Finding Adventure in a World Discovered

We must never stop nurturing that part of us which seeks adventure. It is that very desire to explore the unknown, that makes us feel alive. It is the very sensation that we feel burgeoning within our soul when we cast our bow line, which forms the nucleus of who we are as humans. For, as humans it is innately part of us to seek discovery, to explore and chase adventure. We must do everything we can to nurture this. So that the seeds which make up the fabric of our being are given a chance to grow and anchor us, giving our soul something to hold on to when the turbulence of the modern world tries to uproot us. We must give these seeds the chance to blossom, because when they do, we simply become the best very version of what we are supposed to be.

The conundrum we face is that we live in a social media saturated world, one in which we are over stimulated by a constant barrage of images and videos from around the world. This, in itself, offers us the remarkable opportunity to travel around the world each day by simply turning to our smart phones. However, the one caveat to this infinite window to the world is that it may very well have desensitized us to the wonders of this incredible planet of ours; but it is because of this caveat that we must seek out adventure now more than ever. 

The truth is that even though there is a certain joy in sharing our travels with our social circles, we must remember that the experiences and moments we encounter when we travel offer us something that is far more introspective… the opportunity to widen our perspectives not just as travelers but as humans as well. Even though you may have the desire to share these journeys, remember, these moments are yours alone and they represent much more than a social media feed. Again, sharing your journey with others is great and fulfilling in some regard, just don’t let the social media feed be the objective of, or define your adventure.

So that leaves us with the ultimate question; in a world that’s been explored by seemingly everyone on Instagram on a daily basis, is adventure still out there for us to experience? In this ever-shrinking world, does exploration still evoke feelings of awe? I have to say, unequivocally… YES! The places we visit live with us forever, they become part of us, no matter how many have visited them before us and no matter how many visit them after us. See, our journeys are not defined by the journeys of others, but rather, they are defined by the way they make us feel, by the way they shape us as humans. 

I talk to so many people who tell me that they don’t have the means to travel on exotic trips or go on adventures to far away places. But, going on an adventure does not mean that you have to cash in your life savings for a trip, its simply means traveling somewhere different, to a place that teaches you something new about yourself. This is, after all, the fundamental meaning behind exploration and travel; to experience new things, to venture beyond the radius of what’s familiar to you. When you do this, when you cast your bow line, I assure you, you will experience so much that will forever enrich your life, you will find those moments that you never knew you needed. 

So how do you find your adventure today? 

For starters, when you are planning your travels, go right ahead and skip the cruises section; going on a cruise is not an adventure and I wouldn’t even consider it traveling. If you are just willing to do some research, plan in advance, check your fear of the unknown at the door and step out of your comfort zone, then going on adventure becomes easy. Honestly, there are so many great adventures to go on, and who cares how many people have done them before you, that doesn’t matter (for example, going to Africa and witnessing the Great Migration is still an awe-inspiring life changing experience regardless of how many people have seen it before.).  When you do go on an adventure, and I can’t stress this enough, identify your comfort zone, then step out of it, it will not only change your perspective on how you see the world, but also how you handle things in your daily life.  Don’t ever let fear hold you back. My wife and I run a private safari company, and it’s the greatest feeling in the world when we see what once was nervous anticipation of that first adventure being replaced with unbridled smiles the first time our guests see an elephant in the wild or the first time they here a lion’s roar echo through the horizon. That was our ultimate goal with our safari company, to create bespoke adventures and to show people that this world is unimaginably beautiful and not this scary place that so many are led to believe. 

When planning your adventure, take to the internet, read about adventures that others have embarked on, use what they have done as your blueprint and then shape your own adventure as you see fit. Remember, an adventure doesn’t have to exotic, it just has to be different. Oh, another thing, stop travelling to places just to sit at coffee shops, that’s basically the “anti-adventure” (if that’s what you want to do, then you will save a ton of money by just going to the Starbucks down the street). Instead, go somewhere, where the mosquitos bite and the dust stain your clothes. Somewhere, where you can sit around the campfire and listen to stories under a theater of stars. Go somewhere where social media can’t find you (that’s the final frontier and the greatest adventure), and the beautiful silence makes you never want to leave. A real adventure is when you disconnect with the world you know, just so that you can reconnect with yourself (sometimes, getting lost means finding yourself). 

