There is a vast body of literature on exploring, adventure, stretching ourselves–and some of the issues and lessons associated with those endeavors. Risks, Fears, Rewards – they’re all intertwined. Here are some of our favorite picks for more reading, as well as some additional resources you might find helpful.
Note that this page contains affiliate links to Amazon.com.
Books about exploring, stretching, and finding adventure by changing your environment or perspective:
The Power of Place: How Our Surroundings Shape Our Thoughts, Emotions, and Actions
by Winifred Gallagher
It’s no accident that adventure usually includes a change in location. The external environments in which we find ourselves can have a profound affect on our internal states. In this insightful book, journalist Winifred Gallagher explores why different physical environments resonate with different people. From this perspective, “running away” may be the smartest thing you ever do. The weird part is that you’ll cross paths with people running in the oppposite direction for the same reason. Read this great book and find out why. – MS
A Woman’s World: True Life Stories of World Travel
edited by Marybeth Bond
This collection, part of a Travelers’ Tales series, is a wonderful collection of short essays by women who dared to undertake hero journeys, great and small. Some daring trips were only to the local market. Others summited Mount Everest. But all were challenging and enlightening journeys that left an impact on the women who made them. – LW
Homelands: Kayaking the Inside Passage
by Byron Ricks
This book is a beautiful gem in the genre of contemplative adventure stories. Written by a less curious or introspective person, this story of a young couple kayaking from Alaska to Seattle might be a mundane travelogue. But Ricks has an astounding eye for meaning and significance—in the people he and his wife Maren meet, in the internal and external challenges they confront, and in the beauty they find in life and existence along the way. And his lyrical writing style brings those moments to life in an intimate and memorable way. – LW
On Extended Wings: An Adventure in Flight
by Diane Ackerman
If you’ve ever longed to do something that seemed beyond your abilities, you’ll enjoy poet Diane Ackerman’s beautiful tale of learning to fly a small airplane. Out of print, but worth searching for if you want to be inspired. – MS
Caught Inside: A Surfer’s Year on the California Coast
by Daniel Duane
Escaping the rat race for a life of outdoor adventure doesn’t have to mean leaving one’s intellect behind. From the first sentence of Caught Inside, Daniel Duane eloquently moves past surfer dude stereotypes. “Unless you’re a strolling naturalist by nature, or a farmer or a commercial fisherman or ranger, you need a medium, a game, a pleasure principle that turns knowing your home into passionate scholarship.” A year spent surfing in Santa Cruz gave Duane much to reflect on, and it’s all in this book. The pros and cons of embracing a passion versus career and family are among the topics he explores. – MS
Water and Light: A Diver’s Journey to a Coral Reef
by Stephen Harrigan
Anyone who’s gone snorkeling or diving has experienced the meditative calm of literally entering another world below the surface of the sea. For writer Stephen Harrigan, the experience became an obsession he couldn’t shake. With three children and “spiraling responsibilties of the sort that forced me to regard diving as an expensive recreational activity rather than as a life’s mission,” he began to view his diving logbook as “the pitiful record of an abandoned spiritual quest.” So, he resolved to travel to the Caribbean and stay for a number of months to get it out of his system once and for all. Water and Light is the moving story of what happens when you carve out some dedicated time to explore a passion. – MS
Biplane
by Richard Bach
Some of the best adventures require little more than a change in perspective. Writer Richard Bach had been flying for years when he traded his newly rebuilt modern airplane for a antique open-cockpit biplane … and flew it home to Los Angeles from New Jersey. “It is like opening night on a new way of living…” begins Bach’s tale. His journey provides a great metaphor for any adventure, and plenty of food for thought. – MS
Books offering practical, hands-on information and advice about adventure travel:
Vagabonding
by Rolf Potts
In a 9-5 rut? Need more than a quick vacation to get you back on track (or inspire you to change tracks altogther)? This classic will inspire you to think differently about travel by adopting the vagabond mentality. Adventure travel writer Tim Cahill has called Vagabonding “the most sensible book of travel related advice ever written.” Get it, then get out of town. Check out the Vagabonding Web site too (see below). – MS
The World’s Most Dangerous Places
by Robert Young Pelton
If you’re into hardcore adventure travel to dangerous places, the information and advice in Robert Young Pelton’s books can help keep you safe. The latest edition of The World’s Most Dangerous Places provides the latest scoop on all sorts of, well, dangerous places. Come Back Alive is a general guide to survival in all sorts of environments and situations, written by one of the world’s experts. And The Adventurist gives a glimpse into the motivations behind what many less-adventurous people would regard as a deathwish. – MS
Books by adventurers that examine the complexities of motivation, cost, and reward:
To the Edge: A Man, Death Valley, and the Mystery of Endurance
by Kirk Johnson
When his brother commited suicide, New York Times writer Kirk Johnson started running. While his new avocation provided solace and escape, it also provided a vehicle through which he could explore the nature of endurance and surrender. Johnson’s explorations eventually lead him to undertake the Badwater Ultramarathon, a grueling 135-mile race through Death Valley from the lowest point in the western hemisphere to Mt. Whitney, the highest point in the continental U.S. In the end, To the Edge is less about running from or to something, and more about running for its own sake. It’s a book about choosing life, one step at a time. – MS
A Family Place: A Man Returns to the Center of His Life
by Charles Gaines
Most mid-life crises pull folks from a life of security and responsibility into more adventurous (or irresponsible) pursuits. When novelist and adventure sports writer Charles Gaines realized he was growing apart from his wife and three children, he did an about face in a more intriguing way, moving his family to the coast of Nova Scotia to build a summer cottage. So often we view adventure as something that by definition leaves loved ones behind. Gaines, through his decisions and words, makes it clear that there are as many adventures to be found in building a home as in running from one. – MS
