People who have an adventurous streak in their personality, the word ‘adventure’ leave them dreaming of a hike to Mount Everest or hunting down animals at an African Safari. While such adventures are possible, they are not an experience you can regularly have, and you must find other ways to satisfy your ‘thirst for adventure’ on a day-to-day basis.
Adventure can be anything that makes you step out into unknown territory; whether it is going on a camping trip to a place you have never been to before or exploring a new hiking trail, it all counts as an adventure. If you can’t climb Everest or Kilimanjaro, you can still climb your nearest hill and sleep under the stars. Consider swimming in a beautiful river or setting up your supplies and cooking in the woods on the weekend? Something is better than nothing, and every adventure counts, regardless of how big or small.
The problem often lies with our definition of an adventure; an adventure is an experience that makes us get away from our normal routine, step out of our comfort zone a little while being enjoyable. When you simplify the term, you can have little adventures a lot more often. They may not make for the most amazing stories you can tell later on, but they can surely make your life a whole lot more fun.
Here are some tips to ensure you have adventures more often:
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WORK TOWARDS YOUR TRAVEL GOALS
We hear many people talk about the places they have always wanted to go, but they never really plan when it will happen. And this is the reason why they end up going nowhere. Your travel plans will never become a reality unless YOU make them happen.
Start by picking a place you’ve always wanted to go to and decide when you will go; this could be next week, next month or next year, depending on when you can take a holiday and whether you have the money for it. Next, mark the date on your calendar and start planning. Make a budget, start saving up, and start your preparations. Do you always want to go snowboarding in the mountains? Set a date for this winter and start looking for snowboards, outerwear, and goggles right away. The more your preparations come together, the greater the chances of you going on that adventure of a lifetime.
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HAVE AN ‘ADVENTURE FUND’
Find it difficult to save money for your adventure plans? Why not cut back on some of your regular entertainment so that you can save up for some major adventures? If you are like most people, you probably eat out way more than you should or waste money on other activities or past-times you could easily do without. If you cut back on a few such expenses and put aside some money every month for an ‘adventure fund,’ you could easily afford a nice trip after every few months. Even saving $100 a month can give you at least a $1000 by the end of the year; now, just think of all the adventures you could go on with that money!
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LET GO OF YOUR ROUTINE
Following the same routine, every single day is the easiest, most convenient way to kill your adventurous streak. Routines make life predictable and boring. If you already know what is going to happen every single day when you wake up, you have no new experiences or challenges to look forward to or be excited about.
At least once a week, break your routine. For instance, if you wake up and feel like exploring a new place, get out of your house and discover a part of your city you’ve never seen before. Even little things can turn into exciting, adventurous experiences.
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SEEK ADVENTURES ON A BUDGET
Many adventures simply get delayed because you don’t have the money for them. However, there are plenty of adventures that you can go on without burning a hole in your wallet. You can find lots of adventures around town or even if you are planning to travel, you can always find ways to save money. It is fine to sleep in a hostel rather than a 4-star hotel or travel on a cheap bus and eat some local yet delicious meals. Remember, it is worth a lot more to spend your money on experiences instead of unnecessary luxuries.
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TRY SOMETHING NEW
If you wish to be adventurous in your everyday life, it is important to be open to trying out new activities. Every month, pick something new you wish to try. This could be a new activity, skill, food, sport, music, or language. You don’t need to worry about how big or small the new experience is; the purpose is to try something new every month. You can either join an activity group for this purpose (such as a photography or yoga group) or discover it on your schedule. Joining a group will make you more committed to trying the new experience and also help you meet new people in the process. Who knows, you may just discover something new that you love.
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FIND FRIENDS WHO LOVE ADVENTURE AS MUCH AS YOU DO
By surrounding yourself with people who are as thrilled to go on new adventures as you, you are much more likely to execute some of youradventure plans. Friends are likely to invite you along when they embark on new experiences and introduce you to many new things in the process. After all, when it comes to adventures, the more people, the merrier!
Even if you don’t get to go on adventures with them, their stories will give you the motivation and encouragement needed to go on adventures of your own.
THE BOTTOM LINE
The best thing about adventures is that there’s no end to them. If you are an adventurous person, there is always something new you can experience and some new ways to push yourself to go beyond your limits. Realizing this is an encouraging thought for anyone who loves adventure. Life itself is an adventure, and it is up to us to decide how much of it we wish to discover.
