We get it. You really need a break. Downtime. Relaxation. Time to book a vacation in Jamaica so you can…
Try a new adventure?
Does adventure travel sound way too energetic, even the opposite of what you need in a holiday? Think again.
Soft adventure is not about extreme, adrenaline-inducing activities that involve intensive training or baked-in danger. It's being active, interacting with the outdoors and nature--as well as cultural activities--and it's one of today's top travel trends.
Here's why finding a way to make soft adventure part of your next Jamaican holiday might be the best travel decision you'll make all year.
Physical Wellness
- Fill your 'park prescription': anytime you can be active rather than sedentary, you're doing your body good. Doctors are starting to prescribe 'park prescriptions' to get people moving outdoors, deep breathing clean air, absorbing Vitamin D to reduce the impact of, and even treat common modern ailments, from heart disease to obesity to ADD. And, of course, you've heard that sitting is the new smoking. Anytime you're moving, your overall health and fitness is winning.
- And knowing you're going on an adventure on your next vacation can give you motivation to stay on your fitness program at home.
- See green to get fit: getting outdoors is one of the best ways to support your fitness goals. Research shows that when you're viewing the color green (that is, plant life in a natural setting), exercise actually feels easier!
- Get dirty to get healthy: It's possible our lives have just gotten too… clean. It's time to get down in the muck to strengthen our immune and digestive systems. Contact with soil and the earth is now believed be important to reconnect us to the good bacteria, enzymes and other organisms in soil that helped our ancestors – and can help us – strengthen our bodies against allergies, asthma, chronic digestive problems and support our overall immune systems.
Guests hike a mountain trail in the Cockpit Country
Mental Wellness
- Reduce stress, improve your mood and perceived energy: Being active in nature has been shown to realign thinking associated with stress, depression and low energy levels. Viewing natural beauty can elicit feelings of awe, releasing endorphins and triggering a purely natural, mental high.
- Take a hike, grow your brain-power: Memory loss as you age is linked to a shrinking hippocampus in your brain. Guess what? Hiking and walking or similar moderate outdoor activity grows the hippocampus, with just three 40 minute walks a week.
- Give yourself a sense of accomplishment: Physical adventures give you opportunities to push the envelope and acquire new skills and knowledge outside of your daily routine, especially when they take place in a new environment. When you set yourself a challenge – like getting to the top of a new hill, to the end of a new trail--and achieve it, you get a chemical reward from our brains that creates euphoria. Don't we all need some natural euphoria in our lives?
Personal Growth
- Create Memories and Stories: Our earliest ancestors knew the value of group memories and storytelling. Outdoor adventures and challenges create new memories, shared stories, opportunities to learn from challenges and share them.
- Forge new relationships: embarking on challenges, achieving goals and getting those outdoor experiences with other people can forge lasting bonds, whether it's with your sweetheart, family members or new friends.
- Expand your horizons: getting immersed in a different culture can help expand your worldview. Embracing local food, music and art gives you a rewarding experience, and helps evolve your sense of empathy and shared humanity.
There are many opportunities to experience natural and cultural adventure on the island of Jamaica. A good place to start could be with Cockpit Country Adventure Tours, who offers a wide range of hiking, spelunking and birding opportunities in the western central mountains of Jamaica.
