7 Ted Talks for Adventure Inspiration
There's nothing quite like a bit of adventure to shake us out of our routines, to blow the dust off our habit-forming brains and remind us that we are not only bursting with life, but that we are capable of extraordinary things. Of extraordinary endurance, mental resilience and determination.
You don't need to hike across Russia, sail across an ocean or ice-climb a towering mountain to be adventuring. It might be taking a new footpath, switching off the mp3 player while out and taking in your surroundings as though you're in a new place, or pitching your tent in a rustic campsite and waking up to a hedgehog chortling about the other side of the nylon. It might just be doing one thing that makes you uncomfortable.
'I think discomfort is one of the true gifts of adventure travel,' Michelle Spinei.
I couldn't agree more.
Here is a selection of some wicked Ted and Tedx talks to give you that little jolt of inspiration to get back out there.
1. Michelle Spinei: Can Adventure Travel Change You?
Michelle Spinei talks about her interactions with hikers on Iceland's Fimmvörðuháls Trail, a magnificent, 24 km hiking trail through some of the country's most phenomenal landscape. As she talks to those taking on the trail she discovers that there's more to their reasons for coming than simply to admire the landscape.
2. Roz Savage: Why I'm rowing across the Pacific
Holder of several Guinness World Records for solo ocean rowing, Roz's adventures are particularly incredible because she uses them to generate awareness and action about the state of the environment. Having been a management consultant up to her mid-30s, Roz decided she didn't like where her life was going. And changed it.
3. Caroline Paul: To raise brave girls, encourage adventure
I wish that I had watched this talk every year from the age of five. In fact, I wish everyone would watch this talk, particularly parents but it benefits everybody. Because when we start inherently understanding that girls and women are not naturally fragile or timid, we all benefit.
'I'm not against fear, I'm just pro bravery,' Caroline Paul.
4. Ben Saunders: Why Did I Ski to the North Pole?
Travelling to places that are so inhospitable that nobody would want to accompany you is no mean feat. Ben Saunders shares his extraordinary and modest tale of travelling to the magnetic north pole. I don't necessarily think you'll be inspired to go there, but his story helps us realise what we're capable of.
5. Tracey Edwards: Stop Being a Bystander in Your Own Life
For anybody who's ever been told at school that they wouldn't amount to anything or struggled through their teen years, Tracey's story is incredibly inspiring. Not only was she an unlikely candidate for this story, but she transformed the world's opinion of what women are capable of doing (as it turns out, the same as men).
6. Ginger Kern: The Key to Living a Life of Adventure
Adventuring abroad is fantastic, invigorating and life-building but it can also teach us the importance of human connection and adventure right where we are. In this talk, Ginger Kern talks about living with a traveller's mindset.
7. Yubing Zhang: Life Begins at the End of Your Comfort Zone
This isn't a new message but there's a reason why it deserves repeating again and again and again ad infinitum. Discomfort is not your enemy, it's not something you should be running away from. Discomfort is where growth happens. It's where you gain new skills, achieve difficult things and thrive. As Yubing Zhang shows, it's where life begins.
Looking for more inspiration? Try these incredible Youtube videos, check out an extract from my book In Bed with the Atlantic or find a route to hike.