How to Have an Easy and Low Stakes Adventure in Your Own City

100 Things #011 - Get Lost on Purpose

When you’re a kid, finding a new shortcut from the street behind your childhood home to the nearby park feels like a major discovery — like something that warrants pulling out a pen and paper and drawing out a map to mark your findings. 

Photo by Dale Nibbe on Unsplash

There’s something special about that unique kind of childlike wonder that centers around exploring your own neighbourhood that gets lost as you come to understand things like mapping websites and GPS apps. 

I think that part of the appeal of travelling for many people is getting to re-experience that wonder to some extent. A foreign area with new rules, new culture, and a new language can be exactly what the mind needs to tap into that feeling of being lost, while still knowing that, at the end of the day, you’re safe. 

I felt this a few years ago during my trip to Paris, trying to navigate a relatively complicated train system, and in French no less. I feel it too every time I go camping and have to develop a new lay of the land for the unknown environment. It can be intimidating, but it’s also incredibly rewarding to feel like you’re the one who navigated through that maze of a downtown square, or that you’re the one who discovered that hole-in-the-wall restaurant in the quieter part of town.

But unfortunately, travel isn’t always a super accessible way of having an adventure, and this feeling of getting lost is something that I think we should be able to recreate more regularly, finding some way to incorporate it into daily life whenever possible. 

Everyone’s circumstances are different, so not every piece of advice will apply to everyone, but there are a number of options for capturing this feeling in a bottle and enjoying it when we please. 

Oh, and it goes without saying that if one were to try this, one should do it safely. Bring a friend! Stay aware of your surroundings! Whatever is necessary to ensure that this is more of an exploration of the environment than an exploration of risk. 

Lost in Public Transit

Get lost on the bus. Or a city train. Or a metro. Or hop on a rental bike even, and just go. I used to fantasize about doing this as a kid. Just riding whatever bus came to the stop first, rolling a die or two to see how many stops I’d ride for, and letting fate take the wheel. 

At the end of the little adventure, opening a map and redirecting home is usually a simple enough task. And if there’s any real concern about not being able to find a place to eat along the way, why not pack a meal?

This option can be especially fun with some music to listen to, or a good book. Scenery may not always be in your favour, so a little entertainment of your own may be in order. 

Lost in Nature

A bit self-explanatory, but an option that never gets old. Woods, fields, wildlife gardens, hiking trails… There exists a never-ending supply of nature to explore if you’re willing to go far enough to find some. 

Sometimes, it’s fun to challenge yourself a little. What would this hike look like if I didn’t check the map on my phone for support? 

I’ve even gone so far as to bring a compass and map to truly immerse myself in nature, just to really capture that feeling of getting a little lost. 

As long as you’re equipped with the right materials needed to take a little extra time to find your way home, there’s nothing wrong with taking the path less travelled. 

Lost from Routine

What does your drive home look like if you take the scenic route? What does the bike ride to the store look like if you take the path by the creek instead of the one through the city streets? Why not walk to school from the bus station instead of hopping on the transfer?

Routines can be handy, no doubt about it, but there is also a novelty lost in the process of building an unchanging habit. 

So just try switching it up one day. See what happens. You might learn something about your neighbourhood that you otherwise could have gone your whole life unaware of. 

This is something I discussed at length in my post, 100 Things #005 - Micro-Experimenting/Life-Tuning, if you’d like to check it out!

Photo by Zach Wiley on Unsplash

Regardless of what sort of adventure you’re able to have, the point of all of this is to hold on to that sense of childlike wonder in whatever shape or form works for you.

I’ll leave you here with a few journaling prompts for those who want to do a bit of guided thinking around this topic:

• Consider the different ways you can intentionally get lost, such as public transit adventures, nature hikes, or breaking from routine. Which option appeals to you the most, and why?

• Explore the idea of discomfort and uncertainty that comes with getting lost. How can embracing these feelings lead to personal growth and resilience?

• Reflect on the concept of "finding yourself" while getting lost. Have you ever discovered something new about yourself or your surroundings during an unplanned adventure?

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With all that off my chest, I’d love to hear if any of you decide to try getting lost on purpose yourself. Let me know where you end up!

I’ll be waiting to hear about any of your discoveries in the email replies and in the comments below.

For now, have a good week, and I’ll see you at 100.