The average age until when a person works every day in his life is 62 years old. For all the years a person works, it was mostly spent on stress and anxiety trying to meet deadlines, working tirelessly every day from 8 to 5, and making ends meet on a small salary. It is a famous saying that many people work hard to retire at old age without any other experience to show for it.
Because of the way capitalism is structured, people almost often forget to live their lives. Understandably, some people love their work to its last bits. However, due to the extreme focus and effort some kinds of work demand, it is possible to be consumed by your job. Mental burnouts and breakdowns happen so nonchalantly and normally that seeing people in your work undergo that kind of implosion is not considered an emergency.
On average, people only take vacations a few times a year. According to a study conducted with tourists, the number of days one spends on vacation does not have a point of diminishing returns if the trip is just short. Spending time on tour for more than two weeks is enough for your mind to become soaked with dopamine. While some people can go for years without any vacation, they must go on vacation that engages them in something entirely different from their day-to-day.
While this is the depressing state of things, it is never too late for the already-retired or the almost retiring to get out there and experience life. While the advice is never to leave your current job, maybe it is high time for you to take a step back and try to live your days to the fullest. It is important to have a career and to have a source of living. However, being consumed by work is no way to live life.
Engaging in safe but extreme activities is always something that those who are already old can try. In the words of Henry David Thoreau, people should go out there and try to squeeze, suck, and slurp the marrow out of life. What are the extreme activities for people who are already retired or almost retiring?
African Safari Adventure
Spend your money wisely. Trips to Africa are cheaper than one can imagine. Various spots in Africa offer experiences like no other. For example, a Safari trip in East Africa will allow you to witness the Serengeti migration up close. Many wildlife reserves allow visitors to drop by at certain specific points in the year. They have scientifically studied specific scenarios that occur at certain seasons. Planning your trip around takes you face to face with the great wilderness of Africa. Maybe you can even encounter a lion or wild dog hunting party if you are lucky.
Grand Canyon Rafting Adventure
Tick off that bucket list early by visiting a local wonder. The Grand Canyon is a national treasure located in the Eastern part of the United States that Americans surprisingly rarely visit. A rafting trip is a manageable activity that even the elderly can do (with the guidance of experienced professionals, of course). The Grand Canyon is often overlooked as a tourist destination. It offers a lot of sights and adventures that you can never experience anywhere else.
Ride Adventures
Many people work so hard in their life to get a taste of how it is to ride one’s dream car. A lot of people dream about owning an SUV to drive around in dangerous terrain. Make these dreams come true by going out on an adventure. Various ATV tours are widely available across the country for people of all ages to try out ATV riding. Many adventure seekers also access dirt bike riding for the thrill of going up and down dirt ride tracks. Thankfully, these trips are cheap and guided by professionals.
Deep-sea Dive Adventure
There are plenty of available ways even the elderly can access the deep blue sea. Offers of helmet diving and submarine trips are offered to the courageous few. It is an exciting and adventurous activity that can surely change the way you view life. Diving the sea lets you experience marine life and lets you realize how fragile the world we live in is. It also gives you an insight into how important it is for everyone to experience sea life and how connected all living things are. Diving the sea does not automatically mean scuba diving. People can still experience diving without subjecting themselves to tiring circumstances.
