Why you should join an adventure tour without knowing a soul

There are a hundred reasons why you should join an Outdoor Book Club tour - even if you don't know anyone who would want to go with you - but "finding yourself," i.e.  Eat, Pray, Love, doesn't even make my top three.  While it's true that you might discover a few things about yourself you might never have known ("I really am sort of a baddass!"), you wouldn't be a totally different person.  You'd still be you - just better.

Here are several reasons why you should join an Outdoor Book Club tour - without knowing anyone:

1. "No one would come with me" is a lame excuse.

This is your adventure, your life, your time. You get to choose how you want to spend it. If you want to spend some time outdoors with a great book, and no one else you know does, then that's their loss. Don't put off the things you love just because your friends, sisters or other people in your life don't share your passions.

2. Drop your pre-conceived notions & live without compromise (even if just for a weekend).

We all have ways we act, talk and think when we're around certain people. Let this trip be the moment that you let go of who you thought you were, and start being the woman you've always wanted to be. We all compromise a hundered little ways each day, but traveling by yourself is one huge step towards living life untethered to other people's biases.

There is nothing so empowering as doing something you didn't know you could do - all by yourself.  The simple act of putting yourself out there, of trying something scary (even if it's just sleeping in a tent) will allow your inner heroine to emerge faster than anything else. Trust me.

3. A little loneliness on a tour is normal.
You may show up on the first day of the tour and not know exactly what to say, or how to introduce yourself to the others. That's okay.  Everyone else is in the same boat, I can assure you. Remember though that we're all here for the same reason, which gives us an instant connection that otherwise wouldn't exist: the book we're all there to talk about. That's what the Outdoor Book Club is all about.

That being said, if you feel yourself getting lonely as the trip progresses, be brave and start a conversation with your fellow heroines. We're all very inclusive, kind and encouraging. And don't forget that finding new friends in the great outdoors is incredibly liberating; you'll be astounded at the experiences you'll share together.

4. You'll have something to dream about when you get home.
Often the best part of the adventure comes once you return home. Bask in your new-found aura of confidence and bad-assery, and return to that feeling when your ordinary life starts to get you down. Remember that kick-ass heroine you discovered? She stays with you in the chapters that follow, after you get back.

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