I’m very excited to share our first adventure series blog post with you! In the adventure series, Jelger and I are joining an adventurous couple, that has an interesting story to share on a hike in or close to Vancouver.

Adoration 4 adventure

This story starts with an American and an Australian meeting while backpacking in Cambodia! Meet Chantell and Darrell from Adoration 4 adventure!  They’ve been traveling together ever since :). I’m glad we got to meet up with them before they’re going to start their journey through Central America!

Their choice of hike: Quarry Rock hiking trail in North Vancouver. Why they chose this hike? Because it’s a fun hike, not too hard and you get rewarded with a gorgeous view. It was one of the first hikes they did in Vancouver. Also one of the first hikes Jelger and I did in Vancouver, btw! We hadn’t done it again, so we were very excited!

In true West Coast style, it rained during our hike, but luckily it wasn’t too bad and the view at the end was very much worth it! 🙂

Living a life of freedom

While chatting about life, something struck a chord with me: for Chantell and Darrell living a life of freedom is an absolute choice. Although I think Jelger and I have become fairly adventurous, we’re not at the point (yet!) where we’d just hop on a plain and leave for X months without having anything set in stone. 😉 Chantell travelled to 30 countries before she got 30 and Darrell is working on his 40 before 30!! They both have a fantastic “just go for it” mentality and we could tell this helps them to think outside the box and make things happen!

Meanwhile, Jelger was very impressed with Darrell’s musical side, which Chantelle told me gives funny situations when they do karaoke together. Apparently Darrell sings perfectly and she sings perfectly convinced… 😉 It reminds me of Jelger’s karaoke skills, which I’ve only witnessed once on a rather drunk night in Vegas… haha)

Travel tips and couch surfing

Chantelle gave me some excellent advice when it comes to traveling: “write down your travel goals.” It doesn’t matter when you’re going, but create a list with countries that are a priority for you to visit. By making it part of your plan, you’ll start working towards it.

Write down your travel goals. By making it part of your plan, you’ll start working towards them

The couple also told me about their good experiences with couch surfing :). You’ll experience the location where you’re staying differently, since you get to approach it with with someone local who knows all the best go-to-places, which you wouldn’t necessarily find otherwise. Of course, as a fan Chantell supports the couch surfing community by hosting people on her own couch! So far, Jelger and I have only tried it once but we’re definitely considering it again for the future.

And keep in mind (I’ve experienced this too ;)) if you do end up with not-so-great experiences, they can still make for the best stories afterwards. For these tips and many more, check out their travel blog, where you can also get personalized help with planning out your own adventure vacation. 🙂

How to live an adventurous life?

The final question I asked Chantell and Darrell (and we’ll ask this to all the the future couples we’ll be hiking with) is what they would advise to live life more adventurously.

“Whenever going on adventures it is important to be relaxed about plans and keep an open mind. Stuff is going to go wrong – it is inevitable. What you can control is how you react to the situation and your mood. After all some of the worst experiences make the best stories. Also it is critical to be gentle and careful with your partner’s feelings – especially when encountering problems while traveling. It’s too easy to lose your temper in the heat of the moment. Overall, if you are able to adventure together and overcome obstacles on the road – that can help you grow closer and stronger as a couple.”

I have the feeling this blog post only briefly touches the surface of this fantastic duo. 🙂 Follow them on Facebook and/or Instagram to see where their next travel is leading them and get inspired!

Thanks a lot guys for spending the afternoon with us! Maybe we’ll get to do this again in a more exotic location one day! The world is a small place! 😀

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