Hobbies are a great way to grow as individuals and even connect with others. We love seeing the vast differences in hobbies among our friends and those we meet during our adventures. We’ve found that many nomads and travelers are looking for opportunities to embrace adventurous hobbies, but they don’t know where to start. If you’re looking for a new hobby, this article is for you!
Today, we’re looking at some adventurous hobbies we think you must try before you die. Let’s dive in!
What Are Adventurous Hobbies?
Adventurous hobbies increase the participant’s sense of adventure. These are often outdoor activities that have varying levels of difficulty and come with potential risks or dangers involved with the activities. Some adventurous hobbies may require special training or certifications to enjoy them fully.
One of the great things about adventurous hobbies is that they can help participants to grow in various ways. Learning new skills can be a great way to keep your brain fresh, and doing hard things can help boost your self-confidence. Many adventurers discover they’re capable of far more than they had ever imagined.
How Do You Start a New Hobby?
While some hobbies are easy to start, that’s not always the case. The more dangerous the hobby, the more you’ll want to proceed with caution. However, no matter how safe a hobby is, it’s often best to find someone with experience and knowledge in that hobby. Many people who are passionate about their hobbies are often more than happy to share their expertise and provide assistance to help others.
Finding an expert is helpful because you don’t want to spend your hard-earned money and discover you bought all the wrong stuff. If you don’t know anyone, there are plenty of online communities with hobbyists willing to help.
When starting a new hobby, be patient with yourself. No matter what it is, you won’t immediately be an expert. Learning a new hobby takes a lot of time and energy. So give yourself some grace, especially when getting started. Don’t give up just because it doesn’t come naturally to you. Some hobbies can take months or even years of experience before you’re entirely proficient.
The key to improving at a hobby is practicing. Look for any opportunity you have to practice. Plan your time off from work or vacations to include time for it. Hobbies are easier to enjoy if you have friends or family enjoying them with you. So don’t be afraid to pull in your loved ones.
Benefits of Adventurous Hobbies
The benefits of embracing adventurous hobbies might surprise you. There are a handful of reasons you should consider giving an adventurous hobby a try.
Opportunity to Focus on Yourself
Many people spend so much time focusing on others and forget to care for themselves. If you’re a people pleaser, you know how tough it can be to focus on yourself. Adding an adventurous hobby allows you an opportunity to focus on improving and growing yourself. While you may still carry burdens and stress for other people, adventurous hobbies make it easy to set those aside for a moment.
Allow You to Unplug from Normal Life
We live in a society that practically expects non-stop availability from one another. However, you can only stay connected for so long before something has to change. The constant dings and buzzes from mobile devices can be overwhelming. Whether it’s from work, school, or relationships, adventurous hobbies are a great excuse to unplug.
While some of these hobbies may require you to take more control of unplugging, others make it very easy. If your adventures take you to remote locations, there’s a good chance there won’t be much cell coverage or wifi available, making it impossible for others to contact you. If you need an excuse to be unavailable, now you have one!
Pro Tip: Explore underwater spots with our guide on Snorkeling with Trucks.
Improve Physical Health
Too many of us spend most of our days sitting in desk chairs and staring at computer screens. Taking up an adventurous hobby can help get you up and moving and improve your physical health.
According to the CDC, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. With many of us working from home and apps that make it easy to have food delivered to us, we’re nowhere near as active as we need to be. You’ll have little trouble reaching your step or activity goals by enjoying some adventurous activities.
Experience the World
Another benefit of adventurous hobbies is that they can take you to incredible places you wouldn’t go otherwise. The more you get into a hobby, the more places you’ll find where you can enjoy it.
You may stay close to home when you’re first starting, but the more experience you gain, the further you can venture away from home. You may even plan vacations around where you can most enjoy your hobby.
9 Adventurous Hobbies to Try Before You Die
We have several suggestions if you want to grow your sense of adventure in your hobbies. Let’s look at several you should try before you die.
Kayaking
Few things are more peaceful and relaxing than floating in a small boat on a body of water. You have the opportunity to take in the landscapes and view the wildlife. Kayaking can be an incredible and life-changing adventurous hobby. It allows hobbyists to connect with nature in its natural environment.
One great thing about kayaking is that in some of the best places to enjoy it, you can rent equipment to give it a try without investing a fortune. This can allow you to see if you enjoy it or might want to consider purchasing equipment.
Pro Tip: If you have dogs, try taking them kayaking with you! This is one of our favorite ways to experience the waterways with the whole family.
Spelunking
Spelunking is the technical term for cave exploring as a hobby. Caves are everywhere in the U.S., waiting for spelunkers to explore them. No two caves are the same, and there are so many unique things to see. However, spelunking can be very dangerous, especially if you do not have the right equipment.
If you’re new to spelunking, we recommend visiting a state or national park with caves. Many of these locations offer organized tours for guests. They’ll likely provide the equipment necessary to ensure you have a fantastic experience and learn a tremendous amount about the cave and other caves in the area.