So, what makes a great adventure, in a world that has been traveled and traveled over? What do you have to do to find those special moments that define the way we see the world? These are the questions every traveler in a modern world asks themselves, and while there is no scripture to what the make-up of the perfect adventure is, there are definitely some fundamental points that should form part of the ethos of any adventure you embark on.

Travel and adventure rules (well suggestions really) to live by:

• Going on an adventure should be an introspective journey, one about self-growth and fulfillment, so don’t focus on where others think you should go or what your journey should be… IT IS YOUR JOURNEY. 

• At least once, try to visit a place where the culture is far removed from what you are used to in your daily life. 

• Don’t break the bank on fancy hotels and luxuries, real adventures are about experiences not things. 

• Go somewhere where they don’t speak the same language as you.

• Try some food that you can’t pronounce, yeah you might get Delhi Belly, but the memories will last forever and the stories you will tell for years to come.

• Go somewhere where you can detach from social media and modern connectivity (a safari is great for this J), most times you end up finding what truly makes you happy and realize that everything else is white noise.

• Don’t be scared to venture far beyond your comfort zone, it may seem scary, but our planet is freaking amazing and it will be well worth it.

• ·       It’s ok to travel alone, again this is your journey, and your adventure does not have to be someone else’s.

• Going on a cruise is not traveling, don’t waste your money.

• Take a long road trip, to places off the beaten path, those are some of the best adventures.

• Try to stay away from tourist traps, a hotel at a theme park is cool, a tent in the Serengeti is cooler.

• Skip the holiday resort, that’s not an adventure, go to a national park instead! Yellowstone will spellbind you.

• Our planet is full of amazing wild spaces, visiting them not only guarantees you an adventure of a lifetime, but the money you spend in these places goes a long way to saving our planet.

• Seeing something man made is great but seeing a lion in the wild is far better, at least once in your life, go on a safari (its life changing). 

• Do your research.

•  Treat the locals with kindness and respect, it goes a long way.

• Be patient at airports.

• The Masai Mara, The Okavango Delta, Table Mountain, The Sabi Sands, The Great Barrier Reef, Yellowstone, The Grand Tetons, The Grand Canyon… these are just some of our planet’s incredible stages, visit at least one of them in your lifetime, they will change your forever. 

• A comfort zone is great, but there are no amazing places there. 

• Stop making bucket lists those are a waste of time, instead if there is a place you would love to see, set forth a plan that allows you to travel there as soon as you can.

• Don’t wait too long to go on an adventure, nothing in the future is for certain, we are only guaranteed the present.

• Finally, travel as much as you can… not only does it make you a better version of yourself, but it also emancipates you. 

I love going on adventures, and even consider myself a modern-day explorer. This topic is one that I could discuss indefinitely, because I feel it’s so important for everyone to travel, to go on an adventure from time to time and detach from the world around us. Especially during a time when our lives are so heavily enshrouded by all the white noise we let in on a daily basis. I see this incredible planet of ours, with its many mesmerizing stages, offering us an outlet, an opportunity for us to feed our souls, by simply exploring its vast palette. I sincerely believe that travel is the antidote for many of life’s ills. 

We are often told that life is short, but I assure you when you spend time traveling and going on adventures, you quickly realize that just being on this planet of ours makes life extremely beautiful as well. See, in a world driven by the constant chase, we often forget to chase those very moments that make us feel alive, those moments that breathe life into our lives. I implore you, go out and seek those moments, find your adventure and chase it with everything that you have. It is when you let go of that which anchors you to the shore, you often find the moments that liberate your soul and set your spirit free. So, go on and seek emancipation from shackles that relegate you into believing that your adventure is beyond your grasp; and when you do so, when you chase that adventure, you have already set your soul free.