The adventure at his door

At the beginning of June, my retired neighbors announced that I take their grandchildren to camp for the weekend … in the neighboring department: “They have never done, for them it is the adventure! Among the concepts that the ecological emergency emerged, I particularly appreciate that of “microaventure”. It is an Englishman, Alastair Humphreys, who invented this expression in 2014 to designate an adventure “near, simple, short and nevertheless real”. With several thousand kilometers on foot on the clock on various continents, he could try the ultimate feat: to look for the thrill of the unknown, the lightning of wonder, the stimulation of discomfort within a 20 km radius around his home.

Since then, the concept has been very successful: many guides, blogs and travel agencies today offer microaventures … which seem far too prepared for my taste. But that is better, after all, than to participate in the sharp increase in air traffic (+ 13.6 % in 2024 for international flights, according to the International Air Transport Association). Or in mass tourism which suffocates both certain cities and, from Barcelona to Genoa, residents demonstrated on June 16, 2025 to claim regulations. Sleep under the stars, even if it is in your garden, go to a cafe where you never set foot, finally visit a museum or a neglected monument because too close to your home: happy summer to all, rich in microaventures!