We Tried the Adventure Challenge and LOVED It!
I have heard over and over while interviewing couples on the Love Intently podcast to keep the practice of a weekly or bi-weekly date night. Research studies show that new shared experiences are one of the best ways to stay connected with your partner. But like most couples, after two years of dating, coming up with new shared experiences during a pandemic is quite the feat. Frankly, as an extrovert, I was mentally drained from being stuck at home so much. Getting outside was great, but I still didn’t have the same social support I typically do, and It was frankly a tough adjustment for me.
My mom would always buy scratch-off lottery tickets for the kids growing up, mainly because we loved the surprise to see if we won anything. As an adult, on the rare occasion I get a scratch-off lottery ticket, it’s incredibly nostalgic, and I cherish it even more. So when I first learned about the Adventure Challenge, I was all in! The Adventure Challenge is a scratch-off book with date ideas hidden underneath each scratch off square!
They let you know ahead of time what all the date involves so you can pick one according to your mood. Any factor that would impact the date is considered, for instance, daytime, night time, food, supplies needed, outdoors, indoors, if a babysitter is required, and more is notated by each date idea scratch off.
My partner is one for authenticity, so he was skeptical when he first found out about the adventure challenge. However, he loved the idea of having unique date ideas without having to do the planning, so he gave it a shot. I won’t ruin the surprise for you about the exact details of the date, but he became a quick fan of the Adventure Challenge! The first thing he said after the date was, “That was way more fun than I expected, and I can’t wait until the next time.” The date we selected was one that required our creativity and naturally caused lots of laughter. We both finished the date feeling more connected and happier because we spent time together doing something we would never usually think to do.
I love that you can have ideas for the next 50 through the Adventure Challenge for the price of one date. They really did an incredible job at making all of the dates affordable and unique. The Adventure Challenge book even has a “Cheap A$$” section for seasons when funds are tighter.
For people who are single or have kids who would love the idea, the Adventure Challenge also has a Friends Edition and Family Edition.
Christmas is right around the corner and in the holiday spirit, they also came up with an advent calendar with twelve fun adventures!
I first heard about The Adventure Challenge through Rayna. I wanted you to hear from her experience too, so here is her take:
Quality time is a love language that can allow all love languages to occur simultaneously - acts of service, physical touch, words of affirmation, and receiving gifts. The idea of Loving Intently is something that I often think of when thinking about gifts to give. I am a firm believer that all gifts that are given should have deep meaning or meet a great need. When giving to my partner, my goal is to give a gift that allows us to create a memory we will hold on to.
Last Christmas, I bought the Adventure Challenge for my partner. The Adventure challenge, a scratch-off challenge like a lottery ticket of dates. Basically, you pick a date, not knowing what it is, scratch it off, and adventure! I am a planner by heart, I also love the idea of adventure and stepping out of my comfort zone. One of my favorite parts about the Adventure challenge is it allows me to do both. It tells my partner and I the price, time of year, or best weather for the date, and where we will adventure too. However, neither one of us knows what the date is - so we pick a time, select a date to scratch, and head on to our adventure.
On one of our first dates, we were SOOO excited to spend time together. We were also super excited to not have to have the pressure of planning something and just go with the flow and the scratch of the date! The adventure challenge was to go to a book store and find our favorite childhood books to read to one another. From here, we were tasked to find a place to donate them for kids to use. We got all ready, headed to the local book store, and searched the whole kid’s section giggling about the different memories that arose looking at all the books. We finally settled on books - I picked “Goodnight Moon,” and he chose “Where the Wild Things Are.” We read them to one another, and it was like we jumped into the past and were little kids again. I also learned my partner loved to read as a kid and that “Where the Wild Things Are” was his favorite because of its adventure and creative nature.
We decided to add to our adventure and try a new restaurant and then headed home to capture our day. I am a nursing student, so the next shift, I had brought the books to the children’s hospital. I loved being able to share a beautiful moment with my partner then pass on the love in service to others. Honestly, one of the best parts of the adventure challenge is that we now have a beautiful scrapbook being created of all our memories and details for the date.
We look back to this first adventure date; we are so grateful and excited for all the adventures to come. We have been together for more than 5 years, so having a book of creative dates is a challenge for us to grow as individuals and together.
Intentional gifts are priceless, as is quality time. The Adventure challenge has countless ways to make it a little easier for you to love intently.