Note: If you aren’t good with small spaces, we recommend avoiding tight caves. But there are plenty of larger caves you can enough. Tom has a bit of claustrophobia and prefers larger caves, too, like Mammoth Caves or spacious lava tubes.
Pro Tip: New to spelunking? Learn more about the benefits of going underground and how to safely explore here.
Hiking
Many people who enjoy spending time outdoors find hiking to be a very easy adventurous hobby to get into for beginners. There are so many possibilities regarding trails that you can find one that works best for you. There are short, long, flat, or incredibly challenging trails that you can explore. Even if a trail is long, you don’t always have to travel along all of it. You can turn around when you’ve reached your limit.
Hiking can be a great way to escape crowds in national and state parks. You can experience some incredible views that others don’t get to experience without making the trek. Some of our favorite adventures have involved hiking, and it is a great way to experience state and national parks.
Pro Tip: New to hiking? Make sure you have these 10 Hiking Essentials You Should Never Hit the Trail Without.
Scuba Diving/Snorkeling
If you enjoy aquatic activities, scuba diving and snorkeling can allow you to experience an entirely new world below the water’s surface. Scuba diving will require a bit more gear and likely certifications, but snorkeling can be equally as fun and adventurous without them.
These are great activities if you live near the ocean or a clear body of water. Swimming with fish and other aquatic animals can be an exciting adventure. It’s also an excellent opportunity to experience and appreciate the incredible diversity of vegetation living in the water.
One of our favorite snorkeling adventures was to see the manatees in Florida!
White Water Rafting
White water rafting can be an intense and exciting adventurous hobby. Working through the various rapids categories will get your heart pumping and adrenaline flowing. Rafting trips can be a great way to bond with others in your raft and help you develop your abilities as a teammate. You can find rafting adventures all over the country.
Some of the best rafting experiences involve floating down some of the deepest canyons in the country. Many rivers have calm and aggressive sections, so the trip is not entirely chaotic. Make sure you hire an experienced guide to ensure a safe and memorable experience. You can find white water rafting adventures lasting a few hours to multiple days.
Since not everyone lives near a white water river, this is a great hobby to inspire your travels! From the New River Gorge in West Virginia to the Snake River in Idaho, we have found many amazing places around the country to enjoy this sport!
Photography
Technology has improved immensely in the past decade when it comes to photography. The cameras on most modern smartphones are leaps and bounds more powerful than some of the most advanced cameras years ago. Getting into photography can be a great way to encourage you to get out and reach some unique places and embrace other adventurous hobbies.
An advantage of improving your photography skills is that you’ll have high-quality images to remember your adventures. You may even find that your friends and loved ones enjoy seeing pictures from your adventures.
We’ve found that photography pushes us to do things we wouldn’t have otherwise done. Like getting up early to see the sunrise over the desert mountains, staying up to watch a meteor shower, or hiking to the top of Angel’s Landing. Who knows what miracles you’ll see through the camera lens!
Camping
There are various types of camping (15 types to be exact!), and none is better than the rest. Camping allows you to get out in nature and enjoy some fresh air. You can camp in established campgrounds or hike miles into the wilderness to a secluded or remote campsite away from others.
However, some camping requires a certain amount of survival skills. The further into the wilderness you venture away from campgrounds, the more self-reliant you’ll need to be. But from bushcraft camping to glamping, this hobby is sure to give you plenty of adventure!
Camping is a great adventurous hobby that all ages can enjoy, and you can make priceless memories with those you love most. Start with short trips and progress to longer or more remote camping trips. Always pack plenty of supplies and be aware of the weather conditions.
Pro Tip: We uncovered What You Need for Your First Camping Trip to make packing easy.
Rock Climbing
Rock climbing can be a fantastic way to conquer some incredible landscapes or a fear of heights.
When you improve your rock climbing skills, you look at mountains, boulders, and rock faces differently. Instead of snapping a quick picture and moving on your way, you think to yourself, “Could I climb that?” There’s a good chance you’ll be able to do just that with enough practice!
Keep in mind, rock climbing can be very dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing. We recommend finding a climbing facility to work on your skills or taking advantage of climbing excursions organized by trained climbing professionals.
You need the right gear for outside climbing, learn how to tie knots, and figure out how to read maps to find established climbing routes. But that is all part of the fun of learning a new hobby!
Orienteering
Orienteering is an adventurous hobby where you test your navigation skills using nothing but a map and compass. The goal is to find various pre-planned locations on the map during the adventure. This is both a leisure and competitive hobby that many adventurers enjoy doing. However, you should ensure you know how to use your map and compass before heading out into the wild. You don’t want to get yourself lost in the process!
Adventurous Hobbies Can Help You Grow
One of the dangers of getting older is becoming stagnant. By embracing adventurous hobbies, you can grow in ways you would never have imagined possible. Whether you want to improve your overall fitness and mental health or connect with a community of people, adventurous hobbies can make it happen.
What hobby looks interesting to you? Tell us in the comments!
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