Introduction
There are some things in life that can only be sated by going on an adventure somewhere or doing something that gets you out into the world.
In fact, if you have some kind of wanderlust then this list of hobbies will be perfect for you.
You might not find everything suitable but you should at least find a few things that you could try to quell your restless need for an exploratory quest.
Don’t Hold Back: 20 Adventurous Hobbies to Quell Your Restlessness
1. Kayaking
Kayaking is the perfect hobby for anyone who wants to explore lakes, rivers, and other gentle bodies of water.
It’ll allow you to get to those hard-to-reach places and can even be a great place to do a spot of fishing from.
Most kayaks are packed with storage options meaning you can take lots of things with you out onto the water, including a spot of lunch if you fancy.
If you haven’t got a kayak yet, why not check out our article explaining which kayaks are the best for beginners?
2. Mountain Climbing
Mountain climbing is exhilarating, challenging, and allows you to explore the upper, remote reaches of the world in their most raw format.
In fact, for adventurers, there’s nothing quite like mountain climbing that’ll give you the same thrills.
Once you’re near the peak, having a birds-eye view of the world can be really perspective-setting on just how small we are as a species in this vast world.
As a tip, we recommend joining experienced climbing groups to get familiar with all the techniques needed to have a safe trip up a mountain.
3. Photography
Photography is the perfect companion hobby to go alongside other things such as days out, hikes, picnics, and even trips to new places.
For an adventurer, we think a DSLR camera is an essential piece of kit to immortalize those special moments in life that takes us to new and exciting places.
Photography is also just a very good hobby to prompt you to do something a little more creative with your time, especially since you can get really inventive with where you go to take your shots and how you take them.
If you’re constantly on the hunt for an exploratory quest, don’t be seen without a camera.
4. Safari
Going on a safari adventure is a great way to explore exotic wildernesses and to catch sight of rare animals such as elephants, rhinos, and even fearsome lions.
There’s nothing quite as breathtaking as witnessing these powerful animals in their natural environment where you’ll see them hunting together and roaming in huge packs.
You’ll often be kept at a safe distance by the operator which is why we recommend making the most of your trip with a pair of wildlife binoculars or a DSLR camera with a telephoto lens.
You’ll also want to wear appropriate clothing for your trip, though, most safari tour operators will give you advice on how to come prepared for your escapade.
5. Deep Water Diving
Aquariums are fantastic places to see a mixture of sea creatures, however, they’ll never be able to contend with the absolute variety of sea life you’ll get to see if you go deep water diving.
That’s because sea diving brings you into the natural environment of millions of creatures that use the sea as their home.
Because of this, you’ll be able to get up close and personal to observe natural behaviors that are unlike anything you’d ever get to see in captive animals.
6. Traveling
Going traveling is about as adventurous as it gets.
As Tolkien wrote, “You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.”
And we think this is what traveling is about; getting swept off your feet to places that you’d have never expected.
Travel is about embracing different cultures, lifestyles, and even indulging in the local cuisine.
You can’t plan for traveling if you’re doing it right — all the best things in life happen unexpectedly.
For an adventurer, this is the perfect way to escape the norm and to experience something totally new.
7. Camping
Camping is one of the cheapest and easiest ways to go on an adventure, either alone or with other people.
You can do it basically anywhere with relatively simple equipment; all you need is a tent and some supplies depending on how long you’ll be camping.
We recommend this camping kit to avoid forgetting any useful necessities.
Other than that, if you’re not sure where to go then we recommend doing a quick Google search for campsites in your area.
Campsites are usually safer than camping in the wilderness, however, we still recommend a level of vigilance to protect your stuff.
8. Trainspotting
Trainspotting is highly adventurous as a hobby and that’s because it’ll take you to different parts of the world to observe a variety of different trains.
You’ll be able to spot old-school steam engines or more modern designs such as the Japanese bullet train.
You’ll even be able to watch more novel trains go by such as the Harry Potter steam engine that was used on the set of the movie.
Most trainspotters like to get together as a group and make a day out of it — we recommend packing a picnic as you may be camped out for a while before the train comes past.
9. Foraging
Foraging is something that humans have been doing for thousands of years.
It’s only in our recent history that we haven’t needed to do this, mainly due to the fact that modern harvesting methods such as farming are more efficient.
With that said, if you want to try organic foods straight from the source, then there’s no better way to do that than with foraging.
You’ll be able to find berries, nuts, and even different mushrooms to snack on, or to add to dishes to increase the flavor profile.
This can be a real adventure as you’ll need to wander through wildlands, woodlands, and even climb trees to pluck the fruits of your labor.
10. Parkour
Parkour is an urban sport that has elements of adventure built into it.
Essentially, your goal is to traverse urban environments and cities as quickly as you can using only the human body.
This means jumping over obstacles, using rolls to break falls, and even scaling buildings to ascend levels faster.
It does require a ton of practice to be semi-decent, though, if you get good enough, there’ll be no end to the unique places you can get to or the rare perspectives you’ll be able to view the world from.
11. Urban Exploration
Urban exploration is a more deliberate way of viewing cityscapes (unlike parkour) where you’ll make a conscious effort to view as many buildings, alleyways, and unique characteristics around your city as possible.
