Time to Plan Your Adventurous Year

Every January, my adventure club, the League of Adventurous Women, gathers to vote on four official adventures for the year. We always end up with bonus activities because opportunities just pop up.  For example, we have yet to hold our meeting but we've already tried a free CrossFit/Russian kettlebell workout (thanks to Michael Krivka at CrossFit Koncepts), and have formed a team for the Susan G. Komen Global Race for the Cure, June 4, in Washington, DC.

I'll let you know the results of our annual meeting but with such a great beginning, it's sure to be a fabulous year! What's on YOUR agenda for 2011?

Adventurous Activities 2010

I've mentioned before that I started this blog as an off-shoot of my adventure club, "The League of Adventurous Women."  The League meets each January and picks four official activities for the year and then we usually have someone offer to lead a few bonus events on the side.  This year, we officially chose to

1. visit a psychic
2. go camping
3. learn crabbing and oystering on the Chesapeake Bay
4. play paintball

Side events
1.Tailgate at the Marlboro Hunt (Steeplechase horse race)
2. Form a Dragon Boat team for the DC Dragon Boat Festival
3. attend Trapeze school
4. Take a bus trip to New York

If this looks like an ecclectic list it's because we have a very ecclectic group. What sounds like adventure to one woman usually feels too tame or too horrifying to another. In the past we've done everything from wine tasting and flower arranging to rock climbing and the firing range.  The group works, however, because each activity is an opportunity NOT an obligation and because the activity happens even if only a few die-hards participate. 

Tired of doing the same-old-same-old?  Then why not launch your own adventure club? Here's how to get started.

Events Calendar from Women's Adventure Magazine

Women's Adventure magazine has a very cool new events calendar. Click here to see the March page but you can opt for a different month if you choose. There is a color-coded key at the bottom of the page to help you find the events that most interest you: dark blue means adventure racing, light green mean running, teal means a clinic, etc. Run your cursor over any item on the calendar and a box pops up with details.

This is a terrific resource, I'll post the link on the right side of blog with the other adventure links. Thanks Women's Adventure!

The List: 100 Ways to Shake Up Your Life

Gail Belsky and I are kindred spirits. In her new book, The List: 100 Ways to Shake Up Your Life, Gail encourages women to look outside their comfort zones and try new things (sound familiar?). Each adventurous idea in her book includes tips, links and, often, interviews with real women who have done that list item. The 100 ideas are an eclectic collection ranging from organizing a rally to cliff diving to getting hypnotized to, well, a bunch of things for the over-21 crowd. Since my kids read this blog, I'll leave those to your imagination.

I wondered just how Gail came to write her book and how many of The List items she had tackled so I asked her...


AWB: Hi Gail, thanks for taking part in an Adventurous Women Blog Q & A! I loved your book, and as one who is always trying to find new ways to write about expanding horizons, I'd like to know where you got your inspiration.

I think I was looking to be inspired myself. I'd reached the age where my kids didn't need me as much, and I could think about myself, and what might be out there for me. I started making a list of all the different things you could [do] that would be different and exciting. Big things and small things. It doesn't take a lot to shake things up.

AWB: How did you find the women that you interviewed for each activity?

I sent out an email to the women in my writer's group, and another one to friends, listing all 99 activities. And they sent it on to their friends. I started getting responses immediately. One of the first ones, surprisingly, was "Join a Cattle Drive." One of my writer friends in New Jersey had worked with a woman 20 years ago in Detroit, who bought a horse and moved to Idaho. That's how it went. Then my publisher, Seal Press, sent out a mass email, and women started coming out of the woodwork.

AWB: So, Gail, how many of the items in "The List" have you tackled?

I've done a bunch, but not all of them in my 40's, which is cheating a bit. At some point or another, I've:
Gone Topless
Learned a Foreign Language
Gotten a Makeover
Drastically Changed My Hairstyle
Escaped
Spent the Day in Bed
Planned a Girls Vacation
Skinny Dipped
Conquered a Fear

AWB: What's YOUR next big adventure?

I'm not sure yet. I'd love to try writing a novel, but I think I'll have to wait until National Novel Writing Month in November. I need the extra motivation of doing it with 5 million people.


