short essay of adventure story

Short Essay on My Adventurous Trip [100, 200, 400 Words] With PDF

Trips are a very essential part of our life. And if those trips have full of adventures, that bring more joy to us. In this lesson today, you will learn how to write short essays on an Adventurous trip .

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Short Essay on My Adventurous Trip in 100 Words

Every trip is an adventure and gives us joy. Going out on vacation may not mean a trip. A trip with adventures is completely different. Sometimes the vacation trip also becomes adventurous. Lots of things happen that amaze us. Also in adventures, many dangers take place.

I remember such an adventure I had. It was a horseback ride in the mountains. I was very young when we visited Shimla. We went to the Rohtang Pass. It snowed heavily that day. There was snow all around. So we had to take horses. We climbed high up the mountain. It was so lovely to see nature. I loved it. I remember my horseback ride till now.

Short Essay on My Adventurous Trip in 200 Words

I still remember one thrilling adventurous trip I had. I got scared when it happened. But I also enjoyed it a lot. I was very young when I visited Shimla. I did not know that the adventure would happen. So I just went on a vacation. We had a wonderful train journey to Shimla. Reaching there, we decided to visit Rohtang Pass.

I was so excited! We took a car and went to the slopes. I looked out of the windows. The car was gradually rising to the top. The road was spiel, like a big snake. Soon we reached the hilltop. I jumped out. That day it snowed. So it was all white. I was so happy to see the scene. Then we took a horse to ride. That was the greatest adventure I ever had. It slowly walked up the mountain.

I looked at the sides and saw how deep it was. I felt scared. Suddenly I could not breathe anymore. I felt sick and almost fell off the horseback. My father immediately held me and we came down the slopes. I fainted due to no air. When I got well, the people served me hot soup. He said I was too little. So I easily caught a cold. I still remember how dangerous it was. But still, this adventure is a great memory.

Short Essay on My Adventurous Trip in 400 Words

Adventure and trip are closely connected to each other. It is really hard to avoid adventure from a trip. We often go on vacations. But these are only for fun. So a trip with adventure is different. Adventure makes us a different person. We become strong and brave in an adventure. It is very important to have it in our lives. An adventure is always exciting and amazing.

I was also lucky to have an adventure in my life. I was very little then and did not know about it. It suddenly happened. We went to Shimla that year. Shimla is always a great place to have fun. And it was the best vacation of my life. My father got us the tickets and we packed our bags. We took the train and went straight from Kolkata to Shimla. I enjoyed the view outside. It was wonderful. When we reached there, I jumped in joy. After two days of reaching Manali, All of us decided to visit it.

We planned to go to Rohtang Pass first. We started our journey. A car was booked. We took it and went to Rohtang. The road was like a snake. It was the first adventure I had there. It went slowly to the hilltop. I felt the cool breeze and looked out. It was so pretty. When we reached the top, I jumped out. It snowed that day. I started playing with it.

But the biggest adventure came after this. We had to take horses to go to the hilltop. I have seen horses in books. But had never ridden them. I clapped my hands in joy. My father and I got onto one. It slowly started moving. I touched the soft mane of the horse and it neighed. Soon we were at the top of the mountain. I looked down and got scared. It was dark. Long waterfalls were falling from the top. I stared at it. Suddenly I could not breathe. I tried hard but failed.

I soon fainted and was about to fall off horseback. But my father immediately caught me and we came down. The people nearby helped me and I opened my eyes. I had turned blue for no air. The people gave me hot soup to drink and feel warm. Gradually I felt better. After this, we left for our hotels. That day I was scared, but today I feel it as my best adventure. I will never forget this wonderful trip.

In this lesson above, I have tried to discuss the topic in a very simple and engaging language to make it easier to understand for all kinds of students. If you still have any doubts regarding this session, you can always post your queries down in the comment section below. To read more such sessions on various important topics, keep browsing our website.

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Short Essay: My Adventurous Trip

A couple of short essay examples on an adventurous trip.

Table of Contents

My Adventurous Trip Essay Example 1

Traveling is one of the most exciting experiences one can have in life. It allows us to explore new places, meet different people, and create unforgettable memories. My recent adventurous trip was one such experience that I will cherish for a lifetime. The trip involved hiking through a dense forest, crossing a river, and reaching the summit of a mountain, where I enjoyed a breathtaking view. Despite facing challenges such as unpredictable weather and rough terrain, the trip was a memorable and rewarding experience. In this essay, I will share my experience of this adventurous trip, highlighting the challenges, the exhilarating moments, and the memories that I will cherish forever.

Our trip started with hiking through a dense forest. The forest was full of tall trees, colorful flowers, and chirping birds. The trail was steep and rocky, and we had to be careful while walking. The forest was so dense that we could hardly see the sun, and the air was full of freshness. We had to take breaks in between to catch our breath and hydrate ourselves. As we walked, we could hear the sound of a river, and after a few hours of hiking, we finally reached the river. The river was wide and had a strong current, and we had to cross it to continue our journey. We had to be careful while crossing the river, and we held hands to maintain our balance. The water was cold, and we could feel the current pushing us, but we made it to the other side, feeling proud of ourselves.

The highlight of our trip was reaching the summit of the mountain. The climb was steep and exhausting, but the view from the top was worth every effort. From the top of the mountain, we could see the entire valley, and it was a sight to behold. The sky was clear, and the sun was shining brightly, making the view even more beautiful. We took pictures and sat there for a while, enjoying the serene beauty of nature. We could hear the sound of birds and feel the cool breeze on our faces. It was a moment of pure bliss, and we felt grateful for being able to witness such a beautiful view.

Despite facing challenges such as unpredictable weather and rough terrain, the trip was a memorable and rewarding experience. We had to face unexpected rain and strong winds, which made the climb more challenging. We slipped a few times, but we managed to keep going, motivated by the thought of reaching the summit. The journey was long and tiring, but the memories we created were worth it. We bonded with our fellow travelers, shared laughter, and created memories that we will cherish forever. The trip taught us to be resilient, to push ourselves beyond our limits, and to appreciate the beauty of nature.

In conclusion, my adventurous trip was an unforgettable experience that allowed me to explore the beauty of nature, push my limits, and create memories that I will cherish forever. Hiking through a dense forest, crossing a river, and reaching the summit of a mountain were challenging but rewarding experiences. Despite facing unpredictable weather and rough terrain, we persevered and created memories that will stay with us for a lifetime. The trip taught us the importance of resilience, perseverance, and appreciation for the beauty of nature. It was an experience that I will always treasure and would love to relive again.

My Adventurous Trip Essay Example 2

My adventurous trip was an experience of a lifetime. It was a chance for me to step out of my comfort zone and explore the great outdoors. The trip was filled with activities such as hiking, camping, and kayaking. The beautiful scenery and wildlife sightings made the trip memorable. Overcoming challenges such as inclement weather and physical exertion added to the sense of accomplishment and adventure. In this essay, I will share my experiences of this unforgettable trip.

Hiking was one of the most exciting activities of the trip. We started our hike early in the morning, and the trail was challenging, but the view was worth it. The trail led us through dense forests, and we saw wildflowers, butterflies, and birds along the way. We stopped for a break at a small waterfall, and the sound of the water was soothing. As we continued our hike, we came across a steep incline, which was physically demanding, but we pushed on. At the peak, we were rewarded with an incredible view of the valley below. The sense of accomplishment we felt after completing the hike was indescribable.

Camping was another activity that added to the adventure of the trip. We set up our tents near a lake, and the view was breathtaking. We spent the night sitting around a campfire, roasting marshmallows, and sharing stories. The night sky was clear, and we saw countless stars, which was a beautiful sight. The next morning, we woke up early to go kayaking on the lake. The water was calm, and we saw fish jumping out of the water. We even saw a family of ducks swimming nearby. Kayaking was a peaceful and relaxing experience.

The trip was not without its challenges, however. We faced inclement weather during our kayaking, and it was physically demanding. The waves were strong, and the water was choppy. We had to navigate our kayaks through the waves carefully. At times, it was nerve-wracking, but we were able to push through and complete the activity. Overcoming these challenges added to the sense of adventure and accomplishment.

In conclusion, my adventurous trip was an experience that I will cherish forever. The activities such as hiking, camping, and kayaking, the beautiful scenery and wildlife sightings, and the challenges we faced made the trip unforgettable. It was an opportunity for me to step out of my comfort zone, explore the great outdoors, and create memories with friends. I hope to have more opportunities like this in the future.

My Adventurous Trip Essay Example 3

Going on an adventurous trip is an experience that many people crave. It is an opportunity to explore new destinations, push oneself to the limit, and create unforgettable memories. I recently had the chance to embark on one such journey, and it was an experience that I will never forget. My adventurous trip involved hiking through a dense forest to reach a remote waterfall. Along the way, I encountered challenging terrain and had to navigate through rough terrain. Despite the difficulties, the stunning views and sense of accomplishment made the trip a truly unforgettable adventure. In this essay, I will describe my trip in detail, highlighting the challenges and the rewards that came with it.

The first part of my adventurous trip involved hiking through a dense forest to reach a remote waterfall. The trail was not well-marked, and the terrain was challenging, consisting of steep inclines, muddy patches, and slippery rocks. The dense foliage made it difficult to see the path ahead, and we had to rely on our instincts and map reading skills to find our way through. The forest was alive with the sounds of birds and small animals, and the air was fresh and invigorating. As we got closer to our destination, the sound of rushing water became louder, and we knew we were getting close. Finally, after several hours of hiking, we arrived at the waterfall, and the sight before us was breathtaking. The waterfall was a powerful force of nature, cascading down from a height of over 100 feet. The water was crystal clear, and the surrounding rocks were covered in moss and ferns. It was a sight that made all the hiking and exertion worth it.

The second part of my adventurous trip involved navigating through rough terrain. The terrain was rocky and uneven, and we had to be careful not to slip or fall. At some points, the trail was so steep that we had to use ropes to climb up or down. The weather was also unpredictable, and we had to be prepared for sudden rain or wind. Despite the challenges, the sense of adventure and excitement kept us going. We were a group of friends, and we encouraged and supported each other along the way. We shared food and water, helped each other over difficult patches, and cheered each other on when we reached a milestone. The journey was not just about reaching the destination; it was also about the bonds we formed and the memories we created.

The final part of my adventurous trip was the sense of accomplishment that came with it. After several hours of hiking, navigating challenging terrain, and enduring unpredictable weather, we finally reached our destination. The feeling of standing in front of the waterfall, surrounded by the beauty of nature, was indescribable. It was a sense of accomplishment that came from pushing ourselves beyond our limits, from facing our fears and overcoming them. We took pictures, laughed, and savored the moment. It was a feeling that stayed with us long after the trip was over. The adventurous trip was not just a physical journey; it was also a journey of the mind and the spirit.

In conclusion, my adventurous trip was an experience that I will never forget. It involved hiking through a dense forest to reach a remote waterfall, navigating through rough terrain, and the sense of accomplishment that came with it. The trip was challenging, but it was also rewarding. It reminded me of the beauty of nature, the importance of perseverance, and the power of friendship. It was an experience that taught me to appreciate the simple things in life and to embrace the adventure that comes with it.

About Mr. Greg

Mr. Greg is an English teacher from Edinburgh, Scotland, currently based in Hong Kong. He has over 5 years teaching experience and recently completed his PGCE at the University of Essex Online. In 2013, he graduated from Edinburgh Napier University with a BEng(Hons) in Computing, with a focus on social media.

Mr. Greg’s English Cloud was created in 2020 during the pandemic, aiming to provide students and parents with resources to help facilitate their learning at home.

Whatsapp: +85259609792

[email protected]

Jessie on a Journey | Solo Female Travel Blog

17 True Short Adventure Travel Stories That Will Inspire Your Next Trip

Note: This post sharing real adventure stories contains affiliate links to trusted partners!

Love true short adventure travel stories or are you eager to discover thrilling experiences to have while traveling?

Then you’re in the right place!

I reached out to some of my favorite travel bloggers and asked them to share stories about their most epic adventures around the world.

While some of the following anecdotes showcase crazy travel stories or even travel fails , others offer up inspiring travel experience stories that were smooth sailing (or camping or hiking!) the whole way.

That being said, all of these stories have one thing in common: they share a true once-in-a-lifetime adventure that will inspire your travels.

Keep reading to discover these adventure travel tales. And feel free to add your own in the comments below!

Table of Contents

Where Should Your Next Travel Adventure Be? [Free Quiz]

But first, before we dive into our list of the best adventure short stories , I invite you to take my free travel personality quiz .

Answer a few easy (and fun!) questions to discover your perfect travel destination based on your personality. Each suggestion aims to offer a unique experience that you wouldn’t easily find in a guidebook.

Feel free to even pause to take the quiz and then let me know your results in the comments below.

Then when you’re back continue reading to dive into the most epic adventure stories online that you can find!

True Short Travel Adventure Stories In Real-Life

If you’re looking for true short adventure stories to read online, these are my favorites:

1. Trekking Nepal’s Mohare Danda Route

My adventure short story takes place in Nepal where I did the Mohare Danda Trek — which is no easy feat; however, in my opinion it is truly one of the best hiking trails in the world .

But, I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me explain. A few years back, I was invited on a press trip by the Nepal Tourism Board to experience some of the incredible experiences the country has to offer.

There were a number of itineraries to choose from, including doing a safari in the popular Chitwan National Park or doing the popular Poon Hill Trek. While both looked enticing, there was one itinerary, the Mohare Danda Trek, that looked less traversed — which helped to pique my interest.

The Mohare Danda is one of Nepal’s newest treks, opened in 2010 as an eco-trek to help support and develop the Parbat and Myagdi districts.

It’s a stunning hike, though my first day got off to a difficult start as I found myself violently ill.

Ascending higher and higher, sweat pouring down my face and my backpack threatening to pull me to the ground, I stopped constantly to gag and vomit — until we reached the high altitude teahouse where we’d be staying the night.

While the group went in for tea, I laid on the ground, nearly crying from the physical pain (from the challenging hike) and discomfort (from the sickness). In that moment, I truly didn’t think I could do it.

But then I opened my eyes to the beauty that surrounded me — the type of beauty you truly can’t find anywhere else — and realized that if I gave up now I’d never forgive myself.

And luckily, after skipping dinner and sleeping for 12 hours, the sickness subsided and I felt eager to experience this Himalayan hike.

Here is a quick overview of this amazing trek:

You’ll hike the rough but stunning terrain of the Annapurna Himalayas for five days, visiting high-altitude villages, passing yak and buffalo, and staying in homestays and small family-run hotels with squat toilets, spiders, and, for the most part, no showers.

The accommodations are rough to say the least, but as you gaze upon the high Himalayan peaks, interact with locals, and take in the nature that surrounds you, it’s hard not to feel immense gratitude for such a rugged and beautiful adventure.

This is particularly true when you reach the top of Mohare Danda at 3,313 meters (10,869 feet) and realize just how far you’ve come.

For an immersive look into what this adventurous trek is like, check out my video:

Tips: In terms of travel tips for this trek, I recommend looking for alternatives to popular travel adventures . While popular experiences and attractions are popular for a reason, seeking lesser-known activities often leads to more local and unique experiences.

Additionally, from a sustainable tourism standpoint it can help dispense tourism dollars to places that may need it and can help curb overtourism .

Also, bring medication for upset stomach and altitude sickness! I was vomitting on Day #1 and was grateful to have medication. Moreover, I had a throbbing headache when we reached the summit and was happy to have tiger balm with me.

2. Hiking in Georgia’s Greater Caucasus Mountains

Love uplifting travel stories ? Then this one is for you, because it shares how an adventure changed my outlook for the better.

Because here’s the thing:

I’ve never thought of myself as an adventurous traveler. I’m definitely not one for hiking – usually, the only thing that can get me to embark on a trek is the fear of missing out.

True short adventure travel stories on hiking in Georgia’s Greater Caucasus mountains

On my first trip to the Republic of Georgia, every traveler I met spoke about a hike in the Greater Caucasus mountains that I absolutely couldn’t miss.

The trek from Kazbegi town to Gergeti Trinity Church is a short one, but based on the church’s location atop a mountain, I knew it was going to be a tough climb – especially after six weeks of traveling around and living off khachapuri , the country’s famous “cheese pie”.

I arrived in Kazbegi on a cold, foggy afternoon and reluctantly woke up early the next day with the idea to hike to the church that morning. Luckily, a chance encounter over the breakfast table at my guesthouse saved me.

I got chatting with a couple who had done the hike the previous day and had a crucial tip for me: Don’t follow the main trail, but instead, take the path on the left side of the mountain.

As it turned out, the main route -– the trail everyone else was taking -– was impossibly steep, but the lesser-walked path was a gentle, ambling trail along a mountain stream.

Had I tried to take the main path, I never would have finished the walk; however, following this gentler route, I experienced something totally foreign: A hike I actually enjoyed! I felt so accomplished by the time I reached the church.

I’ve since moved to Georgia and have challenged myself to many other hikes in the Greater Caucasus. But if it weren’t for that first introduction to trekking in Georgia, I don’t think I would have had the courage to attempt any other trails.

“Adventure” means something different to everyone, but I think there’s an adventurous traveler inside all of us. Often it takes one positive experience to prove to yourself what you’re really made of.

Tip: When hiking in Georgia, always ask for advice from travelers on the ground. Trails and conditions change from year to year depending on the weather so it’s very important to gather first-hand information.

– Emily from Wander-Lush

3. Hitchhiking in Kazakhstan

My adventure trip story takes place in Kazakhstan! On my trip to Central Asia in 2019, I spent a couple of days in Kazakhstan exploring offbeat places such as Charyn Canyon, Kaindy Lake, Kolsai Lake, and so on.

As Kazakhstan is a relatively under-developed country, there is no good public transportation system once you move out of Almaty City.

True short adventure travel stories on hitchhiking in Kazakhstan

However, one great thing about Kazakhstan is that hitchhiking is quite common, meaning it’s easy to get a lift to your destination.

During my 25-day stay in this country, there was a stretch of four-to-five days when I hitchhiked continuously and met some wonderful people.

I covered a stretch of over 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) hitchhiking and had the chance to meet different people on the way. From a group of Russian friends who helped me reach the highway to army personnel who helped me reach my desired destination, I met so many people with different stories and backgrounds on this trip.

Most of the people with whom I hitchhiked were friendly and excited to know about my Indian heritage since they loved India. And this is how I fell in love with hitchhiking and had my faith in humanity restored in a foreign country.

An amazing thing about Kazakhstan is that it is a hitchhiking-friendly country, so anyone can travel around by hitchhiking; however, do keep in mind that you will find more options during the summer than the winter season when the roads are covered with snow and most of the lakes are frozen in this region as well.

Tip: Start your day early as there are more vehicles available for hitchhiking during the morning than in the afternoon or night.

– Rachita from MeanderWander

4. Swimming with wild dolphins in Kaikoura, New Zealand

Many of my most adventurous travel stories come from my time living in New Zealand.

In November 2018, I decided to live life to the fullest and say yes to all of the adventures that came my way in the country.

True short adventure travel stories on swimming with wild dolphins in Kaikoura, New Zealand

This travel story is one of my favorite adventures: swimming with wild dolphins in Kaikoura.

I woke at 4am to a pitch-black hostel room, my eight roommates all still sound asleep at the early hour.

