If you read my last post Why You Need an Adventure List, you already know that we are obsessed with Adventure Lists. We chose to call them “Adventure Lists” because we think life is one big adventure. We believe the ordinary times, the difficult times, and even the good times, are made better by choosing to seek the adventure in life’s journey.  

When we first started making an Adventure List, it really changed our family. We started embracing our time together. No longer were we spending our evenings and weekends in front of the TV. Instead, we ride our bikes to the park, spend our day exploring a local town, or drive into the mountains for a camping trip. Since starting our Adventure List, we have experienced so many adventures together. There’s nothing like finishing a long hike, cooking over a campfire, and taking in the view.  

The problem we noticed about our Adventure List was that there were so many items on the list that it seemed overwhelming (a true Colorado problem, too many amazing places to visit).  We decided to separate the list into 4 groups, organized by the amount of time the adventure would take. These are our 4 Adventure Lists:

1: Local Adventure List

These are adventures we can do in an evening around our neighborhood. This list includes local museums, parks, lakes, bike trails, etc. 

2: Day-Trip Adventure List

These are trips we can make in one day. This might be different for everyone, but for us, this is usually up to a 2 hour drive in a location we are not planning to camp. We can drive up early in the morning, explore the area, and drive back. 

3: Weekend Adventure List

These are our weekend trips. Typically we choose to camp on these trips. Usually up to a 3 hour drive. This list is our longest list as we spend more weekends away than we do at home. 

4: Long-Weekend/ Full-week Adventure List

These are the trips that are farther away. Some of these trips require us to fly to get there, others are just long drives.

When we sit down bi-weekly for our family budget meeting, Hubs and I will plan our upcoming adventures. Some weekends we might have Saturday plans so we choose something from the Local List or the Day-trip list. If our weekend is free, we will usually plan something from the Weekend list. Our long-weekend/full week Adventures we usually plan a year in advance. I coordinate these with the girl’s school calendar, and summer break. I normally do not finalize these plans until closer to the scheduled date, but we typically have an idea of where we will go for each trip. 

You may find your own system that works for you. The main goal is to get out and explore. If you’re not intentional about making plans, you will often find that time moves on and you will have missed out on wonderful adventures. 

So what’s stopping you? Write your Adventure List and start putting them on your calendar! There are so many experiences waiting for you, you only need to take that first step!