Five Reasons to Take on an Adventure Challenge
Adventure travel can seem like a slightly strange thing to do. You spend most of your life working. Why would you choose to spend your precious weeks of holiday entirely out of your comfort zone, gaining blisters? But bookings to trek to the likes of Colombia’s Lost City and the Everest Base Camp are up. More people are looking to experience something different in their down time. And adventure challenges are calling. So, why should you consider an adventure challenge for your next annual leave?
Why Take on an Adventure Challenge?
1. You’ll be doing something different
There aren’t many of us who don’t look forward to having time off work. But all too often, that time just passes us by. Even if we go away somewhere, one day lying on the beach can easily merge into another. And then you’re back at work with nothing to show for it… Except, perhaps, for an unfortunate case of sunburn. With a challenge holiday, whether it’s trekking Hadrian’s Wall or running the Budapest marathon, your days are full. You’re doing something purposeful. You’re doing something different. And you’re probably meeting some great new people in the process.
2. You can raise money for charity
It’s not very often that we get to make a real difference. Taking part in a challenge, such as the London to Paris cycle, can be a really great way to raise awareness of and money for a charity that is close to your heart. And in these times of financial stress, charities need all the support they can get.
3. It will take you way out of your comfort zone
Sure, we all like our comfort zones. It’s where we feel happiest and safest. But sometimes, leaving your comfort zone can be incredibly good for us. Experiencing new things can broaden our horizons. Achieving new things can increase our confidence. And the sense of achievement when we overcome our own barriers can be transformational. So, while yes, our comfort zones are lovely places to be. Leaving them from time to time – even if it does mean developing hamster-sized blisters as we trek to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro – can be even more rewarding.
4. Bucket list fulfilment
We’ve all got something that we’ve always wanted to do. Something that seems impossible to arrange. Something that we’ve accepted that we probably won’t ever do. The thing is, with an organisation like Choose a Challenge, even the Everest Base Camp isn’t off limits. You’re given the support you need to make your dreams a reality. And it doesn’t matter how big or small the challenge seems to outsiders – their Lake District 10 Peaks Challenge might be your K2 Base Camp trek – if it’s something you really want to do, nothing should stop you from doing it.
5. You can use the experience to improve your health
Challenge holidays typically include physical activity. Whether it’s based in the UK or takes you to Machu Picchu, whether it’s walking, cycling, or running, it will require some preparation. And that can be the motivation you need to get fit. Fitness training without a goal is easy to abandon. But when you know you’ve got some serious walking in potentially difficult conditions ahead, you can’t let dark nights or rainy weather put you off. If you’re going to achieve your goal, you just have to keep going. And that’s an incredible incentive.
Adventure challenges aren’t for everyone. It takes a certain kind of person to want to put themselves out to experience something different, to raise money for charity, to grow personally. But in all our years working in this field, we’ve yet to meet anyone who has regretted the experience.
So, here’s a question: What challenge will you choose?
Check out the full range of Choose a Challenge adventures.
