The Definition of Adventure - My Hopes for South America

Lesedauer // reading time 3 Min.

Dec, 2024

Adventure. What a big word? But, what does it actually mean?

Personally, I believe adventure is different for everyone, and it is different today from what it will be tomorrow. What might be taking me way out from my comfort zone is surely daily business for someone else out there, and the other way around. What might be crazy for me to do today might be totally normal tomorrow. Adventure doesn’t have to be a dangerous activity like sky diving - it could be a relationship, a conversation, a hike or walk in unknown territory, or a trip, obviously. It’s something new, something unknown to you, something where you don’t know what will happen or how it will feel. Adventure, to me, is about embracing exactly that - the unknown, and the emotional journey that comes with it. It’s about pushing yourself to new limits and seeking out experiences that will, eventually, help you grow as an individual. 

In less than a week, I will start my biggest adventure yet: I will set off on a trip to South America, with no real plan except to see and do, to learn and experience as much as I possibly can between the Caribbean coast and Tierra del Fuego. I have no job, no apartment, no idea what will happen when I get back home - whenever that may be. 

I have made peace with the fact that I don’t know when I will come back. Perhaps I will be on a plane home after 2 weeks, perhaps it will be half a year. There’s no way of finding out now. 

I have also made peace with the fact that I will most likely only get to do half of the things I would like. Mainly because I will not be able to sustain the same fast-paced travel style I’ve had on shorter trips, and also because I don’t want to. I would rather experience something fully than only get an idea of what a place is like and then move on. And also because of the seasons, aka rainy season. It might be on full blast when I get to Peru, so hiking to Machu Picchu might be totally impossible, the paths could be mostly washed away. Or I could be lucky - I will find out. 

I am over cities. Of course, some cities are „essential“ to visit, often it’s not even possible to get from A to B without going through a city. But all in all, I think in their core, most cities are the same. There’s a church or two or ten - or a mosque, temple, synagogue or whatever else there is - a couple of museums, a lot or a little nightlife, a few parks and a whole bunch of people that don’t know each other. 

For this trip, I would like to stay in small towns and rural villages for longer and only visit the big cities for a few days at a time. I want to go on hikes, big and small, swim in rivers and lakes and the ocean, fight mosquitoes in the middle of the Amazon rainforest and hopefully not run out of water in the Atacama desert. 

There are so many amazing places to see, kind people to meet, cultures to experience, activities to enjoy and foods to try - that much I know for certain. And I know that I will grow as a person, whatever happens. 

Here are a few things that I have on my list, so that you know what to expect over the next couple of months - just a small little teaser, the actual list is a lot longer and a lot more uncertain :)

• Diving in the Caribbean (I am terrified of open water)
• Spend a night in the jungle
• Take crazy pictures in the Salar de Uyuni
• Become somewhat fluent in Spanish
• Learn how to dance (this might be the hardest one for me)
• See the end of the world (no, I don't believe that the earth is flat)
• Hike a mountain that is higher than the highest point in Austria
• See llamas (I guess this one should be doable)

Can you feel your wanderlust tickling you in the back of the neck, telling you to get up and leave or at least plan something? I certainly do. 

I remember when I booked my flight to Bogotá months ago. The countdown was 200 and something days back then, and now we’re down to 6 days. I can’t believe how quickly the time has passed. 

I am not nearly ready for this. I don’t think I ever could be. This might be the same or similar for everyone, or perhaps it’s just me, what do I know. I am not ready, but I am excited for what’s to come. I decide to embrace the unknown and the not-being-ready. I guess this on its own makes this trip an adventure, does it?