Do you miss adventure?
Not misadventure, which is a very different thing, but instead, are you sensing a lack of adventure in your life?
Not into extreme sports (or sports in general) and are unwilling to increase your insurance deductible in order to chase adventure? Isn't there something for those who live a life of the mind? Something that won't put us in a foreign jail, on a do-not-fly list, or in bankruptcy court?
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For the armchair adventuring enthusiast who has endured the agonies of their sporting friends obsessed with gym, exercise, hiking, and how many times they've ripped it or rocked it on some glorious natural place meant only to be trodden and conquered beneath their feet, or who have heard their gaming friends elaborate in agonizing detail how they found meaning in life in the late-night 1s and 0s with headphones and controllers, or who cannot bear another social media account full of beige and gold-tinted one-percenter globetrotting life, welcome to the club you've been in all your life. It's the club that visits museums and bookstores, prefers coffee and tea shops over bars, and loves paper and what's tangible over the digital and fleeting. ​
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It's the armchair adventurer club. You've been in it your whole life and never knew it.
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three adventurous ways
The armchair enthusiast need not be the strange internet lurker, both creating and solving conspiracies to the frustration of friends and family at holidays. There are other ways to inject adventure in your life. There are many ways to seize the day without blowing out your knee or decimating your bank account.
Obtain an Adventurous Outlook
I've learned to see adventure wherever I can find it, including eating a salad while traveling and hoping they washed the lettuce well. Learning new things, letting your imagination have fun, keeping journals about ideas and places you'd visit or things you'd build if you were rich — all worthy. Everything can be seen as some kind of adventure.
Refuse To Live In Comparison
What we're told (and sold) as being considered enviable and desirable for interesting lives is remarkably uninteresting if we're honest. There's a lot of the same stuff, and it's wise to remember that trends aren't adventure. They're the well-worn path everyone is doing to get the same social media photo to stake their claim of belonging in the club of travel, sports, fitness, etc. Your exciting evening with Jane Austen is legit, I swear to it.
Get Your Gear
Armchair adventure enthusiasts have a high chance of liking books and paper. Finding just the right pens, pencils, books, journals, and "get off my lawn" signs so you can read in peace are not easy. I have some items on this site, like journals, ephemera, and kits. I've also built a wishlist on Amazon of things I've purchased that I think you'll like.*
*Please note: Amazon links may be affiliate links, and I would earn a commission and make money from your purchase.
Need some ideas? These are my best armchair adventurer tips
Document Adventure
Few things bring me joy like looking back on my old travel journals. I relive the adventure much better than swiping through digital photos. You can learn how to travel journal! Visit the "Learn" section for more information. You can also make fake travel journals for the trips you imagine taking. That's actually a lot of fun. Because you can take a trip back in time or to wherever your imagination books a ticket.
Find Adventure Everywhere
Making maps and other art themed around adventure, mystery, or imaginary lands shouldn't be relegated to kids (though maybe kept from your boss). I've had vicarious adventures through a 1" doll named Bob, and through stories of a mystery gang.
Have Adventurous Parties
One of my favorite things to do is throw mystery parties for my friends. I don't have many friends now, ha, but the idea is still solid. Better yet, send mysterious letters to your pen pal (make sure they're in on the secret so they don't call the police out of concern for your welfare). If you'd like a letter from me (acknowledging there's a 12% chance the USPS won't get it to you), send me an email with your address.
