A dictionary defines the word "adventure" as

"an unusual and exciting or daring experience".

For many years I had been associating the idea of adventure to either visiting tropical jungles and islands or the far North, and in my life I have experienced both: I have been to the Arctic Circle and I have been to several tropical islands.

I did a great deal of travelling before I got married and quite a bit of travelling during the early years of my marriage but lately the degree to which I can travel is getting more and more limited.

One of the reasons why right now I travel much less than in the past is the fact that my wife has been living overseas for over 30 years and, therefore, she associates the idea of travelling to being an immigrant on foreign soil, so she doesn't care about travelling and she doesn't need any more travelling, she is, understandably, sick of it.

Another reason is that my wife's entire family has moved here so she has no more reason to even go back to the Philippines.

On top of that I am getting older and retirement is not in sight so I find it more and more difficult to work and after work I feel exhausted and, therefore, the last thing I feel like doing when I have a little bit of free time or a vacation is to go on a long journey, in other words I need proper rest and I need to recharge my batteries.

But my spirit of adventure is not dead yet, therefore I have come up with new and interesting ways to experience adventure at zero cost, and when I talk about zero cost I don't just mean zero financial cost: I mean zero cost in terms of time and energy.

So I have deeply mused over the above mentioned definition of the word adventure as "an unusual and exciting or daring experience" and I have asked myself: how can I, given my personal and family circumstances, still experience unusual or daring experiences and do so at zero physical and even financial cost and zero cost in terms of the time I take away from my wife who doesn't care about adventures?

Winter Swimming: the Ultimate Adventure at Zero Cost

I drive a lot in and around Rome to go from one client to another and, luckily, wherever I go to work there is a body of water within reach, as in the outskirts of Rome we've got the sea, several lakes and a few rivers and waterfalls.

About 4 years ago I stumbled upon the so-called Wim Hof Method and winter swimming, so one day, while I was working close to Lake Bracciano, I decided to try taking a cold plunge into the lake...and it was love at first sight.

Since then I have been practicing winter swimming consistently and doing it whenever I work close to the sea, a lake or a river and so I get to experience amazing adventures in 10-15 minutes or so without taking away time and resources from other responsibilities. Yes I get to experience "daring and exciting" adventures at virtually zero cost.

Swimming in Lake Bracciano on January 12th....

Secret Places Within Reach

During the pandemic, and the subsequent travel restrictions, I stumbled upon a book by a guy by the name of Luigi Plos entitled "Luoghi Segreti a Due Passi da Roma" ("Secret Places in Reach of Rome") and this book introduced me to a lot of hidden gems, totally unknown to the general public, like Etruscan ruins situated in the middle of forests in which there is not even a single trail, canyons and waterfalls with Etruscan tombs carved in the tufa rocks of said canyons, ghost towns abandoned centuries ago...and some of those places are situated either within the municipality of Rome or slightly outside.

A hidden Etruscan tunnel in the middle of the woods...5 minutes away from one of my clients
A stunning view of Lake Albano from a hidden cave hidden in the woods without any trails to get there, 10 minutes away from the ring highway of Rome

So, with a little bit of creativity I have found clever and amazing ways to get incredibly excited and experience amazing adventures....in 10-30-60 minutes on my way from one client to another....indeed adventure at ZERO COST....FROM ZERO TO HERO IN 10 TO MAXIMUM 60 MINUTES.....!

Yes, it is indeed possible to experience adventure at NO cost whatsoever!

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