14 Mar 2016

With NSW’s lockout laws and the emergence of what I call the Cool-ification of #adventure and #wanderlust on Instagram, more and more people are flocking to the insta-worthy forests surrounding our cities. We’re swimming in waterholes and climbing under waterfalls and hiking to the tops of mountains. We’re starting to balance our obsession with technology with the joy of exploration and adventure and I think our bodies can only reap benefits from these activities- definitely more than clubbing.

1. It will take you 5 minutes to get ready instead of 5 hours

Pull on your Nikes and your shorts and pack a towel and you’re sweet. You don’t need to iron your shirts, try on fourteen different dresses, or spend hours trying to achieve the Perfect Smokey Eye. No effort needed.

2. You won’t feel like death the next day

I mean, apart from feeling the burn of exercise (which is kind of enjoyable because you know you exercised and you can brag about it to all your mates) and maybe the ache of sunburn. But, you can still get out of bed and utilise the entirety of the following day.

3. Your wallet won’t take a beating

What will you spend your money on out there in the bush? Maybe a cheeky burger afterwards or some picnic snacks but let’s be real, with today’s prices that’s basically the cost of one beer.

4. Running shoes, no heels

Enough said.

5. Conversation

You can actually talk to your friends (depending on how intense this hike is…). In a club you’re usually yelling and drunk and that somehow classifies a ‘catch up’.

 

6. Appreciation of nature

If you’re studying or studied Frankenstein in high school you’ve probably heard enough about the healing power of nature, but the book has a point. It’s reenergising, invigorating and calming. It’s not stuffy and hot and sticky like the clubs are.

7. Every adventure is different

Those who club regularly will be able to relate to this: soon every weekend blurs into one and every night out seems to be the same thing over and over again. Boozy nights just don’t offer the same variety that hikes do. You’ll never stop being awe-inspired by different views or swimming holes.

8. No seedy men

For women, clubbing with the girls is fun, but often it can be very uncomfortable when faced with drunken men that won’t leave you alone. I’m sure guys have probably had similar experiences with drunk girls. The only annoying companion on your bush adventures is the fear of spiders and snakes that lurk in the cubby holes of the bush.

9. You leave the same way you arrived

No expensive taxi, no booze bus, no running to catch the last train, no spewing in the Uber, no long barefoot walks in the cold cradling your heels.

10. Plus, after a day out bushwalking, you can probably hit the clubs anyway

Just don’t try doing it the other way around, promise me…