7 Of The Best Off The Grid Adventures

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Off The Grid Adventures You Need To Try

We have digital tools that can help us manage our money and our time, help us remember what we need from the grocery store and even feel more connected to loved ones far away. At the same time, all this connection with digital devices can also create a lack of connection with nature, the loved ones closest to us and the world around us. Video chatting with a colleague in London, Rome or Dubai will never be quite the same as getting out to explore those places on our own.

Whether you want to go entirely off-grid or just have an adventure that doesn’t involve tech, here are 7 great off the grid adventures that you need to try. 

1. Trekking

Unlike camping or backpacking, trekking generally involves making a long journey across a large stretch of land. When you have to carry everything with you, it makes sense to pare down to the absolute basics. This includes ditching your cell phone, charger and battery pack.

Most of which won’t do you any good anyway, since there is very little service in some of the best areas for trekking. From Patagonia in Argentina to The Camino de Santiago in Spain, here are some of the best treks in the world and how to go on one.

2. Visit A Remote Island

Yes, you can visit a giant tourist hotel in Hawaii, the Bahamas or Mazatlan, but there are literally thousands of smaller, remote islands to take an off-the-grid adventure on.

Photo by Artem Bali

You can certainly travel to a remote island in a far-off distant land if you like, but there are also plenty of opportunities to unplug closer to home as well. The Cook Islands are a chain of 9 Islands located between Hawaii and New Zealand or you can visit Lord Howe Island for an unplugged adventure even closer to home.

3. Try Off The Grid Farming

While most people feel that something in them comes alive when they reconnect with nature, different people connect with nature very differently. Some people love to sink their toes in a sandy beach, while others love to dig their fingers deep into the loamy earth.

If connecting with soil helps you feel most connected to the earth, then off-the-grid farming might be just the adventure for you. Spending time in nature, away from the online world and social media can change your perspective and improve your health.

Not only can you spend your vacation learning about sustainable farming, but you just might pick up a new hobby to take back home with you. For couples that have different passions, you can even try off the grid fruit farming in Hawaii.

4. Eco Tourism

If you want to do more than just unplug, but truly get back to nature, eco-tourism might be right for you. From snorkeling and scuba diving to taking a trek through the virgin jungle, eco-tourist destinations also generally offer accommodations in a secluded locale where you can unplug, recharge and reconnect with virgin forests or untamed wildernesses.

The Lapa Rios Ecolodge on the Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica offers spectacular accommodations where you can be lulled to sleep at night by a symphony of crickets, cicadas, and kinkajous.

5. Robinsonian Tourism

For a truly off-the-grid experience, Croatia, in particular, has developed a unique tourism experience. Croatia offers hundreds of cottages and bungalows that don’t just lack internet or TV, but many even lack running water or electricity!

Photo by Marian Florinel Condruz

Some offer a minimal amount of electricity through windmills or solar cells, but for the most part when they say “back to nature” they really mean it.

While spectacular, untamed beaches may be just a stone’s throw away, grocery stores or any other forms of “civilization” are often several miles away. If you want to truly get away from it all, including modern luxuries like room service and spa treatments, then Croatia might be the place to do it.

6. Wilderness Adventure

While some people may love the idea of spending a week on a deserted island and others find the idea of a week in a lush jungle to be equally appealing, some may long for a rugged wilderness experience.

Rogue River Wilderness Adventures offers a number of adventure packages that include white water rafting, fishing, and hiking. For lodging, they offer both camping and accommodations in a wilderness lodge.

Photo by Oliver Sjöström

Sometimes, you don’t want to spend a week or more doing just one thing. A wilderness adventure can help you unplug and recharge but still offer you a variety of experiences in just one trip.

7. Sail To Ski Adventure

While many people wait for temperatures to soar to go on an adventure, others love adventures involving snow and ice.

For those that want their adventures to involve thermal underwear and fur coats, another way to enjoy a range of off the grid adventures is with a Norwegian sail-to-ski adventure. On this adventure, you can sail the spectacular Norwegian Fjords before jumping off to glide down pristine mountain peaks.

Photo by Marian Florinel Condruz

For a slightly more budget-friendly option, you can do the same thing in the spectacular terrain of southern Alaska.

There is no doubt that different people connect to nature differently. Some love to spend their leisure time leisurely soaking up the sun, while others love to spend it digging their hands deep into the soil or to navigate uncharted winter terrain.

No matter what your passion or what you long for, there is a way to unplug, recharge and connect to the earth in a way that suits you best in these off the grid adventures. 

Feature image by Fred Kearney
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Josh McAllister

Josh is a freelance tech writer based in New York. In his free time, he enjoys all things geeky and gadgetry, the outdoors, and spending time with his family.

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