This interview rounds out a week of Adventure Club basics. My club will meet this evening to plan a year's worth of activities and I hope after reading Adventure Club Part I, Part II, and Adventure Resources that you are ready to start a club of your own. If you'd rather fly solo then I hope that between this site and Gail's book you've found the inspiration to be bold, try something new and shake up your life. Have an adventurous weekend!

Adventure Resources

My goal in writing Adventurous Women Blog is to inspire women to take on new challenges and then help them find interesting things to try. If you're ready for something fun and different, there are three adventure resources right here on this home page.

First, check out "You Can Do It!" This "handbook for adventurous women" is loaded with ideas, expert advice and the motivation you need to accomplish great things.

Second, look further down the page at the "Adventure Ideas" section. If you're looking for something to do this winter, click on "Cold Weather Adventures" and see all of the posts dealing with fun things to do this season. Feeling hungry? Try "Food." Thoughtful? Click "Inner Adventures." A little crazy? Try "More Adventurous." You get the idea.

Third, have a look at "Good Places to Visit." This ever-growing list of links will take you to a few adventure blogs as well as resource sites like Women's Flyfishing, the World Heritage List, and Audubon. You'll also find locator sites for National Parks, corn mazes, great fireworks, labyrinths and more. Keep an eye on this section because new links go up all the time.

But wait! There's more! Check in tomorrow when author Gail Belsky talks about her new book, "The List: 100 Ways to Shake Up Your Life."

Adventure Club: Part II

Monday I wrote about forming an Adventure Club and today I want to tell you about a nice club benefit. Women's Adventure magazine will give free issues to groups. Click here, register your Adventure Club and Women's Adventure will send you copies of an issue that you can distribute to your members. This offer is free within the United States, if you are outside the States, you can get the free issues if you cover the cost of shipping.

Adventure Club Week: Part I

On Friday, February 6, my Adventure Club will hold its annual meeting. I'm telling you this because I want to encourage you to spend the next five days gathering some friends and some ideas and forming an adventure club of your own. My blog plan for the week is to help you get organized and give you a bunch of fresh ideas that will inspire you to try something new.

One thing to keep in mind when forming an adventure club is that what is an adventure to one woman might be bland or overwhelming to another. You may want to focus on outdoor sports while your friend wants to try yoga, cooking or car repair. If you keep an open mind, the possibilities for you and your friends are endless.

Afraid you'll be short on ideas? Check in throughout the week and especially on Friday when I'll have a Q&A with Gail Belsky author of "The List: 100 Ways to Shake Up Your Life."

Regarding my meeting at the end of the week, this is how it usually plays out:

The women of my group gather at my house at the beginning of each year to choose four official adventures and a few miscellaneous activities.

All of the club members will arrive with an appetizer or dessert to share -- there will be beverages as well -- and then we'll get down to business.

I maintain an ever-growing list of potential activities that I will print and distribute. If anyone has something new, we'll add that to the master list as well.

We'll open the floor to suggestions for 2009, write down all the ideas, take a vote and voila! A fun-filled year is planned.

The next step is to get volunteers to lead each activity. Frequently, a woman will offer to lead something that didn't make the final cut or a community service event that is near and dear to her heart and that's where the "miscellaneous" adventures come in.

Our plan isn't set in stone. You have to be flexible in this adventurous world and there are always interesting opportunities that pop up throughout the year but the annual meeting gets the club off to a great start.

100 Best Adventure Web Sites

The Adventue Blog alerted me to this nice little article on Outside Online. Click here to find a list of the 100 Best Adventure Web Sites. Organized into categories like Travel Planning, Skiing & Snowboarding, Biking, Running, Environment, Health, Gear, Employment, Weather, Maps, and Friends, you're sure to find a few more reasons to stay at your computer today.

Great Adventure Resource: the REI store near you

If you haven't been to REI.com or your local REI store recently you may not know that it is a veritable plethora of adventure advice, ideas and trips. Let me take you on a little Internet adventure over to REI.com...

If you click here, you'll land on REI's store locator page. Click on any state and you'll be given a page of store locations. To the right of the store name and address you'll see a link for "events and more," which will take you to a list of classes (geocaching, orienteering, etc), events, presentations, community service opportunities and more. Some activities are free and some activities have a fee.


