Five Trips That Shaped How I Think About Adventure (And Why I Still Chase It)
When people hear the word adventure, they often imagine something big, expensive, or unrealistic for their current season of life.
I’ve come to believe the opposite.
Some of the most formative trips I’ve taken weren’t about luxury, perfect planning, or escaping responsibility. They were about movement — physical, emotional, mental — at moments when staying still would’ve slowly calcified something inside me.
Here are five of the coolest trips I’ve gone on so far, and what each one taught me about continuing to chase adventure within the parameters of real life.
1. My First Trip to Hawaii
Sleeping on a public beach and learning to be less static
My first night in Hawaii, I slept on a public beach.
Not as part of some romanticized “digital nomad” plan — but because plans changed, things didn’t line up the way I expected, and I had to adapt immediately.
That night rewired something in me.
It taught me to expect the unexpected, and more importantly, to respond dynamically instead of freezing when things don’t go according to plan. Life rarely hands us ideal conditions. But it often hands us interesting ones.
That trip showed me that rigidity is fragile — and adaptability is freedom.
2. A Trip to Montana
A converted barn and the magic hiding in ordinary places
In Montana, we stayed in a converted barn that doubled as an event space.
Downstairs had a commercial kitchen, a cozy gathering area with vintage furniture, and dorm-style bathrooms. Upstairs? Rows of beds. On the property were additional dorm-style cabins in case there were ever a dozen more people than the barn could accommodate.
On paper, it wasn’t fancy.
In practice, it was one of the coolest places I’ve ever stayed.
That trip taught me something I keep returning to: extraordinary experiences are often hiding inside ordinary settings — if someone had the creativity to reimagine what was already there.
It changed how I look at space, community, and what’s possible without excess.
3. Driving Around Central Alberta With My Friend Jimmy
A “nothing worked” day that worked perfectly
This one didn’t involve flights, hotels, or itineraries.
My friend Jimmy needed to clear his head, so we drove.
We planned to go to Discovery Wildlife Park — closed for the season.
Then the Lacombe corn maze — also closed.
So instead, after hours of aimless driving, we ended up at a brewery in Lacombe. We each had a flight of beer and a pretzel. That day we drove toward Trochu, Three Hills, Didsbury — not all the way to any of those places, just far enough to see what there was to see.
Jimmy was from the US, and everything we saw was something he was seeing for the first time.
What struck me was how much of rural Alberta feels like a blank slate.
When your head is full, wide open land has a way of reminding you that tomorrow doesn’t have to look like yesterday — even if it can’t look like something you’ve experienced before.
That day reinforced a quiet truth: sometimes the goal isn’t the destination — it’s creating enough space for perspective to return.
4. A Spontaneous Return Trip to Denmark
Saying yes when life invites you
A relative of mine, Ib, commented on a Facebook post saying I should come to Denmark.
So I took him literally.
I booked the trip.
I reconnected with multiple sets of relatives, stayed with two different families I’m related to, went on long walks, shared meals, laughed, and still kept up with my work commitments while I was there.
That trip reminded me that adventure doesn’t require disappearing from your life. Sometimes it deepens it.
It also reinforced how powerful it is to say yes when the invitation is genuine — even if it feels silly, imperfect, or unplanned.
5. My 30th Birthday Trip With My Parents
Love, impermanence, and responsibility
For my 30th birthday, my parents and I stayed in Hinton and did day trips into Jasper.
It was simple. Beautiful. Quiet.
When I got home, the emotional hit surprised me. Walking towards my condo knowing my parents were going back to their lives felt heavier than I expected.
It’s a strange feeling — loving your parents so much that distance feels physical.
That trip clarified something for me: I never want them to feel like they’re alone, unsupported, or left to figure things out without someone in their corner.
Adventure isn’t always about movement away. Sometimes it’s about moving toward what matters most.
Chasing Adventure Within Your Season
None of these trips required me to abandon responsibility.
None of them required unlimited money.
None of them required becoming someone else.
They worked because they fit the season of life I was in at the time.
I think that’s the real lesson.
Adventure isn’t about escape — it’s about engagement.
It’s about staying curious. Staying mobile. Staying emotionally available to life as it unfolds.
No matter your season, there’s a version of adventure that fits.
And I genuinely believe we owe it to ourselves to keep chasing it — even if it looks quieter, closer to home, or different than it used to.
Especially then.
So true