Scuba diving, caving, rock climbing, mountain trekking, the list goes on and on. Gian and Sheila, aka Team Sweetie of Adrenaline Romance, kicks it into high gear in search of the quintessential adventure. It’s amazing that they are also killer foodies, because who has time to eat while belly crawling through the crevices of Elephant Cave, or rappelling down the cliff face of Kiokong Crag. This awesome couple shows us that working full time is no excuse to not live a life of adventure! Throw away all your preconceptions of the Philippines, cause you’ll never see it the same way again after getting to know these two….

Tell us a little about Adrenaline Romance. Who is Team Sweetie, and what are you all about?

Team Sweetie is Gian and Sheila. We are sweethearts who love and constantly seek adventures, new places, and awesome experiences. At heart, we are rock climbers, mountaineers, scuba divers, trekkers, and backpackers.

We document and compile all our sojourns in our blog Adrenaline Romance. It is a photoblog that contains our experiences as well as tips, itineraries, and other useful information for those who want to go adventuring in the Philippines.

From rock climbing to scuba diving, you guys are obviously on a search for the ultimate rush. How did you get into that, and what was the inspiration?

Our time in this world is temporary. We want to live a full, accomplished, and exciting life. For us, the idea of getting into an adrenaline high, witnessing indescribably beautiful places and unique cultures, and understanding our place in nature is the key to acquiring that life.

We don’t want to be stuck in worry, stress, and uncertainty; life is simply too short and too grand to be stuck in a rut.

How do you find the balance between working and adventuring?

We work full time five days a week, but that is not an excuse to shelf our adventures. We found out that we could strike a balance between our careers and adventures by thoroughly planning our sojourns—budgets, itineraries, activities, contacts, and more.

For example, each year, we get a number of vacation leaves. Early in the year, we distribute our leaves to coincide with holidays and rest days so we’ll have longer trips.

How do you guys prepare yourselves to take on all your life-threatening activities? And what sort of preparation should someone new to adventure travel do?

Well, it all depends on the activities we take. For instance, in mountaineering, we research about the mountain we plan to climb, acquire top-quality gear, update ourselves of the weather and micro-climate, exercise our leg and shoulder muscles, and more. In backpacking, we research about the place we’re traveling to, find out the best activities and sites to visit, book our accommodations in advance, etc.

But for more life-threatening activities, we get the proper training and certifications so we know what we are doing. That requires some sort of investment of money, time, and effort. As scuba divers, for example, we underwent a PADI Open Water Diver course and earned a license. Having that training makes diving safer and more enjoyable for us. In rock climbing, we have coaches who teach us rope work as well as climbing techniques and safety protocols.

Entering into the world of adventuring is fun, yes, but you have to understand the responsibility of doing so. Thorough preparation and acquiring the right skills and gear for your chosen activity are crucial for safety and fun.

What are the best places for someone who wants to go adventuring?

We would recommend novice adventurers checking out their immediate locality first. That is the easiest, cheapest, and, in many cases, safest way to venture out into the world of adventuring. Thus, novices can start hiking on a nearby hill in or mountain near the city. Or they can take their first steps in rock climbing in their local indoor climbing gym.

If you are asking for specific places, oh boy, there are just so many “best” places in the Philippines. Indeed, our country is so full of adventuring venues that it’s hard to enumerate them all. To name a few, there is Cantabaco and Poog in Cebu for rock climbing, Kiokong White Rock Wall for vertical bivouac, Apo Island for scuba diving, and more. The list goes on.

As committed adventurers, you guys probably have no end of exciting stories! What is one of the craziest situations you guys got yourselves caught up in and how did you get yourself out of it?

Oh, we have a whole lot of exciting, funny, and life-changing stories that are forever etched in our minds! One of those stories was our first multi-pitch climb. In layman’s terms, this activity involves climbing an extremely tall cliff in segments; each segment is called a pitch. By tall, we’re talking about hundreds of feet off the ground.

The pitches were easy enough to climb, but the extreme height was something that was new to us. In fact, we could not even see the ground from where we were. The thought of slipping and falling down a 250-foot cliff, even if we’re using safety equipment, was absolutely terrifying. Sheila let her nervousness get hold of her, and she panicked right at the top of the 3rd pitch! Even though the route was easy, she could not move a muscle! We had to haul her to the belay ledge, which was just a step above from where she was dangling.

Our dilemma didn’t end there. Hauling her took a lot of time, and it was already dark when we started abseiling down. Just imagine rappelling in the darkness—we didn’t know if the rope got stuck, or where we can anchor ourselves at the lower pitches. Yes, we were groping in the dark at hundreds of feet off the ground! Thankfully, we had a safe touchdown.

That was one hair-raising adventure that taught us never to give in to panic.

And what was your most memorable adventure?