Click here and land on REI's "Expert Advice" page. You'll find articles on using your GPS, fixing a flat on your bike, selecting a tent and much more.


REI also offers adventure trips for women. Click here for a list of trips in the US and Latin America. And, don't forget that REI is sponsoring free clinics on dressing for outdoor activities until December 4 (freebies at the clinics, too!). Click here for more information.

Since this site has so much to offer adventurous women, I'm adding REI to the list of helpful links on the right side of the blog.

Are You Game? Road Trip

Women's Health Magazine just concluded their "Are You Game? Road Trip" where for one week they challenged readers to escape their comfort zones and join organizers on California adventures ranging from snorkeling to kiteboarding to star gazing. (OK, they also made a stop in Las Vegas for indoor skydiving.) Although their efforts were limited to one week and one area of the States, this is a concept that any adventure club can embrace.

What do YOU want to do? Grab your friends and plan a weekend, plan a week-long road trip, plan a year's worth of adventures. In her final entry on the Road Trip Tracker blog, Suzanne Neubauer's words summed up everything good about adventure:

The goals don't have to be climbing Mt. Everest or doing the Ironman, but they should have you stepping out of your comfort zone and facing some fears. Seeking adventure in all aspects of your life makes it worthwhile. There is a certain exhilaration that is experienced when you succeed at something you've never tried before. Take the road less traveled and remember it's all about attitude. Most importantly, don't forget to have fun!

Adventure Club in Australia

Sue Hile of the Australian travel firm Adventurous Women.com.au has been reading Adventurous Women Blog and likes the idea of Adventure Clubs so much that she's decided to start her own. If you're going to be in Perth on September 5, hook up with Sue for the big launch of her Women's Adventure Club. Click here for more information.

Motorcycle Misadventures

I've been building a list of helpful links on the lower right side of this blog page. This resource is a work in progress but at the moment you'll find sites to help you with everything from getting your passport to finding a corn maze to locating the world's best fireworks or America's weirdest roadside attractions.

The newest link is for motorcycle lovers. Motorcycle Misadventures is a blog offering reviews, tips, news and everything else for women who want to hit the open road on two wheels.

Want to know more about getting your motorcycle license? Click here.

Photo courtesy of American Honda

Get a Passport Card for Your Wallet

NEW!! On July 14, the government started producing a passport CARD that will fit in your wallet. The card will help at land and sea ports when entering from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda. However, the card can’t be used for air travel. If you already have a passport you can apply for the card as a renewal and pay $20. If you don’t have a passport, a card will cost you $45 if you’re an adult and $35 for your children.

NOTE: As of June 1, 2009 you’ll need a passport or a passport card for border crossings into Canada and Mexico.

Get Your Passport

You dream of international travel but you’ve never left the country. You went overseas in college but that was so long ago your passport has long since expired. What to do? Make today the start of your next big adventure—get yourself a lovely navy blue booklet that proves your citizenship and your identity. Get your passport

For first timers, this link tells you how to apply and what documentation you’ll need, it also has links for getting your passport quicky and where to apply in the U.S.

Already have a passport but need to renew? The passport home page, will tell you about processing fees and application processing times

NOTE: As of June 1, 2009 you’ll need a passport or a passport card for border crossings into Canada and Mexico.

A List of Adventure Suggestions for a New Adventure Group

If you're thinking of starting an adventure group and aren't sure how to find adventures, I have two suggestions. First, ask your members what they've always wanted to try. Second, print out this post.

What follows is a small part of my adventure club's Master List of Adventure Possibilities. It's very eclectic because our membership is quite diverse. It doesn't hurt that all the ideas are from "anonymous." I'll never tell who wants to learn to pole dance!

IDEAS

GO:
Guided kayak trip
Nature hike
Bike trip
Day trip on motorcycles
The Bahamas
Downhill skiing
Corn Maze
Cross country skiing
Jet skiing
Helicopter ride
Hot air balloon ride
Parasailing
Hang gliding
Sky diving
White water rafting
River tubing
Snow tubing
Ice skating
Deep sea fishing
Sailing
Swim with the dolphins
Horseback riding
Play paintball
Play laser tag
Ropes courses
Rock climbing
To the race track
Camping
Canoeing
Attend different religious ceremonies
Go to a hypnotist for past life regression
See a psychic
Tea at the Four Seasons
Film Festival
Street Painting Festival (participate!)