I snuck out on tiptoes to change, crammed a cheese roll in my mouth, and dragged the suitcase holding a year of my life to the Kaikoura dolphin-watching tour office.

With just a few hours of sleep in my system and more adrenaline than I had jumping out of a plane, I tugged on my insulated wetsuit in a blur.

The moment we dove off the water, I was shocked awake. No amount of coffee, tea, or sugar has ever given me such an intense wake-up. It turns out, the ocean is freezing at 5 am, before the sun has risen and in early-spring.

Don’t be scared off by the temperature, though, because 5am is when the dolphins are most playful!

For five seconds, I struggled to breathe through the cold. Then, the wetsuit flooded with water and I was warm.

A moment later, I was face to face with a wild dusky dolphin, one of the smallest species of dolphin in the world! Swimming with it, the dolphin twirled at the surface of the water while it spun in spirals beneath me.

I hummed strange Dory-esque whale noises to draw the attention of more members of the pod, including a tiny baby dolphin no bigger than my calf. He seemed most interested in the strange bug-eyed thing that kept getting tangled in her own flippers.

The sun rose, warming my back as I continued to flounder amongst the most elegant animals in the ocean. It was the most beautiful sight, watching as the dark blue of the ocean turned a sunny turquoise, brightening our swimming companions for the first few hours of dawn.

The practice of swimming with wild dolphins is banned in the North Island, where the species of Hector’s dolphins are in decline. But in Kaikoura, the practice is thriving and actually helping to restore the dolphin populations.

By supporting this adventurous experience, you’re supporting dolphin conservation.

– Nina of Nina Out and About

5. Canyoneering near Zion National Park

One of my favorite adventure activities was canyoneering near Zion National Park in Utah, USA . The entire area around the national park has slot canyons, and these narrow canyons are often not much more than tubes carved by flash floods over the years.

True short adventure travel stories on canyoneering in Zion National Park

Many of them descend in a series of “steps” with sheer, tubular drops between short walks in the narrow canyons. Canyoneering is the adventure of rappelling on a rope down these drops and hiking from one to another.

This was my first time canyoneering, so I hired a guide, who had all the equipment and gave me detailed instructions on what to do.

I’m not going to lie: the first was scary! Backing up to a sheer drop, putting your weight on a rope attached to an anchor, and then inching your feet over the edge requires a leap of faith.

Then you make an actual leap and step down off the level ground and swing your feet against the vertical cliff face. Before you know it, you’re walking down a cliff!

The first drop was 30 feet and it seemed a very, very long way down when peering over the edge from above. By the end, I had traversed 12 drops in total, including one that was 200 feet deep! I soon overcame my fear and truly had one of the most fun days ever!

Tip: The best time to do this is in the fall when the summer heat has subsided but the winter snows haven’t set in. There are several outfitters in Springdale — the gateway to Zion National Park — that offer guided canyoneering trips.

By the way, if you’re interested in trekking, here are some of the best hiking trails in Utah (a number of which are in Zion!).

-James Ian from Parks Collecting

6. Hiking without a guide to Dzukou Valley of Nagaland, India

Looking for real life adventure stories in India ? Then this one is for you!

At 8,000 feet above sea level, Dzukou Valley is located in the northeastern state of Nagaland in India .

Having dreamed of visiting the valley since 2012, it was finally fulfilled in 2019, when I along with three other friends from Kerala and Uttar Pradesh went backpacking.

real life adventure stories in India on hiking without a guide to Dzukou Valley of Nagaland

We refrained from watching any videos or travel guides to make sure we embraced the journey in its purest form. When reaching Kohima — the capital of Nagaland — we ended up choosing the shorter and steeper Jakhama Trail for our Dzükou Valley Trek .

Beside a gushing river and the view of the highest of Jakhama Hills engulfed by the clouds, we marched ahead. Following the marked directions on the rocks, we ventured into a dense tropical evergreen forest. Splashing our face with the cold waters of a stream, we met a local who was descending the hill.

He confirmed that we were on the right trail and motivated us with a picturesque description of the valley. Tuning in to the sereness of the forest, we would lay on the boulders and sing. I bet among the 500 bird species found in Nagaland, a few of them did sing back to us.

The higher we hiked the steeper the trail became and once it turned 5pm, the hills turned darker.

Stepping on the narrow uneven precipitous trail with little left strength, we reached the top of Jakhama Hill to witness majestic reddish skies and the slumbering valley. We concluded the day dancing around the fire under the starry moonlit sky at the campsite.

The best thing about traveling without a guide or travel company was the fact that we could spend our time according to our will. We explored the valley for two consecutive days — walking into the unknown, dipping into the shivery waters of the Dzukou River, and sometimes only watching the valley for many hours from the top of a cave.

To have experienced the beauty of Dzukou Valley both under murky and sunny skies, and the romanticism of clouds with the hills of the valley at night was magical.

Tip: For flowers and views of the lush green valley against the clear blue skies, May to September is the best time to visit the Dzukou Valley. It snows from December to February, too.

– Joydeep from The Gypsy Chiring

7. Whale watching in New Zealand on a scenic flight

Who doesn’t love reading short adventure stories? This one will make you want to fly to New Zealand!

Being an admirer of our ocean and the marine life in it, I have always found whales and other beings very fascinating. During the whale migratory season every year, I usually take the whale watching boats to go see them in the water.

True short adventure stories on whale watching in New Zealand on a scenic flight

I have seen them mostly either by boat or from land during my coastal walks; but when I visited Kaikoura in New Zealand, I was pleasantly amazed to learn about the whale watching scenic flight experience. The pictures and videos were exciting and very convincing.

Air Kaikoura runs this experience from a local airport at Kaikoura and the 20-minute flight costs NZD150 — and is completely worth it, as you follow migrating spem whales and see them from a bird’s eye view.

The experience of seeing such a huge mammal in its natural habitat as if you were a fly on the wall is something that can only be felt.

During the flight journey, one can also see other marine animals such as rays and dolphins — and, in fact, I saw many dolphin pods during my ride. Undoubtedly, this has been one of the coolest things I have done in New Zealand.

Tip: Even though the experience can be done throughout the year, the best time is in the winter season between the months of June and August. You’ll absolutely go home with some amazing adventure travel stories to share with friends after this experience! Whether you’re traveling solo in NZ or with friends, definitely add this to your itinerary.

– Raksha from SoloPassport

8. Climbing Mayan Pyramids in Yucatan, Mexico

For a truly adventurous Mexico travel experience, head to the Yucatan Peninsula to climb some Mayan pyramids.

While there are ancient ruins all over Mexico, they are somewhat spread out; however, in the Yucatan, there are many not far from one another.

True short adventure stories on climbing pyramids in Mexico

Located in the center of the Yucatan, the colorful, colonial city of Merida is a great home base to explore ruins. There are so many things to do in Merida including a visit to the Dzibilchaltun Mayan Ruins, the closest ruins to the city which are located in a Mexican national park.

Besides Dzibilchaltun (pronounced zee-bee-shall-tune), there’s Chichen Itza — one of the Seven Wonders of the World and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Though you can’t climb any pyramids there, Chichen Itza is still a highlight for many.

A bit more off the beaten path, there’s also Uxmal (pronounced yoush-mall), a UNESCO World Heritage Site similar in scale and importance to Chichen Itza, though you can climb the pyramids there.

Not far from Tulum , the Coba Ruins site is another great option. Located in the Yucatan jungle, Coba is a complete Mayan city where many rent a bike for the day to explore it all. The main pyramid, called Nohoch Mol or Ixmoja, is the tallest pyramid in the Yucatan that you can climb.

Another great Tulum day trip is to visit the nearby Ek-Balam Ruins. With elaborate stone carvings of giant masks throughout the site and pyramids you can climb, this is among the best off-the-beaten-path ruins sites in Mexico.

With about 200 public Mayan archeological sites throughout the Yucatan Peninsula, there are other great less-visited sites. These include Kohunlich Ruins near Bacalar Lagoon, Mayapan Ruins near Merida, Becan Ruins in Campeche, and the San Miguelito Ruins in Cancun .

Tip: Arrive at the ruins as early as you can! Many Mexico archeological sites have been cleared of trees and have no shaded areas, so it gets very hot. Arriving early means not climbing pyramids in the midday sun and also avoiding the crowds.

-Shelley from Travel to Merida

9. Horseback riding on a black sand beach in Vieques, Puerto Rico

Vieques, a tiny island off the east coast of Puerto Rico , is known for having some of the best beaches in the world; however, on the south shore of Vieques, a unique-looking beach with black sand exists.

There are only two ways to get to this secluded beach — hiking through the bushes following the muddy stream or horseback riding through the lush tropical forest down to Playa Negra (Black Sand Beach).

True short adventure stories on horseback riding on the black sand beach In Vieques

The Viequenses love their Paso Finos — a breed of horse prized for their gait. The moment you exit the airport, the horses are the first to greet you and you will see them roaming freely all over the island.

The gait of the Paso Fino is smooth, comfortable, and perfect for all riding levels, including kids. And horseback riding allows for adventure, fitness, fresh air, and sometimes stepping out of your comfort zone.

Moreover, it also allows you to travel off the beaten path and go to places inaccessible by car or foot.

So, what is adventure travel ?

Well, I can say that riding through the lush tropical forest past sugar mill ruins down the trail to Playa Negra is only the beginning of an unforgettable adventure.

Once your horse steps off the path onto the beach, you’ll take in the panoramic view of the crystal blue Caribbean ocean. The golden sand mixed with shiny black volcanic material with the backdrop of a rocky cliff is shocking and dramatic, and you will feel like you are at the end of the earth.

Riding the Paso Finos is mainly slow and steady but occasionally speeds up to a moderate speed called Paso Corto. But, if you are a more advanced rider, there is no better place in the world to experience cantering on horseback down the beach.

Tips: Here are a few pieces of advice for planning your Paso Fino experience on Playa Negra in Vieques.

Reserve through Esperanza Riding Company — the tours are perfect for inexperienced riders, kids, and experienced equestrians, too.
With temperatures averaging between 73 and 88 degrees Fahrenheit year-round, the perfect time to ride is anytime.
Wear closed-toed shoes. Long pants are great, too, but not necessary.
Plan on getting a little wet and maybe muddy.
Know that helmets are mandatory.
Use sunscreen and bug repellent.
Bring your camera; you won’t want to miss the photo opportunity of a lifetime.

– Jenny from TravelingPartyof4

10. Completing the 9-day “O” trek in Torres del Paine

Once upon a time, a naive group of budget travelers thought it’d be cool to hike the famous “O” Trek in Torres del Paine in southern Chilean Patagonia. The trek takes nine days (give or take) depending on your experience.

True short adventure stories on hiking the 9-day "O" trek in Torres del Paine

We had no experience.

In fact, my wife had never even hiked, slept in a tent, or even been camping in her entire life. She had no idea what I had signed her up for.

As good budget travelers do, we cut costs wherever possible. Instead of renting backpacking gear as most people do, I thought my regular travel backpack would suffice.

Instead of paying extra for expensive lightweight backpacking meals, we bought cheap tuna, pasta, and other heavy canned goods.

And our biggest mistake, instead of calculating how many meals we needed to fuel four long-distance hikers for nine days (which, if you’re wondering, is 4 people x 3 meals x 9 days = 108 meals), we just filled up our grocery cart and called it good.

Thanks to improper gear and heavy food, our backs were killing us on the first few days. Our genius solution?

Throw common sense to the wind and eat like kings to lighten the load!

This brilliant idea came back to bite us around Day 5 when the food “magically” disappeared. At our lowest point, our lunch — the meal meant to fuel an afternoon of heavy hiking — consisted of a handful of plain mashed potatoes and an apple…

…split between four people!

Food on a 9-day "O" trek in Torres del Paine

Fortunately, some of the camps on the last days of the trek sold food, so we survived. Still, it was a rough couple of days, and I swear I saw my wife eyeing my meaty thighs and licking her lips at one point.

Despite our struggles, it was an adventure of a lifetime, and I wouldn’t trade our experience for the world.

So, while I love the saying, “Adventure starts where plans end,” when it comes to the O trek (or any multi-day trek) some planning is probably a wise move.

Tips: For one, if you don’t have a real backpacking backpack, rent one. Don’t be cheap like I was — your body will thank you for it.

Second, don’t just take what you think looks like a lot of food. Instead, calculate every meal. And again, don’t be cheap like I was. Even if the dried backpacking meals are pricey, they are 100% worth it. Turns out, cans of tuna and beans aren’t fun to lug around on your back for days at a time.

– Mitch Glass from Project Untethered

11. Hiking Mount Etna

One of our top-pick short story travel adventures takes place in Mount Etna, Italy.

Hiking Mount Etna has to be high on any bucket list when road tripping Sicily. Etna is the largest and most active of Italy ’s three live volcanoes and last erupted in February 2021!

Short adventure stories on hiking in Mount Etna

But don’t let that put you off! The volcanologists who monitor the site always know when Etna is planning to let the world know she’s still got it!

This is not a hike for the faint-hearted — you don’t need any special skills but you do need determination and a degree of fitness to get to the top at 3,350 meters (10,991 feet).

That being said, you don’t need to climb all that way from sea-level — from the main car park at Rifugio Sapienza you’ll take the cable car to a station half-way up the volcano. Once there, you’ll hop on a specially designed 4×4 bus which takes you even higher.

The final leg that you have to hike will take a couple of hours and you’ll gain about 400 meters (1,312 feet) in elevation. You’ll spend a lot of time traversing over ash and old lava fields, with heat from deep in the earth radiating up around you.

The summit surrounding the main crater is like a moon-scape; you’re above the clouds here and it’s eerily quiet, other than the long, low rumbles of magma coming from the craters, of which there are five!

You may also feel really cold at the top — there is often some snow and ice year-round, so even though you’ve got the world’s most efficient heated floor under you, the air can be freezing due to the altitude.

Standing on the edge of the crater looking down is pretty awe-inspiring. This opening into the earth is vast, full of sulphur gas swirling, heat rising, and magma spitting. As you look in, take a moment to appreciate just how insignificant you are compared to Mother Nature!

Coming down is easier but just as interesting, as you’ll walk between two crater edges on a narrow path, take huge leaps through soft ash, and finally arrive back at your 4×4 bus ready to take you back down to civilization.

Tip: You must book a guided hike if you want to get to Mount Etna’s summit. There are no signed routes or marked paths, and the best way up can change daily as the mountain moves.

Sulphurous gasses are also a danger, especially on windy days and Etna’s guides are trained to help you stay safe as you head for the summit of one of Europe ’s top hikes.

-Phil and Izzy from The Gap Decaders

12. Backcountry camping in Zion National Park

Hiking and backcountry camping along the West Rim Trail in Zion National Park continues to stand out as one of the best outdoor adventures my husband and I have shared together.

The natural beauty, breathtaking views, and opportunity to feel completely alone in one of the United States ‘ most popular national parks really solidified the entire experience for us.

Short adventure stories on backcountry camping in Zion National Park

Starting at the Grotto trailhead along the main road in Zion, our hike involved climbing 6.6 miles to the top of the western plateau of Zion Canyon and gaining 3,100 feet of elevation.

Our route passed through the notoriously difficult Walter’s Wiggles and went far above Angel’s Landing. It was a challenging, muscle-burning, and overall exhausting climb — especially with all of our camping gear, food, and water loaded up in our backpacks.

However, the higher we climbed the better the views became, and the more we felt that the effort was worth every step. By the time we reached the top, the West Rim Trail had completely exceeded all of our expectations.

The incredible views overlooking Zion’s magnificent canyons, the unique desert rocks, landscapes, and wildlife –not to mention the magical feeling of being on top of the world while standing at the rim of the plateau — made us forget about all the sweat and exertion it took to get to the top.

In total, it took us six hours to reach our campsite and we arrived with just enough time to set up our tent, prepare some instant noodles for dinner, and watch the sunset from the rim of the plateau.

We spent the remainder of the night relaxing and watching the sky transition from brilliant orange to multiple shades of deep, dark blues and gazing at the stars in the clear sky. It was the perfect way to end the day.

Tips: The West Rim Trail can be hiked as a backpacking overnight or as an out-and-back day hike depending on your experience and fitness level.

For anyone looking to hike the West Rim Trail, we highly recommend stopping at the ranger stations for updates on trail conditions, weather, and advice before heading out on the trail.

If you’re planning to camp overnight, you’ll also need to stop at Zion’s backcountry office to secure your backcountry permits in advance of your trip!

-Stephanie from Travanie Travels

13. Hiking the Binongan Trail in the Philippines’ Abra Province

The Binongan Trail is a three-to-four day hike from Vira — the main town in Tineg — to the village of Poblacion in the Lacub municipality summiting two mountains along the way. The Binongan River is one of the main river arteries in Abra.

Short travel stories on hiking the Binongan Trail in Abra, Philippines

Leaving Vira behind we began hiking through the grasslands of the Apao Rolling Hills, following trails that have been used for centuries by the local villagers.

Our destination: the village of Apao, where we stopped for lunch before an exhilarating climb to the summit and campsite of Mt Pisusok at 1,124 meters (3,688 feet). Here, we had wonderful 360-degree views of Abra.

Rising early for sunrise and the traverse hike to Mt Bangseg, known locally as the Black Rock Mountain, we had our first sight of the meandering Binongan River below.

Upon reaching the river — which we had to wade across sometimes waist-deep — the cool water was so inviting that once we safely reached the other bank we swam and played around for a while before continuing on our way.

Our target for the day was the village of Lablabinag, a three-hour hike away, where we arrived just before dark.

Lablabi Nag is a very small village, more of a hamlet really, with just 11 houses. The village chief welcomed us and showed us an empty house where we would be staying for the night, while the women prepared our evening meal.

The next morning the village chief invited us to join their golden carp fishing party. January is the best time to be around for this as the carp make their way back downstream to spawn.

Every man had a role to play. There were “spotters” high up on the rocks whose job was to spot the golden carp and yell the location to the fishermen in the water. With their spear guns in hand, they quickly dove into the clear waters and most times came up triumphantly.

They were exceptional swimmers and it was fascinating watching their expertise.

For me, this really was the highlight of the trip and an insight into the lives of villagers in a remote area of the Philippines.

We were treated to a delicious golden carp lunch before sadly leaving the kind people of Lablabi Nag behind and hiking three hours along this gorgeous river to Lacub where our Jeepney was waiting.

To this day, this is one of my favorite adventure short stories to share.

Tip: The best time to hike this trail is during the cooler months from November to February. You will pass through several small villages along the way. Pack a few bags of sweets to share with the children and you will make instant friends!

The most important thing is to enjoy the hike, do it slowly, and appreciate the wonderful scenery and people along the way.

-Dave from Silver Backpacker

14. Camping in Australia’s Outback

There is no bigger adventure than going on a camping trip in the Australian Outback.

Only the coastal areas of Australia are densely populated. The center is mostly a desert region that mainly consists of vast farmlands and bare regions.

Short travel stories on camping in the Australian Outback

The roads are mostly unsealed and in some areas, there is absolutely nothing for hundreds or even thousands of kilometers.

Crossing the Outback is not an easy task and taking the appropriate gear is extremely important.

In 2017 we drove from north to south in Australia driving across thousands of kilometers of desert land. Instead of a Four Wheel Drive truck, we were driving a 1994 Toyota camper van with a broken AC and a dodgy battery.

