The Summer Adventure Challenge

April showers bring May flowers and May flowers usually brings finals which makes me want to drop out of school and become a street performer.

But…I survived. Summer is here! I may or may not have walked out of my last exam with my fist in the air singing I am the Champion while my classmates slowly joined in to create a college musical of epicness.

…okay I didn’t. But it was internal.

And after dropping off the face of the blogging world the last few weeks, I’m here to rev it up with a couple hard packed punches of SUMMER.

Since we are all in this together, we’re going to talk about summer challenges. Challenges that are going to push us to explore, to say no to Netflix and to tell our beds we need a break. Because there are other beds out there.

Once you’ve comforted your bed from the break up and committed to this summer of adventure it’s time to read below.

Over the summer, I’ve decided I want to see the adventures you go on. Email me photos, post on my Facebook page and most importantly use the hashtag #SWadventures on Instagram and Twitter. When I’m inspired by your posts, I’ll ask permission to use your content on my website or social media with credit so you can inspire others.

So here are some summer challenges to get you inspired for your journeys:

Face your biggest fear

I’ve decided I’m on the hunt for a tarantula petting zoo. I hate spiders. Hate them so much I’ll take out my nonexistent flame thrower and be totally okay with annihilating it in a glorious inferno. But you know what, I talk a lot about facing fears on here and it’s time I faced my biggest one.

I know a lot of people are afraid of heights, roller coasters, snakes, traveling alone, etc. So I’m challenging you to think about your biggest fear and how you can conquer it over the next few months. And of course I’m expecting picture proof.

Eat a daring food

No, not something you don’t like. We’re talking daring here. The world’s hottest chili pepper, a cockroach, a fish you speared with your own makeshift spearing weapon. Any of those will do. This also is a huge fear of mine because I can be a pretty picky eater…which is horrible when traveling. Don’t get me wrong, food is my love, but you won’t catch me eating oysters and I’ll probably baby barf if you try to feed me onions.

Or Taco Bell…Taco Bell scares me.

Alright foodies, UNITE! Let’s get eatin’.

Travel somewhere new 

This is a travel blog after all…

Make it somewhere fun, exciting and hopefully out of your comfort zone. I want to see ALL your adventures on social media and by using the #SWadventures hashtag. I’ll be hitting up Iceland here in August and I’m strangely excited to be punched in the face with such a weird language barrier. I mean have you seen the name of their National Park?! Vatnajökulsþjóðgarður. I’m not shitting you that’s the name. Vatna-whatta-what? Awe heck, I give up.

But I get it, funds aren’t always there. So if you can’t afford somewhere exotic, traveling somewhere new domestically is just as fun and exciting! There is no wrong way to travel, as long as you are getting out there and exploring you’re doing it right.

Go on a weekend solo trip 

This one is for the soul. I think everyone should travel solo at least once in their life. Taking a solo trip is scary and rewarding, but it gets you away from stress and allows you to look at yourself in a new light. It’s important we learn that there is nothing wrong with eating alone at a restaurant, sitting by yourself on the beach or walking the trails without a partner.

It’s going to be difficult to do, but more people than you think do it. This is a weekend challenge, which means you only have to survive two nights. Solo travel is growing at a rapid rate. It’ll show you how strong you are and how scary the world isn’t. My must-have solo accessories are a book, a journal and a killer playlist.

Find a new hiking trail

I am guilty of always going back to my favorite hiking trail and I’m sure you are too. Thankfully my boyfriend has been pulling me out of my hiking shell to explore new trails I didn’t even know existed. Now that I see how rewarding they can be, I challenge you to do the same. I’ll be on many new trails in my summer adventures and I’ll be thankful of the places they take me.

I’m excited to be touring the northeastern United States here in a few weeks and finding all the waterfalls, ocean views and mountains that await down a rocky path.

Find unique accommodation 

Probably the one I am most excited for is to find unique accommodation. Please, leave hotels behind. Let’s look at staying in the quirkiest single-floor motels, most epic camping spots and oddest housing accommodations we can find. Did you know there is a seashell house in Mexico? What about train cabooses all over the world? And treehouses…there are a ton of them! Airbnb is my go to website for fun (and affordable) accommodation.

I’m excited to set up camp on a beach, hammock on a cliff and sleep in a wigwam in someones backyard. I guess I started this challenge last weekend when we stayed in a motel by Niagara Falls where we woke up multiple times in the night to our door open. Creepy? Yes. But did we die? No.

Let’s get started! Don’t forget I want to see your adventures through email, comments, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Use #SWadventures and encourage your friends and family to join along on our journey!

Happy Travels! 

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