar could not show.

Every expedition has a level that indicates how demanding and how raw the conditions are. The level is shown at the top of each expedition page and runs from 1 Experience through 2 Explore, 3 Adventure and 4 Challenge to 5 Xtreme.

The level says nothing about how beautiful or how valuable an expedition is. A level 3 can move you just as much as a level 5.

Yes. A large share of our participants are leaving on their first real expedition. What we ask is not experience but willingness: you train along, you follow the preparation and you are honest about where you stand.

On a group trip you are guided from point to point. On an expedition you share responsibility for progress: navigating, setting up camp, finding water, making decisions when the weather turns.

On top of that, with us you do not simply depart. There is a preparation process of 3 to 6 months beforehand, and during the expedition we work deliberately on leadership and cooperation.

You can, but it depends on your experience, your fitness and what you are looking for. For a level 4 or 5 we look at what you have already done in comparable conditions, and sometimes at technical skills such as working with crampons or ropes.

If you do not have that background yet, we build a path together: a level 3 first, then move up. That is not a delaying tactic. The difference between a good and a bad expedition often comes down to whether someone was in the right place.

The Untamed Adventure Weekend is a micro expedition of three days in the French Ardennes. It is meant as a way in: you feel how we work, you sleep outside and afterwards you know whether a real expedition is for you.

There is no preparation process of months attached, but there is an online briefing and a packing list. Many participants go on to book an expedition of 8 days or longer.

We do not work with a hard upper limit. What counts is your fitness and your recovery, not your year of birth. Our participants range from their early thirties to well past sixty.

We do ask that you are of legal age. For younger participants, for example a parent with a son or daughter, we look at it case by case.

You can. We register you separately, each with your own intake and physical screening, but you are in the same group.

One thought we always share: people who come together sometimes stay together out there. Part of what an expedition does lies precisely in stepping away from what is familiar. Participants who know that get more out of it.

No. Our groups consist of entrepreneurs, C level managers, consultants, surgeons, lawyers, creatives, investors and athletic high performers. What connects them is drive, not their job title.

It is true that the leadership component and the Flemish SME subsidy deliver the most if you have a company. If you are an employee, you simply register privately.

Yes, every participant is screened. That happens in the introductory call, through the intake form and during the physical analysis in the preparation process.

We may point someone towards a lighter expedition or a later date. We do not enjoy doing that, but we do it consistently: in a group of ten people on a glacier, the weakest link determines everyone's safety.

Then we look for an alternative together: an expedition one level down, the same expedition a year later, or a longer preparation process so that you are ready for it.

Whatever you have already paid for the training part is not lost, it moves along to the new programme. Growth is a process too.

You do not have to be an elite athlete, but you do have to be motivated. Through the preparation process we build your level up to what your expedition demands: a physical analysis, a tailored training plan and a final check shortly before departure.

The honest version: those who do not follow the training plan have a hard time out there. Not dangerous, but less rewarding, because your energy goes into surviving instead of into the experience.

Count on three to five hours a week, spread over several sessions. The plan you receive is built around strength, mobility and endurance, and is matched to your expedition, your body and the time you have.

It is not about volume but about consistency. Training twice a week without fail gets you further than one heavy week followed by three empty ones.

That varies a lot per expedition and is stated on the expedition page. On a fully self supported expedition you carry everything yourself, including your share of the group equipment and food. On other expeditions the bulk travels with mules, pack horses, a pulk or a vehicle.

On the equipment day we weigh your pack together and take out what does not belong in it. That is almost always more than you expect.

That depends on the expedition and on the terrain. Kilometres say little anyway: ten kilometres through boggy ground with a full pack is harder than twenty five kilometres on a path.

Every expedition page describes the daily rhythm, and in the group briefing we go through the programme day by day.

Then we adapt. The expedition leader slows the pace, redistributes weight, or picks a shorter route to the next camp. That is normal and happens to someone on almost every expedition.

If continuing is not responsible, we stop. That decision is taken together with the basecamp in Belgium, and the options are worked out in advance: which evacuation route, which contact point, which transport.

Not automatically. Many participants leave with a history of injuries. What matters is that you mention it on the intake form, so it is taken into account in your screening and your training plan.