If you drove more than 50 kilomters-per-hour the side mirrors would flap in because the wind was too strong against the old screws of the van. Since there was no AC we had to drive with the windows down — but in the desert that means lots and lots of sand.

Every night we’d have to clean out the entire inside of the van and the sand got so bad that the lock of the back door would jam and would have to be disassembled so it could open again.

It took more than a week to cross the Outback and we saw more kangaroos, emus, dingos, and camels than you can imagine. It was a magical trip. The landscapes of the Australian Outback are absolutely fascinating and so different than anything most tourists experience.

The people living in these remote areas are very sociable and welcoming towards travelers. I made so many friends during this time who I will never forget.

Tip: A trip through the Australian Outback is no joke though and shouldn’t be underestimated. Always make sure you have the right equipment and are carrying enough food and water to sustain yourself for at least a week in case you break down. It’s a dangerous landscape so don’t take any risks.

-Victoria from Guide your Travel

15. Hiking the Iceland Interior

The very name “ Iceland ” emanates adventure and beckons the explorer in all of us.

As soon as you leave Reykjavík you are in a boundless wonderland of rugged coasts, dramatic cliffs drenched in waterfalls, and a wilderness at once inviting and foreboding.

Short travel stories on hiking the Iceland Interior

The reality is, Iceland has been subdued to a large extent to accommodate a growing number of visitors each year. And while even the tourist attractions are worth a visit, some of us want a little more adventure.

Fortunately, Iceland has that covered, too. While the outer edge of the island is conveniently connected by well-paved roads, Icelanders have left generous portions unpaved and untamed.

The result is the Highlands in Iceland’s Interior. Cut off from the rest of the island by a foreboding river crossing, only the skilled guide or the foolhardy traveler would dare cross.

Either way, you’ll be in great company if you make it.

Beware that your insurance won’t cover your normal car rental in the river, so cross at your own risk. A much drier and more economical way across is to have a guide pick you up in a Land Rover.

Barreling down the two-track you seem to be heading further into the badlands. Surrounded now by towering volcanoes, the tracks disappear into a raging river.

Just when you think there is no way you are going in there, your driver locks into 4WD-Low Range and points the nose into the river.

As the water climbs higher, you begin to realize just how deep this torrent is. You can see it’s over the bumper, then the tires. You look out the side door and the water is just cresting at the bottom of the window. Talk about an adventurous trip story !

At this moment you are depending on the little contact of your four wheels to keep your grip, a small snorkel to keep the engine running, and the hope that you got the right driver. Even though he’s smiling, you can’t help but feel uneasy.

Soon enough though he has adeptly maneuvered the truck through the current and you are now on the other side. Or rather, in the middle of two rivers.

But I will tell you, the second crossing is even more fun! Now you’re all smiling, on your way to what was calling you in the first place: a backcountry adventure.

Soon you arrive at your destinati: a small compound with the conveniences of a hostel, the luxuries of glamping, or a campground you can settle into for a couple of days.

Days that you will spend hiking among some (hopefully) dormant volcanoes including Katla, Eldgjá, Vatnafjöll, Laki, and Eyjafjallajökull, which last erupted in 2010.

Among the volcanoes, you will find a labyrinth of trails. You are at the intersection of two main hiking arteries: the Fimmvörðuháls and the Landmannalaugar trails.

Both of these are long-distance trails and offer an alternative to driving in. Which is an adventure in its own right. But why would you want to miss that river crossing?

Tips: If you are inspired to try this yourself, go-between mid-September and late October. These months offer the best of all worlds: smaller crowds for more seclusion and longer nights for more chances of seeing the Northern Lights.

And the earlier sunset gives you an excuse to knock off early after an exhilarating but exhausting day exploring the Highlands of Iceland.

– Steve from Maps Over Coffee

16. Hiking the Tongariro Crossing in winter

The Tongariro Alpine Crossing is one of the best hikes in New Zealand . Located on the country’s North Island in Tongariro National Park, this trail intersects an awe-inspiring landscape of mountain peaks, dazzling lakes, and active volcanoes.

Short travel stories on hiking the Tongariro Crossing in winter

It’s no wonder that the Lord of the Rings film franchise chose this location for Mordor, and you can spot Mount Doom — or Mount Ngauruhoe as it’s more formally known — rising up like a rocky gatekeeper.

In summer, the Tongariro Crossing is a popular trail for hiking enthusiasts, but in winter, it’s a different ball game. The highest points of the trail are covered in a blanket of snow. It’s an otherworldly scene that makes you think you’re on the surface of the moon.

Winter also makes the trail more intrepid. The weather is unpredictable and without the right equipment or knowledge, it can get dangerous.

I was coming to the end of my New Zealand trip and decided to do the Tongariro Crossing as a last hurrah. But there was a problem. It was winter and I wasn’t an experienced hiker.

I arrived at the nearby town of Taupo and told my hostel of my intentions. They said they could set me up with a specialist group tour guide that would give me the equipment I needed and take me across the trail. I just needed to wait for good weather to make sure it was safe.

Luckily, I had some flexibility.

A few days later, it was time. I was picked up and kitted out. We began our ascent through the park, passing lava flows and wheezing up the steep Devil’s Staircase until we reached snow-topped craters.

We learned how to catch ourselves with ice axes — fun, and necessary in case you slipped off the edge — and hoicked ourselves up wind-blasted ridges with crampons strapped to our feet until at last, we made it to the top. We stopped for lunch before following the trail to the end where refreshments were waiting.

Hiking the Tongariro Crossing in winter wasn’t easy, but it was certainly an experience I will never forget. The scenery alone was jaw-dropping, to say the least. It was just you and the elements up there.

Tip: To do this hike in winter, I recommend giving yourself some flexibility as you might have to wait for the weather to be safe enough. Always go with a reputable tour guide too.

– Francesca from Little Lost Travel

17. Exploring the backcountry of Algonquin Provincial Park

After having graduated from high school, I wanted to spend a week exploring the backcountry of Algonquin Provincial Park. This region of Ontario in Canada is famous for its tranquil lakes, stunning forests, and diverse wildlife.

Short travel stories on exploring the backcountry of Algonquin Provincial Park

I had decided to go on this trip by myself because I wanted to spend some time alone to reconnect with nature.

So, I got out my 60L Osprey backpack and filled it to the top with my tent, my sleeping bag, camping stove, hiking shoes, and lots of food. The plan was to hike the 70-kilometer (44-mile) Western Upland Backpacking Loop in seven days, which is pretty manageable.

I wanted to get more distance at the beginning when my legs were still fresh. On the first day, I hiked for 22 kilometers (14 miles) and everything went well.

Although I was optimistic, I was also a bit skeptical because something always goes wrong on trips like these — plus I was hiking alone. Fortunately, that wasn’t the case and I had a total blast.

The sky was clear and the sun was out that entire week. One thing I always like to do is camp near a lake so I can swim in the afternoons — which is why I also packed a pool noodle!

Actually, I hiked through the loop so quickly that the last few days I barely had any distance left. This meant I got to relax with a book by myself while immersed in nature.

There was a lot of doubt from my parents as to whether or not I could backpack by myself, but I think I proved to them that I could do it. It was an unforgettable experience and I will definitely return to Algonquin for more.

Tip: Having said that, if I were to redo the same trip again, I would definitely go in the fall. When I did my hike in early June, the bugs were quite annoying in some places. I have seen photos of the gorgeous Algonquin fall foliage before so I can only imagine what they’d look like in person.

-John from Your Destination is Everywhere

Adventure Tourism Travel Insurance

When embarking on an adventure, make sure to get travel insurance.

One of the best travel medical insurance for travelers is SafetyWing as they’ve got a large network and offer both short-term and long-term coverage — including coverage if you’re traveling for months as well as limited coverage in your home country).

Additionally, SafetyWing is budget-friendly and offers $250,000 worth of coverage with just one low overall deductible of $250.

Click here to price out travel insurance for your trip in just a few clicks .

Bonus Short Travel Stories Collections:

25 Crazy Travel Stories You Need To Read To Believe

23 Inspiring Travel Stories Sharing The Kindness Of Strangers

16 Short Funny Travel Stories That Will Make You Laugh Out Loud

38 Inspiring Travel Love Stories From The Road

21 Travel Horror Stories Sharing Scary Travel Experiences

8 Crazy NYC Subway Stories That Will Make You Hail A Cab

A Host’s Perspective: My Worst Airbnb Horror Stories

11 Epic Travel Fail Stories From The Road

18 Scary Travel Stories From Haunted Hotels To Creepy Cabins

What true short adventure travel stories would you add to this list?

Enjoyed this list of travel adventure stories in English? Pin it for later!

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Hi Jessie, I will like your story lines. Very detailed and wonderful information. I will consider visiting some of the places listed in your stories following some of your traveling tips as well. GREAT job and thanks for sharing.

My Reflections on an Adventure Trip

Categories: Adventure Journey Tourism

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Introduction, preparation and anticipation, embarking on the journey, exploration and adversity, personal growth and learning, cultural and environmental impact, connections and camaraderie, return and reflection, conclusion: the journey's legacy.

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How to Write an Adventure Story

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Many of our most beloved stories are adventure stories: The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings , Star Wars , Robinson Crusoe and more. But what makes an adventure story work? And how do you write an adventure story? Today, let's take a look.

We established the ten types of stories in this recent article . Remember that these types transcend genre. They can overlap with genre, but story types are determined instead by values, or what humans want.

Let's review from Joe's article:

Every value can be distilled to six essential human values. Building off of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, these values are as follows (credit to Robert McKee and Shawn Coyne for introducing Joe to these concepts):

Survival from Nature. The value of life. Because if you don’t have your life, you don’t have much.
Survival from Others. Surviving crime, other people, even monsters, you could say.
Love/Community. The value of human connection.
Esteem. The value of your status and hierarchy within a community.
Personal Growth. The value of reaching your potential.
Transcendence. The value of going beyond yourself to discover a larger purpose.

Once you distill these values, you can turn these values into scales, because these values are usually in conflict with their opposite. You can tell which type of story you're looking at by examining which scale seems to be the dominant one across scenes.

Survival from Nature > Life vs. Death
Survival from Others > Life vs. Fate Worse than Death
Love/Community > Love vs. Hate
Esteem > Accomplishment vs. Failure
Personal Growth > Maturity vs. Immaturity
Transcendence > Right vs. Wrong

Now that we've established the value scales of stories, let's take a closer look at one type: the adventure story. The adventure story pits life versus death—the stakes are no less than survival.

What is an Adventure Story?

In this story type, the hero and their comrades are attempting to thwart death in the face of an overwhelming physical obstacle, usually in the form of a figure of nature.

This isn't to say that an adventure story can't have a villain. However, the primary threats will always come in physical form, forcing the characters to dig deep and find the strength and resolve to endure.

However, the scope of the threat isn't nearly so interesting as the meaning behind it. This is why I always make sure my adventures are filled with authentic internal conflict. Without this crucial aspect, the story will feel cheap, surface-level, and relatively meaningless. This is the last thing you want after all your hard work!

So how do you plan adventure novels that are loaded with compelling characters, thrilling moments, and powerful stakes?

Begin With a Question

The best adventure books fixate on a core question. This is usually a question about the relationship between man and nature or man and technology. For example, in Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park, the core question is whether or not man should leverage technology to resurrect extinct species. Every moment in the book ultimately explores the implications of this question.

Successful adventure authors like Crichton know that a great story is about more than just incredible journeys and external conflicts. They are about difficult questions that challenge us in everyday life.

My first adventure book, Flood: A Great Smoky Mountains Adventure , is centered around the core question: “How does one help people who won't help themselves?” This question is grounded in real life problems facing park rangers at America's most-visited national park. It is also a question my protagonist, Monica Greene, grapples with when she cares for her ailing father.

This familiar setting provides a common element between my readers and characters. Far too many people have tried to care for a friend or loved one who ignored sound advice or refused to follow a doctor's orders. My hero, Monica, had to tackle the same challenges that readers face everyday, providing a bedrock for a common emotional journey.

When you begin with a clear core question that is based on a familiar core value, you set yourself up for success, whether you are a first-time adventure writer or a seasoned veteran.

Give Readers What They Want

Every adventure takes place in a specific space. My adventure in Flood takes place in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The events of The Martian obviously occur on the Red Planet. The Lord of the Rings occurs on in the mythical realm of Middle Earth.

Whether a deserted island, desert wasteland, or underwater cavern, your adventure must transpire in a fantastic location, a perilous landscape that provides the exciting setting for a physical journey.

If your adventure story takes place on an island full of dinosaurs, readers will want a variety of situations bursting with danger. An encounter with a stegosaurus; an attack by a hungry tyrannosaur; fleeing from velociraptors. These action scenes aren't in Jurassic Park by accident. Crichton took the time to consider the type of adventure that best fir his world.

Or what about The Lord of the Rings, where the heroes embark on all sort of treks that complicate their internal struggles. When author J.R.R. Tolkien takes his heroes into the depths of a mine, an abandoned dwarf city left to ruin, he drops plenty of hints at all the dangers that might be lurking in the shadows.

Then, just when the reader thinks that the heroes of escaped without a scrape, the literary professor works his magic and unleashes one of the most terrifying monsters of all time, the Balrog.

In adventure writing, plan like the designer of a theme park and wonder, “Where does my reader really want to do? What sort of adventure do they want to have?”

If you want to take your reader on an adventure that they'll never forget, choose a world for your story and then daydream about all the great possibilities. Let your ideal customer's imagination be your guide as you plot and plan the key scenes in the heart of your narrative.

Pair Your Beginning and End

Some of the best classic adventure books find a way to begin and end with similar events or in the exact same location. This isn't just about the physical action, but about the core question troubling the heart of your adventure hero.

For example, I started and ended my novel Flood with a water rescue in the Little River. In the first scene, Monica nearly dies trying to rescue her friend and fellow park ranger. In the last, she willingly sacrifices herself to save two children who are trying to get back to their mother.

While I ended up using a similar location, you don't have to. The key is to make sure your story's ultimate action—the final physical action your hero takes—is aligned to the situation that starts the adventure in the first place.

Consider Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling's boy wizard who lived. The entire series begins with Harry's mother, Lily, choosing the sacrifice herself for her son. The series concludes with a similar choice, but by Harry himself.

Like any great adventure story protagonist, Harry Potter doesn't just do heroic things in his magical world; he makes a meaningful sacrifice tied to his core beliefs. This choice is powerful on its own. But it's all the more impactful because it was set up all along by Lily's fateful decision in Chapter 1 of Book 1.

The Heart of Adventure

As a literary market category, the adventure genre may seem like it's just about the gratuitous actions of several daring people.

But they are about so much more.

Yes, a great adventure story takes its characters to beautiful vistas and drops them into high-risk situations. But it does much more than that. It asks tough questions about the nature of life and death. It forces an ordinary person to consider what they'd sacrifice for the people they love, or even for a complete stranger.

If you want to write something that's about more than just a pack of treasure hunters looking out for their next score, take my advice: Dig into the core of your favorite adventure novels. Think about the core questions that keep these heroes up at night.

Then build your story around those questions and every possible implication you can think of.

What is your favorite adventure story and what do you love about it? Share in the comments .

Let's write something in the adventure genre today. Set the timer for 15 minutes. Think about your favorite fictional kind of setting, whether it's a space station, a deep fantasy forest, or an urban techno battlefield. Now, how could you create a character to fight for survival in that setting? What do they want or need? What kind of journey could they take to get it?

Write for fifteen minutes , either outlining the journey or writing a scene in your favorite setting. When finished, come share your practice in the Pro Practice Workshop , and encourage a few other adventure writers too. Not a member? Join us .

David Safford

You deserve a great book. That's why David Safford writes adventure stories that you won't be able to put down. Read his latest story at his website. David is a Language Arts teacher, novelist, blogger, hiker, Legend of Zelda fanatic, puzzle-doer, husband, and father of two awesome children.

Writing Prompt: Send Your Characters Back to School

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Writing Genres

How to Write an Adventure Story

Last Updated: March 6, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Alicia Cook . Alicia Cook is a Professional Writer based in Newark, New Jersey. With over 12 years of experience, Alicia specializes in poetry and uses her platform to advocate for families affected by addiction and to fight for breaking the stigma against addiction and mental illness. She holds a BA in English and Journalism from Georgian Court University and an MBA from Saint Peter’s University. Alicia is a bestselling poet with Andrews McMeel Publishing and her work has been featured in numerous media outlets including the NY Post, CNN, USA Today, the HuffPost, the LA Times, American Songwriter Magazine, and Bustle. She was named by Teen Vogue as one of the 10 social media poets to know and her poetry mixtape, “Stuff I’ve Been Feeling Lately” was a finalist in the 2016 Goodreads Choice Awards. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 170,263 times.

Everyone just loves to listen at a good old adventure story, who doesn't? It's fun to hear how adventure heroes like Indiana Jones explore the world in a thrilling way...Now you can write your own adventure story too! Just follow the steps below. (NOTE: this guide is all about how to make an adventure story similar to the Indiana Jones, this might not be the adventure story you're looking for.)

Expert Q&A

Make cliff-hanging obstacles that are near death for your hero to overcome. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
Don't just focus on the artifact. Give your heroes a little or big problem they have to face from the villain. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
Be much convincing. You must be convincing when telling your adventure. For instance, your story must cope up with your setting because how can your listeners relate to the story if it's about Nazis chasing a treasure hunter in the year 2011? Nazis only existed from the 1930s-1950s. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

Never mock or insult anything based from real life. Thanks Helpful 59 Not Helpful 9
Don't prolong your story. Your listeners might get bored. Thanks Helpful 57 Not Helpful 11
Be original. You must make your own story, don't copy from others or else you'll be a criminal for infringement. In case that you based your story from an inspiration (movie, novel, etc.) make your own concept out of it. Thanks Helpful 59 Not Helpful 12

Things You'll Need

pencil or pen
computer, notebook, or paper (for writhing)
reference sources

Expert Interview

Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about writing, check out our in-depth interview with Alicia Cook .

↑ https://www.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/programs_campaigns/brss_tacs/samhsa-storytelling-guide.pdf
↑ https://www.cia.edu/blog/2014/11/quick-tips-for-character-design
↑ https://www.scu.edu/ethics/focus-areas/more-focus-areas/resources/heroism-why-heroes-are-important/
↑ https://positivepsychology.com/narrative-therapy/
↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/subject_specific_writing/creative_writing/characters_and_fiction_writing/writing_compelling_characters.html

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Contest #181 winner 🏆

Out of place on the appalachian trail.

Submitted into Contest #181 in response to: Write about a character who’s climbing a mountain, whether internal, external, or both. ... view prompt

Aeris Walker

Adventure Contemporary American

My backpack weighs 31 pounds, and it barely fit into the trunk of Jen and Steve’s Honda. I don’t think they believed I was actually going through with this until I called and asked for a ride up the mountain. Jen gave me that look , that pitying, tight-lipped smile, but she helped Steve and I load up my things, and then they bought me lunch before dropping me off at the trailhead. Jen cried, and Steve gave me a can of pepper spray and an awkward side hug.

So here goes nothing. I’m at Springer Mountain, Georgia, with zero miles down and only 2,190 miles to go.

See you on the other side.

