Rafting Rushing down a river with nothing but a rubber tire to protect you? Count me in. The best place to try rafting is Lower Salt River near Mesa, Arizona where they will rent you a raft to go down the river. Or try seesouthwest.com for more ideas on places to get wet.

Hike Picacho Peak Picacho Peak is the site of Arizona’s only Civil War Battle, and even a partial climb is worth the effort with spectacular views from every side of the Peak. Go before dusk and witness Arizona’s beautiful sunset. If you’re into wargames, go in March and witness a reenactment of the Battle of Picacho Pass.

Try Geocaching In Pheonix alone there are around 1800 Geocaching sites for you to discover. Geocaching is a game played by adventure seekers all over the world. You use a GPS receiver to locate hidden containers called Geocaches and then log your finds and share your experiences online with the rest of the Geocaching community

See the Grand Canyon. Ever wondered what it would feel like to look 4,000 straight down with nothing below your feet without falling? The Grand Canyon Skywalk projects 70 feet out over the canyon, and has a glass bottom allowing you to view the near vertical walls and offers a perfect view 4,000 feet straight down towards the Colorado River.

Find Curly’s Gold Panning for gold isn’t just about finding gold, it’s an entire experience. I went goldpanning with my parents as a kid and its something that has stuck with me for a long, long time. Probably because crocodiles were involved. However, it’s not as easy to find gold nowadays as it was during the gold rush, but it sure would be an awesome story to tell the grandkids. The Bradshaw mine is a great place to start.

Find a real live cowboy

No symbol or legend is as powerful as that of the South West cowboy. The cowboy is the quintessential American hero; the embodiment of rugged individualism and independence. Being from an Australian city, we don’t really have cowboys in the traditional sense, so get out there and seek out and close with a real American cowboy. You’re sure to find one in Arizona.

I wish I’d known about all these fun things to do in Arizona before I went! Luckily you can plan your trip better than I did.

Grand Canyon http://www.flickr.com/photos/mandj98/ / CC BY-NC 2.0 rafting http://www.flickr.com/photos/7202153@N03/ / CC BY-NC 2.0

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The sound of waves crashing on golden shores, your tan deepening every day, learning to surf the salty waves, checking out the talent on foreign beaches… What more could you want from a mini retirement? How about 12 action packed months checking out some extreme sports in some of the sexiest locations on earth?

Forget lying on beaches. Take an adrenaline filled, adventure seeking round the world mini-retirement, perfect your mad skillz in places you would have never expected and take in some of the world’s best beaches, extreme sports and adventure activities, all in one supreme trip.

This is your first stop on a 12 month, 4 stop journey.

Thailand

The saying goes that “one night in Bangkok and the world’s your oyster”, there are literally millions of different experiences to be had in Thailand. From the chilled out tribes of the North to the stunning beaches in the South you are sure to find what you are looking for.

Where to go:

For the best of Thailand, head directly to Phuket. The island of Phuket is located a short 2 hour flight south of the capital, Bangkok. Home to the notorious party town of Patong, Phuket is surrounded by stunning beaches (obviously). While the surfing isn’t world class, you will be able to catch a few waves off the western beaches like Kata.

Where to stay:

By going in March you can avoid the high season and be able to take advantage of discounted room rates. Stay in a place for a couple of nights before asking for a long term discount. Around Kata beach you should be able to find a serviced studio apartment for less than 15,000 baht/ month.

Getting around:

The easiest way to get around the island is to hire a motorbike from your guest house, these usually run around 3500 baht/ month. A car can also be rented for about 10,000 baht/month. If you like public transport there are tuk tuks and local buses starting from 20baht per trip.

What to do:

Days can be lost in Patong, due to the abundance to lady boys willing to take your money and the free flowing cocktails at discount prices. Literally anything you want can be found in Patong.

If you like western style nightclubs try hollywood patong

Thais are great musicians so if you like hard rock check out rock city with its giant King Kong stage featuring the best rock cover bands from AC/DC to The Rolling Stones.

For more active pursuit you could Train in Muay Thai kickboxing and Mixed Martial Arts at Tiger Muay Thai. Speak to the instructors and put effort into your training and you could have your first pro fight within 3 months. If you’re not game to fight professionally, there are monthly smoker fights where you will be pitted against other students at the camp. A great way to test your skills after a few months of training.
(NSFW – swearing)
Phuket has great diving and a plethora of dive schools will happily show you how with internationally qualified instructors. Wicked Diving offers livaboards and overnight adventures to the Similian islands.

For those who like to party and lie on beaches, Koh Phangang is just a few hours travel away, and the beaches are absolutely gorgeous. World Famous Full moon parties occur once a month, with dark moon parties in between.

