1st May 2020

Explore Nature. One Microadventure At A Time

What is a microadventure? Well, we will get to that, but first, let’s jump in to look at what exactly an adventure is.

Adventure is a spirit of trying something new, something difficult, going somewhere different, leaving your comfort zone. It is about enthusiasm, open-mindedness and curiosity.

So if the true definition of “adventure” is more than climbing cliffs and scaling mountains, then it can be found everywhere and in every day. It is up to your imagination to find it.

The reality of everyday life means we are limited to the amount of big adventures we can do while maintaining our commitments and constraints of the day to day reality. This is where a microadventure comes in. You don’t have to fly across the world to seek beauty and wilderness. The great thing about adventure is it is not biased. It doesn’t favour the rich, the elite, or the expert. It is as individual as your thumbprint, and can be curated by you, for you. Is is stretching your own limits and boundaries, finding your comfort zone and pushing past it.

Microadventure

A microadventure as the essence and spirit of a big adventure, but is condensed into a bite-sized petite-four of deliciousness. It is exploring the small pockets of wilderness in our backyard, it is the mid week office break, and the Saturday night backyard campout. It is close to home, simple, short, and very effective. it captures the challenge and fun, the learning experiences and excitement, and it is important that we approach it as if it was the bigger deal. The rewards are just as real, and the memories are there for just as long.

So, during these difficult times, as the world is going through something we will (hopefully) only ever experience once, it is important to take the microadventures when you can. To lace up your boots and hit the trails for a 2 hour hike, or kayak on the river in your own home town. To experience something challenging, exciting, rewarding and refreshing, in a small, simple and short experience that also wont break the bank.

Now is the time for the surge of microadventures. While we become increasingly urbanised, sitting behind the screen of zoom calls and Netflix binges, with little freedom to explore outside of our own region, let alone our country. Microadventures offer a realistic escape to nature and wilderness, simplicity and the great outdoors, where space seems never ending, yet we are only a short drive away from our homes.

National Geographic’s 2012 Adventurer of the Year, Alastair Humphreys, made this his thesis for life. He believed that capitalizing on small, close-to-home adventures was not only fun, but healthy for the explorer in all of us. Or as Alastair says, adventures that are “small and achievable, for normal people with real lives.” This could be as simple as a backyard campout with your family under the night sky, or a full moon walk around your neighbourhood.

Our Take

Our take on microadventures is one that may not come as a surprise ( in that our entire business is built around them!). We think that the more people who can embrace the idea of microadventures, who can get out and do something they wouldn’t normally do, and experience that simplicity of a little nugget of adventure, the better!

We love sharing our favourite finds, and the amazing ideas that Alistair has put together here will help you get started on your journey of microadventures. Make sure you share them with us!