Hobbies That Will Get You Off The Couch, And Off The Ground

What did you do with your downtime the last time you had any? Oh, you played a little pickup basketball at the gym? Big deal! No one cares about your sweat-soaked adventures of getting your derrière handed to you by a bunch of 12-year-olds. You paid a hundred bucks for some time at the gym, a sweat band, a basketball, and a pair of baggy shorts with LeBron’s number pasted on your butt.

By the way, that is not a good look on you. Here’s an idea, the next time you have a little downtime, how about having a real adventure, something that will get you both up off the couch, and off the ground:

Flying lessons

Rather than getting schooled in basketball by a bunch of middle-schoolers, how about getting trained to fly by a pro. For a little more than you spent on your great basketball adventure, you could have had a flying lesson. If you get the fever for flying, and you will, then $5,000 – $12,000 is a more realistic price point for getting your private pilot’s license. That may sound like a big range, but you are probably not seeing the bigger picture.

The real cost of flying is not in the lessons but the gear, not to mention the million dollars you are going to need for the plane. It is not so much that the gear is expensive, either. In fact, you can get fairly inexpensive aviation supplies from an online pilot shop these days. The only problem is that after watching Top Gun for the hundredth time, you are going to want to go for the jacket, and the sunglasses, and the flight bag, and the… yeah, you get the idea.

Parasailing

If a Cessna two-seater is not in your immediate budget, perhaps you might enjoy parasailing. For as little as $40–the cost of your basketball shorts, ball not included–you can take flight. Never heard of parasailing?

Picture this: a parachute, a harness, a 300ft. tow line, and a speed boat. Now imagine the possibilities. If you are already in love with the idea, head on over to your nearest, touristy type beach. See those colorful chutes with the people dangling from them having a better time than you? That’s parasailing.

Sailing

If your acrophobia will not let you revel in the joys of flying and parasailing, you can still enjoy one of the greatest and oldest hobbies of all time. Why not learn to sail? There is something elemental about mastering wind and wave with tools like the sheet, the rope, and the beam.

Airplanes and parasails are bound by modern technology. Sailing is something that can be done with ancient tools and methods. It requires less technology, and more understanding and appreciation for how the world really works.

For some people, these hobbies are just a part of their lifestyle. For you, they might be a once in a lifetime kind of thing. If so, that is all the more reason to go for it. You only live once. And you will have a memory, not to mention a story, that will last a lifetime.