When I go travelling, the biggest highlights are often the funny, offbeat or plain crazy adventure ideas that make great dinner party conversations. And that includes anything adventure related.
Here are some adventure ideas for you to consider the next time you’re in the mood for a unique experience. They range from activities to food and other stuff that’s just plain wild.
Wales – Coasteering
Coasteering is a relatively new Adventure Travel sport. It’s been around for about 20 years, and I would describe it as a coastal obstacle course that involves rock climbing, swimming, jumping and subjecting yourself to the elements of nature. It was invented by a number of adrenaline junkies who used to rock climb around the rugged Welsh coastline and realized they could combine all of their passions into one experience. You’ll only find it in Wales, and it’s a ton of fun.
United States – The International Spy Museum
Ever wanted to live out your wildest spy fantasy? Well the International Spy Museum, located in Washington D.C., is definitely for you!
If you ever thought that all of the gadgets in Get Smart and all the James Bond Movies were too good to be true, well, they’re not.
This bizarre, but fascinating, museum contains an amazing collection of ‘superseded’ gadgets that were used in espionage in years gone by. Especially during the height of the Cold War. This includes strange gadgets like a lipstick gun, the necktie camera, a shoe radio transmitter and a pigeon camera.
Bolivia – Mountain Biking Down “The World’s Most Dangerous Road”
Sounds like a great marketing campaign, but “The World’s Most Dangerous Road” I’m referring to is the stretch between La Paz and Coroico in Bolivia.
This road used to be a two lane highway, but it’s barely wide enough for one car in some places. “The World’s Most Dangerous Road” (or “Road of Death”) claimed an average of 20 vehicles each year until a new highway opened in 2007. These days the road is only used as a mountain bike track.
The trip is about 70 kilometers long and starts at 4000 meters above sea level (sometimes in the snow), and it finishes at 1500 meters above sea level in a tropical forest. It takes about six to seven hours cycling downhill.
The drop over the edge is about 600 meters, and people have lost their lives mountain biking down this magnificent part of Bolivia just from fooling around. I was on a high for days after cycling down this perilous road, and I wanted to go again!
And as an added bonus you’ll receive an “I Finished Riding Down The World’s Most Dangerous Road” T-Shirt if you don’t go over the edge in the process.
Philippines – Eat at a restaurant specializing in Spam recipes
This adventure idea might be a little hard to swallow.
Spam Jam is a restaurant in Manila, the Philippines, which specializes in Spam Recipes. It’s located in the Makati City area of Manila amongst a series of massive shopping centers.
The Spam Jam menu sounds like the Monty Python sketch about the much ridiculed form of meat. For example, some of the menu items are: Spam Burger, Spam and Egg, Spam Spaghetti, and Spam Caesar Salad making it a culinary adventure to dine at Spam Jam.
Spam is actually part of the staple diet in the Philippines because it’s a relatively inexpensive form of meat that’s readily available and won’t spoil quickly.
South Africa – Bungee Swing in a World Cup Stadium
The Big Rush Bungee Swing is located at the Moses Mabidha Stadium in Durban, South Africa. It’s a Bungee Jump that’s a bit different than others.
After South Africa hosted the FIFA World Cup in 2010, the country was left with an excellent range of sporting infrastructure that should serve it well for a few decades, and it’s a potential source for new bungee jumping thrills.
In between various stadium events you can experience the bungee jump swing that is located on the famous arch that defines the stadium (and Durban itself).
A bungee cord is connected to the middle point of the arch, and you can walk up this steel frame and then throw yourself off a small platform and swing around the Stadium for a few minutes.
There you go. Keep an eye out for these offbeat adventure travel experiences when you’re seeking your adrenaline kick!
For offbeat adventure ideas, The Travel Tart (also known as Anthony) is the person you need to get to know. He is a self-proclaimed travel addict who will find any excuse to go travelling. He discovered he really enjoyed traveling the world when he was sent to a former war zone for work – Kosovo – as his first venture outside of Australia and New Zealand. This created a habit of visiting places that most package tourists avoid like the plague.
He has since travelled to over 40 countries on more than six continents, which is nowhere near enough according to Anthony. While travelling, he likes risking his life by utilizing barely road-worthy forms of transport such as African mini-buses, suicidal Cairo cabs, and flatulent camels. For more offbeat adventure ideas you can visit the Travel Tart’s website at www.thetraveltart.com.