# I want to go on an adventure! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 12, 2014, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-go-on-an-adventure/688244 "2014-05-12T04:26:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2014, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-go-on-an-adventure/688244/21 "2014-05-13T14:00:31Z")
> [@Bumbershoot](#): > > Thanks for that clarification, **Chefguy.** You can ignore my previous post, **Demian** - unless you want to take an RV up there! I should clarify a bit. Some dealers there will attempt to tack on a “location” fee because of a vehicle’s popularity, so in theory you could pay more than in other states. ---
**Author:** ![Artemis\_Tardis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4bbf92/32.png) [@Artemis\_Tardis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Artemis_Tardis)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2014, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-go-on-an-adventure/688244/22 "2014-05-13T16:48:04Z")
What about buying an used car? It will be pretty dent and used after the trip anyways… ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2014, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-go-on-an-adventure/688244/23 "2014-05-13T17:03:14Z")
A motorcycle, 30 days with no real plans, and no road maps. The basic “Then Came Bronson” summer vacation. I’ve done a few and while some were more fun than others, all were well qualified as adventures. ---
**Author:** ![Bumbershoot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbershoot/32/3428_2.png) [@Bumbershoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbershoot)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2014, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-go-on-an-adventure/688244/24 "2014-05-13T17:24:28Z")
> [@demian\_travis](#): > > What about buying an used car? It will be pretty dent and used after the trip anyways… Are you still thinking of flying to Alaska, then buying a car? Chefguy pointed out some issues you may run into, in post #17. If you wanted to drive it all the way back to Sao Paulo, you’d still have to get across the Darien Gap, as Colibri mentioned in post #2. You could fly to Alaska, rent a car, drive to somewhere in Central America, fly to South America, rent a car and drive home. Or rent a car in Sao Paulo, drive to Colombia, fly to somewhere in Central America, rent another car, drive to Alaska then fly home. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2014, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-go-on-an-adventure/688244/25 "2014-05-13T18:21:50Z")
> [@GusNSpot](#): > > Just remember, adventure is just terror in retrospect. My credo is, the worse the experience is at the time, the better the story it will make afterwards.😃 ---
**Author:** ![flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbce88/32.png) [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2014, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-go-on-an-adventure/688244/26 "2014-05-13T18:28:16Z")
Europe can make for a great solo adventure. If you want to party, meet fellow travelers from around the world, see really cool stuff, and get laid then get a Eurail pass and hop on the first train leaving the station to somewhere you haven’t been. Stay youth hostels. Find a new person to spend the day with each morning at breakfast. For a bit more difficulty you can hitch hike it. You meet a totally different set of people, and a lot more locals. Both ways make for great trips. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2014, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-go-on-an-adventure/688244/27 "2014-05-13T19:06:03Z")
> [@Bumbershoot](#): > > Are you still thinking of flying to Alaska, then buying a car? Chefguy pointed out some issues you may run into, in post #17. > > If you wanted to drive it all the way back to Sao Paulo, you’d still have to get across the Darien Gap, as Colibri mentioned in post #2. > > You could fly to Alaska, rent a car, drive to somewhere in Central America, fly to South America, rent a car and drive home. Or rent a car in Sao Paulo, drive to Colombia, fly to somewhere in Central America, rent another car, drive to Alaska then fly home. Most rental agencies in the US have serious restrictions as to where you can take their cars. I’m assuming that taking it out of the country (even across the Canada border) would be right out. ---
**Author:** ![Bumbershoot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbershoot/32/3428_2.png) [@Bumbershoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbershoot)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2014, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-go-on-an-adventure/688244/28 "2014-05-13T19:18:10Z")
Dammit, **Chefguy,** would you stop pointing out all the mistakes in my posts? 😉 Okay, how about this- **demian** _steals_ a car in Alaska, drives to Central America, hijacks a plane to South America, steals another car, drives to Tierra Del Fuego, commandeers a ship and sails back to Sao Paulo? That would be quite an adventure. I suppose there’s something wrong with _that_ plan? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2014, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-go-on-an-adventure/688244/29 "2014-05-14T01:04:15Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Most rental agencies in the US have serious restrictions as to where you can take their cars. I’m assuming that taking it out of the country (even across the Canada border) would be right out. This is true. I once rented a car in Detroit and drove it across the Port Huron/Sarnia boarder. The customs officer in Canada informed me it was against the law, but let me go anyway. I was visiting my parents for one night only and was returning to Detroit for a training course the next day. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2014, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-go-on-an-adventure/688244/30 "2014-05-14T01:17:54Z")
**"The test of an adventure is that when you’re in the middle of it, you say to yourself, ‘Oh, now I’ve got myself into an awful mess; I wish I were sitting quietly at home.’ And the sign that something’s wrong with you is when you sit quietly at home wishing you were out having lots of adventure."** –Thornton Wilder, _The Matchmaker_ ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2014, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-go-on-an-adventure/688244/31 "2014-05-14T13:47:01Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > This is true. I once rented a car in Detroit and drove it across the Port Huron/Sarnia boarder. The customs officer in Canada informed me it was against the law, but let me go anyway. I was visiting my parents for one night only and was returning to Detroit for a training course the next day. Yeah, I rented a car recently while mine was in the shop. The restrictions were Washington and Oregon ONLY. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2014, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-go-on-an-adventure/688244/32 "2014-05-14T18:38:41Z")
You could try driving from Key West, Florida to Deadhorse, Alaska. Lots of scenic areas, plenty of places to stop along the way and plenty of routes to take. Wanna drive through hillbilly towns in West Virginia (country roads, take me home, etc.)? Wanna go by way of Texas? Maybe drive to Niagara Falls and then go across Canada? You can. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2014, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-go-on-an-adventure/688244/33 "2014-05-14T18:40:45Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > If I were 25 and adventurous, I’d think about hiking the [Appalachian Trail](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appalachian_Trail). Appalachia, as a region, is _very_ safe. One of the safest parts of the country, and also one of the most heavily armed places too. People are polite. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2014, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-go-on-an-adventure/688244/34 "2014-05-15T01:57:35Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Yeah, I rented a car recently while mine was in the shop. The restrictions were Washington and Oregon ONLY. Reminds me of renting cars in Hawaii. On Maui, a common restriction is, or at least used to be, _don’t_ drive to the top of Haleakala (where everyone went to watch the sunrise), and on the Big Island it was _don’t_ take the Saddle Road across the middle of the island. But we ignored those restrictions and saw lots of other rental cars doing the same. There were perfectly good roads, but our guess was the car-rental agencies didn’t want to have to go all the way out in the boonies in the event of a breakdown. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2014, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-go-on-an-adventure/688244/35 "2014-05-15T13:08:25Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Most rental agencies in the US have serious restrictions as to where you can take their cars. I’m assuming that taking it out of the country (even across the Canada border) would be right out. Because they were moving to DC I did the Canadian MLB tour & went to see the Expos & Blue Jays. Enterprise didn’t have any issue with it (other than some add’l paperwork). I made sure that they were aware of the international travel so I wouldn’t have any issue in case something went wrong (breakdown or accident). I don’t know if they’ve changed their policies since, though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-go-on-an-adventure/688244.md?page=1)