In this article, 11 bloggers provide advice on how to add more adventure to your life.
I believe the beauty of life is not only encountered when we travel. Every day brings an opportunity to write a new story about our life. It doesn’t matter who you are, what you do, or where you are. See, I think that you do not have to depart your country, not even your city, to have a great adventure. And, why is that? Because novel things are adventurous per nature and we can find novel things to do in our own backyard.
During the last month, I have been running a series called “100 ideas to break out the routine and add more adventure to your life”. Every week, I give readers 10 ideas. At the end of the series, I will have provided 100 ideas that can help you to do something different. I have two criteria for the ideas to make the list: they have to be easy and they have to be cheap.
Now, I didn’t want to keep this series confined to my own ideas. I want to see what other great minds can share. Therefore, I needed to look for those who live a life of adventure and refuse to be taken by the routine. Where to go? Well, the best answer is to consult a good number of wonderful and fantastic bloggers. And you know what? They responded big and shared fantastic ideas to break the daily routine.
Here are things bloggers do to add more adventure to their lives (other than traveling, of course):
1. Do a fitness challenge! I ran a half marathon in a different city. Loved it.
From Rease of Travelated
2. As I have a day job as well as writing my travel blog, I’m not able to travel for months at a time, but I find that to plan a short break for a weekend or few days, perhaps doing something active like hiking or cycling in the country, with just a night or two away is a great way to take a break and feel mentally refreshed. It also gives me something to look forward to in between longer trips.
From Heather of Heather on her Travels
3. Recently my wife and I have both taken classes on a hobby that we’ve always been interested in. Being a travel writer, I take a lot of pictures, but I have never really learned the ins and outs of photography, so I took a basic, beginners photography class through a camera club in my city. I loved it, and I’m going to continue on. Besides class time, I’ve also gotten out more solely to take pictures, which is something I never did before. My wife has always been interested in pottery, so she signed up for a pottery class, and now she’s on her second go-round. She loves it as well, and now we have a whole new line of coffee mugs and bowls!
From Adam of World Travel for Couples
4. Virtually every major city has a professional sports team that plays in an indoor arena or outdoor stadium. It’s easy to fall into the trap of saying, “I don’t like baseball or hockey or football”. There is a big difference between attending a live game and watching on the television at home. Visiting a massive sports stadium is an event all on its own! The loud speakers pumping music, cheering fans and their over-enthusiastic chants, smiling children trying to tackle a hot dog bigger than their arm, and most importantly, the spirit of a community supporting the home team. If you’re already a sports fan that attends games and are looking for a different experience, why not watch your team play at the opponent’s home field or arena?
From Cam and Nicole of Traveling Canucks
5. Find one thing on your bucket list that will bring you the most joy – and do it. And if you don’t have a bucket list, then write one down! Dream a little and then post the list on your wall or print out a picture for motivation. Pick one thing on the list and then make one small step toward the goal each and every week – the process to adventure is half fun of the journey! 🙂
From Shannon of A Little Adrift
6. Take your camera and go shoot the ABC’s around your town. Try to find something interesting that starts with every single letter of the alphabet!
From Andi of My Beautiful Adventures
7. Explore your local natural environment by taking a walk or hike. Find you where the nearest hiking or walking trail is near you. Pack a picnic lunch, plenty of water, and a camera. Set off as early as you can to get the peaceful morning light perfect for taking photos and to avoid the hottest part of the day. Walk slowly stopping to absorb the beauty of the flora and fauna around you. I guarantee you will feel re-energized and alive after it, just ready for your next adventure.
From Caz and Craig of yTravelBlog
8. Buy a Groupon – No idea what you want to do? Get on Groupon and buy one of today’s deals for your local city! For example, today’s deals across Los Angeles include attending an LA Galaxy soccer match, a 90-minute wine-making class, tickets to a wildlife learning center and admission to a wedding expo. If none of these experiences fits your needs, there’s always plenty of shopping and food deals on offer or you can just wait until tomorrow.
Not only are you doing something that you normally wouldn’t otherwise by buying a Groupon, you’re getting a great deal as Groupons are heavily discounted from the normal price!
From Amy and Kieron of Don’t Ever Look Back
9. Go back to school – Just for a visit. Spending time on a college campus in your area can be a lot of fun. I’m fortunate to have Stanford University nearby, but it doesn’t have to be a big name university to give you a sense of the campus experience. Take a bike ride, rollerblade or just walk around watching students hurrying from one class to the next. Bring a blanket and catch a few rays on the quad. You might want to stop in at the bookstore and buy a souvenir t-shirt and be grateful you’re not there to buy a textbook. Then you can top the visit off by having lunch or dinner at one of the popular student hangouts off-campus.