On the Ridge Between Life and Death: A Climbing Life Reexamined
by David Roberts
Roberts, the founder of the Outdoor Program at Hampshire College and an editor at Outside magazine and National Geographic Adventure, became famous in the mountain climbing community for a 1979 essay he wrote about why he climbed called “Moments of Doubt.” In this refreshingly honest memoir, he revisits that position as he takes a mature and adult look back on a lifetime of triumphs, tragedies, motivations, and decisions—and the price they may have exacted on both himself and those around him. – LW
Books that explore risk and fear:
Risk
by John Adams
This book is a dense, academic read. But its content and premises are fascinating. Adams looks at competing theories of human reactions and relationships with risk and safety, complete with empirical evidence to back up his discussions. According to “Risk Compensation” theory, humans tend to compensate for more safety devices with riskier behavior (driving faster with seat belts on). “Cultural Theory” posits that what we consider “risky” depends on the cultural (personality) filters through which we view the world. Even measuring or predicting risk is … well, risky, according to Adams, and likely to be wrong. Reading this book will quickly disimbue you of any notion about risk and safety being simple or straightforward subjects—no matter what numerical analysts say. – LW
Over the Edge: A Regular Guy’s Odyssey in Extreme Sports
by Michael Bane
Michael Bane’s journey from coach potato to adventurer began simply, when he made a list of 13 of the world’s most dangerous athletic pursuits … and decided to do them. Stuff like kayaking off waterfalls, diving in underwater caves, swimming in shark-infested waters. You can’t do things like this without learning something about living a more adventurous life along the way, and Bane passes along his thoughts on risk, fear, and getting out of your comfort zone. – MS
The Gift of Fear
by Gavin de Becker
“This book can save your life!” proclaims the cover of The Gift of Fear. And it’s true. However, the value of security expert Gavin de Becker’s insights go far beyond just surviving life’s scary encounters. By learning to listen to your intuition you’ll not only be safer in a variety of dangerous situations, you’ll also be able to avoid many of them in the first place. This is a useful skill to have whether you’re an adventurer, an entrepreneur, or just trying to figure it all out. Be warned: it’s not light reading. There are some scary stories that will stick with you. But that’s the point. Read this book! – MS
Web sites/blogs/magazines
Women’s Adventure Magazine
For any woman who thirsts to feel the wind in her hair, and the thrill of physical, outdoor adventure, this revamped, bi-monthly magazine offers both thoughtful insight and practical advice—from the unique vantage point of a woman’s experience. The women who fell short of achieving famous firsts. Crusades against garbage, and musings on risk-taking and even navigation styles. Intriguing, helpful, and well worth checking out. -LW
Killing Batteries
Freelance travel writer Leif Pettersen’s blog.
Ralph Potts’ Vagabonding
Ralph Potts has been traveling and writing for years for the likes of National Geographic Traveler, the New York Times Magazine, Slate.com, Conde Nast Traveler, Outside, The Believer, The Guardian (U.K.), National Public Radio, and the Travel Channel. His book Vagabonding: Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel (see above) has been through nine printings. Potts describes vagabonding as “a deliberate way of living that makes the freedom to travel possible,” and his Web site is filled with useful and inspiring stuff for the journey.
Start Backpacking
Everything you need to know about backpacking travel and vagabonding. “We can help you escape death by cubicle,” the publishers claim. With frequent posts, a useful step-by-step Backpacking Guide, and active forums, this site is definately worth a look.
Transitions Abroad
A comprehensive resource dedicated to “the dissemination of practical information leading to a greater understanding of other cultures through direct participation in the daily life of the host community. Whether your goal is to work, study, or just live abroad, you won’t find many resources like this one.
Vagabondish
An online travelzine “that discusses offbeat backpacking and travel news, advice, how-to tips and tall tales from around the world.”
G Adventures
So, this blog is sponsored by a commercial adventure travel company, G Adventures (used to be called Gap Adventures, I believe in reference to taking “gap” years between schooling or jobs, until the “Gap” clothing store objected). But while the focus of G Adventures may be organized adventure travel (which isn’t quite the same thing as adventure), the blog does have some interesting content, from people traveling all around the world. It’s a bit like the New York Times travel section, (Banff in 36 hours, what to eat in Laos, etc.), but for anyone contemplating travel into the hinterlands of the globe, it offers more visual and diverse information than the basics found in most guide books. It also has some adventurous voices in its “wanderers” section. (I particularly liked the feature in Jodi Ettenberg’s legalnomads.com called “thrillable hours,” where she profiles lawyers who quit law to pursue more passion-inspired adventures and endeavors. There IS life after the corporate track!)
Organizations
American Alpine Institute
Climb something besides the corporate ladder. Regarded by many as the best climbing and guide service in North America, AAI offers instruction and guiding on alpine, rock, snow, ice, glacier, and high-altitude adventures all over the world.
National Outdoor Leadership School
NOLS has been teaching wilderness and outdoor leader skills to people of all ages since 1965. If you want to head for the hills but don’t know what you’re doing, NOLS is a great place to begin your education. Especially if you have aspirations to eventually guide or teach others in a wilderness environment.
Outward Bound
Everybody knows that outdoor adventures can be life-changing, but Outward Bound consciously focuses their programs on that fact, leveraging the “wilderness experience as metaphor” concept to offer programs that are designed specifically to induce change. They’ve been changing lives this way for more than 60 years.
