8 Easy Ways To Add More Adventure To Your Next Vacation

Tired of the same old boring holidays? The good news is that you don't need to jump out of a plane or cross-country cycle to add a bit of adventure to your next holiday. Accentuating your travels with a dash of adventure is as simple as embracing new experiences and expanding your comfort zone. Still sound like a daunting task? Don't worry—today we're sharing our 8 favorite ways to add more adventure to your next vacation. Stay with us and you'll quickly see adventure travel really is for everyone.

Try a New Food

PHOTO: An Adventurous Food Tour in Paris

Food is deeply rooted in cultural traditions, and you can get an intimate look at a place and the people by sharing a meal with locals, taking a cooking class, or going on a food tour. For example, gastronomic tours can be an adventurous and informing way to experience a new culture depending on where you’re going and what you’re sampling.

And testing your comfort in the kitchen with a new cooking skill can certainly be more adventurous than you might initially think.

Just don’t be afraid to test your taste buds along the way. We live by the “always try one bite” rule of thumb, which opens up the door for a lot of adventurous eating opportunities.

You don't always have to be eating cow's stomach or tarantulas to have an adventure though. Remember that adventure is all about getting out of your comfort zone, whether that means taking a macaroon making class or eating candy-coated critters.

Go Extreme

PHOTO: Nevis Bungee Jump in New Zealand

Of course if jumping out of planes, zip lining through the rainforest or rafting through raging whitewater rapids is more your style, then go for it! Queenstown in New Zealand claims to be the adventure capital of the world, and for good reason.

It's the birthplace of the bungee jump and offers heaps of adventure activities like speed boating through a canyon or hang gliding off the nearby mountains.

For a lighter adventure, you can head to the top of a hill for a gravity fed go-cart race. As long as you’re in New Zealand, check out the Skyline Luge, a multi-track course set high above Lake Wakatipu with amazing views of the surrounding mountains. As you glide through tunnels and banked turns, you’ll experience a ride you won't soon forget.

Costa Rica is another country that, while small, offers lots of opportunity for adventure. Zip lining is a crowd favorite in the country, and while you're not likely to see much wildlife while you’re screaming through the treetops, it is sure to be a memorable experience.

Wake Up Early

Give the long nights out a break and instead find a few days to wake up early. You'll see things that don't happen at any other time of day, like bustling markets and locals on their way to school or work. During the early hours in Taiwan we would see locals conducting free tai chi classes in the public parks. All it took was a few basic Chinese phrases to join in for a sunrise session.

Getting up early also allows more time for adventure — you don't want to just sleep all day and then have to squeeze in life-changing experiences after 2 p.m. It's possible, but you can definitely fit more adventure in when you’ve got the whole day to work with.

Walk

PHOTO: Pedestrian Walkway in Stockholm, Sweden

Taking a cab, bus or metro can be efficient for those farther trips, but when exploring a city we've found that you see so much more when you're on foot. For this reason, we love touring walkable cities. You might stumble upon live jazz music in San Francisco, meet a friendly group of people to explore with, find a great bar or restaurant… All of these things might sound small, but by slowly and thoughtfully exploring the unknown, you begin to open the door for all kinds of unique experiences.

Put the Camera Down, For Now… Be Present

One of the easiest ways to spot a tourist is by the giant camera hanging around their neck. In order for adventurous opportunities to arise you have to actually take time to live your travels and slow down – no one wants to invite you on a crazy adventure if your head is behind the lens the whole time.

Do yourself a favor and don't get caught up in documenting so much that you forget to enjoy the adventure while it is unfolding in front of you. Put it away, at least for a bit, and get to know some of the people and places around you before you start snapping pictures.

Pick a Festival

PHOTO: Burning Boat Festival in Taiwan

Festivals are a fantastic way to add an adventure into your travel experience. People are out and about, eager to share their culture and have a good time. Towns are decorated and on display. If it's Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, the Festival of Colors in India or Burning Boat Festival in Taiwan, experiencing a local festival is sure to be a unique experience.

Housesit

PHOTO: Housesitting in the South of France

One of our favorite ways to travel is by housesitting — we actually stay and take care of a resident’s pets and home while they go away on a vacation of their own. It's a whole new way of really diving into a culture and gaining an inside perspective of living like a local. Housesits can range from a couple of weeks to months at a time, meaning you can literally take your life to a new country and live there. Whether it's ten horses on a ranch or a blind cat in the south of France, each house is different—you never know what kind of adventures are waiting to happen.