Trips We Love: Best Wayward Adventures of the Year
Our Wayward community has some of the boldest, most creative adventurers out there, and we always love to show them off! That’s why we gathered some of the best journeys shared on Wayward throughout the year for your vicarious viewing pleasure. See what these crazy kids have been up to in 2022!
From weekend getaways, to far-flung travels, to feats of adventure that are downright nuts (our favorite kind!), these trips showcase the many ways you can travel with Wayward.
We hope this inspires you to get out there, explore, and push your boundaries in the year ahead!
Highlighted Adventures
Kiwi on the Run
11 days in Mongolia via monkey bike with 3 new friends (part of the Adventurists Monkey Run Mongolia)
“Life is meant to be grabbed by the balls and that's exactly what the people on this trip did.”
The Journey:
Exploring the vastness of the Mongolian countryside on a 50cc motorbike (her first time riding a motorcycle, too!).
“We had a starting point and a finishing line to get to, where we went or how we got there was our business. The only thing guaranteed was that there would be copious amounts of vodka to consume if wanted.”
Highlights:
Friendly locals. “The local people are some of the most hospitable around and cannot be faulted.”
The wild beauty. ”While the countryside is so vast, photos seldom do justice to it.”
Her travel companions. ”The crew I was with are amazing—the kind that go out and grab life and do the things that most people only ever look at from afar.”
Unexpected Moments:
Bailing off the bike and busting a shock in the process to avoid going off a cliff.
Sleeping in all kinds of places, from locals’ gers to the back of a restaurant.
Little moments that are far removed from our everyday lives, like “watching a guy pull up to a petrol station with a handful of guts—no bag, just a handful of them—and giving them to the petrol attendant.”
Sully Laps the Lake
10 days around Lake Michigan in a van with 4 adults, 3 kids, and 3 dogs
“Most new parents will tell you that the first few months are... 😬. This trip felt like a true vacation and it allowed us to explore the Midwest in a way that was completely unique from anything we'd done.”
The Journey:
Circling around Lake Michigan (beginning and ending in Chicago) to enjoy quality time with family during the last days of maternity leave. It’s never too early to turn your kids into campers!
“We stayed at a new campsite every day; we'd drive for a couple hours and then setup camp. We are lifelong tent campers, but with a 2-month-old in the mix, we decided to try out the vanlife. It was an awesome decision and it made things much easier to not have to completely set up and take down camp each day.”
Highlights:
Dipping their toes in 3 of the Great Lakes.
Fishing in Lake Michigan: ”3 fish, 2 pukes, 1 lost.”
Seeing the famous Pictured Rocks and Indiana Dunes National Park.
Eating pasties (look ‘em up) and an entire Michigan cherry pie in the UP.
Unexpected Moments:
Getting absolutely destroyed by the black flies that were swarming around the campground while 2 of the other travelers got hopelessly lost searching for their trailhead.
Poppy the puppy getting caught on a cooking tripod; chaos ensued—. ”She let out the weirdest human-dog-goat squeal noise I have ever heard and tried to sprint away as it clanked on the ground behind her. During this commotion Poppy expressed her... butt glands, which let out the most horrid smell. The entire circus came to a halt as she ended up wrapping her lead around my legs. We did not bring the tripod home with us.”
MKE 🧀 → MKG ✋ Bikepack Adventure
4 days near Muskegon, Michigan via ferry and bike with her wife
“My wife and I were inspired to take a bikepacking trip from her parents and grandparents who have bikepacked many years ago—when they were our age and early on in their married lives (like we are today!)”
The Journey:
A quick overnight in Milwaukee before crossing Lake Michigan and bikepacking in Blue Lake Park.
“We love Michigan but have never traveled there via ferry, so this seemed like a great opportunity to blend our interest in bikepacking and traveling by ferry over the lake. Since we were riding with what we had available to us, a skinny-tire road bike and mountain bike, we had to deal with the challenges that would come with riding not-so-fancy bikes.”
Highlights:
Doing something new! “Besides spending quality time with my wife, the sense of adventure of embarking on a trip we've never tried before—and accomplishing it—felt so rewarding and exciting.”
Crossing Lake Michigan on a ferry for the first time. Pulling into Muskegon, “you could see miles of sand dunes stretching in either direction and the towering red and white lighthouses at the mouth of the Muskegon Channel led us straight into Muskegon Lake.”
A relaxed day off at the campground sitting around the campfire, enjoying time in nature, and sipping beers and making snacks all day.
Unexpected Moments:
Getting caught by an unexpected rain storm on day one of camping. ”The last 30 minutes of our bike ride was intense and soggy. We finally pulled up to our campground at 9 p.m., soaking wet but happy to have arrived.”
No fewer than five flat tires—including one before they even started biking. ”We got really good at changing flats!”
Other Incredible Adventures
Iceland Tour
18 days in Iceland via motorcycle
Wet Hot Too: There Will Be Lobster
3 days in Maine with a chop top car (part of the Chop Top Challenge)
Rickshaw Run Himalaya
8 days in India and the Himalayas via not-the-least-bit-suitable rickshaw (a crazy adventure by The Adventurists)
Lost in Sicily
7 days in Sicily via scooter (one of our Lost Travel unscripted adventures)
Falkirk Wheel
9 days in Scotland via boat and car
Mongol Rally X
20-day adventure around the world
Sailing 2021
128 days (!!!) sailing the east coast of Australia
View Sailing 2021 spectator map
Want to see your trip featured next year? It’s easy—just use the Wayward app to track your adventures! Plus, check out our sponsorship opportunities for 2023.