I can feel my heartbeat in my feet, but I made it to the first campsite. I’m exhausted , but in that good I-did-a-hard-thing kind of way. I had trouble setting up my tent—broke a nail just getting it out of the bag—but there was another group at the campsite and some nice college kid saw me struggling, jogged over to help, and then had the whole thing up in under a minute. He looked at me funny, and I’m sure he was wondering what I was doing all the way out here instead of lounging on my sofa with a glass of chardonnay and an Oprah’s book club novel, but he didn’t pry.

Well, I pooped in the woods today. You would have laughed at me as I hunted for the perfect spot, then deposited and buried my own waste like some dainty, purebred housecat.

I laughed at myself too.

I’m already behind schedule. I wasted hours repacking my bag yesterday to redistribute the weight, as one hiker told me it would be less strain on my back to move the heavier items to the center. So I took everything out and repacked it as tightly as I could, which took forever. The hiker hovered nearby the entire time, obnoxiously commentating on all my belongings, and when he finally left, I sat down to write, only to find I’d somehow buried my journal. So, I unpacked my whole bag again, rummaging through my gear like a madwoman, just to then see the journal had been sitting on a rock next to me the whole time.

Even in the cold spring air, I was red-faced and sweating.

My feet are killing me, but I think I’ve finally broken in these fresh-out-of-the-box hiking boots.

I fell asleep last night listening to the crickets and thinking about you.

I met an interesting hiker today who said this was his second thru hike. He looked at least 10 years older than me and called himself “Pinetree.” All skin and bones with a long scraggly beard, he looked like a castaway stranded in the woods, though I got the sense he liked the solitude. He’d jutted out his bearded chin at me and said, “Nobo?”

“What?” I huffed out.

“North bound?”

“ North bound ? Oh. Yes. I am.” I had to pause and catch my breath after each sentence. “Just getting started.”

He looked me over and clicked his tongue. “You’re carrying too much weight.”

I was momentarily offended before realizing he meant my pack. “How?! I left so much behind. I need all of this.”

He was quiet, chewing his lip. “Give it a few more miles. You won’t feel that way then.”

We continued walking; his stride was twice that of mine, but he slowed and matched my speed, and we hiked in companionable silence until I stopped for lunch.

He kept walking. “When you’re ready to let some of that go, you’ll feel much lighter. Trust me.” Then with a final, “take care out there,” he disappeared around the next bend.

His reprimand irritated me, but the frustration kept me going for a good four or five more miles.

I envied him: so confident and free .

He reminded me of you.

I pulled eight ticks off my legs yesterday. There were probably more where I couldn’t see them, and that thought kept me awake all night, tossing and turning and twitching in my tent until the exhaustion pulled me into fitful sleep. I dreamt that my hiking boots jumped off a cliff, and I had to walk the rest of the trail with my feet covered in orange plastic ramen noodle wrappers.

I met some thru hikers from South Dakota (which I had completely forgotten was a state) who were both in their 80’s! We talked the whole way, and it helped the miles pass quickly.

They told me the secret to longevity is to never stop moving.

I’ve been making better time; today was my record so far—14 miles. A rather uneventful 14 miles, though I did see a porcupine, which was interesting. I always thought they’d be…spikier…?

At the shelter, I removed three shirts, a book, and a tube of lotion from my backpack and left them in a giveaway box. It made a surprisingly noticeable difference.

Well, those 14 miles about killed me. I slept late today, then took two ibuprofen before even getting out of my tent. My back hurt, my feet hurt—even my earlobes hurt.

The last thing I wanted to do was put those boots back on my swollen feet and walk .

Regret tastes sour and so do the dry ridges of my dehydrated gums.

What am I even doing out here?

I hiked 18 miles yesterday but took today off. I needed to replenish my food, as I guess there’s going to be a good stretch before I reach another town (I’m still learning how to read maps and plan ahead). I bought groceries and some new clothes, as my pants are starting to hang on me, then checked into a motel and took the first real shower I’ve had since leaving Georgia. I stood there until the water ran cold, then laid down on the sheets and passed out until my grumbling stomach woke me up. I ordered a large pepperoni pizza and ate the entire thing myself.

Then I called the pizza place back and ordered another one.

Made it into Virginia. It’s been raining for three days. The trails are slush, my boots are filthy, and I feel like a wet rag.

I want to go home.

I made a small group of friends who have sort of pulled me into their circle and let me tag along the last 50 miles or so. Melons is a vet tech from Florida, whose cleavage makes introductions before she does. Huckleberry is a lanky 22-year-old who wears his pants rolled at the ankles and hikes in crocs. Seems impractical to me, but he says it’s comfortable. Aunt Jemima is a hulking middle-aged Norwegian man who loves breakfast food and lugs around a flat top campfire griddle. He’s made us pancakes almost every morning, and it’s become one of my favorite parts of each day. Easily the largest man I’ve ever met, Aunt Jemima often smacks his head on low hanging branches as we hike, eliciting a string of game-like sound effects from Huckleberry like “doink” and “boing.”

Their company has changed everything, and I’ve laughed more in the last few days than I have in years.

Today was HARD. The terrain was rugged and uneven. I made a game, tracking how many hours ago I could go without tripping.

I never actually made it a whole hour.

Melons, Huckleberry, and Aunt Jemima decided to take a detour; Huckleberry’s family lives nearby and invited everyone to stay for a few days, but I wanted to keep going.

We all exchanged contact information, then parted ways.

You don’t feel the blisters until you stop.

I’m tired of hearing my own breathing, tired of TREES, tired of freeze-dried soup, tired of having nothing but time to think about everything I should have done differently in my life.

I don’t know who I thought I was, why I ever thought I could do this.

I almost quit yesterday, and then I met an angel.

I was 7 miles into the day, feeling like there was no possible way I could make it to the next shelter, nevertheless all the way to the tip of Maine, when I walked straight into a spider web, tripped over a rock, then faceplanted in a patch of ferns. I was so angry, I hurled my backpack against a tree, pulling a back muscle in the process. Then I sat down and just sobbed.

Everything hurt; I was sunburned, hungry, and ready to call it quits and admit to the world that I couldn’t do it.

Then the next thing I knew, I was on my back, staring up at the floppy, wet tongue of a gigantic Great Dane. I struggled to sit up, and when I did, it nuzzled its massive head into my shoulder, and without thinking, I draped my arms over its neck. I realized then it was the closest thing I’d had to an embrace since Steve’s stiff-armed goodbye hug.

Shortly after, I heard someone whistling and calling for “Karen,” then saw a gray-haired woman heading down the trail. She took one look at me—at my pack thrown into the ferns, my scraped-up knees, and her dog (which was indeed named Karen ) with its head on my shoulder—then looked me right in the eye and asked if I liked lasagna.

She introduced herself as “Zippy” as we walked a side trail up to her place. I could smell oregano before I saw the cabin. She’d made two bubbling-hot pans of the best lasagna I’d ever had and never asked if I wanted seconds of anything, but just continued to load food onto my plate the second I’d cleared it.

After dinner, we sat on her couch and talked about the hike—the solitude, the friendships you make, and the boredom too. I’d gone a few days without really talking to anyone and when she asked why I was doing it, it was like a dam broke within me, and I cried—ugly, shaking sobs that rattled our teacups on the side table. She let me cry, let me talk.

I told her that hiking the AT was never my dream, that I never wanted to put my life on pause to traipse up and down mountains and live out of a backpack for half a year.

Then I told her about you —how this was always your dream, your adventure, how you begged me to hike it with you…bought me my own gear and everything…because I had told you I would.

Then I told her how every time you brought up the hike , I shut you down—put you off with a “maybe next spring,” and “things are so busy with work right now,” or “how about when we retire.”

How naïve I was to think time would wait for us; sometimes hearts stop beating, and they never start up again.

I know I can’t blame myself for that, but I blame myself for giving you the false hope that I’d join you when I never had any intention of looping my arms through that purple backpack you hung in the garage next to yours. You waited for me, and now it’s too late for you. We should have been doing this together, and now you’ll never have the chance.

This hike has been hard —the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life, but you would have loved every minute of it. And I would have loved to do this with you.

I felt lighter the next day than I had the whole trip. Even with a belly full of lasagna.

How am I STILL in Virginia?

I left a multitool, some too-big hiking shorts, and an extra flashlight in a shelter box.

This muggy dog-breath summer air is making my skin crawl…

I dropped the gasket of my water filter in a creek today and stood staring into the brown trickle for several minutes trying to find the thing before I realized I was standing about a foot away from a coiled-up copperhead. My blood turned to ice—a momentary reprieve from the suffocating heat—and then I spun myself away from the thing with the agility of a woman 20 years younger.

So, I didn’t get bitten by a snake, but I never did find that gasket.

You wouldn’t believe who I ran into today: Melons, Huckleberry, and Aunt Jemima.

I must be that slow of a hiker.

Melons gave me a big hug, squished me right in between her giant bosom. Huckleberry was wearing real boots—said he’d lost his crocs in a river and had to walk a mile and a half in socks before he could buy new shoes. Someone made Aunt Jemima an apron with a picture of a giant backpacker flipping pancakes. He said he wears it every morning.

Almost through Pennsylvania.

I know I’ve complained a lot, but today was one of those days where all the blood, sweat, and tears felt like they were worth something. I woke up before sunrise, made hot coffee, and climbed to an overlook where the valley stretched below, still shrouded in shadow. I watched the sun rise and shed light on each curve and dip of the land. Birds chirped all around me, leaves danced in the breeze, and I felt you there with me.

For the first time, I couldn’t wait to get moving.

Did I tell you I’ve been given a trail name?

We’ve made it to New York! Melons and I hitchhiked into town today and got pedicures, mostly just to see the looks on the beautician’s faces when they saw our feet (that and I was dying for a foot massage). I picked out some bright red nail polish and sunk down into a massage chair, but when I peeled my socks away, my left pinky toenail came clean off and landed right in the sudsy water.

I didn’t feel a thing.

The poor lady painted the nail-less stub of my toe anyway, and now you can hardly tell anything is missing.

The terrain has been fairly steep the past few days but absolutely gorgeous. We’ve made it into Vermont, and the gang and I stopped for a much-deserved night at a motel. The motel served scrambled eggs at the continental breakfast the next morning, and between the four of us, we must have eaten two dozen eggs. Aunt Jemima wasn’t impressed with their pancakes, but he still ate enough for a football team.

I’ve made it to New Hampshire. From Georgia. WITH MY OWN TWO FEET. I can hardly believe it. There have been so many days when I’ve wanted nothing more than to give up and go home, but now that I’m getting close to the end, I’m almost afraid. What happens when it’s over?

I beat my own record and walked 24 miles today. Every muscle in my body is screaming, and I barely have the energy to hold up this pen, but I just had to say one thing: I’m sorry.

I’m sorry you never got to see what I’ve seen or walk where I’ve walked, but I hope you know that I have carried you with me every step of the way. I know it doesn’t change anything, but wherever you are, I hope you know that you are what has pushed me through these mountains.

We’re in Maine! We celebrated crossing into the last state with way too much beer, and Huckleberry, in his inebriated condition, forgot to pack up his food. Well wouldn’t you know, around 1 in the morning, I started hearing this huffing and rustling, and I thought maybe it was Huckleberry getting sick, so I ran out of my tent to check on him and came nose to nose with the ugliest black bear I’ve ever seen. It was missing one ear and had a ragged scar across his eye.

I froze, panicking—what was I supposed to do again? Run? Play dead? Scream? I just knew I was about to be mauled to death, when suddenly Aunt Jemima stepped down from the shelter, walked up to that bear with his chest puffed out, and started yodeling. Yes. Yodeling . Deep, reverberating, melodic howls. I’d never heard anything like it in my life, and that bear must have thoroughly hated it, because it took off.

I slept like a rock knowing that ugly bear was off telling all his friends about the terrible yodeling monster I call Aunt Jemima.

Tomorrow, we hike Mount Katahdin—the last leg of the Appalachian trail!!

It was a grueling trek up 4,000 feet of rocky elevation, but I made it.

I MADE IT!!

There’s a picture of me, Melons, Huckleberry, and Aunt Jemima, our arms outstretched at the big wooden “Mount Katahdin” sign, and I’ve never seen such a wide smile on my face.

I looked confident— free .

The four of us lingered at the top for a while, reveling in our victory, then the others left me alone:

So you and I could have a few moments to ourselves.

And that’s when I set you free.

I lifted the cap on the small, cylindrical urn I’d carried with me through sunshine and rain for the past 2000 miles, and I sprinkled your ashes into the wind. You spread your wings and flew over the mountain, settling yourself in the rocks and rivers and valleys of beautiful, wild Maine.

We’re thru hikers now, you and me.

And I couldn’t have done it without you.

25 submissions

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293 likes 299 comments

Aeris, you are a wonder, painting with words. You capture the micro-emotions we all feel perfectly, artfully, and in as few of words as possible. The characterization was fantastic. Would love to see this as a feature film! These are my fav lines: - Jen gave me that look, that pitying, tight-lipped smile (I know this look. I HATE this look...) - I’m exhausted, but in that good I-did-a-hard-thing kind of way (The definition of satisfaction.) - Regret tastes sour (Never thought of it before that way. But 100% accurate. Can confirm.) - St...

Saying something in “as few of words as possible” is definitely a skill Reedsy has pushed me to hone. I love hearing your thoughts on/reactions to all the lines you pulled out. And thank you for reading so intentionally; I greatly appreciate it!

Oh my. Great story I see why you won!

Wow. Just wow. The writing here is so simple, yet it pulls you in effortlessly and you get lost in it. You did a nice job of introducing the ups and downs, kind of like how it would be to hike a mountain trail. Kind of like life. Ending was breathtaking. I had a feeling that would happen, but it still felt good to read. Some of my fave lines: I fell asleep last night listening to the crickets and thinking about you. - oooh I had to walk the rest of the trail with my feet covered in orange plastic ramen noodle wrappers. - my favorite fla...

I think your sweet comment was my good luck charm, J.C. Thanks for taking me through *your* range of emotions as you read 😉

congrats on that win! well-deserved.

Just beautiful. The journal format makes this very relatable; how a lot of it is the day to day tough stuff but along the way we learn the backstory and build new connections with the trailblazers who see her " thru ". I liked how many things were not what you'd expect: even the bear was ugly, even the earlobes felt shattered, but she worked through her regrets and there was a real sense of joint achievement at the end which was very poignant. You led up to that inspirational momemt so well; it's never too late to say sorry or turn things ar...

Thank you very much, Rebecca. I appreciate you reading, and I love your takeaway from the ending.

Poignancy done loud and proud and rightly acknowledged. Well done. It's long overdue; you should have won for a couple of other recent ones (the remake of the Bare Necessities springs to mind). Raise a glass for this one; very well deserved.

Aw, thank you so much, Rebecca. I was thinking that about your mountain story and surprised not to see it today. It definitely deserves another chance, and I’m sure there plenty of literary journal that would scoop it right up. Truly.

The thing with all magazines or platforms is they'll always restrict how often you can even be shortlisted. You could write like Austen, Shakespeare or Poe and if you'd been shortlisted the week before you'd still get nowhere! Any chance you'd know of any other sites/ journals I could submit to? I only know of one British magazine! Need to get more market savvy!

I’ve really only found luck through local journals specific to my state or by happening upon something through submittable!

(CONTAINS A SPOILER) Wow, wow, wow. Where to begin? "I cried—ugly, shaking sobs that rattled our teacups on the side table." It's the little details like these that sets your work apart. My boyfriend is a survival enthusiast, so I knew I had to read this. That but mainly the fact that it's by you. From the get go, we're asking, why is the MC doing this? We know there must be a reason someone who isn't your typical hiker is taking on one of the hardest hikes there is. We're instantly hooked. Adventure stories are difficult to write...

I love the energy of your comments! You pulled so much from this story, and I truly appreciate your close reading. This is also one of my favorite POVs, and I know I tend to overuse it. I don’t know why, but 3rd person makes me feel so disconnected from my characters. Haha glad the outdoorsy aspect sucked you in! (My hubs is a also survival enthusiast, so I found myself yelling a lot of backpacking specific questions up the stairs during the editing phase). Thanks again for reading, Liv. I sincerely appreciate it!

I was curious if it was you or someone else in your world who was a hiking enthusiast. The details are so accurate! Cheers to your husband for giving you some tips. You made an incredibly rich and realistic world that truly mirrors the process I have seen many new hikers go through- albeit usually over more than one hike. What a beautiful world you made!

Yes, he has quite a few more adventures under his belt than me! I thoroughly enjoyed hiking in my corner of the US, but have never taken on a trip like this. Someday!!

Ms. Walker, I don't know if the story you shared was based on anything real or not, but it was wonderful. My wife was reading it and turned around with tears running down her cheeks and said "You need to read this!" I asked if it was going to make me cry and she just said "Read it." and so I did. Now, I am sitting here with tears in my eyes. It was hard to not imagine myself in your character's position and I hope I never am. Keep on writing thru Ms. Walker and may the literary journey you make, take you places far and wide along with memori...

Andy, While not based on real events, I think I wrote this as almost a “what if”/cautionary tale. My husband is the kind of person who would move a mountain to help me achieve my dreams, and for him, this hike is indeed one of his dreams. I thought about how I never want to be the “thing” that gets in the way of that, and hence this story was born. I sincerely appreciate your kind and heartfelt comment—I was just telling your wife that it truly made my day. ☺️

Aeris, what a tapestry of love you wove into the words you crafted within this beautiful story. This was amazing, and I am in tears. I will be following you as well as looking for other things you've written. I love the writing style, technique, and emotion you put into this. Kudos. You deserved the win by far. Do you have anything published? I'd love to check it out.

Kris, You and your husband’s comments have just absolutely made my day! I am so touched you hear how the story impacted you. One of the greatest compliments is when someone reads my work and feels compelled to share it with someone else. So thank you. ☺️ Beyond short stories, no, not yet! I wrote a story for another competition which did end up winning, and if you liked this one, you might enjoy the other! https://www.writingbattle.com/past-winners

What a well-deserved win! I kind of want to hike the Appalachian Trail now (well, not really). First off, the character development is so clear in this story, especially with the journal format. The mile markers are a great touch; the miles rack up, but the MC's load gets lighter. While the descriptions are sparse, the ones you do include are effective at painting a vivid picture (ex, the sunrise, bright red nail polish). I love how the backpack represents the MC's grief/guilt. The MC goes on this trip to make up for not going with her h...

Sophia, You saw everything in this story that I was coming would come through to readers: “I love how the backpack represents the MC's grief/guilt.” Yes—exactly! Thanks for reading so intentionally and for sharing your thoughts, I greatly appreciate it! ☺️

Where do I begin? Well it sure took us an adventure beyond the AT. It was an adventure of people and emotions. There was humor, suspense, drama and sadness and at just the right amount. So a lot of people wrote in their favorite lines but I just couldn't. I couldn't pick one or two or three, I just loved it all. Was longer than most of the winners in recent weeks but it was worth every second of the read You in a way made us all "thru" hikers

John, I really appreciate your comment!! I always worry that readers won’t want to hang out for 3k words, but I’m so glad you felt this was worth the read 😉 “made us all thru hikers,” I just love that! Thanks again!

Congratulations on the win! I have to say, this story pulled actual tears out of me. "... when she asked why I was doing it, it was like a dam broke within me, and I cried—ugly, shaking sobs that rattled our teacups on the side table." I broke down with the character in that same moment. "We're thru hikers now, you and me." So intimate, so sweet. I cried some more. Simply amazing. You inspire me. The whole thing felt so concise and easy to read. Your characters are vivid and interesting. A well-deserved win. Truly. Congrats again. Lookin...

