For more than a decade I’ve lived my life with an adventure centric mindset. I’ve embraced a lifestyle of adventures whether they be local, national or international. Not only has this enriched my life but flexed my mindset to the possibilities of living a life on my terms.
As you can imagine not every adventure turns out the way you expect, and in fact there have been a few that have gone completely sideways. A great example is last year’s trip to Italy for three weeks. Everything had been planned precisely, the flights, transfers, private guided tours, and even cooking classes in Naples…
That was all before we found ourselves stranded in Dubai for five days without luggage, nor assistance from Emirates. A side note is that we’re still fighting with them to get some form of reimbursement for what transpired… However, I’ll leave that for another story.
We were eventually able to get to Italy, albeit almost a week late and with only Judy’s luggage. Mine would be delayed another week before it finally caught up with us in Tuscany. With a positive mindset the upside was that I was able to buy new clothes along the way.
Living a life with an adventure centric mindset you need to be okay with a variety of outcomes and experiences. If nothing more, you’ll always come away with a good story.
Over the course of the years, I’ve my fair share of unique situations including encounters with local militias in Asia, being detained by the military during a coup, interrogated on more than one occasion (not recommended) but fortunate enough to be able to tell the tales.
Of course, the flip side of having an adventure centric mindset is that I’ve also lived out many of my dreams in terms of travel and experiences around the world.
While living in Toronto being able to experience a “four-day flip” to Europe whereby I’d flip a coin on which European city I would visit and explore for four days. I was fortunate enough to spend many a long weekend exploring different cities in Europe over the years.
Now you’d think that I just be a regular tourist while in these exotic locations, but actually far from it. With my research in hand, I’d be well and truly off the beaten track, likely visiting places and neighbourhoods not recommended for tourists or visitors but experiencing the true DNA of the city.
What I found was that although I was generally seen as unique for being in a specific place or neighbourhood, I was always welcomed with generosity that the normal tourist areas didn’t always provide.
A great example is Naples, in Italy. I can’t tell you how many people have called me crazy for spending time in this incredible city. Yes, it has a reputation for not being safe, nor clean but I actually have found it to be an incredibly friendly city, and surprisingly family oriented. Venturing out after dark into the streets of Naples can be intimidating, but it can also be surprising in terms of the people you meet, the gastronomic delights that await you and the experiences you have.
Now I’m not advocating that you book a flight today to Naples, Belgrade, Casablanca or Marseille (all of which are in my favourites), without understanding what may await you. Your personal safety should always be your number one concern.
I still have a number of cities I want to explore, although currently not easy to get to from Australia. Not only does it take more that 24 hours to fly to almost anywhere else in the world outside Asia, but the cost is ridiculously high so while this is not accessible for me at the moment there are lots of places closer to home that I can explore.
As I’ve said many times before the concept of adventures lives between your ears, versus how much money you spend and the level of exotic you experience. Adventures can be simple and local whereby you don’t need to spend a ton of money to experience it. Exploring a different neighbourhood in your town or city can be just as exciting without breaking the bank.
A great example from when I lived in Toronto was for me to catch the subway to a suburb I hadn’t explored, and with camera in hand set about walking the streets and discovering unique images or places that I could share with others. Often, it’s the people you meet along the journey that make the difference, with the vast majority being welcoming, friendly and helpful.
Before I begin any adventure, I endeavour not to over program what I want to see and do, and keep it simple. I keep my expectations to a minimum and let the city reveal itself to me as I go. I’m also not afraid to have conversations with locals, albeit in part sign language with a smattering of English and the local language. In my experience I’ve found that people try to be helpful if you’re respectful, try to communicate even if it’s with just a few words of the local language, curious and smile.
I suppose it all comes down to your mindset and being okay with sometimes operating just outside your comfort zone. The reality is that most things in life come down to your willingness to keep an open and enquiring mind.
So, when is your next adventure? Are you ready to get outside your comfort zone and try new things… what are you waiting for!
Until next week.
Ciao
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