When is it a good time for adventures? When you’re retired and your kids are grown? Or when you finally have “enough” money saved up? Or finally have “extra” PTO?
I used to think like this. Growing up, the only kinds of adventures that I was exposed to were the extreme sports-style adventures that were shown on TV commercials or in the glossy magazines, you know, pre-social media and the internet. Each of these adventures were super long, took tons of planning, and looked like a major production.
And when looking at advertisements like that, of course I wouldn’t have time for adventures. I mean, I was in school and then had full-time jobs to deal with. Who has multiple days a week to have these epic adventures?
But now that social media is around and we’re exposed to another side of adventures, they’re more attainable and…DOABLE.
Adventures don’t have to be long, drawn-out experiences. They can be smaller, close-to-home, and personalized, which opens up a whole new world.
As with most things in life, there will never be the “perfect” time for adventure, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t happen.
The Ideal time for adventures doesn’t exist
I’m sure I have a few pins on my Words to Travel By board on Pinterest that says something along the lines of “if you wait for the perfect time, you’ll be waiting for the rest of your life.”
And I’m sure most VSCO girls and travelers will have some rendition of that quote on their boards as well. I don’t know who to attribute the original quote to, but I’d love to give them props.
Because it’s so true.
We’ll always find a reason or excuse to not go on an adventure.
Not enough money.
Not enough time.
Other obligations.
Work.
Family.
There will never be a “perfect” moment in time for adventures. But that shouldn’t stop you.
Why don’t we have time for adventures?
I think the real reason we make up excuses for not adventuring stems from a lack of understanding what constitutes as an adventure. If you think of adventures the way I did growing up, of course we don’t have time for adventures that take us to the other side of the world to jump off of a sky-diving platform.
We need to get away from this mentality that adventures are expensive, time-consuming, and only reserved for those once-in-a-lifetime special occasions.
Most Americans are terrible at taking time off, and a major factor is that a lot of people work jobs that don’t offer paid time off (PTO) options for their employees.
So basically, if you don’t work, you don’t get paid.
I get it.
When I didn’t have vacation benefits, I really felt those days that I didn’t work. It was hard to justify taking a leisure day off from work, regardless of my mental health. I needed to pay the bills.
For those who have PTO options for their jobs, an alarming percentage of employees don’t use all of their paid days off. I had a boss that never took time off and it killed me to watch, especially since I was squeezing as much time as I could from my 1 day off a month option.
But what if I told you that I was able to have 30 adventures back-to-back, during a busy time at work, while working 9-10 hour days?
And the benefits were staggering.
It really just takes a shift in your mindset.
We find the time and energy to do the things that we want. And adventuring is the same.
You can find an hour every week to go on a micro adventure.
We all have to eat, so you can have a culinary adventure by trying out a new restaurant.
Kids are bored? Go on a photo scavenger hunt without leaving the car.
The possibilities are endless. You just need to understand that adventures don’t have to be time-consuming death-defying activities.
When is the right time?
I know it’s time for me to have an adventure when certain things in my life and attitude start to change. But everyone else’s circumstances are different. So let me offer a few examples of when it might be time for you to go on a little adventure.
Your days blend together. Do you ever have a conversation with someone and you can’t remember what day it is? Or you know you performed a task, but can’t think of when? Days blend together when there is little variation or differentiation of your tasks. Spice it up with an adventure and reset your week.
You look forward to the weekend, but it’s taken up with chores. I think it was Garrett Gee from The Bucket List Family that said he treats every day like a Saturday. Sure, our circumstances are different, but I love the mental shift that thought encourages. You don’t have to wait for the weekend to have fun experiences if you can finagle your schedule during the week.
You’re bored. I remember being a kid and telling my mom that I was bored, and she’d have a whole list of things I could be doing. Well, here’s your “Rachelle’s mom” moment. If you’re bored, go on a micro adventure.
You woke up. Honestly, it’s such a gift to be alive, there’s no better time to have an adventure. Adventures don’t necessarily need to be used as a cure for boredom and apathy. They’re celebrations of life as well!
Do you set aside time for adventures? When is your ideal time to go on adventures?
Sharing is caring! Please show some love by sharing on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram! Thank you!