If there is any doubt we ask for approval from your doctor or physiotherapist. That is not a formality: we want to know whether carrying fifteen kilos over uneven ground is safe for you.

Yes, provided your fitness and joints can handle the load. We measure that in the physical analysis, and the training plan is built on it.

For participants who want to make a big step, we deliberately plan an expedition further ahead. Six months of preparation often makes more difference than choosing a lower level.

You go through a progressive expedition test in which the intensity rises step by step. We measure strength, mobility and endurance, and above all we watch what happens as you tire.

It is not an exam you can fail. It is a baseline on which your training plan is built. Shortly before departure a second check follows to see whether the build up has worked.

Then we have an honest conversation. Sometimes that means an adjusted role in the group, sometimes a lighter programme within the same expedition, sometimes postponement to a later date.

Because the check falls a few weeks before departure, there is still room to adjust. That is why it sits there and not on the day of departure.

No. We have participants over sixty who do better than someone of thirty, because they train more consistently and know better how to pace themselves.

What we do weigh more heavily is recovery: how do you feel after two hard days in a row? That comes up in the screening.

The process consists of two phases. The individual phase starts as soon as you sign up: you receive an inspiration pack and start moving on your own. The group phase starts three to six months before departure and you go through it with your team.

In de groepsfase zitten de kick off dag, een groepsbriefing, de fysieke screening, je trainingsschema, technische en weerbaarheidstraining, een materiaaldag en een finale check. Het volledige verloop staat op de pagina over het voorbereidingstraject.

The individual part starts as soon as you sign up. The group part usually starts three to six months before departure, depending on the level of the expedition.

For a level 5 it starts earlier, because technical skills come into play that you cannot build in six weeks.

Count on the kick off day (a full day), a group briefing (an evening), the physical screening, one or more technical training days, the equipment day and a short final check.

In practice that usually comes to between three and five days, plus your own training at home. The exact number depends on your expedition and is set out in your planning.

The kick off, the briefings and the leadership sessions take place at Kasteel Borgwal in Gavere. The technical and resilience training we do in the field, in a place that matches what you are going to learn.

Some parts can be done online, for example part of the briefing. What belongs in the field, we do in the field.

Yes. The preparation is not an extra service, it is part of the expedition and is included in the price. It is also the reason we dare to head into terrain where help is not twenty minutes away.

If you miss several parts, we look at whether taking part is still responsible.

Let us know as early as possible. For most parts we find a catch up moment, individually or with the group of another expedition.

Two parts are harder to catch up on: the kick off day, because that is where you meet your team, and the technical training, because it is built specifically for your terrain.

Yes. Based on your physical screening you receive a plan tailored to your body, your level and the time you have. You work through it at home.

If you want closer follow up, that is possible. Some participants choose extra individual coaching during the build up, for which we work together with Peak.

Prices run from 650 euro for the three day Untamed Adventure Weekend up to 57,500 euro for Mount Vinson in Antarctica. Most expeditions sit between 3,200 and 9,500 euro per person.

The full calendar with every expedition and its price is on the overview. Alle prijzen zijn per persoon en exclusief vluchten.

The whole programme, not just the days in the field: the preparation process with kick off, briefings, physical screening, training plan and technical training, the guidance by our X Guides, the shared expedition equipment, the meals and overnight stays during the expedition, and the local transfers.

What exactly is included in your expedition is stated on the expedition page.

No. All prices exclude flights. They are invoiced separately during the preparation process, as soon as they are booked.

For a European destination count on a few hundred euro, and for Patagonia or Ecuador on roughly 1,000 to 1,800 euro in economy, depending on when you book.

For two reasons. Flight prices fluctuate heavily, and if we build them in you pay a margin on uncertainty. On top of that, not everyone wants the same thing: some leave from Brussels, others from Amsterdam, some stay on for a week afterwards.

We do book the flights for you, so that the whole group arrives together and the transfers line up.

Besides the flight, the biggest item is your personal clothing. Starting from scratch often means between 500 and 1,500 euro for footwear, layers, gloves and a good jacket. If you are already active outdoors, you will need far less.

On the equipment day we go through your list and tell you honestly what you do not need. That is almost always half of what shops recommend.

On registration you pay a deposit of at least 50 percent, with a minimum of 500 euro per person, unless agreed otherwise. The balance is due at the latest six weeks before departure.

