Natural Adventures that Come from Travel

Secret Life of Garrett Stevens * (last name changed for privacy). by Kelly McClintock

While many of us fantasize about being a superhero, most of us cannot jump into a telephone booth and transform from an average Joe into a guy wearing tights and a cape. But we can dream…

Garrett Stevens*, on the other hand, might not have superpowers, but he does have an alter ego. By day he works as a financial analyst for a major corporate firm, but, by night, he becomes a kind of Indiana Jones or 007, planning his next world adventure.
At the ripe old age of 23, this travel-hungry number-cruncher has already zip-lined through the jungles of Costa Rica and Spalunked (cave-hiked), his way across Switzerland, eaten crepes in Paris and gone to the Bull-fights in Madrid. But what makes him a superhero? His stories. To listen to them, you might think they are ripped from the pages of a comic book: strange, outlandish, and larger-than-life.

“I don’t find the unexpected. It finds me,” he professes after detailing one such event in Santorini, Greece. “I was walking through the city and a stranger on an ATV drove up and invited me to a party. I decided to go, of course,” he said smiling. “It was like this crazy event on a black sand beach. There were huge bonfires, dogs running through the crowd, music blaring, and incredible people. I had an amazing time, but if I hadn’t been willing to check it out, I would have missed out.”
“Another unforgettable experience?” he offers, “visiting the baths in Budapest.” “They were full of towel-clad people being brushed with olive branches,” he laughed. I didn’t know they were still operational. I did not expect that.”