As much as I love an epic adventure, I think it’s about time for us to de-couple the words ‘epic’ and ‘adventure’. Most of us want more adventure in our lives, yet we struggle to find it. We dream of the day when we’ll finally thru-hike the Appalachian Trail or go on African Safari or ski the Swiss Alps, but resign ourselves to doing it ‘someday'. These kinds of adventures are expense and timing consuming. They require a ton of planning and preparation. And they probably aren’t going to happen until the kids are off to college (or we win the lottery). But it’ll be epic. Someday.
We don’t have to wait.
Adventure is never far away, and it can be had much more easily and affordably than you might think. Your idea of fun may be different from mine, but the same rules apply. The first step is simple - make adventure a priority in your life. Write it down. Say it out loud. Tell your wife and kids. From there, it just requires a little planning, saving, and a willingness to figure a few things out on the fly. Before you know it, you’ll be off on your first smash-and-grab adventure. Get in, have a blast, get out - and start planning your next one.
Short trips are long on benefits
Adventures are so much more than what physically happens on the trip. One amazing day-trip can provide months of excitement leading up to it and a lifetime of memories when its over. In my experience, an adventure offers four stages of good vibes: Planning, Anticipation, Experience, and Reflection.
Planning - Of all of the things you could talk about or work on, what is better than planning an adventure? Nothing. It’s the best. From brainstorming to researching to booking, the entire process delivers a ton of positive energy. The key here is to plan enough, but not too much. Get the bones of the trip lined up, but try not to get too wrapped up in the weeds. Remember that you’re planning an adventure, not a conference.
Anticipation - This is where having frequent adventures really pays off. If you’ve got something awesome on the horizon, it keeps you moving forward. Sure, today might be dragging, but this weekend, you’ll be cliff jumping. Don’t underestimate this aspect of the process. Hope and excitement about the future is a major protective factor against stress, depression, and all sorts of boogiemen.
Experience - This is supposed to be the best part, but it is also the easiest to screw up. The key to the short (smash-and-grab) adventure is not to try and squeeze in as much as possible. Just experience it, however it goes. I’ve found it best to have a basic plan, with one (maybe two) things that I’d really like to do, then just see what emerges. If you over-plan, you’re setting yourself up for two bad things to happen: 1) You’ll be derailed if one small thing goes wrong or out of sequence (and it will), and 2) You’ll miss some really cool opportunities that you couldn’t have anticipated before you set off, and these are often the most fun.
Reflection - You’ll always have your adventures. The way you felt standing up on your first wave or summiting a mountain is a part of you, and you can access it for the rest of your life. You’ll remember how that beer tasted after a 4-hour mountain bike ride, how the air smelled waking up in morning on the trail, and how much your ass hurt after snowboarding for the first time. You’ll share laughs with friends as you look back on all the foolish stuff you tried and somehow escape unscathed. Most importantly, you’ll think about your life and know that it didn’t just pass you by. You’ll have these adventures as guideposts to walk you back through the years, each one distinct, and memorable, and well-lived.
People matter most
What you do and where you do it matters much less than who you do it with. Some places and events are truly amazing and are absolutely worth the saving and planning required to make them happen. That said, I’d much rather hunt pheasants in East Texas with a bunch of my Army buddies than go on any exotic adventure without them. Sharing an adventure with the people you love is priceless, even if the location is ‘ordinary’. Kids are great reminders of this. I’ll never forget taking our boys to the Harry Potter world at Universal Studios. We had a good time at the theme park. It was cool. But then we spent 3 hours playing in the hotel pool, ordered chicken tenders, and watched a movie in our crappy room. And what part of that day are they still talking about? Sometimes I think we should just drive the 90 minutes to Orlando, skip all the hoopla, get a cheap room, and just rage at the pool. That time together, with no distractions and no agenda, could have happened anywhere.
In upcoming posts, we’ll talk specifics on some of our favorite smash-and-grab adventures. We’ll get into locations, logistics, expenses, and activities. But for now, I’d ask you to lower the bar a bit. Call up a buddy. Pick a weekend. Pack a bag. And just go…even if you need to be home for dinner.
You can also hear more on this topic on this episode of the Anthem of the Adventurer podcast. My friend, Dan Zehner and I have a great chat about family, friends, all things adventure.