From Cathy of Traveling with Sweeney
10. Have a day to relax – As a travelling family we can slip into ‘every day is a holiday, unless we stop to work’. This wastes time. Going to bed early and getting up early helps, and having days to sit around doing art, craft, reading, or playing.
From Amy and Jarrad of Living on the Road
11. Taking a class can be a really great way to learn new things and meet new people in your local area. Community colleges and education centres often have courses that aren’t part of any degree. You might even be inspired to take a few elementary education classes, especially if you’re teaching overseas.
From Andrea of Inspiring Travellers
As you can see, bloggers know their business. They know how to have a good time.
Recently, I read an article about the islands on the coast of South Carolina and Georgia. The author was amazed at the cultural differences and mysteries found in these islands which are part of the United States.
In his article, he quotes the following: “These American islands taught me: Don’t ignore what’s under your nose to chase greener grass in the distance”. This quotation describes perfectly the original intention of my series. Hopefully, it is helping you to recognize what is under your nose.
If you liked this article, consider the possibility of subscribing by mail, becoming a fan of my Facebook page, or following me on Twitter.
Cam @ Traveling Canucks says
Great round up! Thanks for the inclusion 😉
Ruth says
Of course. It was my pleasure having you guys.
Cathy Sweeney says
Thanks for this post and including me! I like all of these ideas. Think I’ll try Amy and Kieron’s Groupon advice next.
Ruth says
Cathy,
Thanks a million. I also liked Amy and Kieron’s idea. I didn’t know about this Groupon.
Rease says
Great post, I’m happy to be included. I love Andi’s idea of the ABCs of your own city!
Ruth says
Rease, thanks for taking from your time to respond to this post idea.
Shannon O'Donnell says
Thanks for including me in this list!! I love reading everyone’s response and the huge range of ideas 🙂
Ruth says
Thanks for your participation, Shannon. Glad to see you liked the post.
jade says
Great post- loved hearing everyones ideas and definitely want to photograph the ABC’s of my city! So much fun!
Ruth says
Jade, thanks for stopping by. I would like to see your city’s ABC.
Michael Figueiredo says
These are all awesome ideas! I would add: take some foreign language classes. Think of how great it would be to travel someplace and actually be able to communicate with the locals. I’m currently taking Portuguese and can’t wait to return to Brazil or Portugal and practice what I’ve learned so far.
Ruth says
Michael, I am going to Brazil soon and am trying to learn some Portuguese. Also, took some Italian and French classes. Thanks for the extra idea.
Grace says
I love the tips on local travel and activities. I myself love enrolling in different lesson. It’s an inexpensive way to explore your city and have fun!
Ruth says
Yes, it it great to explore and learn about your city. Imagine if your friends come to town and you don’t have any idea on where to take them. Everybody should know cool places around the local area.
Jillian says
Great round up of ideas. I would also add to try and do something new every day. I’ve been trying out new recipes, last night I got up the courage to cook Indian. It came out well and I feel such a sense of accomplishment!
Ruth says
Wow, you should invite me to eat Indian food. Great for you. In my series, I mentioned how you can try new recipes. I also gave a tip on how to try to do something different during lunch time. That goes hand to hand with your idea of doing something different everyday. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Laurel says
It really is amazing how you can add more adventure in your life without leaving your city, great round up.
Ruth says
Yes, Laurel. We all can do a lot in our own surroundings without much complications.
Migrationology says
Awesome, so many creative options and thoughts, great idea! I like to search out the finest food from the area, and in big cities, that can take years! No matter where I am, eating at restaurants is enough for me to be completely satisfied.
Ruth says
I gave that idea in my series. There are hundred of restaurants around you waiting to be explored. Additionally, people can visit ethnic neighboorhood to get a taste of different cultures.
Nancie says
Some great ideas! Enjoyed reading them all.
Ruth says
Glad to know you liked it. Thanks for stopping by.
Ben Carl says
Just wanted to give you a shout from the valley of the sun, great information. Much appreciated.
Ruth says
Thanks, Ben.
Ruth says
Yes, I have considered it but haven’t had the time to work on it.
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moon travels says
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Angel Collins says
I feel like I want to do some adventure stuff suddenly. That’s a nice idea you got there. I also want to travel and explore my country first before going to another country. Nice post!. XD
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