It was a beautiful November afternoon in Queenstown, New Zealand, and I was suiting up to be thrown out of a perfectly good plane. I had always contended (as recently as 3 days prior to this particular day) that I would never voluntarily JUMP out of a plane that wasn’t on fire (or at least visibily smoking). So what was I thinking? Simple, I needed to get out of my comfort zone, and more importantly, I was confident that the Tandem Master strapped to my back had a vested interest in landing safely on the ground.
This was my first foray into what is often called “adventure travel.” And after I safely returned to Mother Earth, kissed her, and then hugged my Tandem Master, I decided that adventure travel was my new passion.
Yes, this is me tandem sky diving over Queenstown!!
Adventure travel doesn’t have to do with the particular destination, and it doesn’t have to be death-defying. It encourages you to stretch your mind or your body but intentionally go beyond one’s comfort zone, seeking out experiences which are unfamilar. It takes you out of that ”been there, done that” rut and opens a new world of possibilities to you. For an avid cruiser, it may be taking the step away from blue water (ocean) cruising and going on a river cruise or a cruise to Antarctica. For others adventure travel may be more rugged, hiking Maccu Pichu, spelunking through caves, learning to SCUBA dive, or going on an African safari.
Whatever your adventure may be, be open to the life-changing possibilites that it has to offer!
Susan Schaefer, ECC, ACE, DS, CSS
Professional Travel Consultant & Escape Artist
You go girl! You actually put the adventure in Adventure Travel. Always nice to be able to read about first hand encounters.
Can’t think of a better place to skydive than Queenstown. Oddly enough, after I did a skydive, I became a much more relaxed flyer.
I love adventure travel – led teenagers and adults around New Zealand by bicycle.