What’s so important about having an adventure buddy in college? I already have friends and we do plenty of fun stuff together. That may all be true, but have you ever ventured out together. Better yet, do you travel through life together and are at the same pace? To give you a better understanding, here is a list of five reasons why having an adventure buddy in college is significant.
1.) New Experience
When talking about adventures in college, they are everywhere. I’m not strictly limiting an adventure like a day of hiking to Camelback Mountain or kayaking in Saguaro Lake for the first time (although they would definitely count). I’m talking about a late-night drive, touring the campus and getting lost, or going on an excursion trying to find our way out of the OdySea Mirror Maze. Nobody wants to experience new things on their own. Doing things with others makes “more” always possible.
My adventure buddy, Gabby, and I were the two unexpected peas in a pod. I have always been a girl looking for her next adventure. Gabby was a girl who wanted to seek it for the first time. I was thinking about joining a club that was on campus, GCU Outdoor Rec. It was a club for GCU students who wanted to explore Arizona while residing there for schooling. I asked Gabby if she wanted to join the club with me, considering she wanted to try this whole adventure thing. Plus, it would help both of us be comfortable while being out of our comfort zone. It hadn’t even been a month yet and we were already planning the next for the next four months’ worth of adventures.
2.) Open Up
After you start going on adventures with your buddy, spontaneous or not, it’s hard to stop. One thing I learned while going on these adventures was that I found it really easy to talk to my buddy. I could talk to her about anything. Taking weekend camping trips, driving late in the night, and waking at the crack of dawn to take a sunrise hike at Piestewa Peak together will do that. I was beginning to trust her a lot quicker than I have ever trusted anyone before. I was already an open book. I didn’t know such a thing as becoming more open existed, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
3.) They Know You A Little More Than Others
A benefit of becoming an open book is that your adventure buddy has a better understanding of the type of person you are. They notice little details, like how you scrunch your nose when you’re nervous, you stutter when you’re scared, or how many times you pace the room when you’re unsure of something. These may seem insignificant, at first, but they aren’t. They are proof that your adventure buddy knows you, maybe even a little more than you know yourself or others do.
Gabby started noticing my little quirks, I was annoyed. The reason why is because she would catch me off guard by pinpointing them, on the spot. “Makeila, what’s wrong?” She’d ask as I bit my nails. “Makeila, what are you stressed about?” She’d ask as I paced my tenth lap around the dorm’s common room. She knew me to a T. It was scary how well she knew me because I didn’t think anyone could know me better than myself. Yet, it was comforting to know she knew me, sometimes better than I knew myself.
4.) They Push You
When it comes to having an adventure buddy, as I stated before, they know you. Maybe even a little more than you know yourself. This means that they also know what you are capable of. Again, that is not a bad thing. Having someone who knows what you are capable of achieving is rewarding because that means that the said person will push you. Whether it be hiking Humphrey’s Peak, running for five miles without a break, or jumping from a cliff into the freezing water below, for the first time. They can push you in academics too, like encouraging you to finish an assignment when you feel like you’re incapable of completing it or chasing your dreams and what you’re passionate about, even if that means changing your major. I can’t tell you how many times Gabby has pushed me, and I am honestly grateful that she did.
5.) Always There For You
The last reason why having an adventure buddy in college is essential is because they are always there for you. This may be obvious. However, it doesn’t change the fact that it is true. When you travel with someone and go on a spontaneous or pre-planned trip with someone, you’re bound to get to know them and they’re bound to get to know you. That’s what opens the door to the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Before you know it, you’ll understand each other’s behavior so well that you’ll call each other out on it. Again, that’s not necessarily a bad thing because that means the other person will come to realize that someone knows them. Doesn’t everyone aspire to be known by someone else? Having someone like that around also means that they will always be there for you.
There have been many where I was down in the dumps, or not feeling myself. College will do that to you. No matter the situation I was in or the reasoning behind my distress, I could always count on Gabby to see it, and she would. She knew how to make me feel better too, whether it was a night drive to Dutch Bros, a walk around the campus, or just sit and talk with me. She was always there for me.
Having an adventure buddy is more than just having someone to travel with. It’s having that special someone to face your fears with, jump off terrifying cliffs with, and laugh with until your sides hurt. Having an adventure buddy is having someone to explore life with.
Who is your adventure buddy? What adventures have you two been through? Tell us about them in the comments below.
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