Our most memorable trip was our most recent sojourn, which is a vertical bivouac adventure in Quezon, Bukidnon offered by Adventure Technology Outfitters. This activity involves a 5-hour rope ascent using the single rope technique on a sheer and monstrous vertical cliff that is around 500 feet high. We spent the night on a tiny, rocky ledge 480 feet off the ground with a deep abyss just in front of our feet! Then in the morning, we rappelled down that immense height to be back on solid ground.

It was an honor to be part of this adventure because this is the only one of its kind in the Philippines and, possibly, Southeast Asia. And we were among the very first clients who were able to successfully undertake such adventure.

If you could offer only one survival/safety tip, what would it be?

We couldn’t emphasize enough the importance of preparation. Yes, it’s cliche; but as responsible adventurers, we abide by the old Boy Scout motto of “Be prepared.” Having the right exercise, gear, training, and mindset makes adventuring safer and more enjoyable.

In addition, remember that in all outdoor adventures, we are at the mercy of Mother Nature. We won’t succeed if we underestimate or show the slightest disrespect to her.

How have you both evolved from when you first started, to becoming the epic adventurers you are now?

Even before we met, we already had our share of adventures. However, fate, if there’s such a thing, was kind to us one weekend in April 2012 when we first met at the local crag in Cantabaco. We can truly sense the passion and spirit of adventuring within each other even though we barely knew one another at that time. Needless to say, we instantly clicked, one thing led to another, then we became sweethearts who share the same passion.

We evolved into better adventurers and travelers by taking into heart the lessons of each destination, activity, mishap, and triumph. If you read our blog, Adrenaline Romance, you would notice that we include the lessons we learned in each post.

What is the one essential piece of travel gear that you guys can’t leave home without?

The right footwear. Once your feet give out, you’re done for. That’s why we don’t go into shorcuts when it comes to footwear; we are very meticulous on the quality and features of shoes, sandals, and related items.

We have trekking shoes, rock climbing shoes, aqua shoes, trekking sandals, and more; a pair for each activity.

Where are you now, and what cliff or mountain will you guys be exploring next?

We have plans to climb a number of rock crags in the country. Also, a few friends and us are planning to climb Mt. Guiting-Guiting in Romblon, one of the most difficult mountains in the Philippines, next year. We also want to explore a few dive sites these coming months, but the weather is not cooperating.

Do you have any final advice for those who wish to get out there and Blaze their own adventure?

Live your life with fiery passion and drive. As you get older, you’ll regret not taking the risk and not following your heart to travel to new places, explore new cultures, and live a life of exciting adventures. Don’t wait until you get to a point in life when you want to go adventuring but your body or health is hindering you to do so. The best time for you to live your life to the fullest is now!

The beautiful real world is out there, not in your office, in your smartphone screens, or in the bar.

About Adrenaline Romance

Team Sweetie consists of Gian and Sheila, a loving boyfriend-and-girlfriend team of adventure junkies who are eternally thirsty for the next adrenaline rush.During weekdays, Gian works as a content writer for a company that specializes in search engine optimization. Although writing is one of his passions (he fantasizes writing his own novel someday), he hopes to someday save enough money to start a few businesses such as bed-and-breakfast, adventure tour operation, and peasant restaurant that will readily cater to fellow adventurers

Weeknights find Sheila working as a copy-editor for a market research company. Sweet, simple, and motherly, no one, at first glance, would believe that on weekends, she becomes a die-hard fanatic of mountaineering, rock climbing, wall climbing, caving, and a host of other adventure sports. Sheila hopes to travel around the world in search for the ultimate adrenaline lust.

Website: http://adrenalineromance.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AdrenalineRomance

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AdrenalnRomance/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/adrenaline_romance/

The post Adventure Series: Adrenaline Romance appeared first on Blaze Your Adventure.

Meet Petra and Shaun of The Global Couple, creators of the ultimate bucket list, and experts at living a lifetime in only a weekend (check out their 36 hours series!). I had the pleasure of getting to know this amazing couple who has been putting miles on their shoes when most of us where still learning our ABC’s! Their inspirational articles are fun, easy to navigate, and provide incredibly practical and actionable tips for anyone interested in following their footsteps. They know how to dig down, and get into the heart of any destination all while keeping their relationship strong. Word of warning though, following their blog might give you an incurable case of the wanderlust!

Tell us a little about the Global Couple.  Who are you guys, what are you all about, and your first introduction to traveling?

We’re Petra and Shaun, two mid-twenties New Zealanders. If we had to put ourselves in a travel category, we would say that we love budget adventure travel with a dash of luxury now and then. We love backpacking through Asia as much as we love wandering around the streets of New York City. We both had an introduction to travelling internationally with our families in our teens, and had both travelled within New Zealand before we met. Our first overseas trip together was to Bali, Indonesia at the tender young age of 19!

Being able to live a life of travel is a luxury for most, how do you guys balance your work with your passion for travel?