TOURS:
museum
Winery
Wine Tasting
Behind the scenes at the zoo
Haunted tour

TEAMS:
Team: Softball
Team: Soccer
Dragon Boat

COMMUNITY SERVICE:
Relay for Life
Avon Breast Cancer Walk
Build a house with Habitat for Humanity
Do secret good deeds at night

LEARN:
Bartending lessons
Scuba diving lessons
Theatre workshop
Cooking class
Watercolor workshop
Flower arranging
Knitting
Poker
Learn to give a massage
All the Las Vegas games
How to be a Black Jack dealer
Marksmanship
Yoga
Tai chi
fly on the trapeze
Run a ½ marathon
Car repair
Pool or Billiards

BODY:
Brazilian Dance workshop
Pole Dancing
Belly dancing
Hula dancing

OTHER FUN STUFF:
Watch the Wizard of Oz while listening to
Dark Side of the Moon

A Handbook for Adventurous Women!

This is the best thing I've seen in a long time.

YOU CAN DO IT! The Merit Badge handbook for Grown-Up Girls is the vision of Lauren Catuzzi Grandcolas. An adventurous woman herself, Lauren dreamed of creating a book that would help women try new things, realize their dreams, and fill their lives with wonderful challenges. This book, offers opportunities for dreams big and small, bold and gentle.

YOU CAN DO IT! will motivate you with 60 separate merit badges divided into seven categories.

Dare: Badges range from dancing and firewalking to starting a rock band
Create: Badges range from gardening and filmmaking to building a web site
Learn: Badges range from speaking a foreign language and playing an instrument to cooking
Play: Badges range from yoga and skydiving to billiards
Deal: Badges range from breaking bad habits and money to car care
Connect: Badges range from meditation and family rituals to volunteering
Dream: Here you get to build your own badge

For each badge, YOU CAN DO IT! offers steps to help you achieve your goal and help from a mentor -- an accomplished woman who is an expert in her field and offers sage advice. By the way, there are actual badge stickers at the back of the book.

I can't say enough good things about this book. Even it's creation is a work of love. Lauren Catuzzi Grandcolas was killed on September 11, 2001 aboard United flight 93. It was Lauren's love of life that inspired her sisters, Vaughn Catuzzi Lohec and Dara Catuzzi Near to make her dream a reality. Proceeds from the sale of YOU CAN DO IT! go to the Lauren Catuzzi Grandcolas Foundation, which supports charitable causes including college scholarships, a birthing room, neonatal units, and a women's care center.

Thanks to Becky, an adventurous woman who told me about this wonderful resource!

Links updated 4/17/2010

Women's Adventure Magazine

Woo Hoo! A magazine devoted to adventurous women!! EVEN BETTER, Women's Adventure will give free (yes, FREE) issues to groups. Get your adventure club together and contact the magazine here to request issues for your adventurous friends.

Start an Adventure Club!

I was a Girl Scout leader for years. I took Scouts on dozens of fun trips but my part was counting heads and applying Band-Aids and filling in paperwork. A few years ago, I decided that it was time for the adults to have fun too. So, I e-mailed some friends explaining that I wanted to start an adventure club and asking them to respond if they were interested. Personally, I was surprised by the number of women who told me that they were too old for "that sort of thing"!

When I had about a dozen women I had a meeting -- involving a lot of wine and appetizers -- and proposed that we pick four adventures for the year. I told everyone that participation wasn't a requirement. Every activity should be an opportunity not an obligation so there shouldn't be any stress. We all agreed that we would limit the group to women -- no kids, no husbands, no significant others.

That was more than three years ago and the group has tripled in size. Friends invite friends, I still invite women that I meet along the way. I keep a master list of adventures but I don't limit our adventure list in any way. An adventure to one woman may be ordinary or scary to another so it's good to have a variety of choices. I do keep all of the suggestions anonymous (I'll never tell who wants to learn pole dancing!).

FYI, some of the women who told me they were too old are now the ones who lead the most adventurous trips.