Excursion inspiration: micro-adventures create a holiday feeling – without traveling

FOCUS Online: Mr. Foerster, how are you doing in this extraordinary time?

Christo Foerster: Well, I’m not exactly euphoric either. But I disagree with those who say that nothing is possible anymore. Last year, from a certain incidence value, there was this 15-kilometer radius within which one was allowed to move around one’s own place of residence. Many complained, felt that their freedom was restricted. I then took a closer look at this radius and was surprised what an area it resulted in: over 700 square kilometers! Nobody can tell me that they already know everything.

Have you ever experienced anything in your place of residence or in the vicinity that was new to you?

Ranger: In fact, I know our house forest a lot better now. As usual, I walked a lot, from the front door, and in winter I also went ice bathing in the Elbe. I even installed an old bathtub in the garden and was able to tackle one or the other outdoor challenge even in quarantine. I stayed on the terrace with my eight-year-old son and spent the night in the forest with my hammock in minus five degrees and snow. But I’ve also learned to be even more careful out there, to look less at kilometers and times.

Ice bathing, sleeping outside in March … Many people might think spontaneously: This is extreme. Is that correct?

Ranger: I have actually had a few extreme experiences in nature in my life. I used to travel a lot, have traveled a lot. But the idea of ​​micro-adventures is basically not about extremes. Apart from the fact that extreme is always relative.

In the media recently I was often referred to as a professional adventurer. And even if I make my living with adventures in the broadest sense, it is going in the wrong direction. We don’t have to be professionals to see ourselves as adventurers. We don’t have to be super-fit, death-defying heroes to challenge ourselves and do something we’ve never done before. The Corona period in particular made it clear to us what a micro-adventure is all about.

Namely? What is a micro adventure? Is there a definition?

Ranger: For me, a micro-adventure is first and foremost an adventure. What is an adventure? First: break new ground. Second, break patterns. Third, accept uncertainty. A micro-adventure includes all of this, but can be implemented without a lot of time, money and planning in the local area.

I have also defined three rules for myself that separate a micro-adventure from other outdoor activities for me: I am on the road for a maximum of 72 hours, do not use a car or plane, and if there is a night I spend it outside without a tent.

But these are my very personal framework conditions and not a general definition. There can be no such thing, because everyone has a different comfort zone. So what a micro-adventure looks like is always different. For someone who usually just sits on the couch, a nightly walk around the block may be a little adventure, but it wouldn’t be for me. My only concern is not to water down the term adventure. For me, a micro-adventure is not a vacation on my doorstep or a quick breath of fresh air.

Adventures have a very special power because they really challenge us. That doesn’t mean always thinking in terms of physical performance. It can also be very challenging to sit at the edge of the forest for a few hours and watch exactly what is happening in your field of vision, smells and sounds. For many, this is even a bigger challenge than getting from A to B in the shortest possible time, because the higher-faster-further has long since become their comfort zone. I have already advised many people to walk barefoot through the woods and meadows for a day. Most of them are literally flashed by the effect. In contrast to a classic excursion, a micro-adventure always starts at the front door for me.

Is that often confused: excursion and adventure?

Ranger: I guess so. For many, going on a trip means: I take the car and drive somewhere to do something. Before that, I may have checked where there are places to stop for a break. Everything is planned out or I know how it will happen anyway because I’ve done it umpteen times. I think a lot of people don’t realize what they’re missing out on as a result. Most of what is called adventure today does not deserve this name.

What is the problem with these “pseudo-adventures”? Why are they giving us less? And why do they irritate us anyway?

Ranger: Why we jump on pseudo-adventures can be explained psychologically. On the one hand, we want variety, longing for something new, because discovery is in our nature. On the other hand, we are also keepers and we have fears. Wanting to keep minimizing any risk is unfortunately a development of our time.

It is not fear that is bad, but how we deal with it. If we go into uncertain situations again in a self-determined manner, the adventure may not look so spectacular from the outside, but we regain confidence in our abilities, we learn to assess risks and to free ourselves from our own panic-mongering. We don’t have to go to the jungles of Uganda for that. Many supposedly great adventure trips are just package tours in an adventure setting.

A few years ago I was on the “Experience Tour” of a large off-road vehicle manufacturer, for many a dream of an adventure. Everything is organized from start to finish, you sit in air-conditioned SUVs and sleep in the luxury hotel almost every night. We can have a great deal of what we hope for in the distance at the door if we develop the right attitude. It’s about looking at what is possible, making the most of what we have where we are. If we only see what is currently not possible, that paralyzes us in the long run. You can see that quite well at the moment.

Her book “Micro adventures – Get out and do” was published in 2018 and has set a trend. Since then, thousands of adventurers have been posting photos and reports of their outdoor experiences under the hashtag #rausundmachen. The term micro-adventure is inextricably linked with her name in Germany. How did you come up with the idea of ​​motivating people to let more adventure into their lives?

Ranger: A year before the book was published, I had this primal micro-adventure experience. I spontaneously rode my bike from Hamburg to Berlin overnight. I shared a photo of myself at the Brandenburg Gate and a few lines about this tour on my Facebook account. The response was enormous and I realized how many people crave this kind of adventure.

How did you get the idea of ​​cycling from Hamburg to Berlin overnight?

Ranger: It was a March morning and I was on the phone with an old friend. I was in a special phase of life, had started a family, started my own business. I couldn’t and didn’t want to go far away all the time, but I still had a huge appetite for adventure. I hadn’t seen my friend from Berlin in a long time, and instead of saying, as usual, “We have to meet again”, I asked him out of my heart whether he would have time for breakfast at the Brandenburg Gate the next morning, me would come by bike.

He had time to do a lot that day, but I’m off at 4 p.m. in the afternoon. I hadn’t ridden my bike more than 20 kilometers in a row for ten years, but I didn’t care. When I actually arrived in Berlin the next morning, I hadn’t slept a minute, but the speedometer showed me 324 kilometers. I was completely exhausted and completely satisfied.

After breakfast I took the next train back and was back at my door 24 hours after I left. This decision to just grab the adventure changed my life. And to this day that is the best feedback for me when people write to me that I have inspired them to change their lives too.

Do you have a tip for beginners? What can I start with if I shy away from hikes in the twilight, hammock nights and long bike rides?

Ranger: Experiencing the sunrise is a wonderful adventure. Check the exact time the evening before, set the alarm, get up one or more hours beforehand and go. The sun rises every day, even when it’s cloudy, there are few excuses. Anyone who has experienced this will want more.