3 Ways to Live it Up Away From Home

by Rease Kirchner

We’ve all heard the all-encompassing guilt relieving and pressure building phrase: “but you’re on vacation!”. I would like encourage you to fully embrace that philosophy. Some things are just way cooler when you do them in a different city; here are my top three suggestions.

1. Skydiving

Skydiving is a pretty adventurous endeavor no matter where you are, but when asked “What’d you do on your trip?” what better answer could you have then “I went skydiving!”

I chose to skydive in Córdoba, Argentina. I decided to be extra brave and take the instructions in Spanish. I climbed into a tiny plane where I was safely strapped to a professional skydiver and before I knew it I was jumping out of a plane, shortly followed by another diver with a camera on his helmet. Thirty seconds of free fall and a few minutes of graceful gliding over the beautiful landscape of Córdoba. A total rush followed by a peaceful view of a foreign city.

2. Paragliding

Getting Ready for Take-off. Photo by Rachel Davis

While paragliding may sound similar to skydiving, doing one should definitely not cancel out the other. Paragliding is a much more tranquil experience, excellent for snapping photographs and really soaking up every inch of the land you are floating over. Paragliding is a great vacation experience because you can choose a location with the kind of landscape you want to get a great view of, such as a mountainous area or an ocean.

I chose mountains, the Andes Mountains in Mendoza, Argentina to be exact. Nothing can get your nerves going like a long, bumpy ride up a not-so-safe looking mountain trail, but when I got to the top, I was still fully willing to strap on the parachute and leap into the abyss. While the main event of paragliding is the, well, gliding, portion, the beginning and end are not to be overlooked. After being hooked up to a parachute I was told to run directly off a mountain. The feeling of running into what looks like certain death and then unexpectedly feeling your feet pushing air is completely indescribable. The gliding was a really relaxing experience, the ride was so smooth I was able to take out my camera and snap some photos of my feet hanging above the mountains.

3. Athletic Feats

Denver, CO Half-Marathon. Photo by Abby Hendren

There is something to be said for exercising at all while on vacation, but it is especially admirable and rewarding to complete something notable such as sports competition or long distance run. It is almost as if you have conquered another city.

I chose to do a half marathon (13.1 miles/21k) in Denver, CO. Why Denver, you ask? Well, because it’s the Mile High City with significantly less oxygen than the average city, of course! I had just run a half marathon in my hometown of St. Louis, MO (alongside editor, Emily Sims, I might add) and I wanted to do something even better.  I decided to go to a new city and dedicate my finish to the students St. Cecilia School where I worked at the time. It was amazing to be cheered on by citizens of a totally different city and completely exhilarating to cross the finish line feeling as if for a moment, I owned Denver, CO, low oxygen levels and all.

Rease Kirchner a staff writer/Travel Advisor for Travelated. She is a US citizen currently living the ex-pat life in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She is bilingual and an experienced traveler. She loves gaining and sharing knowledge of local cultures, customs and adventure. Her blog Mi Vida en Buenos Aires documents her life as a foreigner.