There really are just three different kinds of travelers. There’s the vast majority who like their creature comforts, want to visit a few “must-see” destinations, and post the whole thing on social media when they get home. The second group are the adventurers, intrepid travelers who are looking for the unusual, the challenging, or the downright bizarre. Then there’s you, stuck with the first lot but secretly hoping for entry into the second. You don’t have to climb Kilimanjaro on your first outing. There are a number of different ways you can ease your way into living a more adventurous life without straying too far from your comfort zone or your budget. Here are just a few:

Start Close to Home

Adventure travel really just means trying something new as opposed to just being in a new place. Start by having an adventure right where you live. That could mean camping in your nearest national park or nature preserve or pretending to be a tourist in your own hometown. Adventurers are usually looking for something to do out of doors, so where do visitors go adventuring in your town?

Let Someone Else Plan the First One

Even if you hate the idea of traveling with a bunch of strangers, take a tour for your first intrepid holiday. Not the kind with buses and whiners – the kind with other like-minded adventurers looking for a challenge. Sign up for an adventure that has fewer than a dozen or so participants and let the guide do the work just this once. You’ll learn a ton about how to organize the next trip yourself, and be reassured by having a knowledgeable leader along if things get a bit hairy.

Do Your Research

Planning should be half the fun of getting there, so take the time to do your research. You need to view the information you find on the internet with a healthy skepticism, but it will definitely help you locate destinations and activities you may never have heard of before. Lots and lots of travelers blog their adventures, so spend an evening reading through their stories and find a writer that matches your activity level and interests. If you have questions, ask the author. They’re often eager to chat and happy that you’re reading their work.

Don’t Kid Yourself

Skydiving in Africa might seem like the adventure of a lifetime, but if you get dizzy standing on a sheet of paper and barf on amusement rides, you’re probably not going to have much fun. Know your limitations and, most importantly, listen to your gut. The point of adventure travel isn’t to push yourself to uncomfortable extremes. It’s just a way to see the world more intently, to experience your environment rather than look at it. Easing into adventure means setting realistic goals, and shouldn’t involve scaring the hell out of yourself (adrenalin junkies excluded).

Define Your Goals and Stick to Them

Identify three reasons why you want to be more adventurous. Your reasons can be anything at all as long as they genuinely reflect why you have chosen to go down this path. As you become braver in your explorations, keep checking-in with your goals to see whether or not your actions are leading to the desired result. There’s nothing like success to keep you motivated to take on more challenges, and straying from your purpose forces you to re-examine your choices. Either way, you’ve begun your great adventure, and that’s the only thing that matters.

Adventure travel isn’t just for the young, the fit, or the terminally exuberant. It’s for anyone who’s ever seen seventeen fast-food franchises at a single intersection and thought that there’s got to be a better way. We certainly hope you find yours.