Hi Benjamin! I sincerely appreciate your comment. I’m so glad this story struck a chord with you ☺️ Thanks for reading!

I was tired, still working at 11.00pm when I read your story before closing my laptop. Thank you Aeris. I loved it, and I felt as though I walked with you all the way. You made the journey so real, so immediate, that I was one of the party. All the references to the physical acts and incidentals like walking into a spiders web, and the blisters, and the nail parlour al tiny examples of immediacy that made the journey so real. The lead up to the ending was subtle and didn't give the game away and finally, the purpose of the walk was beauti...

Hi Pamela! I appreciate your comment so much. Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts ☺️

Such great characters crammed into so little space! Melons and Aunt Jemima are hilarious names and the humour that you interspersed throughout the story is probably what helped the MC get through the ordeal. The ending was beautifully sad. You brought to life the lengths that the MC went to for lost love.

I have no idea where these characters and their quirky trail names popped up from, but I enjoyed creating them :) Thank you for reading, Edward! I greatly appreciate it.

Congrats Aeris, a worthy winner!

Thank you, Edward!

But that's what the AT's all about. Everyone who thru hikes ends up with a trail name, and they're often wacky ones like these. It's part of the deal. You've captured it so well.

Forgive me in advance, Aeris, as this comment probably won't be as long or well-constructed as my standard fare. Usually, I take notes on stories to help me structure my thoughts and feedback, but I was so absorbed in this narrator's journey that the notes and the structure went out the window and I just allowed myself to enjoy the prose. To no one's surprise, I most appreciate the structure of the story. Typically, I'm a stickler for having the whole piece follow the format that it sets, but I think the opening few paragraphs before "Mile ...

Did you know they’ve rebranded Aunt Jemima? I was looking for the bottle of syrup in the grocery store the other day, and it’s now “Pearl Milling Company…” now the *youths* will have no idea what I’m talking about 😆 Hey, I don’t expect anyone to put in half the effort you do in reading and interacting with these stories, so I’m pleased just knowing you’ve read it! I always enjoy hearing your take and especially your critique. I keep updated/edited versions of all my stories in a “living” doc, and have implemented your suggestions in most all...

I actually had no clue about the Aunt Jemima rebrand, which is especially wild because there's some Aunt Jemima syrup that's in my pantry right now (which should tell you something about how my relationship with pancakes). That living doc idea is so good! Definitely gonna steal that. Not surprised to hear this was over 3,000 words. This could totally have gone to novella length if word count limitations didn't exist in this contest. That being said, I appreciate how you were able to fit so much into just a few thousand words, and maybe brevi...

Completely understand being a rut--happy to beta for you if you ever need it!

Aeris! Congratulations on the win! Well-earned, well-written, well-deserved. 🏆 🥂 (And a huge thank you for the beta offer, which I'd be glad to accept, if I ever stop being lazy and waiting until the last minute to write my stories. 😂)

Any time! [email protected]

Immediately, when I read your story and saw the name "Aunt Jemima" I was like wait? Isn't that the syrup I used to eat with my pancakes? My mom always used to buy it until they changed the name and when she's making us pancakes she still says "I'll get the Aunt Jemima!" XD it's also ironic when you said the "youths" because I'm 14 years and part of Gen Z😂

Amal, well now you’re in the know 😉😉

I don't think I can add more than others have said about how your details are so, umm, on the right path but echo such views with my honest comment that I had to rub my feet to alleviate the ache inspired by your words. While a short story, you portray a visceral sense of time and effort and just the slog of it all. I was touched by this line, "I’m tired of hearing my own breathing, tired of TREES, tired of freeze-dried soup, tired of having nothing but time to think about everything I should have done differently in my life." That was the...

Thank you so so much for your kind words, David! I really appreciate you stopping by to read my story.

Aeris, there’s not much I can say that hasn’t already been said but I wanted you to know how easy you make it to read. I am a writer but for the most part I don’t enjoy reading but I do enjoy reading you because when I do I feel as if I’m reading downhill. You are a true talent. A real writer. A teller of stories. Great job.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Thom! ☺️

I cried on this one (Karen and lasagne section - You're good at this!) - such a well-written story, not that I'd expect anything less from you, but it was beautiful. I love how, for the amount of sadness and regret and tragedy, there was still so much fun to this story. I LOVED the dream about the hiking boots running away and Aunt Jemima yodelling at the bear. "I’m sorry you never got to see what I’ve seen or walk where I’ve walked, but I hope you know that I have carried you with me every step of the way." - this was the sentence when I re...

Riel, you're just my favorite, thank you so much. We have quite a few black bears in North Carolina, and unless it's a mama with her cubs, they will apparently run away if you scare them. So I don't know where the yodeling idea came from, but I definitely had fun with it! Best of luck to you with Midnight this week!!

Congrats for the win! I bet you made the judges shed a tear too :D

Thank you, Riel! 😉😉

Speaking of ugly crying... :( This was so incredibly touching, Aeris. Thank you for interspersing all the lighthearted comments, because wow, this piece really got to me -- in a good way, of course. :) Some of my favorites: - instead of lounging on my sofa with a glass of chardonnay and an Oprah’s book club novel, - lol for real! - like some dainty, purebred housecat. - snicker :) - journal had been sitting on a rock next to me the whole time. - DOH - fresh-out-of-the-box hiking boots. - My face when... (picture The Scream!) - momentarily ...

Wendy, Your comment has made my day! Yes, apparently hiking this trail is a *huge* feat that thousands of hikers attempt each year, but only one in four are able to complete, and it usually takes them between five and seven months. There was so much I wanted to squeeze into this, and I am so pleased to hear your take away, because you’ve touched on everything I hoped would come through in the writing. Thanks for being a great reader and for taking the time to share your kind thoughts! ☺️

Absolutely riveting. You gut-punched me at Mile 900, and again at the end, and I thank you for it. Keep writing, touching people, with this gift from God.

Thank you so so much for your sweet comment. It truly means a lot! ☺️

I got to the end thinking this must be autobiographical. Scribe is real to me. I’m in awe that you made this up—in 5 days! Thanks for sharing! (This is the first story I’ve read on Reedsy. I’ll be reading more of yours.)

Hi Mitzi! Thank you so much for reading. It is not autobiographical, but I read a lot of other hikers’ blogs during the research phase for this story to get a feel for what the whole experience would be like :)

I've read your story about three times now. I just keep coming back to it. Thank you so much for sharing! It's by far my favorite story I've stumbled across on this site so far! Kelly

Kelly--so humbled by your comment. I really appreciate you reading my story (more than once) and sharing your thoughts. It means a lot, and I'm so pleased to hear you liked it :)

Beautiful story! I like how the layers of this character get gradually peeled back as she gets more and more exhausted, and then we see her gradually gain strength again. Great descriptions of trail hiking, too!

Thank you for reading, Kathryn! ☺️

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What is an adventure story that has impacted you?

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Beyond the prompts themselves, we imposed no parameters. We have collected the responses to each prompt into crowdsourced articles. The second prompt, with responses collected here, was: What is an adventure story that has impacted you?

Colette McInerney - Climber, Photographer, Filmmaker and Co-Founder of the women-led filmmaking Never Not Collective , who we interviewed for this month’s Edition

I’ve followed Renan Ozturk for many years since I came into filming. As a climber first I related to the simplicity of his vision and stories that said something about the feelings and soul of climbing. His approach has always stuck with me over the years.

Danielle Sellwood - Journalist, Filmmaker and Co-Founder of FindItFilm , a production company telling stories of female athletes and adventurers, who joined us in conversation earlier this year

I was invited to interview ocean rower Lia Ditton back in 2016 when I was running Sportsister.com and, we hit it off straight away. I’ve interviewed a great many women in sport and adventure over the years and I’ve loved being able to share their stories through articles, but getting into filmmaking has given me the opportunity to explore the visual alongside the narrative. Lia’s story is one that really benefits from both.

Films by Nomad - A creative collective specialising in moving-image storytelling

One of my favourite adventure storytellers is U.S. writer and mountaineer John Krakauer. Into Thin Air was one the most exhilarating stories I’ve ever read. He somehow manages to make you feel like you’re there in the ‘death zone’, gasping for air alongside him. Then there are documentary films like Free Solo , Touching the Void , The Dawn Wall , Art of Flight and many more. These are fascinating stories being told by incredible storytellers.

Jazz Austin - Watercolour Artist focusing on landscape

Whilst taking part in a tree-planting volunteer week with Trees for Life in Scotland, I was introduced to the concept of a 'sit spot'. To start with, I found the concept odd and uncomfortable, but after a few days I was excited for an opportunity to look at and feel closer to nature, which can often be missed on a fast-paced adventure.

Jen Larkin - Contemporary Artist whose work centres around walking, travel, wilderness and nature

For me, the most impactful adventure stories are always tales of triumph over adversity. Wild by Cheryl Strayed is a true story of a contemporary pilgrimage, all to do with pressing the reset button, scratching right back to what we truly need and what we really are, the power of beauty, regaining control of our situation, carrying less baggage, all wrapped up in one.

Jen Randall - Filmmaker, Photographer, Writer and Climber

Gwen Moffat's first autobiography, Space Below my Feet , was a bit of a revelation. She lives her life unapologetically, take her or leave her - that struck me immediately. And reading about someone who often ventured into the mountains just to be there, to get to know them rather than to achieve an objective every time was very refreshing to me. Claire Carter and I based our whole film, Operation Moffat , on Gwen and that book, trying to follow Gwen's lead, exploring parts of the UK we'd never been to before, and I still feel the influence of those experiences five years later.

'Reading about someone who often ventured into the mountains just to be there, to get to know them rather than to achieve an objective every time was very refreshing to me.' Jen Randall

Photo: James France

Jessica Lee - Author, Environmental Historian and Founding Editor of The Willowherb Review

I'm often inspired by the hyper-local and the modest when it comes to adventure: not so much peak bagging as really getting to know a landscape intimately. Nan Shepherd's book, The Living Mountain , does this beautifully. She explores the Cairngorms in a deeply sensory way, but with such grit and sustained attention that it absolutely ought to be considered adventure! She was a woman walking the mountains alone during the Second World War, which in its own way is awe-inspiring.

Jini Reddy - Journalist and Author (most recently of Wanderland ) who we interviewed for June’s 'UK, Uncovered' Edition.

If we’re talking books, so many. Off the top of my head? Let’s see, I can remember Robyn Davidson’s Tracks way back, and loving it. Also Felicity Aston’s Alone in Antarctica and Call of the White: Taking the World to the South Pole (Felicity led a team from places as diverse as Jamaica, India, Singapore and Cyprus to the South Pole.) And I loved Cheryl Strayed’s Wild . Someone recently recommended An African in Greenland by Tété-Michel Kpomassie. As a teenager in Togo, he’d read a book on Greenland and longed to travel there. It took him a decade, apparently, to get there but eventually he made it and the book is about his adventures among the Inuit. I really want to read it.

I’ve read some brilliant travel literature by women and men from more diverse backgrounds – Monisha Rajesh’s 80 Trains Around the World springs to mind, Eddy L. Harris’ Native Stranger , Azadeh Moaveni’s Lipstick Jihad , for example, but I think publishers are only just waking up to the idea of commissioning books on outdoor exploration, whatever the focus, by women and men who are Asian, Black or from another marginalised background. Equally those organisations who offer expedition funding, need to reach out to a wider demographic and make it clear that they’re looking to support potential explorers who might have previously felt unheard, unseen, or unwanted. Diverse perspectives and ways of experiencing and engaging with the outdoors are enriching for all of us. Established, high-profile explorers are in a position to raise up others too, so hopefully that will begin to happen.

'I think publishers are only just waking up to the idea of commissioning books on outdoor exploration, whatever the focus, by women and men who are Asian, Black or from another marginalised background.' Jini Reddy

Karen Parry - CEO of The Creative Chilli , improving diversity across third sector and cultural organisations, and Host of the Swim Wild Podcast

When the podcast was still in its infancy, and I was still learning what I was doing and feeling my way, I got the opportunity to speak to Beth French. I’d just been to see Against the Tides and came out of the cinema blown away, with so many questions, but convinced that I shouldn’t approach her to speak to her as she was far too important to be on my little podcast. Then the weirdest thing happened – she responded to a shout out I put on Instagram for new guests. I was blown away. Talking to her gave me so much really.

Kody Kohlman - Filmmaker whose trail running film, Par for the Course , we screened at our film festival this year

The human spirit is a wild thing. It really is an honour to enter people's lives for a few hours or days or weeks and get an understanding of who they are, how they work and what makes them keep going. If you don’t feel gratitude after finishing a project then I think you’re doing the wrong thing. I leave each project having gained a new viewpoint on the world, often one that I hadn’t ever thought about. I probably had more meaningful conversations during the interviews than I had in weeks prior and to it. For me, that’s one of the biggest benefits of doing what I do.

'It really is an honour to enter people's lives for a few hours or days or weeks and get an understanding of who they are, how they work and what makes them keep going. If you don’t feel gratitude after finishing a project then I think you’re doing the wrong thing.' Kody Kohlman

Laura Mahler - Environmental Researcher and Documentary Filmmaker who has written for Adventure Uncovered before

Chaz Powel, The Wildest Journey. He goes on these walks - around Africa and England - and he just walks along rivers. It’s no big thing where he’s trying to climb a massive mountain. It’s hugely impressive, but it just cuts it right back to basics, and I think that’s really important. And just spending a lot of time in a place. It’s an inward adventure as well, but it’s just really simple: it’s just walking. Seeing what he was doing there was incredible, and I think it’s important to think about those as adventures, and the simplicity of walking.

Michal Iwanowski - Documentary Photographer whose Go Home Polish project we discussed with him for June’s UK Edition

I am reluctant to call theirs an adventure, but my grandfather and his younger brother escaping from a prisoner of war camp in the Soviet Union in 1945 was the one that got me into combining visual arts with an element of adventure. It has opened many doors in my way of thinking about storytelling.

Philippe Woodtli - Managing Director of WOOP Productions , Director of Silence: Born Severely Deaf (an Official Selection at the 2020 Adventure Uncovered Film Festival )

Keith Partridge and Michael Brown. They teach the Banff Adventure Film Workshop every year. I met Keith on a BBC shooting… asked him how I could improve… He told me that I lack a lot in storytelling. So I went to Canada for the workshop… and this started it all.

Shelby Stanger - Podcast Host, Producer, Journalist, Writer and Speaker

I loved the books Wild by Cheryl Strayed and Born to Ru n by Chris McDougall. Both books made me want to be a better storyteller and get out there in the world.

New Vitamin Joy Podcast

Sim Warren - Filmmaker whose two films for Millican - Here and A Meaningful Journey: Connection - we featured in our 2020 Film Festival

If I think back, I’ve not quite been as inspired by a story as I was when I watched The Important Places directed by Forest Woodward from Gnarly Bay. It’s a film, in my opinion, that was clearly led by the story. The visual was brought in after to fuse it together. Just the way I love to work.

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The 13 Best Adventure Stories Backpacker Has Ever Published

Backpacker’s 50 year history is rich with riveting storytelling. we tasked our editors with picking their all-time favorite stories..

Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! >","name":"in-content-cta","type":"link"}}'>Download the app .

In Backpacker ’s 50-year history, we’ve told every kind of hiking story you can imagine: those of endurance, heartbreak, and triumph. We’ve spun tales of wildlife, introduced you to hundreds of quirky characters, uncovered secrets of nature, and processed tragedies within our community. Whether they’re beautiful, inspiring, or grim, adventure stories are what we’re all about. Join us in celebrating five decades of good reads with some of our favorites.

More Than a Day’s Walk

1975, By Colin Fletcher

Fletcher, the so-called “father of backpacking” for his writings on hiking and his historic 1963 hike of the length of Grand Canyon National Park, was also a contributor to Backpacker. This short essay captures Fletcher’s spirit of adventure on a trip in Alaska.

Isla Encantada

1977, By Edward Abbey

Yes, that Ed Abbey. Nearly a decade after he published Desert Solitaire and just two years after The Monkey Wrench Gang , the famed Abbey described an isolated weekend spent on an uninhabited Mexican island in an issue of Backpacker .

The Mother of All Beginner Trips

1999, By Kristin Hostetter

A longtime Backpacker editor reflects on the role reversal of parent and child in his lighthearted account of taking her mother camping for the first time.

I Cried Out Aloud For You

2002, By Jeff Rennicke

In the summer of 1998, pastor Mike Turner was deep in the Wind River Range on a 9-day solo hike with his dog when a loose boulder entrapped him. What followed was a 10-day battle for survival and a spiritual reckoning, all captured in the pages of Turner’s journal.

The Unbearable Lightness of Being Scott Williamson

2005, By Steve Friedman

This memorable profile of the legendary thru-hiker Scott Williamson, who became the first person to yo-yo the PCT in 2004, will take you deep into the mountains and back again. Portraying the ethos of a life dedicated to long-distance hiking, it’s an intimate look into the odyssey behind one of hiking’s greatest accomplishments.

The Source of All Things

2008, By Tracy Ross

What if your favorite place in the world was ground zero for your greatest strengths and your deepest fears? In this classic story that laid the groundwork for Ross’s memoir, the author and her father trek into Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains to grapple with a tragedy that has haunted them for decades.

Dogs of War

2009, By Tracy Ross

From 2000 to 2010, a 90-square-mile buffer zone near Denali National Park protected wolves that strayed across the park’s boundaries from hunters. Was it an essential tool to protect biodiversity or an attack on an Alaskan way of life? In this feature, Tracy Ross profiles wolf biologist Gordon Haber and hunting guide Coke Wallace as their debate over how to manage an iconic predator escalates into lawsuits, mudslinging, and worse.

A Ghost Among Us

2014, By Megan Michelson

In 2013, Heather “Anish” Anderson set the overall self-supported speed record on the Pacific Crest Trail—a record that stood unbroken for almost a decade. Read the story of the hike that cemented the once-enigmatic thru-hiker’s name into long-trail history.

Billy Goat’s Never-Ending Thru-Hike

2016, By Bill Donahue

For almost three decades, George “Billy Goat” Woodard has hiked roughly 150 days per year, earning celebrity status along the PCT. This profile is for anyone who knows that the trail isn’t an escape from real life—it is real life.

Walking Off Heartbreak on America’s New Sacred Trail

2017, By Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan

Sacred paths the world over help hikers discover deeper truths about the world and themselves. But what truly makes a path transformative? After an earthquake in her personal life, Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan treks a new 170-mile loop in Montana in search of the pilgrimage she needs.

Gone Hiking

2017, By Casey Lyons

Terminal cancer. What would you do if your doctor delivered the scariest two words in the English language? Andy Lyon went for a hike. In this moving story, former Backpacker Executive Editor Casey Lyons chronicled a journey not just across a country, but toward acceptance.

When an Alaskan River Trip Becomes a Journey Into Memory

2018, By Louisa Albanese

Out Alive podcast producer Louisa Albanese’s late father always regaled her with stories of his adventures in Alaska. On a packrafting trip in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, she found out what lies behind the mythology of the landscape—and discovered an unexpected window into her own past.

