Do you have a bucket list full of extreme sports you’ve always wanted to do, but haven’t quite figured out how to squeeze it into your travel budget?
Extreme sports can be incredibly expensive due to the high-quality equipment and level of skill required to offer them. But along her many travels, Sissi Korhonen, an extreme sport and travel junkie, has found a way to literally work her way around the costs.
If you’re travelling on a shoestring, but are rich on time, take note: where there are extreme sports, there’s work. If you play your cards right your pennies will cover the extreme activities you yearn for. Here are a few ideas of high-risk, high-payoff sports Sissi has managed to shimmy into her travels, with tips and tricks to spark up your adrenaline-thirsty imagination.
Rock climbing in Verdon Gorge
Don’t look down! Sissi climbs the Wide is Love route of the Verdon Gorge
A pilgrimage spot for rock climbers and a must-see for tourists, there’s no word that better describes Verdon Gorge than spectacular. This 700-metre deep and 25-kilometre-long river canyon, with its turquoise-green river and its massive limestone walls, is simply a climber’s mecca – and has been ever since the first big route climb in1968. Sweat over more than 1,500 climbing routes and extensive multi-pitches.
Verdon is not a place for absolute beginners, yet if you’re a 5.10 (Yosemite Decimal System rating of difficulty, free move climbing) climber, you’ll never forget the wind whistling in your ears and eagles flying below you while climbing the legendary “Wide is Love” route. Once you’ve topped it, head to the nearby village of La Palud-sur-Verdon and visit the small yet well-equipped climbing shop: Le Perroquet Vert.
Sissi’s tip: During the European summer, the gorge offers also other activities for the most discerning adventure enthusiast; canoeing, paragliding, rafting and canyoning, to name a few. If you’re skilled in any of these (and ehmm…speak French), an option to finance clinging onto the wall is landing a summer job as a guide in one of these sports.
Diving in Tofo, Mozambique
Sissi deep blue diving in Tofo
Have you ever dreamed of diving with manta rays, whale sharks, turtles or moray eels? The tiny African holiday town of Tofo in Southern Mozambique still remains unexploited by mass tourism, although its dazzling coral reefs and breathtaking marine life definitely make one wonder how. Whale sharks can be seen throughout the year on ocean safaris and if you’re lucky you’ll spot a humpback whale underwater from June to December. At nighttime, you can occasionally witness the whole Indian Ocean view glowing with bioluminescent phytoplankton.
Note that currents in Tofo can get rough, so if you’ve learned to dive in the tranquil waters of Koh Tao, prepare yourself for a different kind of an adventure!
Sissi’s tip: As a diver’s paradise, Tofo offers various types of accommodation from luxury lodges to hotels and hostels. The town has four dive shops, of which e.g. Liquid Dive Adventures offers courses for PADI dive masters and instructors. So knock on some doors to find a job in one of the dive shops or in one of the lodges.
Find a flight to nearby Inhambane
Skydiving in Mossel Bay, South Africa
Ready to take that leap over South Africa
Picture yourself jumping out of a plane on top of great white shark infested waters, surrounded by the rugged mountains of South Africa’s famous Garden Route. If you like what you see, Mossel Bay is your place. This Afrikaans speaking coastal town is not only equipped with one of the most awe-inspiring drop zones a skydiver can wish for, but it also lies just around the corner from the world’s 4th highest bungee, Bloukrans.
If it’s your first time in the air, you may want to start with tandem-jump. Skydive Mossel Bay offers tandems, as well as AFF and Static Line courses for those who wish to complete a full license in skydiving.
Sissi’s tip: Although the prices are already less than a half from the European equivalents, an effective way to earn jump credit is by packing parachutes (which you are taught how to do) or editing jump videos for first timers. In the meantime, get your heart racing with a game drive or sand boarding on dunes. And for a real chill thrill, dip in the Atlantic Ocean and mingle with its jagged-toothed inhabitants!
Find a flight to nearby Cape Town
Snowboarding in Levi, Finland
Do landscapes get more extremely beautiful than Finnish Lapland? © Markus Trienke
Snowboarders behold your new paradise: Levi in Finland. Located in Finnish Lapland, Levi lies 170 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle and is thus one of the leading places in the world for spotting Northern Lights while snowboarding through the infinite, dark nights of Santa Claus’ homeland. As the slopes are rather small, Levi is especially apt for beginners and intermediates, yet even pros will find a couple of black slopes to speed upon. Other typical Lappish pass-times include cross-country skiing and husky safaris, snowmobile trips and reindeer rides.
Sissi’s tip: The snowboarding season in Finland’s biggest ski resort runs from October until mid-May, and thus provides a vast variety of seasonal jobs in restaurants, hotels, ski rentals and lifts for those wishing to stay longer. Pros can apply for a job as an instructor, yet a word of warning: you need to be fit for work, hitting the slopes after the karaoke after-ski parties Levi is infamous for.
Paragliding in Pontevedra, Spain
Fly like a bird over the lush mountains of Spanish Galicia
If paragliding is the sport you’re looking for, the whole Rias Baixas region surrounding the city of Pontevedra is where you should spread your wings. With four mountainous regions divided by two faults, the charming ancient town and medieval port of Pontevedra have as much happening in the sky as on the ground. Head either to the picture perfect Islas Cíes or Isla de Ons for soaring above equally pristine and enchanting greenery.
Sissi’s tip: As paragliding in Pontevedra usually takes place in the afternoon, a great option for funding your stay is voluntary work through pages like Work-away and Helpx. For paragliding courses, contact Galicia Parapente – the only club in Galicia, specialised solely in paragliding.
Surfing in Florianópolis, Brasil
Making new surfer friends in Floripa
Florianópolis, or Floripa as locals call it, is known as the Ibiza of South America. This vibrant city is definitely a spot for those who love to have a good time – and surf.
With the main island alone boasting with more than 40 beaches, Floripa is a surfer’s jukebox. Here, you’ll find everything from exposed beach breaks for left and right-handers (yeah, that’s surf talk!) to consistent ground swells and jaw-dropping barrels. And when you need to dry off, go hiking or horseback riding in the hills nearby.
Sissi’s tip: Unless you have money to spend on renting a board, a popular way for funding a season of surf is working in surfboard rental and repair shops. And once you reach a decent level in the water, you can move onto instructing other tourists how to catch those foamy waves!
Find a flight to Florianópolis
Pros and cons of extreme sports abroad
Sissi is all smiles – extremely brave and well-prepared!
Wherever you decide to head, make sure you have enough time available which will allow for more work hours and, therefore, savings, but also better chances of nabbing the perfect weather conditions at some point.
Extreme sports are called extreme for a reason, so make sure you don’t risk it – try to stretch your bucks in completing a course in dealing with tough weather conditions and a travel insurance.
Read more: How to buy the best travel insurance for your next trip
