Every working woman knows the feeling… Real adventures like climbing Kilimanjaro, camping on the Sea of Cortez, or floating down Florida’s spring-fed rivers feel like a near-impossible dream.
But it turns out that your desk doesn’t have to occupy your time all the time. If you get a little bit more creative about when and how you pursue it, adventure can become a permanent extension of your life that’s far more accessible than you might expect.
Where full-scale adventures like hiking expeditions and long-distance road trips aren’t always possible between the hustle and bustle of everyday life, microadventures offer a very tantalizing solution: short, fun, low-maintenance adventures that you can easily squeeze in between meetings and deadlines.
You might not think that adventure and desk life can work together harmoniously, but we’re going to show you they can!
What Are Microadventures?
Microadventures are bite-sized adventures that keep your life interesting throughout the week. Maintaining a sense of adventure when tied up with work and other life commitments can be tough, especially if you have a family or partner that demands time and attention too. However, microadventures are just small enough to squeeze in while still satiating that craving for adventure.
Everyone’s idea of an outdoor microadventure can be personal. Whatever feels exciting and stimulating to you can be a form of microadventure.
Skinny dipping in a quiet lake, taking a new forest trail, or even traveling to a nearby town you’ve never been to before can all be forms of microadventure. Studies show that embracing new experiences like these can help improve your mental health, encourage personal growth, and stimulate creativity. So, not only are microadventures fun, but they’re good for you, too!
Ultimately, microadventures are all about finding quick, accessible, and exhilarating ways to step out of your comfort zone to disrupt the mundanity of everyday life and embrace a more joyful and curious existence.
Sounds great, right? Here’s how you can integrate these mini adventures into your daily life.
7 Tips For Integrating Adventure Into Your Schedule
Even the most seasoned adventurers know that balancing exploration and professional responsibilities can be a challenge. Fortunately, you don’t have to choose one or the other. You can have the best of both worlds, as long as you have the right strategy.
Here are seven of our best microadventure tips for women of all ages and at all stages of their working lives:
1. Make a microadventure bucket list
Before you start attempting to cram random mini adventures into your regular schedule, spend some time thinking about specific explorations you’d like to do.
Consider local proximity, personal connection, and practicality. If you live close to the beach and love the seaside or water sports, factor those into your bucket list. Whatever you choose to jot down, make sure it’s close enough to where you live that you can be there and back within an hour or two.
2. Set aside time in your schedule
As any working woman knows, spare time doesn’t just randomly appear when you crave it. Unfortunately, in this world, even spontaneity must be calendarized. It’s not ideal, but it’s true!
Determine which days of the week are best suited to a miniature excursion. What are your most flexible hours or your most open days? For most women, it’ll be the weekend, but it’s worth identifying if there are any decent gaps throughout the workweek that could be good for super short pre or post-work adventures.
Maybe you can flex your work time. Leave the office early to hit the trails on a Tuesday afternoon and add those missed hours onto your Thursday schedule. With a little bit of planning, you can squeeze in microadventures throughout the workweek.
3. Plan with friends
Solo adventures are great. But exploring the outdoors with good company is a joy like no other. When it comes to microadventures, planning with friends can hold you accountable to your schedule and make it easier for you to carpool, pack snacks, and incentivize each other to leave the working world behind for a bit.
Plus, your friends might have more ideas about where to go when the odd off-day does arise, making your journey even more diverse and exciting.
4. Save up for affordable, local travel
Although traveling to international destinations is the ultimate adventure, you don’t always need to look that far to find fun experiences. Often, adventures are right on your doorstep.
Exploring your local area can expose you to routes, people, places, and natural wonders you never knew existed before. Microadventures are much more about the experience of adventure than the distance it takes to get there. Who knows what hidden gems lie within a 100-mile radius? A weekend excursion will show you.
5. Keep a microadventure journal
When creating any new habits or experiences, documentation is always a valuable idea. By enriching your journey with reflection and depth, you’ll never regret recording the excitement of each little trip.
You don’t need to write long-winded essays about what you did and how it made you feel (unless you want to, in which case, go for it!), but scribbling a sentence or two about your experience can provide you with a more vivid, memory-filled recollection to look back on in the future.
6. Embrace hobbies that take you outdoors
If you want yet another excuse to spend more time in the wilderness, take up a hobby that requires you to be there. Land artistry, nature photography, and observational sketches are all great examples of this.
If you live in the city, you can still embrace these hobbies. Find out where all your local parks and outdoor spaces are and visit them as often as possible. If there are green spaces near your workplace, you can even turn your lunch hour into an outdoor microadventure.
7. Change your commute
If you spend hours in your car every week, sitting on the train or riding the bus, you may be missing out on the perfect opportunity for regular microadventures. Find out about cycling or walking routes that you can take instead and make every commute a little more exciting.
There are so many benefits to riding your bike to work, walking, or even jogging or rollerblading. Plus, regular exercise will help you stay fit for when you do get to go on a full-scale adventure!
Make Every Size Adventure Count
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to be a full-time adventurer to live an exciting life. Even if you have a desk job, it’s still possible to enjoy microadventures. You just need to pick your preferred activity and find a way of merging it with your current routine that works both ways.
If you need a little help with microadventure ideas, you can also look out for free activities nearby, such as geo-caching, birding, or orienteering. You can also join a meet-up group that hikes, swims or enjoys other outdoor activities, or you could volunteer with a rescue or nature organization to ensure you make the most of every minute you’ve carved out for yourself.
With these tips, you can squeeze tiny adventures into your busy schedule while still remaining productive at work. Adventure awaits!