If you register within six weeks of departure, the full amount is due immediately. Invoices are payable within 14 days.

Yes. If you use the Flemish SME subsidy, that spread is built in automatically: one invoice for the training part and one for the expedition part, at different moments.

Without the subsidy a spread over several instalments is also possible, as long as the balance is in six weeks before departure. Just ask when you register.

Yes. Our expeditions are built around leadership and growth as an entrepreneur, with a training component recognised under the Flemish SME subsidy. For many participants this is therefore not an expense but a business investment in themselves and in their company.

We invoice the company you specify, stating what the invoice covers. Whether and how much you can deduct depends on your situation: that is a question for your accountant, not for us. We do make sure your invoices are clear enough to have that conversation.

The KMO Portefeuille is a subsidy scheme of the Flemish government that supports entrepreneurs financially when buying training and advice. Element X is a registered provider within that scheme.

In practice this means that part of your investment in the leadership programme is paid not by you but by the Flemish government. More explanation is on our page about the SME subsidy.

Vlaio pays up to 30 percent of the training part. You pay the remaining 70 percent.

The maximum of 7,500 euro applies across all your applications in that year together, not per course.

Use registration number DV.O252366, theme training. Copy the number exactly.

An application with the wrong provider or the wrong theme is rejected, and that cannot be corrected afterwards.

Get Out There BV is the company under which the Vlaio accreditation is still registered. Element X is the name we work under.

You do not need to do anything: the number DV.O252366 is correct and the invoices you receive from us match that registration.

The order matters, because an application must match an invoice exactly. First you sign the quote. Then you receive the invoice for the training part. Only after that do you submit the application to Vlaio, with the amount of that invoice.

Never submit before you have the invoice. If the amount differs, the application is rejected.

No. The KMO Portefeuille is a Flemish instrument and applies only to companies with an establishment in Flanders or the Brussels Capital Region that carry out activities there.

Walloon and Dutch participants receive a single invoice for the whole. Nothing changes about the expedition or the leadership programme itself.

You fill in the intake form or book an introductory call straight away. A quote follows, and once you accept it in writing your place is held.

You then receive two emails: one with the administrative steps and the invoicing, and one with your onboarding, containing your packing list, inspiration pack and medical form.

A conversation of about an hour, by video or at Kasteel Borgwal. We go through your experience, your physical baseline, your calendar and what you want to get out of an expedition.

Nothing is sold in that conversation. It happens regularly that we advise someone not to go this year.

Count on at least four to six months, because the preparation process needs that time. For level 4 and 5 expeditions, nine to twelve months is more realistic.

Late registrations are sometimes still possible, if your physical baseline is already good and the group is not full.

We book them for you, so that the group arrives together and the transfers on the ground line up. Flights are invoiced separately as soon as they are booked.

You can. Let us know when you register, then we book it that way and invoice the difference. Some participants do this on long flights to South America.

On the expedition itself it changes nothing. Out there everyone has the same tent.

Yes. We then book your flight on different dates, and you arrange your own accommodation for those extra days. Do tell us before we issue tickets, because changing them afterwards costs money.

Several participants combine an expedition with a week afterwards, alone or with their partner.

That depends on the destination and on your nationality. We tell you what is needed, but applying for travel documents and visas is your responsibility.

Check your passport too: many countries require validity of at least six months beyond your return, and sometimes two blank pages.

Our terms are clear: cancelling at the latest three months before the start means you owe 50 percent of the total, within three months 100 percent.

In practice, in case of illness or a serious personal reason, we look at what is reasonable: the costs already committed with local partners, plus our cancellation fee. Take out cancellation insurance, that is the only real solution.

Often yes, if the replacement passes the screening and there is still time to go through the preparation. There may be costs involved, for example for changing a ticket or a permit.

Contact us as early as possible. The earlier, the more is possible.

If an expedition does not go ahead, for example because the group is not full or because the situation on the ground becomes unsafe, you get the choice: another date, another expedition, or a refund of what you paid for the cancelled part.

Element X is a member of the Belgian travel guarantee fund. In case of financial failure of the organiser you can call on it.

