2019 Adventures, Walkabout Northern California

Tips for Planning Adventures in 2019

2019 sounds like a fantastic year to pack full of adventures. It is, after all, the 20th anniversary of when we all partied like it was 1999. So in honor of surviving Y2K all those years ago and today’s current issues, you owe it to yourself to plan some epic trips. But we’re not talking epic as in exciting-but-everyone-has-been-there (sorry, Thailand). We want you to think outside the box.

While everyone is in their trip-planning frenzy, keep these tips in mind.

Don’t go to popular spots

Sure, Potato Chip Rock and Horseshoe Bend make for great photo ops and fun hikes, but they’re also way overrun with people. Use this year to buck the trend and go to places no one else has heard of. And then you have a choice—share your new destination with the world and become a trend-setter, or keep it to yourself and not let it get popular.

Stock up on guidebooks

Before Instagram and Google Maps and questionable online reviews, there were guidebooks telling you where yo go for the best waterfall/lookout/campsite/paddling. Guidebooks are full of literally hundreds of trails to explore (we know, we write them), along with maps and descriptions. So you can do your research and find something off the beaten path.

Talk to locals

Here’s our little secret—authors don’t include everything in their books. They keep some spots a secret, so that tourists don’t overrun local favorites. Which means you should talk to the locals and ask where their favorite places are. You can contact a guidebook author, hit people up on social media groups or hashtags, or do it the old-fashioned way and get to a destination and strike up a conversation in a coffee shop or bar.

Try a hut hike

Hut hikes are great because you can get in some long-distance miles without worrying where to camp each night. They’re popular in Europe. You don’t have to cross an ocean to do a hut hike, though. Northern California has some jaw-dropping trails where you hike in the day, then crash in the most perfect huts at night. For ideas, grab a copy of our new Walkabout Northern California by Tom Courtney.

Schedule a mix of excitement and relaxation

Probably the most important thing to remember when you’re planning, no matter where your travels take you, is to schedule downtime. Don’t overbook yourself to the point that you don’t enjoy your destination.