Fun Adventure Ideas

If you watch action movies or action-themed TV shows, you probably have the impression that an adventure is something that involves constant peril and armies of anonymous henchmen out to get you at every turn. However, an adventure is actually anything that breaks you out of normal routine of your everyday life. It can involve some danger, but more often, going on an adventure means mere discomfort. An adventure can also be completely risk-free.

  1. Sky Diving

    • Clint Eastwood plays a grizzled veteran Marine in the movie "Heartbreak Ridge" who tells a Marine who is afraid to parachute, "Jumping out of a perfectly good aircraft is not a natural act." Sky diving in Ventura County in southern California is one way to take a break from your everyday routine. This area, known as the "land of never ending summers," has gentle weather year-round and features a combination of rolling hills and beaches that provide a scenic view when you're falling from the sky. Other sky-diving outfits to contact include Skydive Ventura and Skydive Oxnard.

    Hike the John Muir Trail

    • The John Muir trail spans the more than 200 miles from Death Valley, the lowest point in the continental U.S., to the summit of Mt. Whitney, the highest peak in the continental states. The hike takes most people about a month to complete in its entirety and will expose you to a full range of scenery, from deserts to dense forests and rocky peaks. You will hike miles every day, and sometimes it will be on a flat trail, at other times, downhill, and on other days you will go a long way uphill. You will carry all your food in your backpack, sleep in a stuffable sleeping bag to keep you warm at below-freezing temperatures, find your drinking water by purifying running water with a filtered water pump, warm yourself by campfires and secure your food from bears every night. You will also enjoy the effects of daily cardiovascular exercise combined with a highly restricted caloric intake at the end of your trip when you go back to your normal routine.

    Crew a Sailboat to Europe

    • Try out sailing to Europe instead of flying or taking a cruise ship. People who are wealthy enough to own large yachts frequently hire out crews to transport their ships from port to port, or owners on long trips will hire crews to help them sail from destination to destination. You don't have to be an experienced sailor or have any experience at all to get on many crews. A special skill like knowing how to cook is helpful in being hired, but a positive attitude and a willingness to learn are all that many skippers need for a functional crew member. You'll experience the sun rising and setting on the ocean, getting off an all-night watch and setting foot on solid ground after days or weeks at sea. Search the Internet for sites that include advertisements by skippers and owners searching for crew members. Search by port of origin and destination, length of commitment required as well as skill level requirements.