How adventurous are you?

You have a good start. Anyone who’s even considered taking a long-term travel break, or even several shorter ones, has to have an adventurous spirit. But how do you stack up against other folks looking for adventure?

A post on Gadling this week discussed a recent survey commissioned by Intrepid Travel, which found that folks in the United States lagged behind Kiwis, Aussies, Brits and Canadians in terms of “who’s the most adventurous” when traveling. Questions ranged from whether respondents would eat sashimi to whether they’d be likely to stay with a local family.

Ultimately, how far you’re willing to go and what you call “adventure” is all up to you. Who cares how many people from which country are willing to eat a deep-fried tarantula? But surveys like this, as well as stories of other folks’ travels, serve as questions to ourselves. Would I do that? In what circumstance? Why? Why not? It allows us to examine our own reasons for drawing the line where we do, and whether we’re willing to stretch that line.

How about you? What’s the thing you’ve done on your travels that’s gotten the most people to say, “I’d never do that.”?

Posted by | Comments (7)  | November 5, 2010
Category: Adventure Travel, General, Lifestyle Design


7 Responses to “How adventurous are you?”

  1. Sage Says:

    I’d been nuzzled out of bed by a bear and have starred into the eyes of a rattlesnake while on a rock wall and have hiked for days without seeing another person and have gotten lost in a Korean hotel… how’s that for a start

  2. GypsyGirl Says:

    Funny, I hear that a lot.(maybe that’s saying something) Rode a horse bareback, naked, in the surf, under a full moon–swam with alligators, sharks and teased a scorpion fish 100 feet below the surface. Drove 7 hours, in a twenty below snow storm, to catch a plane to Mexico. Rode bulls, successfully gave a dog CPR and have shot flaming arrows from horseback.

  3. ABranch Says:

    For starts, I hung out with GypsyGirl for a summer. Also, I spent several winter days solo in the highcountry, I spent a week spearfishing (snorkel and handspear) off the coast of South Australia and living off what I caught, I kayaked over a 30ft waterfall, I CouchSurf, I hitchhike regularly, I lived out of a Nissan for a month in another country, I’m taking a year out of my “real life” to live in a religious community and work with delinquent boys, I solo climbed an 11,000ft mountain (and almost died twice, once because of Grizzly bears), and I’m not done.

  4. Jill K. Robinson Says:

    GypsyGirl, I’m especially impressed with the dog CPR accomplishment! But everything posted so far sounds awesome.

  5. GypsyGirl Says:

    Jill, I was thrilled it worked! The dog was attacked, then dragged (choked) to death– I was a dog sled guide and another sled got away from a fellow guide. A dozen dogs had free rein on the trail, which is very dangerous, because they are all linked together and will fight or become tangled. This time the worst happened. (but all ended well)

    Alex- And you still hang out with me after that summer! šŸ™‚ Think I have that video clip (of the Griz cubs) and I would have felt so bad if you had gotten eaten, especially after joking about you leaving my keys in the tool box.

  6. Captivated Says:

    Well.. I took a leave of absence from my corporate job, sold most of my belongings including my car, leased out my home, packed up my husband and my border collie and headed to Central America for 6 months, having never been there before šŸ™‚ You can imagine how many “Iā€™d never do that!!” comments I got šŸ˜‰