For us safety is the starting point, not an afterthought. We build every expedition on three pillars: strong preparation, guidance by experienced expedition leaders, and equipment you never have to doubt.

On top of that we research every expedition thoroughly in advance: weather, terrain, water availability, wildlife and plants, technical passages, altitude risks and alternative routes. You can read more on our page about safety.

An X Guide with experience in extreme, off grid conditions. Not recreational guiding, but professional expedition leaders who know what is needed when things turn unpredictable.

During the preparation you will certainly meet Koen De Leeuw. Behind him stands a team of X Guides each with their own speciality. Who leads your expedition depends on the terrain and the conditions.

Every expedition has a worked out emergency plan: who does what, which evacuation route applies, which contact point on the ground. The expedition leader contacts the basecamp in Belgium by satellite, where someone is available around the clock to decide alongside them.

Our leaders are trained in wilderness first response and carry medical equipment suited to the environment.

Yes. The expedition leader always has satellite communication, even fully off grid. That lets the basecamp follow along and step in quickly if needed.

That channel is there for safety and operational decisions, not for daily messages. The experience stays intact.

You need travel and assistance insurance that covers the activities of your expedition, including repatriation and possibly search and rescue. Watch the exclusions: many standard policies exclude high mountains, climbing or activities above a certain altitude.

During the preparation we tell you exactly what your expedition requires, so you can have your policy checked.

Yes, and we say so at every registration. Our cancellation terms are firm: from three months before departure you owe 50 percent, within three months 100 percent.

Cancellation insurance that covers illness, accident and certain professional reasons closes the gap between those terms and what real life does. Take it out when you register, not later.

For most expeditions we ask for a medical form that you go through with your doctor. For expeditions at altitude or in extreme cold this is stricter.

It is not about a stamp. It is about you and us knowing whether there is anything that could matter out there.

In most cases yes. Mention it on the intake form and discuss it with the expedition leader, so they know what you take and why.

Always bring a generous reserve, split across two places, and account for refrigeration requirements or altitude. For some medicines we ask for a doctor's certificate for customs.

That depends on the destination. We inform you about what is usual, but the vaccinations themselves are your responsibility, as are your travel documents.

Visit a travel clinic or your GP in good time. Some schedules require several shots over a number of weeks.

On expeditions that go high, such as Chimborazo and Kilimanjaro, the route is built so that acclimatisation is part of it. The expedition leader monitors symptoms daily and adjusts where needed.

Altitude sickness does not care how fit you are. That is why the rule is simple: anyone with symptoms reports them immediately. Descending is always an option, pushing on is not.

In some areas there are predators, snakes or insects you take seriously. Wildlife and plants are part of our research, and in the briefing you hear what lives in your area and how to behave.

In practice the biggest risks are rarely the animals. They are dehydration, sprains and hypothermia.

Yes, and it happens. A storm, a risen river, a closed pass or a political situation can lead us to choose an alternative route. Those alternatives are worked out in advance.

The expedition leader decides on the spot, in consultation with the basecamp. That is not up for debate out there, however much someone wants to push on.

That differs per expedition: expedition tents, self built snow shelters, hammocks in the jungle, a ger or yurt, and on some expeditions a simple hotel on arrival and departure.

Every expedition page states where you sleep. What applies everywhere: you sleep outside, in a shared setup, and you put up your own camp.

In the morning and in the evening you eat a freeze dried meal. During the day you keep your calories up with snacks: nuts, biscuits, bars and dried fruit. All meals during the expedition are included.

You cook in small groups on a stove. On some expeditions the cooking is done locally by the people travelling with us.

Yes. Vegetarian, lactose, gluten and most allergies we can work around, as long as we know in time. Tell us when you register, not in the week before departure.

With a severe allergy we discuss beforehand what is feasible. In remote areas we cannot always rule out cross contamination, and we say so.

Not in the field. Alcohol is heavy, dehydrates, disturbs your sleep and recovery, and has no place in an environment where you have to be sharp at any moment.

On arrival or after the expedition there is sometimes a moment to raise a glass together. Not out there.

From the surroundings: rivers, streams, lakes, meltwater or snow. We filter, treat or boil it, depending on the source and the area. You learn filtering during the preparation.

Water availability is one of the things we map out per route in advance. In dry regions such as Oman, water partly determines where camp goes.