Was This Swedish Immigrant the First Continental Divide Thru-Hiker?

2020, By Barney Scout Mann

Most historians of the CDT accept David Odell, who walked the path end-to-end in 1977, as the trail’s first thru-hiker. But the history of long-distance walking along the route goes back much, much further. Nearly a century ago, little-known logger Peter Parsons made long trail history before there were long trails when he painted “HEADING “NORTH”—MEXICO TO CANADA” on his rucksack and struck out into the desert.

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Summaries, Analysis & Lists

Action or Adventure Short Stories: Plot-Driven or Exciting

These action and adventure short stories are plot-driven. The action is a very important, if not the most important, part of the story, often involving an adventure. See also:

Jack Reacher
Space Opera

Adventure & Action Short Stories

“never stop on the motorway” by jeffrey archer.

Diana is looking forward to going to her friend’s farmhouse for the weekend. She gets held up at the office, and can’t leave until 6. She’s divorced, and it’s her husband’s weekend with the kids. She doesn’t like being by herself. It’s slow going getting out of the city. When she finally gets her speed up, there’s an incident. ( Summary )

This story can be read in the preview of The Short, the Long and the Tall . (7% in)

“Honor and . . .” by Sandra Brown and C. J. Box

Joe Pickett is scouting the Gros Ventre Range, filling in as game warden. He hears high snapping sounds in the distance. They were gunshots, and not all of the same caliber. It doesn’t sound like hunters. He weighs his options. Another sound settles it for him.

This story also features Lee Coburn.

It can be read in the preview of Matchup . (15 % into preview)

“To Build a Fire” by Jack London

In the Yukon, a man is traveling on foot with a husky in the wilderness to meet some acquaintances. It’s –75 degrees and even though he’s careful, he breaks through some ice and soaks his boots, necessitating a fire.

Read “To Build a Fire” (Includes Summary & Analysis)

Jack London wrote many other adventure stories.

“The King of Norway” by Cecelia Holland

Conn Corbansson fought for Sweyn Tjugas in his rise to King of Denmark. Sweyn had promised they would also take England, but now he’s hesitant. Sweyn has his sights set on Norway, and has enlisted the help of the Jomsvikings. Conn is upset with the change. While feasting, many of the notables make public oaths. Caught up in the moment, Conn makes one himself.

“The King of Norway” can be read in the Amazon preview of Warriors. (23% in)

“Desperate Men” by Louis L’Amour

Four men in Yuma prison get an opportunity. An earthquake has left a hole in the perimeter wall. An escape is still difficult, and not dying in the desert is even more difficult. They talk about how they could get guns, horses and money.

“Desperate Men is the third story in the Amazon preview of The Collected Short Stories of Louis L’Amour: Volume 1 . (55% in)

“Duel” by Richard Matheson

Mann is driving to San Francisco for an appointment. He passes a semi pulling a trailer. Shortly after, the semi roars past and abruptly cuts in front of him. He’s not sure what to make of it. He has to slow down a bit. He doesn’t have any spare time. Mann decides to pass again.

This is the first story in the preview of Duel: Terror Stories . (7% in)

“Devil Dogs” by Tim Lebbon

Captain Halley commands the Doyle, a Sleek-class destroyer. They’re on a mysterious rescue mission, accompanied by a civilian, Kalien. Halley is comforted in at least having the 39th Spaceborne with her. Contact has been lost with a research station. Halley has a feeling there’s a lot more going on than she’s being told.

This story can be read in the preview of Predator: If It Bleeds . (20% in)

“Alex in Afghanistan” by Anthony Horowitz

Alex Rider, a fourteen-year-old, is sitting at a fire with five men. They’re in Afghanistan at the Herat Mountains. They’re eating and resting after traveling by horseback from the border. The men—Afghan nomads—have been paid to take him to Falcon’s Edge. There’s a facility deep in the mountains that could be producing uranium, which will then be sold to terrorists. Why Alex has been chosen for this mission, he doesn’t know.

This story is in Alex Rider: Secret Weapon: Seven Untold Adventures From the Life of a Teenage Spy.

“Gunfight at the Golden Gator” by Tyson Blue

Roger James, a Larey County Deputy, is headed back to the Sheriff’s office with his partner, Tim Foster, in the very early morning. The Mullis brothers, whose criminal empire rules the southern part of the county, have put out a hit on Roger. His testimony could put Woodrow Mullis in jail for a long time. They get a call from dispatch about a disturbance at the Golden Gator, a hangout in Mullis territory.

Some of this story can be read in the preview of A Time For Violence: Stories With an Edge . (67% into preview)

“Venatoris” by G. S. Jennsen

Alex is at the bar in the Yuzhou Li Orbital Station looking for information, or even better, a contract. She talks to an acquaintance, Bob, who thinks of himself as a space pirate. She quickly ends the conversation when a man enters the bar. Alex tries to look casual as she joins him at his table. There’s a job that’s going to go public in about an hour. There are some rare elements at a newly discovered pulsar that could be very valuable.

This story can be read in Beyond the Stars: A Planet Too Far . (20% into preview)

Action & Adventure Short Stories, Cont’d

“Even Hand” by Jim Butcher

John Marcone eliminates some criminal rivals with the help of his staff. Back at the office, there’s a problem—an Accords matter. A young woman with a child is shown in. She’s looking for sanctuary. Her pursuer is Mag, a cantrev lord of the fomor.

“Even Hand” can be read in the Amazon preview of Urban Enemies. (12% in)

“Conspiracy on Callisto” by Frederik Pohl

Duane and Stevens are in a ship’s corridor ready to draw their guns. Duane found out his payout from this job won’t be what he was expecting. Stevens has a private arrangement with their employer, Andrias, and won’t give up any of his share. An alarm bell sounds throughout the ship, indicating a change of course in one minute. Everyone needs to get to their cabins and strap in.

This story can be read in the preview of The 15th Science Fiction MEGAPACK . (4% into preview)

“The Metal Men of Mars” by Joe R. Lansdale

John Carter, Jeddak of Helium, is restless for some adventure. He takes his weapons and heads out in a small flyer over the Martian desert. One night, while his ships floats moored to the ground, he closes his eyes to sleep. His ship is struck by something that sends him over the edge, dangling from the side.

This story can be read in the preview of Under the Moons of Mars: New Adventures on Barsoom . (35% in)

“The Siege Of Denver” by Brendan DuBois

The Creepers have invaded Earth and resources are scarce. Outside Denver, a small squad is in a trench—Corporal Jankowski, Private MacKay and Morales. Only Jankowski is certified to handle the M-10, the weapon of choice for engaging the Creepers. MacKay and Morales have M-4s, which are only useful as a diversion. MacKay spots some balloons near a supply wagon. It looks like they’re going to try and float some much-needed provisions into the besieged city.

This story can be read in the preview of The Year’s Best Military & Adventure SF 2015 . (45% in)

“The Sea Raiders” by H. G. Wells

A retired man takes an afternoon walk along the English coast. He notices a pinkish form far below surrounded by some kind of animals. He makes his way closer, and is shocked by what he finds.

Read “The Sea Raiders”

“Off the Mangrove Coast” by Louis L’Amour

Four men steal a boat and set out to sea. One of them, Limey Johnson, knows of a ship that sank off the mangrove coast with fifty thousand dollars in a safe. They will split it four ways—unless something happens to improve each person’s share.

“A Sound of Thunder” by Ray Bradbury

In the future, a company offers guided hunting safaris into the past to kill dinosaurs. Extreme care is taken to ensure nothing happens that could alter the present.

Read “A Sound of Thunder” (PDF Pg 3)

“The Seed from the Sepulchre” by Clark Ashton Smith

Falmer and Thone are orchid hunters, exploring a tributary of the Orinoco. When Thone falls ill, Falmer continues on to a site where rumor says a treasure was left in some ruins. Falmer returns changed; he is surly, distracted, and uncommunicative. Thone thinks his partner might have picked up a tropical infection. They decide to go back to the main river.

Read “The Seed from the Sepulchre”

“After King Kong Fell” by Philip Jose Farmer

Mr. Howller watches King Kong with his six-year-old granddaughter, Jill. She is affected by the movie and asks questions about King Kong. Her grandfather explains that what they saw was make-believe but says that he was there when it really happened. He tells the real story.

Read “After King Kong Fell”

“The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell

Raisnsford is on a ship headed for the Amazon. He’s a big-game hunter. While on the afterdeck smoking his pipe, he hears the sound of gunshots in the distance. When he investigates, an accident puts him in a dangerous situation.

Read “The Most Dangerous Game”

“The Greatest Thing in the World” by Norman Mailer

Al Groot, a young adult, enters a lunch wagon and tries to get a deal on a doughnut and coffee. He has been walking and hitch-hiking, trying to get to Chicago. When three men come in for a meal, Al tries to get a ride with them.

“Leiningen Versus the Ants” by Carl Stephenson

Leiningen owns a large plantation in Brazil. An army of ants, twenty square miles in size, is advancing on the plantation, destroying everything in its path. Leiningen has been warned to abandon his property—for the safety of himself and his men—but he plans on making a stand and fighting off the ants.

Read “Leiningen Versus the Ants”

“Soaked in Seaweed: or Upset in the Ocean” by Stephen Leacock

Mr Blowhard joins the Saucy Sally as second mate. He leaves with Captain Bilge and the rest of the crew. Everything goes well until the third day when Blowhard is told there was an incident involving the first and third mates.

This is a parody of the sea faring adventure story.

Read “Soaked in Seaweed”

“The Lost Legion” by Rudyard Kipling

Thirty years ago, an Indian regiment fleeing from the English were massacred by an Afghan tribe. Now the Government decides to move on its leader, Gulla Kutta Mullah, and his band of outlaws. They live in a valley with natural defenses—a single narrow entry surrounded by high hills.

Read “The Lost Legion”

“The Escape” by J. B. Stamper

Boris is being led down a long hallway to the solitary confinement cell. He was caught in an escape attempt. He’s terrified of his punishment and begs to be spared. He promises he’ll never do anything wrong again.

Read “The Escape”

“Guy Walks Into a Bar” by Lee Child

Jack Reacher, a former military cop, is in a bar in New York. There is a young woman, blonde and rich, who is clearly taken with the band’s guitar player. While scoping out the room, Reacher sees two suspicious guys.

“Sandkings” by George R. R. Martin

Simon Kress lives alone outside the city. He likes unusual and exotic pets. After his last trip his animals died. He finds a new shop, Wo and Shade Importers, where he is shown sandkings, an insect-sized life-form with a hivemind that fights wars with other colonies.

This story is novelette length.

Read “Sandkings”

“Resistance” by Tobias S. Bucknell

Stanuel helps Pepper, a mercenary, gain entry to a secure building. It’s closely monitored by the leader, Pan. They have about an hour to get to their target site before they’re discovered.

The Godfather Books

I’ll keep adding action and adventure short stories as I find more.

7 Excellent Adventure Stories

Rebecca Wei Hsieh

Rebecca Wei Hsieh (she/her) is an NYC-based actor and writer with a BA in Theatre and Italian Studies from Wesleyan University. She doesn't enjoy talking about herself in the third person, but tries because she's a Hufflepuff. A proudly awkward queer Taiwanese American from three continents, she fancies herself a connoisseur of bad puns.

View All posts by Rebecca Wei Hsieh

This list of adventure stories is sponsored by A Trick of Light by Stan Lee, published by HMH Books & Media.

Pretty much everyone knows what an adventure story is. In the most basic sense, you’ve got a main character who finds themselves in a dangerous situation. They then overcome obstacles with plenty of action left and right.

You’ve got to admit, though, that some classic tales of heroism haven’t exactly aged well. Thankfully, Own Voices authors have created more opportunities in recent times, not only improving the representation of marginalised communities, but also enriching the genre with diverse viewpoints. Add to that technological advances, and you’ve got a plethora of media through which to experience every kind of edge-of-your-seat action you can imagine.

Caravan , created by Tau Zaman

Caravan is ‘a weird-west audio adventure’ that follows Samir, who falls into a hidden world called Wound Canyon after taking a tumble off a cliff. There he meets a host of supernatural creatures, and teams up with a caravan of bounty hunters to survive.

Wolf 359 , Created by Gabriel Urbina

Wolf 359 is another sprawling story in podcast form, this time following the traditions of Golden Age of Radio shows. Doug Eiffel is stuck on the U.S.S. Hephaestus Research Station, orbiting a red dwarf start for a mission with no end in sight. He doesn’t have much to do, but with only four sentient beings on board, 7.8 light years away from Earth, hijinks are bound to ensue.

A Spark of White Fire by Sangu Mandanna

Esmae lives on the spaceship Wychstar, far from her home on Kali. That is, until she learns about the truth of her birth and enters a competition to win a ship that’ll take her home. Of course, that’s when everything starts to go awry. In this retelling of the Mahabharata, Esmae must question everything she knows about good and evil, friends and family, as an all-out war threatens the universe.

Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor

Aliens have crashed into the ocean near Lagos, and humanity is—as in any first contact story—freaking out big time. But as it turns out, the fate of the earth depends on a rapper, a biologist, and a soldier, working in tandem with the alien ambassador to prevent utter chaos and death.

We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal

Times have been hard in Arawiya since the land lost its magic. In order to feed her people, Zafira disguises herself as a man, hunting in the cursed forest the Arz from where nobody returns. Nasir, the Prince of Death, assassinates anyone who dares to cross his father’s will. The two cross paths as they set out on a journey to restore magic to Arawiya.

Killer of Enemies by Joseph Bruchac

After the Cloud came and wiped out all electronic tech, humanity relies on steam again. With her family held hostage, young Apache hunter Lozen must kill monsters for the Ones, humans so genetically modified that they’re barely human. Drawing from her heritage and armed with her wits, weapons and magic, Lozen must help her family escape and survive this post-apocalyptic hellscape.

Dread Nation by Justina Ireland

In this alternate history, the dead have risen from their graves, interrupting the Civil War. Black and Native American children are sent to combat schools, learning to protect wealthy white families. Jane’s almost done with her training at Miss Preston’s School of Combat in Baltimore, and just wants to keep her head down back home. But when local families begin to disappear, Jane finds herself embroiled in a conspiracy with her life on the line. And as it turns out, the living can be just as dangerous as the dead.

The Most Read Books on Goodreads This Week

101 Epic Adventure Story Prompts

Do you want to write in the adventure genre but need help conjuring compelling and adventure-packed stories and concepts? Sometimes reading simple story prompts is the easiest way to get those creative juices flowing .

We get our ideas from many sources — news headlines, novels, television shows, movies, our lives, our fears, our phobias, etc. They can come from a scene or moment in a film that wasn’t fully explored. They can come from a single visual that entices the creative mind — a seed that continues to grow and grow until the writer is forced to finally put it to paper or screen.

In the spirit of helping writers find those seeds, here we offer 101 originally conceived adventure story prompts that you can use as inspiration for your next adventure story.

They may inspire screenplays, novels, short stories, or even smaller moments that you can include in what stories you are already writing.

Common Elements in the Adventure Genre

Adventure movies are the action genre's closest relative. They are seemingly one and the same beyond a single element — location .

Adventure movies are best defined as action movies set within an exotic location — something beyond an otherwise anonymous big city or small town.

They entail a character — or cast of characters — traveling to a new world, or many worlds, to attain what they so desire.

Indiana Jones movies globe-trot to many different locations.
The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise takes us to many worlds across the open waters of the ocean.
The Goonies takes children into the underground caves of a pirate's treasure.
The Jumanji franchise takes characters into the jungle worlds of a videogame.
Jungle Cruise took us down the waters of the Amazon River.

Again, the key difference between a straightforward action movie and an adventure movie is location, location, location.

Notable adventure sub-genres include:

Disaster Flicks — The adventure aspect of these types of films entails characters struggling to survive through seemingly impossible and yes, disastrous, circumstances. The Poseidon Adventure , The Towering Inferno , San Andreas , almost every Roland Emmerich movie, etc. These are all disaster flicks that take us on the ultimate adventure of survival. They can often be blended genres set within the context of natural disasters, alien invasions, and post-apocalyptic situations. In these cases, the disaster itself creates a unique location.
Quests — The word quest is perhaps the most simple term to market. The mere mention of it entails a MacGuffin — a plot device in the form of some goal, desired object, or other motivators that the protagonist pursues — and the grand adventure of attaining it. The Indiana Jones franchise as a whole is perhaps the most well-known of this sub-genre.

Note: Because we’re all connected to the same pop culture, news headlines, and inspirations, any similarity to any past, present, or future screenplays, novels, short stories, television pilots, television series, plays, or any other creative works is purely coincidence. These story writing prompts were conceived on the fly without any research or Google search for inspiration.

101 Adventure Story Prompts

1. Two treasure-hunting teams race against time to find the same treasure in four different potential locations.

2. A group of high school students traveling abroad must survive the elements when their plane crashes into the jungle.

3. A gamer wakes up in his favorite car racing game and must win multiple races to survive.

4. A young boy searches for his lost father in the nearby mountains.

5. An astronaut crash lands on an exotic planet.

6. A group of middle school friends discovers a series of tunnels underneath their town.

7. A father and son go on a safari and must survive the elements when their guides are killed.

8. A group of explorers searches for a long-lost ship that disappeared in the Antarctic two hundred years ago.

9. A single mother learns that her college-age daughter has disappeared into the jungles of a foreign country.

10. A family struggles to survive a destructive meteor shower.

11. A man wakes up in a dream world that he can't escape.

12. A woman joins the military and is shipped overseas as she intends to avenge the death of her soldier husband.

13. The last man on Earth flies into space to search for astronauts sent to colonize Mars ten years prior.

14. The last people on Earth go to China's Great Wall to evade attacking creatures that have killed everyone else on the planet.

15. A priest discovers the true entrance to biblical Hell.

16. A woman fights her way across purgatory to find her true fate.

17. A boy is taken to an alien world after displaying amazing fighting skills in his video game system.

18. An FBI agent tracks down a group of bank robbers through the waters of the Grand Canyon.

19. The President of the United States wakes up on a train taking him into a desert.

20. A spy escapes to another continent to evade government assassins trying to take him out.

21. A group of rock climbers discovers a drug deal in the Rockies and must survive as they are pursued.

'127 Hours'

22. A retired assassin struggles to survive an onslaught of assassins trying to kill him near his mountain cabin home .

23. A gamer escapes into the fantasy world of his favorite game.

24. A classic horror movie fan escapes into the world of his favorite horror movies.

25. Professional thieves are tasked with stealing from a country's gold reserves hidden deep within a mountain.

26. Extreme paintball enthusiasts on a wilderness retreat stumble upon a group of armed criminals.

27. A president must fight off terrorists that attack him on a retreat.

28. An FBI agent must team up with a cartel boss to find their missing sons in the jungles of Mexico.

29. Explorers search the ocean for the lost city of Atlantis.

30. A family finds a lost city underneath their farmland.

31. A team of explorers is tasked with drilling a ship into the core of the Earth.

32. A man is catapulted into an apocalyptic future to find the cause of impending doom.

33. Extreme sports athletes are forced to use their skills for heists in the world's most exotic locations.

34. College friends search for a mythical island paradise during spring break.

35. A family is marooned on another planet.

36. Racecar drivers race across the country in the ultimate race.

37. Pilots discover a strange city in the clouds.

38. A robot from the future finds a little girl and takes her to the future world.

39. Kayakers are whisked away down the Mississippi River during a horrible storm and flood.

40. A spelunker discovers an underground world.

41. A bullied boy wakes up as a strong knight in a fantasy world.

42. Deer hunters discover that they have been targeted by a master hunter that hunts only one prey — man.

43. A family must survive when they are shipwrecked on a jungle island.

'Dora and the Lost City of Gold'

44. A waitress is given a mysterious plane ticket as a tip for her excellent service.

45. An old west gunslinger must survive a posse that is after him.

46. The world's most deadly convicts are hired for an impossible adventure into the depths of space.

47. A sailor decides to sail into the infamous Bermuda Triangle to find a lost friend.

48. A town must survive the worst flood in history.

49. Storm chasers must survive a unique weather system that creates multiple F5 tornadoes.

50. A man that has uploaded his consciousness to a simulated reality fights to return to his real body and world.

51. A truck driver travels across the country as he's pursued by gangsters that want his cargo.

52. An outcast nerd discovers that he's actually a revered prince from another planet, hidden by his royal family to escape an evil space lord.

