The path often traveled is one that offers comfort and certainty at the expense of authenticity. Even adventure is being delivered as something neatly packaged and predictable, stripped of any uncertainty, freedom, and hardship, and glossed up to appear more appealing. This not only risks overtourism, but it has turned adventure into something to be consumed and sold, rather than something to be lived. 

So, can this type of travel still be called "adventure"? It would be easy for us to say yes — and focus on picture-perfect experiences and one-size-fits-all trips. But that’s not who we are. 

We want to take a stand for true adventure. 

Why? It’s in our very DNA. Polarsteps wasn’t born in a boardroom but on a sailboat halfway across the Atlantic. We believe that it’s our calling to inspire and encourage travel that embraces the very nature of adventure. It doesn’t necessarily need to be a trip across oceans or continents — it simply needs to be a journey that allows us to grow as humans and forge a deeper connection with the world around us. 

And that’s why we’ve created five core principles of true adventure to help steer Polarsteps on its own journey.

Follow your curiosity

Be curious to explore the world you travel in, whether that is otherworldly landscapes, enigmatic cultures, or simply the wonderful variety of people you encounter on the road. Drop your preconceptions and always crave to know what is around every corner, at the top of the next summit, and beyond the distant horizon. It’s easy to follow the well-trodden path, but you often find the biggest rewards in the unknown. 

Push your boundaries

When you’re at your limits and most vulnerable, you open the door to life-changing personal growth. It might be discovering the physical potential you never knew existed, or more profoundly, coming to understand a new way to look at the world. Either way, your life will never be the same afterward. Learn to trust in yourself as you hurdle over language barriers, start to feel at ease with feelings of loneliness on your travels, and rely on the kindness of strangers. The road is not always smooth, and sometimes you might feel like giving up, but it’s often the hardest parts of a journey that you end up looking back on most fondly. 

Surrender to uncertainty 

An open road, a one-way ticket, a loose and frequently changing plan — true adventure requires you to surrender, if not exactly to fate, then to opportunity. It is making space to say yes to a new turn in the road, or an invite from those you have just met. Accept that sometimes you lead the journey, and sometimes the journey leads you, and there can be beauty in both.

Savor moments of wonder

As children, we trip over moments of wonder daily. But as adults, they get harder and harder to find, lost in the familiarity of everyday life. And therein lies the power of travel: 

awe-inspiring experiences pull you into the here and now, making everything else feel insignificant. It could be when you lock eyes with a gorilla deep in the jungle, or watch the Milky Way spin overhead in the darkest depths of a desert — moments so profound that they can even make you question your place in the universe. 

Respect the people and places that welcome you

True adventure encourages you to tread lightly. It means becoming a steward of the places you explore. Engage in responsible travel that supports, sustains, and respects local communities while preserving natural beauty for future generations. And recognize that any adventure is a privilege and should therefore be undertaken with gratitude.

By supporting these principles, Polarsteps can not only transform the way people travel, but also the world itself. True adventure can create a bridge between people and cultures, build understanding, and show us there’s more that connects us than separates us. 

That’s why it’s crucial that inspiring and encouraging travel that embraces the very nature of adventure should always be central to Polarsteps’ journey, even if outside pressures try to lead us astray. At our core, this is who we are and always want to be. We can’t push travelers into the unknown, but we can show them the way. 

Take the path of true adventure.

By Polarsteps founders:
Niek Bokkers
Koen Droste
Job Harmsen
Maximiliano Neustadt

Endorsed by:
Clare Jones, CEO of Polarsteps

Thanks to:
Matt Phillips, Head of Editorial & Internationalization at Polarsteps
Lottie Coltman, Copy Writer & Concept Developer at Polarsteps
Sara van Geloven, Project Manager at Polarsteps