If you do happen to be in Thailand for Songram festival, Patong is definitely the place to be. The entire town erupts into one giant waterfight for 2 days. You will not leave the house without getting drenched, so bring your water guns!

If kickboxing, cage fighting and the beaches arent your thing, phuket also offers wakeboarding, bungee jumping, dune buggies and hiking to your delight.

Coming soon… the Phillines, land of unspoilt beaches and world class wakeboarding…

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Post tags: Adrenaline Junkies, adventure, beach, endless summer, extreme sports, MMA, Muay Thai, thailand, travel, wakeboarding

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Wrong.

There are more jobs in travel than most of us would ever consider.

1) Work in a bar

Surprisingly, this is more common than most people think. Especially in South East Asia. Most of the bars are run specifically for expats, often co-owned by expats, and guess what? The managers are expats and travellers too. Make sure you have plenty of bar or waiting experience before you go and remember to talk it up.

2) Teach something other than English.

You could be teaching Arabic in Vietnam, Yoga in Thailand or Snowboarding in Canada. The options for this are endless. Tap into what you already have and make it into a shareable skill.

3) Sell something

Every country on Earth has its niche; they have things that are made that can’t be bought anywhere else on earth. If you’re the entrepreneurial type, find someone back home who wants to import, charge them a fee to do their spotting and send the items to them. On the other hand you could set up an online store or sell via Ebay.

4) Train others

In Asia especially, they seek out people who have vocational skills that can be taught in a college setting. If you have experience as a barista and a Workplace Trainers certificate you could be earning big bucks teaching coffee making skills in Shanghai.

5) Pick something

Agriculture is one of those industries that always needs willing workers. The pay won’t be great, but then, who else do you know who has picked strawberries in Australia or grapes in France?

6) Use your imagination

With a little bit of imagination, you can do whatever you did at home in your new country, or something even more exciting. Look at what is going on around you, listen to what travellers are complaining that they can’t get, and give it to them at a price. You’ll find that with a little leg work you can get whatever is needed.

7) Keep your ears open

With a little bit of imagination, you can do whatever you did at home in your new country, or something even more exciting. Look at what is going on around you, listen to what travellers are complaining that they can’t get, and give it to them at a price. You’ll find that with a little leg work you can get whatever is needed.

Over the course of many international adventures I’ve had some strange jobs offered to me. From property manager to finance broker in Vietnam through to publishing assistant in Thailand. There are jobs out there, don’t feel restricted to teaching English wherever you go. Chances are, you can do the same job you did at home, or a variation of it,  in any country you happen to find yourself  in.

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When we think of adventurous people we often think of those who push their bodies to the limits climbing Everest or running in arduous adventure races.

An adventurer is someone who bases their life around adventurous acts, constantly seeking out new and interesting things to do with their time. Adventures create a psychological arousal, be it a fear or flow response, either way, your heart is beating faster.

To pursue adventure means wanting to step outside of your comfort zone. To decide to move away from the comfort of your life and push yourself to discover new things, about the world and about yourself.

Adventure travel is more than going to the far wilds of Mongolia to hike 100 miles up a snow covered mountain in search of the fountain of youth. Adventure travel encompasses everything from cycling around a new town to caving, sky diving or BASE jumping off the tallest building in the world. It is travelling to a distant location, immersing yourself in different cultures or undertaking some sort of physical activity. Travelling to a faraway land to watch TV from your 5 star hotel is definitely not classified as adventure travel, but if you wander out of your hotel and lose your guide book, end up on the wrong side of town and have to bargain you way out of your jail… That is definitely an adventure!

Adventure means finding new places, stepping outside the beaten path, looking up from your guidebook and discovering a place that has never been written about.

Adventure travel is a physical pursuit, a cultural experience or engaging with nature. Take this to mean a hike through the Amazon, immersing yourself in the culture of South East Asia or Volunteering to save wild cats in South America.

What is an adventure to one person is not an adventure to another.

The prospect of going to a foreign country and learning a new language, discovering the nuance of a new city or taking on a new sport are all worthy adventures.

To some, travelling in itself is enough of an adventure. To others, travelling solo is the height of adventure. Then there are those to whom travelling solo to an unknown land with only the clothes on their back is just the start of the crazy adventure they want to experience.

While a hardcore adventurer might want to spend their weekend jumping out of planes or battling white water rapids, there are more than a few ways to get your heart beating that don’t involve risking life and limb .

Would you prefer to spend your weekend shopping or pursuing new ways to make your heart race?

Your amazing travel adventure could be navigating the shopping districts of Tokyo, Paris or New York.

There are so many adventures and so little time. What is your adventure? What does your heart yearn for? Pick one and make it happen. Your life will be better for it.

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Post tags: Adrenaline Junkies, adventure, travel

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