53. The story of the Titanic, but the Titanic is a luxury space cruiser that has hit a meteor made of ice.

54. An astronaut stuck in cryosleep wakes up after his returning ship crashlands in medieval times.

55. A Navy SEAL is shipwrecked on a deserted island full of vampires.

56. A submarine crew discovers an underwater civilization of humans.

57. An asteroid crashes into Earth as people struggle to survive.

58. Archeologists unlock the mystery of the great pyramids.

59. The world's last unicorn struggles to get to a safe world.

60. A wizard from another realm must find a magical item lost on Earth before their evil counterpart does.

61. A scientist finds the cure for cancer in the jungles but is pursued by a drug cartel wanting to sell it to the highest bidder.

62. A space pilot goes on an interstellar race to find a coveted treasure.

'Guardians of the Galaxy'

63. A family sailing the ocean waters must overcome the worst hurricane in history.

64. Two escaped union soldiers with key intel must make their way through the southern battlefields of the Civil War-era United States.

65. Old West train robbers must fight off infantry soldiers as the train races across the country.

66. A Vietnam POW escapes a prisoner camp and struggles to make his way through the war-torn territories to freedom.

67. Criminals are now shipped into space on space prison ships as some try to escape.

68. Peter Pan's mother tracks him down in Neverland.

69. Competing treasure hunting families race on the open ocean waters to find a sunken treasure.

70. A character within a Sim City-like game becomes self-aware and wants to escape to the real world.

71. A family vacationing in Hawaii unlocks a portal that transports them back in time.

72. Asteroid miners struggle to survive an accident.

73. A family of assassins must survive a syndicate's attempt to take them out while they're on vacation in Europe.

74. A family is transported back to the time of the dinosaurs and struggles to survive.

75. A riverboat captain attempts the first trip down the Mississippi River.

76. A futuristic gamer realizes what he thought was a virtual reality shooter game is actually real life.

77. A movie director finds a way to transport his cast and crew back in time to save money on sets and wardrobes.

78. Alien monsters chase the last living family on Earth across the country.

79. A warrior is tasked with venturing to the Dark World to save a captive princess.

80. A pirate that has fallen in love and wants to leave his pirate ways is chased down by his crew.

81. Three swordsmen fight their way across a medieval world in search of Excalibur.

'The Green Knight'

82. A select group of individuals is invited to partake in the ultimate scavenger hunt.

83. A best-selling author is transported into the fantasy world of his novels.

84. A science fiction movie director realizes that the world he created for his hit franchise is real.

85. Siblings mourn the death of their grandpa, only to discover that he's left them an old treasure map.

86. A witch curses a group of children, causing them to shrink to the size of ants.

87. A family must find each other after the worst earthquake in human history.

88. An ancestor of the real Van Helsing is hunted across Europe by vampires.

89. An off-duty detective on a cruise vacation with his family must fend off terrorists that take over the ship.

90. A special forces team is catapulted into the world of Wonderland.

91. An astronaut marooned on the dark side of the moon must make his way to a landing site before it is too late.

92. A wilderness firefighter must parachute into a wildfire to find a missing family.

93. A special forces team must retreat back to their base as they are pursued by vampires awakened within an ancient village.

94. A group of ghost hunters must find their way out of a haunted castle.

95. A family snorkeling along a reef during vacation finds themselves trapped in an underwater world.

96. A portal to another world opens during a sleepover.

97. A conspiracy theorist manages to break into Area 51 and discovers that it houses portals to alien worlds.

98. An action star is kidnapped and hunted down by a tribe that believes he is the real deal.

99. Career criminals utilize a city-wide blackout for their crimes.

100. Scientists travel back to the world of dinosaurs to find a long-dead plant that could save humankind from extinction.

101. A screenwriter awakens in the world of his science fiction script and must find a way back home.

'Adaptation'

Share this with your writing peers or anyone that loves a good adventure story. Have some prompts of your own? Let us know on Facebook and Twitter !

Want More Ideas? Take a Look at Our Other Genre-Based Story Prompts !

Ken Miyamoto has worked in the film industry for nearly two decades, most notably as a studio liaison for Sony Studios and then as a script reader and story analyst for Sony Pictures.

He has many studio meetings under his belt as a produced screenwriter, meeting with the likes of Sony, Dreamworks, Universal, Disney, Warner Brothers, as well as many production and management companies. He has had a previous development deal with Lionsgate, as well as multiple writing assignments, including the produced miniseries Blackout , starring Anne Heche, Sean Patrick Flanery, Billy Zane, James Brolin, Haylie Duff, Brian Bloom, Eric La Salle, and Bruce Boxleitner, the feature thriller Hunter’s Creed , and many Lifetime thrillers. Follow Ken on Twitter @KenMovies

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EssayBanyan.com – Collections of Essay for Students of all Class in English

Adventure Essay

We all understand that ‘adventure’ is something that excites us, and is completely different from what we do in our daily routine. However, we also do realize that every adventure activity also involves a certain amount of risk.

Short and Long Essay on Adventure in English

In the essays below we will know about every aspect of the adventure.

Adventure Essay 10 Lines (100 – 150 Words)

1) An adventure is a mixed experience of thrill, excitement, and danger.

2) Adventure gives us strength and confidence.

3) Various adventurous activities include river rafting, bungee jumping, sky diving, etc.

4) Adventure gives us joy, relaxation, and satisfaction.

5) It helps us to remain stronger rather than panicking.

6) It is a good idea to defeat your fear with adventure.

7) Adventures can be planned but sometimes they can occur unplanned.

8) Some adventurous moment leaves a lifetime impact on our minds.

9) Adventure is the natural medicine of stress and bad mood.

10) Adventure helps you to explore yourself more deeply.

Essay 1 (250 Words): Advantages of Adventure

Introduction

Adventure is an activity that involves thrill, excitement and a risk factor. Several sports like horse riding, bungee jumping, river rafting, parasailing, paragliding, skiing, and kayaking are some of the most popular adventure activities also referred to as ‘adventure sports’.

Advantages of Adventure

Getting involved in adventure activities has several beneficial effects on the body and mind of a person. Some of the most important effects are provided in the bulleted list below-

Turns you out into an explorer.
It makes one more willing to accept challenges.
Develops patience and endurance.
Acts as a natural stress buster.
It gives the strength to face the challenges and also to overcome them.
Let you overcome fear and confide in our own abilities.
It makes a person self-reliable with skills to come out of challenging situations.

Adventure Tourism Industry

The adventure tourism industry is becoming much popular with every passing year. Initially, it was only limited to developed world economies, but today, middle-income families from even developing nations are scurrying for adventure in their life. According to a study, the adventure tourism industry is estimated to reach $1600 billion by the year 2026. That would be a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of a little over 13%.

Adventure is essential in life for several reasons. It brings so many positive changes in your own self and your life, letting you see your own life from a new perspective, never experienced before. Today, with such big money involved, it has also become a matter of bread and butter for many families linked with the industry.

Essay 2 (400 Words): Outdoor Adventure

Any activity that has thrill, excitement and a rush of adrenaline is termed an adventure. It can also come as a total surprise; nevertheless, barring few exceptions, the experience is always rewarding.

Outdoor Adventures

Primarily all the adventure activities are outdoor activities with a little element of risk but offering huge satisfaction and happiness. Some of the exclusive outdoor adventure activities are listed below.

Wildlife Safari

Wildlife Safari is fast developing as the most preferable adventure activity of the 21 st century. Today the safaris are comparatively safer and carried out in the presence of a trained guide. The thrill that it offers of spotting animals in their real habitat is incomparable. Photographing a tiger from close quarters, scares you but also takes you to an absolutely new level of high.

Amusement Park

An amusement park is another place where you can seek adventure. It offers many rides and games. Especially the rides will scare you, let you scream but at the same time, makes you happy and excited. Several transports rides like water ride, dark ride, and Ferris wheel, etc will pump adrenaline to your brain so that in the end you feel absolutely blissful.

Mountain Biking

This adventure requires a good deal of physical stamina and endurance. It is a sport that involves bike riding usually off the road, mostly over challenging and rough terrain. Though, sometimes risky, the sport teaches one to trust his own skills and be self-reliable. It teaches a bike rider new skills like doing minor repairs and also to help others in eventuality.

Tree Climbing

Tree Climbing is a very basic adventure activity undertaken by the people who neither have access nor the money for the other expensive options. Often children in villages are seen to be involved in tree climbing. However, it must be ensured that tree climbing is carried out under proper guidance and with required safety measures. Safety harness and helmets must also be used during tree climbing.

Whatever adventure sport you chose, it is also very important that all the safety measures must also be taken into account, so that to avoid any kind of eventuality. Adventure is good for your mind and body, but with a little slip of alertness, things could turn out to be undesirable. Nobody would ever want an adventure trip to turn out hazardous and threatening; therefore, it must be ensured that safety has been given the priority.

Essay 3 (500 – 600 Words): Types of Adventures

Adventure is an exciting activity or an experience, which is bold, exciting, and thrilling. The adventure also carries a certain element of risk; nevertheless, it is often a very satisfying and relaxing experience.

Types of Adventures

Adventure in life, most of the time is planned in the form of sports or other thrilling activities; though, sometimes it might also come as a complete surprise. Whether accidental or planned, adventure most of the time offers thrilling and overall pleasing experience; though, exceptions do exist. Below provided is a brief description of the types of adventures you can experience in your life.

Unplanned or Accidental Adventure

This is the kind of adventure that may present itself at a time when it is least expect and also to a person who isn’t very adventurous at heart.

For instance, just suppose that you went to see an ailing relative residing in another town, say a couple of miles away. You got late and were able to start your return journey only after sundown. Since you were running late, you decided to take a shortcut that runs through a forest, to save a few miles and of course time. Just when you are halfway through the dense forest, suddenly you realize that the car started pulling to one side of the road.

The thought of having a flat tire in the middle of the forest engulfs your already nervous mind. You took out your phone to make a distress call to a relative or a friend, but to your surprise, you realize that there is no network. But, fortunately, help came in the form of a trucker who also chose the least traveled forest road. However stressing or scaring the experience may have been, in your heart you very well know that it was nothing short of an adventure.

Planned Adventure

Planned adventure is an activity that a person deliberately takes part in, just to experience the sheer thrill and experience. A planned adventure has comparatively less risk involved as all the required safety parameters all also considered. Biking through a mountain or just photographing wildlife are some of the planned adventure’s examples.

There are also several other examples of activities that offer a good amount of adventure, like – horse riding, mountain biking, boating, bungee jumping, river rafting, Paragliding, sky diving, scuba diving, and other similar activities.

There could be several other examples where adventure is planned and deliberate.

Effects of Adventure

Despite having a certain amount of risk involved, the adventure has a very positive effect on mind and health. Though a little scary, the experience leaves one in awe and a high level of adrenaline. A sudden rush of adrenaline is essential for improving one’s mental state of mind, making him/her more confident and happy.

Adventure sports are stress busters and help in elevating the mood, eliminating stress and worry. Routine involvement in adventure activities will completely change one’s life for good. Though, it is also very important that all the essential safety measures must be taken well care of.

Adventure teaches you to stay cool and composed under the most demanding of situations. When you are exposed to critical situations, you gradually learn to deal with it and emerge victoriously. Any kind of adventure lets you overcome your fear and become strong.

Adventure is a wonderful activity that could change your perspective of life and makes you more confident and robust. It brings out the best in you by exposing it to a challenging, risky yet satisfying experience.

FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions

Ans . Adventure is the craving for exploring new things in life.

Ans . Adventure is important in life because it arises in us the capability of taking the risk in life.

Ans . The act of exploring outdoor activities like walking, hiking, biking, etc helps in reducing the stress of mind and body.

Ans . Yes, it brings excitement to our minds and gives us good feelings.

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An Adventurous Story in the Forest in English

This story is based on four friends who showed immense courage and stuck together in a difficult situation depicting what a true friendship looks like.

This short story will help students learn important values in life.

Children will learn how difficult situations can arise at any moment but having a good presence of mind and sticking together in a group can save a lot of mishaps from happening.

Introduction to An Adventurous Story in the Forest

In this article, we will read a small adventure story named “The adventure of four friends”. The story is about a group of four friends who went to the forest for adventure and experienced the beauty of nature. Kids will be thrilled to read about the adventurous journey of the four friends. They can write their own “ my adventure short story ” after reading this story.

The Origin of the Story “The Adventure of Four Friends ”

The story “The adventure of four friends” was written by D. Sai Bhavya from India in 2017. It was written in the 2nd biannual international short story competition which was held in 2017.

Summary- The Adventure of Four Friends Story

Once there were four friends named Rajesh, Arun, Suraj, and Kiran. On a summer holiday, they were feeling bored and just then Suraj proposed to his other friends to go for an adventurous trip to the forest. Other friends agreed to Suraj’s plan and they went to the forest the next day.

Entering the forest they experience the exotic beauty of the forest and suddenly Siraj discovers a big hole near a stone. The four friends jumped into the hole and saw there were six tunnels under the hole. They entered the middle way and went on and on on the dark path. In the dark tunnel, they hooked their torch and ate the food that they brought with them.

After the meal, they again started walking and on their way, they suddenly saw a giant-sized monster. Seeing them the monster started to rush toward them. They were scared too much but somehow gathered courage and tricked the giant creature and managed to escape from it. They again started walking and found a beautiful garden. There was a lake on one side of the garden and green mountains on the other side of it. They went to the lake and drank water from it and rested in the garden for some time. They again started walking and entered the deeper forest. They started to fear wild animals in the forest as it became night. But thankfully they were safe during the night.

The next morning the four friends again started walking and went deeper into the forest. It became hot in the deep forest. Suddenly they saw a cave and inside the cave, they found a flowing river. They made a boat and went on it by the river. They reached a bigger part of the cave and found a big hole in the ceiling. They climbed up and jumped from the hole.

Walking in the forest they found a boy. They asked the boy the name of the village, but the boy was speaking in a different language. But Suraj understood his language and figured out that they were in the western part of the country. Suraj asked for the nearest bus stand, took a bus from there, and reached their house safely. They told their adventurous journey to their other friends and everyone was amazed to hear their story.

The Adventure of Four Friends

Moral of the Adventure of Four Friends Story

The story is an adventurous story in the forest of four friends. The story teaches the kids the importance of courage and friendship. The four friends experienced the beauty of nature and escaped from the danger of the forest as they were courageous and never left each other when they faced problems in the forest.

Note to Parents

The story depicts that parents should teach their kids many moral lessons to become good friends and have the courage to face problems. The short story on an adventure trip of four friends is very interesting for the kids. Students can write my adventure short story as well after reading this curious tale.

FAQs on An Adventurous Story in the Forest in English

1. What was the name of the four friends?

The name of the four friends were Rajesh, Arun, Suraj, and Kiran.

2. Why did they go to the forest?

They went to the forest as they were getting bored in the summer holiday and wanted to do an adventure together.

3. Where did they reach after escaping from the giant monster?

They reached a beautiful garden after escaping from the monster. The garden has a lake on one side and green mountains on the other side.

After my brother tragically died, I knew I wanted to pursue adventure. Now my family and I live on a catamaran.

Rob Hamill's brother was killed by the Khmer Rouge when his boat drifted into Cambodian waters.
Hamill now lives on a catamaran with his wife and sons and honors his brother's legacy.
He feels he is able to have adventures and time with his family that his brother never got.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Rob Hamill , a 60-year-old former rowing Olympian from New Zealand, about how the murder of his brother by the Khmer Rouge inspired his family's decision to live at sea.

The Khmer Rouge was a Communist political regime ruled by dictator Pol Pot in Cambodia between 1975 and 1979. They were responsible for the deaths of nearly 2 million people .

The essay has been edited for length and clarity.

I grew up in a local small town with a population of 15,000 in a beachside community in New Zealand on the east coast of the North Island called Whakatane.

It was a pretty normal Kiwi upbringing.

I was the last of five children. I was closest to my sister, who was four years older than me. My eldest brother, Kerry, was 12 years older than me. He was probably the one I knew the least. But we were very close, especially as I grew older.

My father loved sailing. He was in the merchant Navy during World War II. He had a real love of the sea.

That heavily influenced Kerry. He ended up going to Australia in his early 20s, looking for sailing opportunities. He went up to Darwin and bought a boat called Foxy Lady.

Kerry wrote really lovely letters. You became part of his story as he told it to us, and we lived vicariously through his adventures.

I was 14 in August 1978 when the letters stopped.

My brother was killed by the Khmer Rouge

The last letter he sent us was from Malaysia's east coast. He and his crew got blown off into Cambodian waters and took shelter on King Island, about 50 kilometers offshore.

Around August 20, his boat was attacked by a gunboat. Kerry was captured by the Khmer Rouge.

Kerry and his friend Stuart Glass, a Canadian, were on deck at the time of the attack. Stuart was shot. They both went overboard, and Stuart died in Kerry's arms. He buried him at sea.

Kerry and John Dewhirst, another survivor on the boat, were taken hostage. A few days later, they were taken to Phnom Penh to the Tuol Sleng prison and tortured for months. We're pretty sure Kerry was executed there exactly two months later, in October 1978.

It was 16 months between his last letter and hearing what happened.

My parents were beside themselves. They wrote letters to different ports all over Asia, trying to find the news.

I heard the news around January 1980. Timelines are vague, but I vividly remember that a neighbor rang us one day saying, "You need to get the paper."

My second-eldest brother John and I drove down to the local shop. There was this pile of papers with the headline: Hamill captured by the Khmer Rouge.

Hearing about my brother's demise — reading about it in the paper — was a real shock. That was the first time I grieved.

John took Kerry's death very hard. They were about a year apart. They did everything together as kids. He came home, and there was considerable unrest as we all struggled.

He messed with some drugs along the way that had an effect on him. He got very depressed. So we had a memorial for Kerry, and then a few months later, John took his life.

I feel almost certainly that if Kerry were here, John would be here today as well.

Two funerals in quick succession shaped our family

I became a bit of a loose cannon, a reasonably big drinker during my school years.

But sport was my savior.

After leaving school, I did this electrical apprenticeship but had no passion for electricity. I was so unhappy, so I took up rugby. Every Kiwi bloke has a go at rugby at some point in their lives.

