Adventure calls to the human spirit, igniting a thirst for new experiences and enriching our lives with a tapestry of memories. Among these treasured recollections, certain unique activities often stand out, forever etched in our minds like vivid brushstrokes on a canvas.
A user asked the forum, “Most unique things you’ve done while traveling?”. Here are the common responses.
RIDING BICYCLES IN THE COUNTRY OUTSIDE
“My then 15-year-old daughter and I spent a day riding bicycles in the country outside Siem Reap. That was one of the most memorable days of our lives. We often ended up in areas with only one track road, i.e., two wheels only. Got completely lost. It also started getting dark. Fantastic experience !!”
RODE A REINDEER-DRAWN SLED
“Rode a reindeer-drawn sled under the northern lights in Finland. 10/10 definitely recommend.”
CANOED IN THE BIOLUMINESCENT
“Canoed in the bioluminescent bay at night in Vieques PR.”
FROM SWIMMING WITH MINKE WHALES TO FLOATING IN THE DEAD SEA
“Swimming with minke whales and wild dolphins (Aus/NZ), glowworm cave tubing (NZ), diving to see nautiluses (Aus), cenote diving (Mexico), seeing the royal family of Japan in person, seeing a blue whale (Iceland), sailing to and climbing an island full of puffins (Ireland), staying in a Bedouin camp we reached by camel (Jordan).
Also, seeing the sunrise illuminate the inner sanctum at Abu Simbel, Angkor Wat at sunrise, riding a mule into the Grand Canyon, having lionfish pizza (Bonaire), Sleep No More (NYC), staying on an island full of rabbits (Japan), diving between continental plates (Iceland), carpet shopping (Turkey, Morocco, Egypt).
Not to forget, buying a big stack of doujinshi at Comiket (Japan), hanging out in a shipwreck with bull sharks (Mexico), floating in the Dead Sea, seeing chapels and artwork inside a salt mine (Poland), seeing a Dvořák opera in the same place it was originally performed (Czech Republic), having a bunch of bespoke silk clothing made (Vietnam).
Next year, I plan to go to a ball at Versailles and hit up Oktoberfest.”
EXPLORING THE BEAUTY OF ICELAND
“Go to Iceland and explore the beauty of nature. I’ve been to over 20+ countries, and nothing is as unique as Iceland is. Waterfalls, mountains, landscapes that you can’t describe. The pictures are amazing, but standing in front of a giant waterfall is something else.
The northern lights two days in a row were the cherry on top, and it amazed me so much I’m going there next Monday for the third time – in a year.”
TOOK COOKING COURSES
“Cooking courses are great when you travel to completely different regions. I went to Thailand, and it was great! Always check TripAdvisor or other platforms that offer activities in the location you’re going to.”
CAUGHT IN A FIREFIGHT WITH SOME SOMALIAN
“Went to Somalia and got caught in a firefight with some Somalian pirates.”
HELPING A BABY SEA TURTLES
“Helped baby sea turtles get out of their nests and get to the ocean. All funds went to the cause, and we were able to dig up baby turtles with our hands and put them in buckets. Then lead them to the ocean to swim away! It was such an awesome experience.”
DOG SLEDDING IN MONTANA
“Dog Sledding in Montana. Little town south of Bozeman. Best 3-hour adventure we (family and I) had in a long time!”
JUMPING OFF A BRIDGE
“Went to New Zealand and jumped off a bridge.”
GOT A PICTURE OF SISTINE CHAPEL
“I got to open up the Vatican, and I got pictures of the Sistine Chapel!
We went on a tour to open up the Vatican. We got there at 530 AM. We got to walk around and unlock the various gates and doors. My husband got to unlock the Raphael Rooms.
The Sistine Chapel was towards the end of the tour, but we got to be in there when the lights turned on. We were allowed to take pictures, and the guide even took one of us in front of the altar.
It was an amazing tour.”
USING A UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE TO ASK FOR A SHOT
“I went to Vietnam with my wife and four friends, one of whom was born in Vietnam and fluent in the language. We stayed with her family, and they recommended a tour group for the Mekong Delta. One of the activities was renting bikes and riding through the countryside to a tree temple where the Vietcong were trained during the American/Vietnam War.
At the temple, we wandered away from the other tourists and came across a group of old men from the village sitting down for a banh mi lunch. They were taking shots of some homemade liquor. My friend and I used “universal sign language” to ask for a shot, and they happily obliged.
They poured us each a shot from a plastic water bottle housing some mystery cloudy alcohol. One guy with a very dirty hand broke off a piece of bread and handed it to me for a chaser. I broke it in half, gave half to my friend, and we downed the shot. Our Vietenamese friend talked to them a bit and told them we were American. They were very happy to meet us and to have taken a shot with us.
Now, in those villages, there most likely isn’t a lot of moving around, so those guys were most likely living there during the war and were the right age to have fought in the war. If we had been to that same village 45 years before, those same men would have killed us and here we all were taking shots together.”
PEDDLING A RICKSHAW
“When in Varanasi, India, an ancient Indian gentleman REALLY wanted me to take a ride on his bicycle rickshaw. I (50+ blonde petite woman, traveling solo) gestured that I would, but only if he sat in the seat and I peddled. He agreed, and we were both laughing like loons, people staring at us going by. I didn’t get too far; the bike was hard to peddle.
I’ve done a macaron baking class with a French Chef in Paris and a graffiti tour where we sprayed our own artwork.”
ORANGE PICKING AND HIKING
“I do a lot more hiking when traveling than I ever do while at home. Mind you, most of my travel has been across Canada.
When I traveled to Florida, I went orange picking and checked out a crocodile reserve.
In Ireland – more hiking and visiting castles.”
WILDLIFE BOAT TOUR
“Went to Alaska during the peak pandemic and ended up in Seward at one point. Found a tour company that was still open and willing to do a wildlife boat tour. Me and my now-wife ended up being the only two people on the boat, and our tour boat was the only vessel on the water.
We ended up having a private tour of Resurrection Bay and all the islands, one of which we got dropped off at for a while. It was like we were the last two people on the earth. There was no one else on the bay, not even shipping boats.
I’ve always said that a tour should have cost someone $100,000 a ticket and that nothing like what will ever happen again.”
SLEPT ON THE FLOOR WITH BUDDHIST NUNS
“Stayed in a monastery in Thailand and slept on the floor with Buddhist nuns. What an amazing experience.”
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This article was originally published on Mrs. Daaku Studio.