According to Wikipedia, adventure is an exciting or unusual experience. It may also be a bold, usually risky undertaking with an uncertain outcome.
Although I have a reasonable amount of fear which prevents me from doing anything super crazy and life threatening, I get bored doing the same old thing. I tend to seek out new experiences in almost every aspect of my life.
When we were children, we approached new experiences with wonder.
My family went on Sunday drives to explore Southern Wisconsin. I have memories of hiking, camping, canoeing and making new friends.
When was the last time you made a fun weekend plan that didn’t include mundane tasks or a trip to Home Depot?
Routine is the death of adventure.
Schedules, work, and obligations get in the way of trying something new. When we have so little free time, it can be risky too. Will we enjoy ourselves? Will it be worth the time and effort? We become creatures of habit.
Barefoot skiing! Woohoo!
Search for challenges.
Unlike personality types, being adventurous has more to do with bravely challenging yourself. This means trying something even if it means getting out of your comfort zone. I have always thought of myself as having an adventurous spirit.
10 adventurous characteristics. How many pertain to you?
You get an endorphin rush from new experiences.
You choose the road less traveled.
You seek out new locations to explore.
You get bored easily.
You have positive expectations before every new experience.
You aren’t afraid to rely on instinct, maps or research instead of memory.
You say, “Yes!” to new opportunities.
Even if the adventure appears to be a metaphorical uphill climb, you are willing to at least try.
You are willing to face your fear or worst case scenario and plod ahead.
You still see the world with wonder.
The results:
You answered yes to 8 or more. Congratulations. You are adventurous!
4-7. You are tentative or adventurous depending on the situation.
1 – 3. You are cautious.
0. Really? I double dog dare you to try something new.
Challenge yourself in some way this week. Maybe you’ll make a discovery. How cool would that be?
I better get going or Danny will give me a little push.
Are you adventurous? What other attributes could you give someone with an adventurous spirit? Did you barefoot ski as a baby?
Other wild adventures:
Susie Lindau's Wild Ride 
I’ve ridden in a hot air balloon, flown off and back on an aircraft carrier, done many whitewater rafting trips, to name a few. But by far, the most fearless thing I have done in my life is getting married and raising a family.
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Ha! That is truly an adventure. It’s a leap of faith! I would think landing on an aircraft carrier would be up there too. There’s so little space and what if the little thingy on the end of the plane doesn’t get hooked???
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Actually, the take-off is equally dramatic. If they get a “dead cat” (where the catapult malfunctions and doesn’t give the plane enough speed, it goes straight into the drink and then gets run over by 95,000 tons of metal. When they land, they put the engines on full power so that if the hook does miss, they can take off and go around again.
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The other day when I went grocery shopping, I started on the aisle furthest to the left instead of the right and worked my way back toward the produce section! It was exhilarating! I felt like I was in a Mountain Dew / Red Bull / SUV commercial.
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And you went against the flow of cart traffic. Wow! I’m so proud of you for going for it. Just think of the risk you took. You could have bumped into someone else’s cart!
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It was exhilarating!, especially when I almost forgot to get the unsweetened almond milk!
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yay! i am adventurous!
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Woohoo! Another adventurous spirit. Thanks for taking the test!
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I used to do a lot of crazy things, but I have stopped.. I just use it in my writing now..:)
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That’s a very safe place to take risks! You still have the heart of an adventurer, Linda.
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I took a risk and watched CNN. Boy – – – was that scary!
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You’re right! I would have nightmares for weeks.
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whoo hoo…I’m adventureous 😀
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Way to go, GeekKat! Being adventurous keeps life interesting.
Thanks for stopping by the Wild Ride!
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I’m not very adventurous, but I’ve done some adventurous things in my life (leaving straight out of high school to be an au pair in Paris, venturing into writing). Though trying new things often scares me, I still do it because I know not to would mean missing out on something that could be really great. But I don’t think I’ll be skydiving anytime soon…
Love the baby pics!
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I’m with Carrie – without the cool,Paris experience. I’m pretty cautious, but I still do some adventurous things….occasionally.
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Hey Peg! I bet you’re adventurous once you get going, like your trip to Europe. If you can imagine it, you can do it! Right?
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Thanks Carrie!
Being an au pair would have been amazing. I bet you have some great memories! I’ve been on the fence about skydiving for a while now. You never know. I’m better at being impulsive. If the opportunity arises…
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Well, the au pair year was an experience; we’ll leave it at that. 😉 (But no matter how mean my family was to me and how crappy my tiny room on the servants’ floor was and how smelly the Turkish toilet we all shared on that floor was, I was in Paris and that’s all that mattered! 🙂 )
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I’m adventurous still and have done hundreds of things which now I wonder how I escaped . Great post.
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I’m glad you lived to tell the tale! Thanks John!
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I think I have gotten way more adventurous as I have aged. As a younger person, I was fearful of of failure or worse, what people might think of me if I embarrassed myself. Now, I just don’t care! Passed the adventure test with flying colours!!!