No, and that is deliberate. The expeditions go to areas without a network. Only the expedition leader has a satellite connection, and that is there for safety.

Many participants call this the most valuable part afterwards: days without noise. Anyone at home who needs to reach you in an emergency is given the number of our basecamp.

There is no power out there. Bring a power bank, and bear in mind that batteries drain far faster in the cold. Carry them close to your body.

A small solar panel can work in sunny regions, but on a glacier or in the jungle it is often dead weight.

A camera always. A drone is another story: in several countries import or use is banned or requires a permit, and in protected areas it often cannot go up at all.

Ask beforehand. We will tell you whether it is possible at your destination, and what the rules are.

Yes. Your family is given the number of our basecamp in Belgium, which is reachable around the clock. In an urgent situation at home they contact the expedition leader by satellite.

It works the same the other way round: if something happens out there, we notify your contact person.

All the specialised expedition equipment: tents, stoves, navigation, rope gear, packrafts, pulks, snowshoes and whatever else your terrain demands.

In that we do not choose good or better, but best. Every item is selected on safety and reliability in real conditions, not on brand or price.

Your personal clothing and footwear: layers, jacket, gloves, socks, boots. Those are the things that have to fit your body and that you do not borrow.

You receive a packing list with concrete specifications, and on the equipment day we go through everything together before you buy something you do not need.

Yes, a packing list specific to your expedition and the season. You get it well before departure, so there is time to search, compare and break things in.

On the equipment day we go through that list item by item against what you actually have.

The heaviest and most expensive equipment comes from us, so you do not need to rent it. We also provide the specific items, such as a heavy down jacket or a sleeping bag for extreme cold.

What you bring yourself is your personal clothing and footwear. On the equipment day we go through what you already have and what we supply, so you buy nothing you do not need.

Yes, and this is not a detail. New boots are the most common cause of misery out there. Count on at least fifty to a hundred kilometres in your boots before you leave.

Break them in with the socks you will wear on expedition, and with weight on your back. That is a different feeling from a walk without a pack.

Then we say so, and we say why. A jacket that is not windproof or boots without support are not a matter of taste but a safety question.

Because the equipment day falls well before departure, there is time to replace it. We help look for something that fits and is not needlessly expensive.

Deliberately small: 6 to 12 participants. Small enough to follow everyone personally, large enough for a real group dynamic.

For a few expeditions this differs. The exact number is stated on the expedition page.

Entrepreneurs, C level managers, consultants, doctors, lawyers, creatives, investors and athletic high performers. What connects them is not their profession but their drive.

We compose groups carefully, with an eye on level and on mix. A group in which everyone is alike delivers a less rich experience.

The majority sign up alone. On the kick off day you meet your team months before departure, and after that you see each other at the briefing, the screening and the equipment day.

By the day of departure the group is no longer a collection of strangers. That is exactly why the kick off is there.

We compose the group deliberately. Every participant is screened, and in doing so we look not only at level but also at whether someone fits the group. That is why in practice it almost always clicks.

Friction is part of it. An expedition is not a holiday with like minded people, it is a team with a shared goal, and those moments come up in the reflection sessions. Behaviour that structurally undermines safety or the atmosphere we do not allow. The expedition leader addresses it.

That differs per expedition. There are women in virtually every group, and on some expeditions the ratio is almost even. If you want to know how the group for your expedition looks today, ask and we will tell you.

The setup out there is practical: shared tents are allocated in consultation.

At Element X leadership emerges not in theory but in action. You take responsibility within a team with a shared goal, you decide under pressure, and you carry consequences for more than yourself alone.

What participants name most often afterwards: more calm in decisions, a sharper view of their own patterns, and less inclination to carry everything themselves.

The group works as a team in which everyone takes a role: navigation, camp responsibility, water, food. Those roles rotate.

Every day there is a reflection session: what worked, where did cooperation stall, where was leadership needed. Anyone who wants to gets the chance to lead the expedition for a day.

On both. The training part is built around established leadership models. On the expedition those models become practice.

No classroom, no slides in the wilderness. But real situations, real responsibility and confrontation with yourself and the group.

An X Guide is an expedition leader at Element X: someone with experience in extreme, off grid conditions, trained to bring a group safely through unpredictable terrain and at the same time to guide the leadership work.

