As Art Buchwald said, “The best things in life are not things”. The best things in life are intangibles like relationships, life events and experiences. Good experiences last a lifetime, at least as memories, and they can give us joy and build confidence, skills and vitality. Significantly, consuming experiences, and not material goods, is better for your well-being and for the planet. This is because experiences are about being, and not having.
I like the idea of Microadventures. The term is from Alastair Humphries who knows a thing or two about adventures. Humphries believes that doing one-off micro-adventures from time to time will be confidence building and rewarding. Getting away from it all and challenging yourself allows you learn and to reflect on your normal existence.
“I believe that adventure is about stretching yourself: mentally, physically or culturally. It is about doing what you do not normally do, pushing yourself hard and doing it to the best of your ability.
“If that is true then adventure is all around us, at all times. Adventure is accessible to normal people, in normal places, in short segments of time and without having to spend much money.
“Adventure is only a state of mind.”
– Alastair Humphries
There are no hard and fast rules about micro-adventures but ideally they will be adventurous! This means they will be out of the ordinary and at least a little bit challenging. Depending on what you do it may cost nothing and it could be done with stuff you already have or could borrow. It might last for 3 hours or 3 days but they will be relatively short. It can be done alone or with others.
Here are a few examples and there are many more on Alastair Humphreys’ website.
- Sleep out under the stars on a beach
- Sleep in a tent in the rain
- Inner tube down a river
- Climb a hill and have dinner with friends
- Walk 30km in 24 hours and sleep in a bivvy bag
- Cycle 100km in a day
- Go sea kayaking (combine it with sleeping on a beach under the stars)
- Go snorkelling/diving
- Go white water rafting
- Go horse-trekking
- Go fishing