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That is most excellent! You got me thinking about it, but I think I was adventurous since I was a kid. I loved exploring and trying new things. That “getting bored easily,” thing was a great motivator!
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I would have to say I’m adventurous. And spontaneous.
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The very best combination! Sometimes when I think too much, I can talk myself out of an adventure. I’m better when I’m impulsive.
Thanks Mary!
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Let’s see, what was the topic of your blog?
I got lost in the wonderful photos and stayed right there. Kids in the front yard with the family dog is a classic. Just amazing.
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I was back in Wisconsin and found those photos right before I left! I had never seen some of them. Thanks Bruce!
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a treasure
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The movie and the experience!
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Just taking the quiz was an adventure. I think I need to go lie down now. Oh, but I do open the vegetable drawer in my refrigerator sometimes. It can be pretty scary to see what has been forgotten in there for waaay too long.
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Hahaha! My drawer is pretty scary too. I have often discovered new life forms.
Thanks Maggie!
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I come out on the top side of adventurous. When I was a kid, I suddenly caught myself reading about adventures instead of experiencing them. IIl-health kept me to the books a lot, but after that struck me whenever a weak chest and asthma permitted I would make a point of challenging myself with climbing, jumping, exploring, tricks on my bike, or trying something new as often as possible.
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This post and the quiz really gave me pause. I don’t think of myself as adventurous, but my life has truly been one adventure after another, not by seeking them out, but because they presented themselves and I would have felt like a wuss if I didn’t take advantage of them. Case in point: I’m a homebody at heart, but find myself on this 6-month Continental Divide Trail adventure and loving it. I might stay in my comfort zone if only I knew where that was, LOL!
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That’s the difference. You take opportunities and are truly an adventurer! You’ve been on a wild one all summer. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by, Gail!
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I read that the link between being adventurous and the introvert/extrovert personalities is that introverts need less input (visual, sound, sensory) in order to feel stimulated which is why they can feel overwhelmed when there’s too much going on, whereas extroverts need a lot more to feel stimulated, that’s why they are more likely to go for extreme adventures. I certainly avoid risky adventures (although I have done skydiving if that counts), but I get bored with routine, so do seek new experiences and I’ve certainly done some bold adventurous things in my time!
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I would agree except a lot of times, being on the road less traveled means being alone. There are a lot of quiet explorers, hikers, and bikers. They don’t have to be around people. (Just thoughts off the top of my head.) It’s an act of solitude. Adventure appeals to introverts and extroverts for different reasons.
That is so cool that you skydived! WOW! You proved your theory wrong. 🙂 Unless you are an extrovert, in disguise!
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Yes, all very true, I think it’s the adreneline inducing things really that maybe appeal more to the extroverts, like you say, different sorts of adventures for different types!
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I totally agree! Maybe that’s why quieter types join scouting. (Boy and Girl Scouts.)
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I’m not an expert by any stretch and when I researched the subject, there was very little out there. It would make a great thesis for someone!
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I am a new visitor to your blog. I am enjoying very much. A kindred spirit maybe. My life is full of “why nots” too!
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Welcome Spiritual Ivy! Thanks for stopping by the Wild Ride.
I agree and have been seeking out “why nots” all summer. A little effort researching and planning can really pay off!
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This quiz fascinates me. The questions seem to me, an introvert, to be a bit skewed toward extroverts. I’d describe myself as adventurous, but in a quiet stay-at-home kind of way. My adventures are more cerebral than physical. However, be that as it may, I realize that this quiz is meant to entertain, and it does, so I’ll shut up now. 🙂
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It was my take and not scientific. It was more about adventure in the traditional sense, although I recognize that sending an email with a manuscript request to an agent could take more courage than jumping out of an airplane! Been there. Ha!
Thanks for stopping by, Ally!
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Ha! I was just glad I made it into the second category with “6” and at least it shows I CAN be adventurous. I am a very curious person and so I am always taking myself on a mini-adventure, but I am way too cautious to ever be a thrill seeker. On the other hand, I’ve never known a day of boredom, so perhaps being “in the middle” is fine with me. Now the real adventurers in my life leave me behind to worry about them. 🙂 I wasn’t very cautious as a child, but I don’t think I was ever truly adventurous in the way we mostly evaluate that trait. I have done some reading about the “adventure gene” and I think there’s really something to that!
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I am not very adventurous at all, it seems. Although I like to think my sense of curiosity is…(and I can satisfy that by diving into an archive…) 🙂
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I’m fairly adventurous, lately being adventurous in healing endeavors. This summer, we decided to drive between our vacation destinations of Maine and Tennessee (and back) instead of flying. It was a fun drive, stopping at Hershey, PA along the way. We visited a cavern we’d never been to and spotted another one to check out next summer. On the last leg of our drive, we were treated to some spectacular lightning.
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Its confirmed…. I’m adventurous…. I love new opportunities, experiences and meeting new interesting people…
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As a bellman, there’s no lack of adventure in my life, Susie.
Plus, I know you, so there’s that…
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Right? My life is one big adventure! Yours is incredible!
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