Behind Koen De Leeuw stands a team of X Guides each with their own speciality: glacier, jungle, desert, water, altitude.

The selection process starts with the Wilderness Training in the Carpathians: negen dagen waarin we kijken hoe je functioneert als het lang zwaar blijft, en hoe je met een groep omgaat.

Taking part in that training is a first step, not a guarantee of a role as X Guide. If you are interested, read our vacancy for expedition guide and let us know, then we will discuss the path together.

There is always a moment to talk things over, and in most cases the group stays in touch by itself. For those who want to work on it further, individual coaching exists.

Coming back is often harder than leaving. You are allowed to say that here.

Yes. Alongside the open expeditions we build programmes for companies: a board, a management group, or a group of clients and relations. More about that is on the page for teams.

The difference lies in the objective. With a team we start from what is going on in the organisation, and build the programme around that.

On an open expedition you are with people you do not know, and that is part of the value. On a team expedition you already know each other, and we work on the dynamic that is already there: trust, role division, difficult conversations.

Practically, little changes about the conditions. You still sleep outside.

A private group usually starts from six participants. For families or small parties we sometimes do it from four people, and even individually. That depends on the destination and on the budget.

The smaller the group, the higher the price per person, because the fixed costs stay the same. For certain formats, such as the Untamed Adventure Weekend, we work with rates from twelve people. We will calculate it for you.

Ja. Bestemming, duur, niveau en het leiderschapsluik worden dan afgestemd op jullie groep en jullie doel. We hebben trajecten gebouwd van drie dagen in de Ardennen tot meerdaagse expedities in de Sahara. Meer op the tailored page.

Such a programme starts with a conversation about what exactly needs to shift in your organisation.

That happens regularly. An expedition with clients or relations works differently from a classic event: you share something that cannot be copied, and that changes the relationship.

We think along about the level, because a mixed group needs a format everyone can handle.

The training part is, under the same conditions as for individual participants: a Flemish company, subsidy on the training part, a maximum of 7,500 euro per year per company.

Note that the maximum applies per company, not per participant. With a group of ten people from the same company that ceiling is reached quickly.

Yes. Alongside the full expeditions there are formats of three to four days, suitable for a team that cannot free up two weeks.

The same approach applies there: sleeping outside, cooking yourself, real responsibility. Only shorter.

Element X organises wilderness expeditions and leadership programmes for entrepreneurs, high performers and teams. We combine genuine off grid expeditions with a leadership programme recognised under the Flemish SME subsidy.

Element X BV has its registered office in Gavere. More on the page about Element X.

Koen is the founder of Element X, expedition leader and teacher of the leadership programme. He is a former Para Commando and appeared as expedition leader in the television series De Expeditie: Patagonia and Namibia, broadcast on Play.

He is the person you will certainly meet during the preparation. Behind him stands a team of X Guides, each with their own speciality. Depending on the terrain, one of them leads your expedition.

Our base is Kasteel Borgwal in Gavere, and that is also where the kick off, the briefings and the leadership sessions take place. The postal address is Leenstraat 33 box 2001, 9890 Gavere, Belgium.

If you want to come by for an introductory meeting, that is possible there. Video works too.

Yes. The statutory conditions for package travel apply, and Element X is a member of the Belgian travel guarantee fund. In case of financial failure of the organiser you can call on it.

In addition we are a registered provider within the Flemish SME subsidy scheme under DV.O252366.

• Flights and airport taxes paid locally.
• Your personal base clothing and footwear.
• Your travel and assistance insurance, and any cancellation insurance.
• Visas, vaccinations and medical costs before departure.
• Personal spending, and extra nights before or after the expedition.

What is included is stated on the page of your expedition.

A pack you receive as soon as you register, with practical tips, insights and exercises to get going on your own. Think of body work, dealing with cold or heat, and how you prepare your mind for days without comfort.

It is deliberately something you do at your own pace, before the group comes together.

In both. The training part, Mastering Strategic Leadership, runs during the preparation process and is taught by Koen De Leeuw. That is also the part eligible for the Flemish SME subsidy.

On the expedition itself it becomes practice: roles within the group, decisions under pressure, and a reflection session by the fire every day.