What do you think of when you hear “adventure trip”? If you are imagining yourself climbing Mount Everest or doing some other kind of extreme activity, it’s possible that you have been misinformed. Adventure trips are not necessarily about doing intense, or even risky, physical activity (even though they could be). Adventure trips are simply about exploring an unknown destination in an active and interactive way. It’s about engaging with your surroundings both physically and spiritually. If you never thought adventure travel could be for you, here are five reasons that will surely convince you otherwise.
1. Your purse and heart will thank you for it
The curse of travelling when on vacation is that we tend to unthinkingly treat ourselves. We overeat and overspend. In short: we over-consume. We allow ourselves to have that epic cake-stuffed milkshake because hey, it’s this café’s speciality and we buy ourselves that expensive pair of boots because we wouldn’t be able to get them back home.
When you go on an adventure trip, however, your priorities tend to shift. The trip is no longer about treating yourself but about nurturing yourself. You’re not eating and shopping as much as you are horse-riding, trekking, or surfing. Consequently, you are also more active and get to stay in shape even while on vacation.
2. You’ll get to know yourself a little better
How brave are you? What are your limits? What do you truly care about? The great thing about adventure travel is that it takes you out of your comfort zone. It puts you in situations that you are not used to and those are the ones that reveal who you truly are.
While exploring the wilderness or discovering the dessert, you might just realise that you are passionate about protecting the environment, or about geology, or about history. It will also get you to challenge yourself and see how adventurous you really are. Will you dare try that exotic fruit? Are you brave enough to explore that deep cave? You’ll never know how brave you truly are unless you get out there and test yourself.
3. You’ll experience your destination in a more meaningful way
It’s one thing to see your destination through the windows of a tour bus and another to walk it, to touch it, to feel it. Going on an adventure trip means genuinely interacting with your destination. It means becoming familiar with the heat of the Sahara dessert or the snowy texture of the Mont Blanc.
Embarking on an adventure in your destination makes feel like you are a part of it. You are no longer an outsider looking in; you are an active partaker. You feel it with all five senses and because your experience is so immersive, you get to take a part of it home, in the form of everlasting memories.
4. You’ll form a connection with the locals
Opening yourself up to adventure means opening yourself up to encounters with new and remarkable people. As you go about exploring your destination, without a tour guide (and possibly even without a map), you will most likely find yourself in need of assistance from someone who knows the place well. Asking for guidance from the locals is always a great way of getting to know new and interesting people.
Indeed, adventure travel opens you up to the possibility of interacting with the locals and getting to know their story. A question about which direction to take may lead to an hourly conversation about the place and its history. You never know what you’ll end up learning by making connections with the locals.
5. You’ll make the memories of a lifetime
Let’s face it, you probably tune out during long tour guide talks. And you didn’t enjoy going up the Eiffel tower as much as you’d thought, because you’d never pictured it with all that pushing and shoving. Adventure trips aren’t like that. First of all, there is little expectation because adventure trips are all about exploring the unknown. Secondly, there’s no one there to dictate what memories you make. There’s no one telling you to turn to the left here to see this impressive sight and take a picture there with that really famous building.
What’s great about adventure trips is that each memory you make is your own. It’s your choice if you want to tune in to listen to the chirping of the birds. It’s your choice if you want to take a dip in that isolated cold lake you accidentally came across while hiking. If that fruit on the tree looks tasty you’ll eat it. And if the shape of that impressive tree mesmerises you, you’ll stop to take a picture of it. During adventure trips, you are responsible for creating your own memorable moments. And because the memories you make are yours alone, they’re that much more valuable.
The truth is that, beyond all these reasons, adventure trips are just more fun. They challenge you, they excite you, they surprise you. So hop off the tour bus, and take a walk in the jungle. Metaphorically speaking, of course. Or not. It’s your adventure after all.
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