You can even get adventurous and take it to other cities around the globe to tick off different things on your list.
For example, Paris has a large network of tunnels underground that are mostly abandoned but are one of the biggest attractions for urban explorers to get to grips with.
Things like this aren’t always common knowledge and that’s why urban exploration can offer quite a few surprises once you get into it.
12. Spelunking (Caving)
Spelunking, or caving as it’s known, is a type of exploration hobby where you’ll be exploring vast cave networks carved throughout the landscape of the world.
Going into caves represents some unique challenges, especially since we aren’t adapted to be in them.
They’re often pitch black, have extremely narrow gaps to get through, and can even be submerged in water.
If you’re daring or adventurous enough, some of the rewards of getting to see what’s inside them can be mindblowing.
Some of the most phenomenal finds from caving include a cave that is covered in crystals, and we’ve even discovered new life forms that only dwell inside them; pretty cool, right?
13. Survivalism
Survivalism isn’t exactly an on-the-nose adventure, however, it can lead to wanting to challenge yourself by going on tough escapades where you can test your survival skills.
Essentially, survivalism is the hobby of being prepared for anything and it often involves living off-grid or foraging for food.
Some survivalists even grow their own crops to make sure they always have direct food sources.
If you really want to be in touch with the wilderness and what it means to be human (possibly the biggest adventure of all), then we highly recommend trying out survivalism.
We recommend grabbing a basic survival kit if you plan to try it out and we also recommend speaking to some survival experts first as there can be lots to learn.
14. Hot Air Ballooning
Some things can only be put into perspective when you’re hovering thousands of feet up in the air.
What better way to do that than in a fully exposed hot air balloon where you’ll have one of the most breathtaking view spots to do it from?
Hot air balloon tours take place all around the globe, it’s just a case of finding them — A quick Google search will usually take care of this.
For budding adventurers, this is one to tick off the list as there’s nothing quite like it.
15. Bird Watching
For adventurers who’re wanting to get closer to nature, bird watching is one of the best and most immersive ways to do that.
Not only will you spot a wide variety of birds, but you’ll also get to hear their bird song too which can be a real treat.
You’ll need a pair of birding binoculars to do this best, especially as you’ll be able to observe them from afar without too much disturbance.
We also recommend packing some food and drink to stay energized as it’s easy to get sucked into it for hours on end.
16. Hiking
Hiking across hills, up mountains, and over vast tundras is one of the easiest ways to step outside your door and into an adventure.
It costs basically nothing, except for maybe travel costs depending on where you’re going.
Better yet, nearly anyone can do it which means you can easily take a group of friends or your family without much fuss.
It’s also one of the easiest ways to exercise meaning you can easily get those steps in without needing to be super fit.
17. Horse Riding
There’s literally nothing that can give you the feeling of freedom quite as much as horseback riding can.
It’s synonymous with times past, times of kings and queens if you will.
You can race across open fields where you’ll be able to feel the muscularity and the power of the horse as it gallops up to fifty miles an hour.
Though, it’s unlikely you’ll want to go that fast at first so we recommend joining up for some horse riding lessons to give you a feel of what horse riding entails.
18. Skydiving
If you thought hot air balloon rides were nerve-racking, try hurtling through the sky toward the ground at up to 120 miles an hour.
This is the reality for skydivers as they seek to quench their eternal thirst for extreme thrills and brushes with their own mortality.
As far as adventures go, this is probably the most extreme (and short-lived), though, it’s also one of the most unique.
You’ll need to take some basic lessons in skydiving first if you want to do a solo freefall, however, you can do a tandem jump with a professional if you can’t wait to get started.
19. Astronomy
Astronomy is probably one of the most adventurous hobbies we know of, maybe not in a traditional sense, but more in the sense that you’ll be exploring the night sky for far-flung objects that leave you with a sense of wonder and mystery.
It’s almost like going on a metaphorical voyage through an inky black sea, not sure where you’ll end up and stumbling across some of the most surprising things.
Better yet, it needn’t cost much — you can get a beginner telescope for relatively little money and you can upgrade over time once you get familiar with things.
20. Dark Tourism
Lastly, and probably one of the most fun on this list, is dark tourism.
Dark tourism is an adventure hobby that has you going to strange places with twisted and scary pasts.
Think Chernobyl, haunted castles, and even the sites of A-bomb testing.
If you’re bored of the norm, this is probably one of the best hobbies for adventurers with a taste for something a little more out there.
In fact, there’s even a Netflix series called Dark Tourist that you may want to watch that’ll give you an idea of what this hobby entails.
Relevant Articles
If you want to explore more hobbies, why not try some of these articles?
- 28 Cool Hobbies To Try Right Now (Exciting and Surprisingly Fun)
- 31 Quirky Hobbies for People Who Enjoy Something a Little Different (Not to Be Missed)
- Good Hobbies That Anyone Can Do Right Now (Top 30 Roundup)
- Here Are 13 of the Most Hair-Raising and Creepy Hobbies We Know (Keep Your Lights On)
- Top 21 DIY Hobbies to Get You Making, Breaking, and Creating
- 22 of the Best Hobbies to Do at Home: Make the Most of Your Spare Time (Alone or With Family)
- Level up Your Personal Time: 27 Quality-Driven Hobbies for Introverts
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