Before taking a year off work to travel to the US, Mexico, and Canada in 2014, we balanced working in New Zealand with yearly trips overseas. We took advantage of Petra’s university holidays and our paid holiday leave from work. We’ve also done a heap of New Zealand-based travel which is a lot easier to manage as you don’t have to travel as far – we manage to squeeze a lot into long weekends!

Traveling can certainly get expensive.  How do you guys afford all your awesome adventures?

We work hard and we save hard for our travels. We also set a strict budget for our trips, and do our research before going to a place in terms of expected costs (accommodation, food, etc.). We usually set a daily budget for food (it varies depending on the destination) and try to save money on accommodation and transport by staying in Airbnb rentals or cheap hotels and catching public transport.

Your 36 hours series has to be some of my favorite articles, tell me more about that and the inspiration behind it?

We’ve always loved the New York Times’ 36 hours series – over the years it has given us a lot of inspiration on where to go and what to do, albeit at a slightly more luxurious level than we travel at! So we wanted to create our own 36 hours series for the more budget-conscious traveller who travels like we do. It’s fun sharing our favourite things to do, see, and eat in a place we have visited. We always get asked for tips so we can now just direct people to those articles!

Traveling to new destinations is more than just stepping off a plane and taking photos.  How do you guys really dig into the culture and customs of a destination?

To get to know a new destination, we visit markets and eat local food. Markets are where locals congregate and we love looking through all the different things on display, and they also provide great photo opportunities! We’ve had some hits and misses with trying local food – from awful squid ink pasta in Venice to amazing papaya salad in Thailand. We love trying new things though!

What are three steadfast rules that you abide by in order to stay on budget while backpacking?

1. Eat the free hotel breakfast if it’s on offer and steal food from breakfast – rolls, bananas and so on are always good for lunch!
2. Use a budget tracking app like Trail Wallet to record daily expenditure and see if you’re tracking above or below budget.
3. Eat takeout rather than in a restaurant – and we don’t mean McDonalds! In the US we loved places like Chipotle or Whole Foods, and in Asia it’s easy to get takeaway Pad Thai and the like (although it’s so cheap there that we usually eat in anyway!). In New Zealand (and similar places like Canada and Australia) you can get takeout sandwiches or sushi and save a lot of money that way.

You guys were recently married – Congratulations!   Do you have any advice for couples planning on hitting the road together?

Thank you! Our number one rule is to be patient with each other. Being on the road as a couple can be a stressful experience if you haven’t done it before, and something is bound to go wrong. Don’t stress about the small stuff and just enjoy travelling with the person who you love!

What is one of the craziest situations you guys got yourselves caught up in and how did you get yourself out of it?

We were pulled over by police Bali while driving a rental car and they tried to scam us because we were apparently driving the wrong way down a one-way road (which we weren’t). They were about to take Shaun’s passport and make him appear in court, but we offered them some cash (about $50) and managed to get away safely. It was pretty scary and has put us off renting a car in Bali again!

If you could offer only one survival/safety tip, what would it be?

Don’t be flashy with your stuff. If you’re in a dodgy part of town, sleeping in an airport, or on an overnight bus, put your camera away, don’t wear your expensive watch or your diamond ring, and just be vigilant.

How have you both evolved as travelers from when you first started to how you are now?

Absolutely! When we started travelling we would plan every day down to the half hour (almost!) with a massive list of things to achieve and places to visit, including restaurants and shops, and have every night booked well in advance. Crazy! Now, we still like to do research on a place but we are much more relaxed with what we get done in a day – we just want to embrace a destination and enjoy it rather than running around like headless chickens!

Ok, this is for all the gear lovers out there.  What is the one essential piece of travel gear you must have on your adventurers?

We always carry a Swiss Army knife. It can help you out in all manner of sticky situations – screwing furniture back together, fixing door handles that won’t lock, cutting up your lunch, and of course the all-important bottle opener for when you really need a beer or wine.

You guys have one hell of a Bucket List!  How’s that coming along, and what will you be crossing off this year?

We love setting goals, and our bucket list is one way that we can keep track of what we want to do in our lives, travel-wise. This year we’re planning to be at home in New Zealand, so those exotic overseas goals will have to wait. But we are starting a Spanish class soon, so we can work towards our ‘learn a foreign language’ goal!

Do you have any final advice for those who wish to live a life of travel?

Set goals for saving and you’ll get there! Be brave and take the leap – you won’t regret it.

About the Global Couple

We’re Petra and Shaun, two twenty-something New Zealanders who love travel at home and across the globe. We love road trips, street food, and wandering with no destination in mind!

Our aim is to embrace and understand different cultures, foods, customs, histories, and landscapes. We love learning as much as we can about a place before we go and whilst we’re there. The more we know the more we can appreciate it!

Website: www.theglobalcouple.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/theglobalcouple1

Twitter: twitter.com/theglobalcouple

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