I did that for a couple of years, and then when I was 19, one of my mates said, "I'm going to try out this rowing thing tomorrow morning at the local club. We're going to just have a go. Do you want to come down?"

I remember going to the first race we had. We won by the thinnest of margins. I was absolutely euphoric.

With racing, you can just hammer yourself so hard, push yourself to the near feeling of death, and then the next minute, you're OK.

I trained harder again, and pretty soon, I was going, "Well, I want to go to the top of this thing."

I rowed in the World Championships for many years, and then the Olympics in 1996. In 1997, I won the first Atlantic rowing race.

When I started my own family, I decided to prioritize experiences together

I met my wife Rachel in 1991. During that time, Rachel and her sister competed as triathletes for Ireland.

We knew each other for about 10 years before we got together. We became friends over time, and then it happened when we were both single and she was visiting New Zealand.

She came out to help her sister, who had had twins. She ended up spending three or four months and went home, engaged to me. We got married about six months later, in 2001.

The boys came along very quickly after that. Finn in 2002, Declan in 2004, and Ivan in 2007.

My parents sent Kerry and John off to boarding school when they were 15 and 16.

My memories of Kerry and John would have been much stronger if we had time to grow up together as a close-knit family.

Rachel and I wanted to be with our kids, have experiences, and grow together. So then the question became, "How do we do that?"

Travel is a great way to do that. After the Atlantic race, I had a bit of a career in speaking. Through that, I managed to raise enough money to buy our boat, the Javelot, in 2014.

The following year, we did a seven-month South Pacific tour and took the boys out of school. In 2018, we went full-time.

The homeschooling pretty quickly took a bit of a backseat. Ivan, our youngest, now 16, has never been to school. The other two did do schooling until we started going away for longer periods of time.

We do learning by doing. We talk a lot about world politics, we talk about local community politics. We go offshore and try to interact with the locals as much as possible.

In 2022, we spent two or three months in Darwin, where Kerry had lived for quite some time.

Through his letters, we knew where he had been, generally speaking, and we followed his path. It was amazing.

We went to Cambodia for Christmas 2022. It was emotional and fantastic, especially for the kids who had listened to this whole story told through their father, mother, uncles, and aunts.

We chose a life of adventure

If you're going to do adventurous things, things are going to happen.

( Editor's Note: In September 2023, Hamill's son Finn experienced a deep water blackout while freediving near the family's catamaran in Thailand. He survived.)

Finn didn't have a clue what happened. He thought he had made it to the surface, and we were going, "No, mate, you were out. You were gone."

About half an hour later, the secondary drowning started kicking in with his breathing.

We called for help, and it took about three or four hours for the boat to come out from the mainland to take him in. He didn't need any intervention at the end other than a saline drip.

It was exceedingly scary. But in the moment, there was almost a serenity about it. Watching how the boys handled it and the way everyone did their job, I could not have hoped for a better response, that show of character under pressure.

What Rachel and I are doing is very much an experiment. We've got no Ph.D to say, "Oh yes, this is the way to raise children." It's real gut instinct stuff — but I believe it's working.

We've got kids who are worldly, beautiful, humble, thoughtful, kind, funny, and adventurous.

I feel privileged and lucky to have this life with Rachel and the boys.

I sometimes dwell on what might have been — that my parents, Kerry, and John could have been sharing this with us. I know they would have absolutely loved it.

All you can do is live the life they might have otherwise had. A life of adventure.

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Guest Essay

Why Losing Political Power Now Feels Like ‘Losing Your Country’

A man with his head bowed is wearing a red hat with only the words “great again” visible in the light.

By Thomas B. Edsall

Mr. Edsall contributes a weekly column from Washington, D.C., on politics, demographics and inequality.

Is partisan hostility so deeply enmeshed in American politics that it cannot be rooted out?

Will Donald Trump institutionalize democratic backsliding — the rejection of adverse election results, the demonization of minorities and the use of the federal government to punish opponents — as a fixture of American politics?

The literature of polarization suggests that partisan antipathy has become deeply entrenched and increasingly resistant to amelioration.

“Human brains are constantly scanning for threats to in-groups,” Rachel Kleinfeld , a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, wrote in a September 2023 essay, “ Polarization, Democracy, and Political Violence in the United States: What the Research Says .”

“As people affectively polarize, they appear to blow out-group threats out of proportion, exaggerating the out-group’s dislike and disgust for their own group, and getting ready to defend their in-group, sometimes aggressively,” Kleinfeld argued.

Kleinfeld acknowledged that “a number of interventions have been shown in lab settings, games and short experiments to reduce affective intervention in the short term,” but, she was quick to caution, “reducing affective polarization through these lab experiments and games has not been shown to affect regular Americans’ support for antidemocratic candidates, support for antidemocratic behaviors, voting behavior or support for political violence.”

Taking her argument a step further, Kleinfeld wrote:

Interventions to reduce affective polarization will be ineffective if they operate only at the individual, emotional level. Ignoring the role of polarizing politicians and political incentives to instrumentalize affective polarization for political gain will fail to generate change while enhancing cynicism when polite conversations among willing participants do not generate prodemocratic change.

Yphtach Lelkes , a political scientist at the University of Pennsylvania, succinctly described by email the hurdles facing proposed remedies for polarization and antidemocratic trends:

I don’t think any bottom-up intervention is going to solve a problem that is structural. You could reduce misperceptions for a day or two or put diverse groups together for an hour, but these people will be polarized again as soon as they are exposed once more to campaign rhetoric.

The reality, Lelkes continued, is that “a fish rots from the head, and political elites are driving any democratic backsliding that is occurring in America. Most Republican voters do not support the antidemocratic policies and practices of their elected officials.”

In their March 2024 paper, “ Uncommon and Nonpartisan: Antidemocratic Attitudes in the American Public ,” Lelkes, Derek E. Holliday and Shanto Iyengar , both of Stanford, and Sean J. Westwood of Dartmouth found that public opposition to antidemocratic policies is not adequate to prevent their adoption:

More ominous implications of our results are that 1) public support is not a necessary precondition for backsliding behavior by elites, and 2) Americans, despite their distaste for norm violations, continue to elect representatives whose policies and actions threaten democracy. One explanation is that when partisanship is strong, voters place party and policy goals over democratic values. Indeed, one of the least-supported norm violations — removing polling places in outparty-dominated areas — has already been violated by elected officials in Texas, and there are concerns about pending similar laws in other states. Such unconstrained elite behavior suggests that threats to democracy could well manifest themselves in both parties in the future.

The level of public support for democratic institutions will be a crucial factor in the 2024 elections. President Biden is campaigning on the theme that Trump and his MAGA allies are intent on strengthening authoritarian leadership at the expense of democracy.

Political scientists and reform groups seeking to restore collegiality to political debate and elections have experimented with a wide variety of techniques to reduce partisan hostility and support for antidemocratic policies.

These efforts have raised doubts among other election experts, both about their effectiveness and durability. Such experts cite the virulence of the conflicts over race, ethnicity and values and the determination of Trump and other politicians to keep divisive issues in the forefront of campaigns.

I have written before about the largest study of techniques to lessen polarization, which was conducted by Jan G. Voelkel and Robb Willer , sociologists at Stanford, along with many other colleagues. Voelkel and Willer are the primary authors of “ Megastudy Identifying Effective Interventions to Strengthen Americans’ Democratic Attitudes .” Given the heightened importance of the coming election and the potential effects of polarization on it, their study is worth re-evaluating.

Voelkel, Willer and 83 others

conducted a megastudy (n=32,059) testing 25 interventions designed by academics and practitioners to reduce Americans’ partisan animosity and antidemocratic attitudes. We find nearly every intervention reduced partisan animosity, most strongly by highlighting sympathetic and relatable individuals with different political beliefs. We also identify several interventions that reduced support for undemocratic practices and partisan violence, most strongly by correcting misperceptions of outpartisans’ views — showing that antidemocratic attitudes, although difficult to move, are not intractable.

Their own data and their responses to my inquiries suggest, however, that the optimism of their paper needs to be tempered.

In the case of the “six interventions that significantly reduced partisan animosity,” the authors reported that two weeks later “the average effect size in the durability survey amounted to 29 percent of the average effect size in the main survey.”

I asked Voelkel to explain this further, posing the question: “If the initial reduction in the level of partisan animosity was 10 percentage points, does the 29 percent figure indicate that after two weeks the reduction in partisan animosity was 2.9 percentage points?” Voelkel wrote back to say yes.

In an email responding to some of my follow-up questions about the paper, Voelkel wrote:

I do not want to overstate the success of the interventions that we tested in our study. Our contribution is that we identify psychological strategies for intervening on partisan animosity and antidemocratic attitudes in the context of a survey experiment. We still need to test how big the effects could be in a large-scale campaign in which the psychological mechanisms for reducing partisan animosity and antidemocratic attitudes get triggered not once (as in our study) but ideally many times and over a longer period.

Voelkel cautioned that “one-time interventions might not be enough to sustainably reduce affective polarization in the mass public. Thus, successful efforts would need to be applied widely and repeatedly to trigger the psychological mechanisms that are associated with reductions in affective polarization.”

Willer sent a detailed response to my queries by email:

First, to be clear, we do not claim that the interventions we tested have large enough effects that they would cure the problems they target. We do not find evidence for that. Far from it. I would characterize the results of the Strengthening Democracy Challenge in a more measured way. We find that many of the interventions we tested reliably, meaningfully and durably reduce both survey and behavioral indicators of partisan animosity.

Willer wrote that “the interventions we tested were pretty effective in reducing animosity toward rival partisans, particularly in the short term. However, we found that the interventions we tested were substantially less effective in reducing antidemocratic attitudes, like support for undemocratic practices and candidates.”

Other scholars were more skeptical.

I asked Lilliana Mason , a political scientist at Johns Hopkins and a leading scholar of affective polarization: “Are there methods to directly lessen polarization? Are they possible on a large, populationwide scale?”

“If we knew that,” she replied by email, “we would have definitely told people already.”

There is evidence, Mason continued, that

it is possible to correct misperceptions about politics by simply providing correct information. The problem is that this new correct information doesn’t change people’s feelings about political candidates or issues. For example, you can correct a lie told by Donald Trump, and people will believe the new correct information, but that won’t change their feelings about Trump at all.

“We think of affective polarization as being extremely loyal to one side and feeling strong animosity toward the other side,” Mason wrote, adding:

This can be rooted in substantive disagreements on policy, identity-based status threat, safe versus dangerous worldview, historical and contemporary patterns of oppression, violations of political norms, vilifying rhetoric, propagandistic media and/or a number of other influences. But once we are polarized, it’s very difficult to use reason and logic to convince us to think otherwise.

Similarly, “there are methods that reduce polarization in academic research settings,” Westwood, an author of the March paper cited above, wrote by email. He continued:

The fundamental problems are that none “cure” polarization (i.e., move the population from negative to neutral attitudes toward the opposing party), none last more than a short period of time and none have a plausible path to societywide deployment. It is impossible to reach every American in need of treatment, and many would balk at the idea of having their political attitudes manipulated by social scientists or community groups.

More important, in Westwood’s view, is that

whatever techniques might exist to reduce citizen animosity must be accompanied by efforts to reduce hostility among elected officials. It doesn’t matter if we can make someone more positive toward the other party if that effect is quickly undone by watching cable news, reading social media or otherwise listening to divisive political elites.

Referring to the Voelkel-Willer paper, Westwood wrote:

It is a critically important scientific study, but it, like nearly all social science research, does not demonstrate that the studied approaches work in the real world. Participants in this study were paid volunteers, and the effects were large but not curative. (They reduced partisan hatred and did not cure it.) To fix America’s problems, we need to reach everyone from fringe white nationalists to single moms in Chicago, which is so costly and logistically complicated that there isn’t a clear path toward implementation.

One problem with proposals designed to reduce partisan animosity and antidemocratic beliefs, which at least three of the scholars I contacted mentioned, is that positive effects are almost immediately nullified by the hostile language in contemporary politics.

“The moralized political environment is a core problem,” Peter Ditto , a professor of psychological science at the University of California, Irvine, wrote by email:

Unless we can bring the temperature down in the country, it is going to be hard to make progress on other fronts, like trying to debias citizens’ consumption of political information. The United States is stuck in this outrage spiral. Partisan animosity both fuels and is fueled by a growing fact gap between red and blue America.

Ditto argued that there is “good evidence for the effectiveness of accuracy prompts (correcting falsehoods) to reduce people’s belief in political misinformation,” but “attempting to reduce political polarization with accuracy prompts alone is like trying to start a mediation during a bar fight.”

Attempts to improve political decision making, Ditto added, “are unlikely to have a substantial effect unless we can tamp down the growing animosity felt between red and blue America. The United States has gone from a politics based on disagreement to one based on dislike, distrust, disrespect and often even disgust.”

Citing the Voelkel-Willer paper, Jay Van Bavel , a professor of psychology and neural science at N.Y.U., emailed me to express his belief that “there are solid, well-tested strategies for reducing affective polarization. These are possible on a large scale if there is sufficient political will.”

But Van Bavel quickly added that these strategies “are up against all the other factors that are currently driving conflict and animosity, including divisive leaders like Donald Trump, gerrymandering, hyperpartisan media (including social media), etc. It’s like trying to bail out the Titanic.”

Simply put, it is difficult, if not impossible, to attempt to counter polarization at a time when partisan sectarianism is intense and pervasive.

Bavel described polarization as

both an illness from various problems in our political system and an outcome. As a result, the solution is going to be extremely complex and involve different leadership (once Trump and his inner circle leave the scene, that will help a lot), as well as a number of structural changes (removing gerrymandering and other incentive structures that reinforce extremism).

Affective polarization, Bavel added,

is really just a disdain for the other political party. Political sectarianism seems to be an even worse form because now you see the other party as evil. Both of these are, of course, related to ideological polarization. But affective polarization and political sectarianism are different because they can make it impossible to cooperate with an opponent even when you agree. That’s why they are particularly problematic.

Stanley Feldman , a political scientist at Stony Brook University, pointed to another characteristic of polarization that makes it especially difficult to lower the temperature of the conflict between Republicans and Democrats: There are real, not imaginary, grounds for their mutual animosity.

In an email, Feldman wrote:

There is a reality to this conflict. There has been a great deal of social change in the U.S. over the past few decades. Gay marriage is legal, gender norms are changing, the country is becoming more secular, immigration has increased.

Because of this, Feldman added:

it’s a mistake to suggest this is like an illness or disease. We’re talking about people’s worldviews and beliefs. As much as we may see one side or the other to be misguided and a threat to democracy, it’s still important to try to understand and take seriously their perspective. And analogies to illness or pathology will not help to reduce conflict.

There are, in Feldman’s view,

two major factors that have contributed to this. First, national elections are extremely competitive now. Partisan control of the House and Senate could change at every election. Presidential elections are decided on razor-thin margins. This means that supporters of each party constantly see the possibility of losing power every election. This magnifies the perceived threat from the opposing party and increases negative attitudes toward the out-party.

The second factor?

The issues dividing the parties have changed. When the two parties fought over the size of government, taxes and social welfare programs, it was possible for partisans to imagine a compromise that is more or less acceptable even if not ideal. Compromise on issues like abortion, gender roles, L.G.B.T.Q. rights and the role of religion is much more difficult, so losing feels like more of a threat to people’s values. Feldman continued:

From a broader perspective, these issues, as well as immigration and the declining white majority, reflect very different ideas of what sort of society the United States should be. This makes partisan conflict feel like an existential threat to an “American” way of life. Losing political power then feels like losing your country. And the opposing parties become seen as dangers to society.

These legitimately felt fears and anxieties in the electorate provide a fertile environment for elected officials, their challengers and other institutional forces to exacerbate division.

As Feldman put it:

It’s also important to recognize the extent to which politicians, the media, social media influencers and others have exacerbated perceptions of threat from social change. Take immigration, for example. People could be reminded of the history of immigration in the U.S.: how immigrants have contributed to American society, how second and third generations have assimilated, how previous fears of immigration have been unfounded. Instead there are voices increasing people’s fear of immigration, suggesting that immigrants are a threat to the country, dangerous and even less than human. Discussions of a “great replacement” theory, supposed attacks on religion, dangers of immigration and changing gender norms undermining men’s place in society magnify perceptions of threat from social change. Cynical politicians have learned that they can use fear and partisan hostility to their political advantage. As long as they think this is a useful strategy, it will be difficult to begin to reduce polarization and partisan hostility.

In other words, as long as Trump is the Republican nominee for president and as long as the prospect of a majority-minority country continues to propel right-wing populism, the odds of reducing the bitter animosity that now characterizes American politics remain slim.

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips . And here's our email: [email protected] .

Follow the New York Times Opinion section on Facebook , Instagram , TikTok , WhatsApp , X and Threads .

Thomas B. Edsall has been a contributor to the Times Opinion section since 2011. His column on strategic and demographic trends in American politics appears every Wednesday. He previously covered politics for The Washington Post. @ edsall

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Short Essay on My Adventurous Trip [100, 200, 400 Words] With PDF
Visa Guide: 100, 200, 400 Words Paragraph and Short Essay [With PDF] We planned to go to Rohtang Pass first. We started our journey. A car was booked. We took it and went to Rohtang. The road was like a snake. It was the first adventure I had there. It went slowly to the hilltop. I felt the cool breeze and looked out.
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The key is to choose a specific world for your adventure, and study what your readers would want from an adventure in such a place. Tweet this. Tweet. If your adventure story takes place on an island full of dinosaurs, readers will want a variety of situations bursting with danger. An encounter with a stegosaurus; an attack by a hungry ...
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A child discovers a portal going to infinite dimensions. A boy is abducted by aliens after they see his amazing fighting skills in video games. With their hot air balloon malfunctioning, two kids soar through the air until their town can barely be seen. On a hiking trip, a group of friends encounters a pack of wolves.
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An Adventurous Story in the Forest in English
They can write their own " my adventure short story " after reading this story. The Origin of the Story "The Adventure of Four Friends " The story "The adventure of four friends" was written by D. Sai Bhavya from India in 2017. It was written in the 2nd biannual international short story competition which was held in 2017. Summary ...
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Short Essay on My Adventurous Trip [100, 200, 400 Words] With PDF

Short Essay on My Adventurous Trip in 100 Words

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Short Essay: My Adventurous Trip

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17 True Short Adventure Travel Stories That Will Inspire Your Next Trip

Where Should Your Next Travel Adventure Be? [Free Quiz]

True Short Travel Adventure Stories In Real-Life

1. Trekking Nepal’s Mohare Danda Route

2. Hiking in Georgia’s Greater Caucasus Mountains

3. Hitchhiking in Kazakhstan

4. Swimming with wild dolphins in Kaikoura, New Zealand

5. Canyoneering near Zion National Park

6. Hiking without a guide to Dzukou Valley of Nagaland, India

7. Whale watching in New Zealand on a scenic flight

8. Climbing Mayan Pyramids in Yucatan, Mexico

9. Horseback riding on a black sand beach in Vieques, Puerto Rico

10. Completing the 9-day “O” trek in Torres del Paine

11. Hiking Mount Etna

12. Backcountry camping in Zion National Park

13. Hiking the Binongan Trail in the Philippines’ Abra Province

14. Camping in Australia’s Outback

15. Hiking the Iceland Interior

16. Hiking the Tongariro Crossing in winter

17. Exploring the backcountry of Algonquin Provincial Park

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