What Does Adventure Look Like
What does adventure look like? It definitely does not look the same to everyone.
noun: adventure; plural noun: adventures
- an unusual and exciting, typically hazardous, experience or activity.
To me, the word that stands out the most in the definition is Experience. Not every adventure has to be hazardous or far, but more of a lasting memory you'll take with you from an adventure. The other sign of a great trip, I've noticed, is when on your way home, you feel excited, rejuvenated, or maybe stress-free. Those are signs of an awesome adventure.
For some, spending a night outside under the stars is a large adventure. While for some, bouncing off the rev limiter and climbing offroad obstacles is the ultimate adventure. What's amazing is both people will head home feeling that same sense of accomplishment and excitement for more.
The adventure isn't measured by the number of likes you get on social media. Social media is a great tool for finding inspiration and new places to explore. Sure post up photos, share your experience, and be proud of your accomplishment. But if your adventure didn't derive from wanting to get out and see something new, then what's the point?
In the short time, I've been working at OK4WD, compared to most here at the shop, you pick up quickly that we are helping people pursue their dreams. Their ultimate adventure of using their vehicle for an adventure has just started, and believe me, that excitement is contagious. When you hand the keys back to the owner after building up their dream Jeep or a fully capable off-grid camping vehicle, their excitement overflows to you, and your urge for an adventure re-ignites.
As their adventure begins, so does ours. At the end of the week, it's a familiar sight in the parking lot to see coolers being packed and trailers being loaded as we venture out on our own weekend adventure. For some of us, adventure is finding a place off a dirt road to set up camp, while for others, it's conquering the obstacle that took out a driveshaft a few weeks prior. The beauty is we all come back ready for the next trip and sometimes a list of improvements before the next. That eagerness to improve our equipment, camping solutions, and most importantly oneself is why I seek adventure.
Vehicle-based travel has opened up a door that I didn't know existed just a few years ago. Like most, I thought adventure only started by boarding an airplane. Off to somewhere new; new faces, roads, views, restaurants, nothing that resembled home. But it doesn't have to be that way, and if you're waiting to book that dream trip, you could be missing out on adventures that are within arms reach.
Through vehicle-based travel, the people, places, and things you can experience are just as profound as exploring a new continent. Over the years, my hobbies have come, gone, changed, or grown into passions, but what hasn't is the love of spending time outside. With hobbies like mountain biking, hiking, paddle boarding, and cars of all kinds, new, old, offroad, and on track. Finding vehicle travel was only a matter of time. Being able to incorporate my hobbies into an affordable weekend trip rather than a once-a-year or once-in-a-lifetime trip has changed my perspective on what adventure is.
Being able to pack up the car and get to a new area full of new faces, places, and things in a few hours is just as rewarding as that new continent. What I like most about vehicle travel is stripping away the hunt of finding places to stay that are affordable, dealing with check-ins, and check-outs, and bringing your home necessity to someone else's home for 3 days and 2 nights. When really, if you're up to it, you can get by with a campsite and maybe go without a shower for a night or two.
Of course, it helps to have hobbies that coincide with the idea of sleeping under the stars. Most of my hobbies start with a trailhead which is convenient when sleeping at a State Park or a designated camping area at a mountain biking park or race track. But the same applies to many other hobbies. In Virginia, I've found breweries like Devils Backbone Brewery that have camping, Hipcamp sites, RV Parking, showers, and electrical hookups. In Pennsylvania, just outside Hershey Park is camping, so for you Roller Coaster or music lovers. If your interests or hobbies led you on vacation before, chances are you will be able to find camping nearby. It only requires searching for State or private Campgrounds rather than hotels or home-share sites.
One of the most intimidating factors of vehicle travel is the vehicle itself. Type in Overland or vehicle travel online, and the builds you come across can be just as insurmountable as that once-in-a-lifetime vacation. What we tell people is: "the best vehicle for your adventure is the one in your driveway." If your goal is to get out for the weekend and spend the night in a new State, you don't need a fully capable offroad vehicle. Of course, if your goal is to go beyond the pavement, that ultimate adventure vehicle will shine. But, like any time you start something new, you must start with the basics. As you get out and experience what vehicle travel is all about, you will learn what you need and what you can live without for the next trip. In the begging, you will say time and time again, "why did we even bring this" or "next time, we can't forget that" it's all a learning process.
Having camped traditionally in a ground tent, in my truck, in a rooftop tent on both a lifted 4Runner, a stock Subaru and in a fully built overland vehicle, there is a commonality with all of them. On the way home, I feel recharged and excited to get out again soon.
Sure, I'm not going on gnarly trails in the Subaru, but I only got 12 miles to the gallon in the lifted 4Runner, limiting how far I want to travel. But the fridge and organization in the overland rig are unmatched. But from it all, I know what I can't leave home without and what I can. All three vehicles are capable of providing a home away from home, and that is the key. Take what you have and get out there, sleep under the stars, walk through a new small town, and sleep next to the trailhead or brewery. The sites are out there; you just have to look.
You gotta walk before you can run, and the saying rings true when it comes to offroading and vehicle travel. Start simple, and work your way up to a big adventure or harder trail. Ask questions, listen and put yourself in a position to learn from your experiences. If it's a one-night test at your local State Park or a cross-country road trip, be open to change, head home with the fire in your belly to push further, or stay out longer, you won't know until you try. So try!
We want to hear from you!
If you are interested in getting into offroading or vehicle travel, email us or stop by the shop. Our sales and service team can answer any of your questions and provide detailed information on products, vehicles, and areas of interest for your first trip.
