I’m a fearless adventure traveler, and you can be too. Let me explain.
The thing is… I don’t feel like a fearless traveler, in fact, I feel like I plan everything or have so much maybe travel experience now that I have this sense “bring it on, I can handle it”, and it’s just my style – my lifestyle – to handle things as they come (and go). Many people see me as a fearless adventure traveler though, while I see me as simply someone who enjoys new places and new experiences. I started wondering why it is that our perception can be so much off when it comes to adventure traveling, and I actually conducted a small survey among some friends. I asked questions like what kind of traveler you think you are, and what do you think when you hear a word “adventure traveler”.
The result was kind of surprising. The people who identified themselves as “leisure travelers” and didn’t travel that much, felt that adventure traveling was skydiving, para-sailing, wilderness, heli-skiing and even “roughing it” in nature or third world countries. And the people who were frequent travelers or even “adventure travelers” see fearless adventure traveling as willingness to try out new things like eating exotic food and having an active vacation, but it can be something as “non dangerous” as trying surfing at the resort beach, or going to a country where they don’t speak English. So our own perception is really what matters the most in our ability to be fearless adventure travelers!
You too can be a fearless traveler when you set your own limits – and take bold steps to cross them. I truly believe that living life to the fullest and enjoying life means that you have to be able to get out of your comfort zone – and nobody else should come and tell you what your comfort zone is!! You don’t have to be fearless traveler to climb mountains on the other side of the world nor be athletic and do adventure sports. You can do food adventures and try new cuisines – and you can do that anywhere, not just in exotic countries. Eating alligator and frog legs in Louisiana was very exotic to this Finnish girl, but eating reindeer with chanterelle mushrooms in Lapland isn’t, but it probably would be for you. And this same applies to anything – what ever the experience is that you can do in your travels, be fearless.
Do something you have not tried before, and get the sense of accomplishment. Sometimes it’s easier to be fearless when you travel – it’s OK if you “mess up”, nobody knows you. Let’s say you’ve always wanted to sing karaoke, but you are afraid what people will say. It’s easier to give it a test in the front of people who you will never see again, than in a room full of people who you interact on daily basis.
If you want more inspiration how to become a fearless traveler, join the Traveling Mom Kim Orlando and I on a #TMOM twitter chat on next Monday. The Traveling Mom Twitter Party will be from 9-10 pm ET on June 6th, 2011. We will share stories of inspirational travel in a #TMOM Monday Twitter party sponsored by Sony’s Showtime television show, The Big C. The show stars Laura Linney as a mom who has been diagnosed with cancer but doesn’t let it keep her down. Instead, the diagnosis inspires her to live her life to the fullest. Swing by the Traveling Mom site to RSVP to the party and find out how you can win cool prizes from the party sponsor.
Disclosure: I am officially part of the #TMOM campaign, but all my opinions are my own.
I’m a fearless adventure traveler, and you can be too. Let me explain.
The thing is… I don’t feel like a fearless traveler, in fact, I feel like I plan everything or have so much maybe travel experience now that I have this sense “bring it on, I can handle it”, and it’s just my style – my lifestyle – to handle things as they come (and go). Many people see me as a fearless adventure traveler though, while I see me as simply someone who enjoys new places and new experiences. I started wondering why it is that our perception can be so much off when it comes to adventure traveling, and I actually conducted a small survey among some friends. I asked questions like what kind of traveler you think you are, and what do you think when you hear a word “adventure traveler”.
The result was kind of surprising. The people who identified themselves as “leisure travelers” and didn’t travel that much, felt that adventure traveling was skydiving, para-sailing, wilderness, heli-skiing and even “roughing it” in nature or third world countries. And the people who were frequent travelers or even “adventure travelers” see fearless adventure traveling as willingness to try out new things like eating exotic food and having an active vacation, but it can be something as “non dangerous” as trying surfing at the resort beach, or going to a country where they don’t speak English. So our own perception is really what matters the most in our ability to be fearless adventure travelers!
You too can be a fearless traveler when you set your own limits – and take bold steps to cross them. I truly believe that living life to the fullest and enjoying life means that you have to be able to get out of your comfort zone – and nobody else should come and tell you what your comfort zone is!! You don’t have to be fearless traveler to climb mountains on the other side of the world nor be athletic and do adventure sports. You can do food adventures and try new cuisines – and you can do that anywhere, not just in exotic countries. Eating alligator and frog legs in Louisiana was very exotic to this Finnish girl, but eating reindeer with chanterelle mushrooms in Lapland isn’t, but it probably would be for you. And this same applies to anything – what ever the experience is that you can do in your travels, be fearless.
Do something you have not tried before, and get the sense of accomplishment. Sometimes it’s easier to be fearless when you travel – it’s OK if you “mess up”, nobody knows you. Let’s say you’ve always wanted to sing karaoke, but you are afraid what people will say. It’s easier to give it a test in the front of people who you will never see again, than in a room full of people who you interact on daily basis.
If you want more inspiration how to become a fearless traveler, join the Traveling Mom Kim Orlando and I on a #TMOM twitter chat on next Monday. The Traveling Mom Twitter Party will be from 9-10 pm ET on June 6th, 2011. We will share stories of inspirational travel in a #TMOM Monday Twitter party sponsored by Sony’s Showtime television show, The Big C. The show stars Laura Linney as a mom who has been diagnosed with cancer but doesn’t let it keep her down. Instead, the diagnosis inspires her to live her life to the fullest. Swing by the Traveling Mom site to RSVP to the party and find out how you can win cool prizes from the party sponsor.
Disclosure: I am officially part of the #TMOM campaign, but all my opinions are my own. 