Adventurous families aren’t afraid to take the plunge. Winter or summer, rain or shine, they’re all about having fun outside. They make it a priority to get out in the fresh air with the ones they love, and to fill their lives with new experiences. Is your family adventurous at heart?
They love to get their hands—and feet—dirty
Adventurous families love getting down and dirty, and getting into the slush and mud puddles! They see them as playgrounds well worth exploring. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child acknowledges that play time is beneficial to the development of young children. Playing is their form of “work.” But there’s no need to envy them: just get out and join in.
They welcome new experiences
Routine can make spirits sag and limit our sense of discovery. There are so many benefits to going somewhere new every year. You don’t need to fly to the other side of the world to have an “exotic” experience. From heading out to a new urban park to packing up for a day trip in the country, novelty has a way of helping us see things with fresh eyes. You’ll benefit from being open to new people and experiences. So get out there and play—and don’t be shy!
They thrive on exploring
Who said that you should stop exploring the world once you’ve had kids? In Claudia Travels, Canadian blogger Claudia Laroye shares her love of travel and her spirit of curiosity. Her kids—now teenagers—tagged along on all her adventures, from an open ocean cruise to a road trip along the Canadian west coast in a Westfalia. She even travelled to Europe for a little R&R—with a five-month-old baby.
“Start with a trip that you’re comfortable doing, like a family weekend at a cottage. Learn to test your limits, without necessarily taking off for the other side of the world. Then you can start thinking about bigger trips,” she suggests.
She thinks that travel brings family members closer together and helps kids learn about the world and themselves. “When my 18-year-old son posted a selfie with our family on social media with the caption, ‘family trips are the best,’ I knew that I had passed on some important values,” she says.
They turn failure into success
Trying new things and stepping into the unknown comes with its fair share of risks. Families who head out on adventures—big or small—are bound to experience setbacks. The camping weekend was a disaster… so what? Families that thrive on a spirit of adventure know how to pick themselves up and learn from their experiences. Don’t give up: each challenging outing helps you plan your next one better.
Laroye admits to having the fright of her life when she thought that she had lost one of her kids on a packed beach in Belgium. Her heart skipped a beat. “We learned how to manage our kids in crowds better, and we put rules in place so that we could enjoy our activities without any pitfalls,” she says.
They connect with nature
Our sedentary lifestyles and screens that keep us cooped up for hours on end aren’t doing us any favours. Fresh air is known to have a positive effect on our health and wellbeing. In a Canadian study, researchers revealed that kids aged 7 to 14 are not getting enough physical activity. They also noted that young kids who spend more time outside are more active and have better psychosocial health. Exploring the wonder of the outdoors helps kids build character and gets them moving. Adventurous families understand that and take advantage of every opportunity to head outside and have some fun.
