5 Ways to Apply Outward Bound to Life Back Home

You’ve completed Outward Bound, and that sets you in a category so special and powerful that hopefully you walk around with a great sense of accomplishment. If, however, now that your course is over, you find yourself trying to apply it to daily life back home, keep some of the following tips in mind:

1. Keep the Letters Coming.

Remember your solo letter? All the time you spent establishing your 6 month goals and where you’d like to see yourself in half a year? Do that regularly. Write a letter about your goals for the next 6 months, then tuck it away or give it to a trusted friend that can mail it to you down the road. Write down your goals and where you’d like to be. Writing them down and then knowing that letter is coming in the mail will help you be more aware of your goals and how you are, or aren’t, moving towards them.

2. Keep Moving.

Whether you began your Outward Bound course as a seasoned mountaineer or a couch potato, you probably got more exercise on your course than you do everyday at home. So once you’re home, keep moving. Don’t just stroll — power walk, run, climb at the local gym, ski, whatever works for your environment. Staying active will keep you in touch with and proud of your physical self.

3. Be a Nature Lover.

Some alumni appreciate nature before their course, some really discover it during course, and others can’t wait to leave the trail and hit a Starbucks. Either way, keep some sort of connection with nature after you get back home. It can be hiking, sitting in the park on a sunny afternoon, or keeping a calendar with photos of nature on your desk. Not only will it be a touchstone for your time out in the field with Outward Bound, but it will also remind you of just how simple things can be, and how wonderfully powerless we really are.

4. Stay In Touch.

It’s so easy after you get home to just spend time with people from your pre-Outward Bound life. Friends and family members want to know all about your adventure, which is great, but they weren’t there. They didn’t see you belay while your forearms burned, or sprint the last mile of your P.C.E. Your group members, on the other hand, got a first hand glimpse of who you were during this intense experience. As you re-immerse yourselves back into the daily grind, stay in touch by phone or e-mail and help keep each other connected to what went on out there, and the potential impact it can have on life back home.

5. Remember Who You Were Out There.

Here’s the toughest, but maybe most important, part. You probably felt good about yourself at specific times during your course. Really good. Like you could do anything, be anything, believe anything. Some of your greatest strengths came through and served both you and your group members in times of desperate need. These were pivotal moments that showed who you are and what you want to be. The key is to carry that sense of yourself back home into every day, relationship, and situation that you can. What made you feel so great? Cleaning the pots an extra turn even though it was pouring rain? Telling the jokes that kept people laughing instead of crying? Talking yourself into the last few yards of that rocky, alpine climb? Whatever it was, do it at home. Go the extra mile. Help others. Push yourself beyond. Stay Outward Bound, even when familiar circumstances and routines tempt you to fall back into old habit.

Remember Kurt Hahn’s words, “Outward Bound can ignite, that is all. It is for you to keep the flame alive” have never been more applicable, more powerful, or more true than they are in today’s world. And your role as an Outward Bound alumnus has never been more important, more needed, or more powerful as you create and maintain your post-Outward Bound life.

About the Author: Amanda Straus is a Professional Coach and Owner of The Next Step, a company dedicated to helping people apply the benefits of outdoor adventure to daily life. She offers a complimentary coaching session for individuals who are interested in learning more about how coaching can support them in their effort to apply Outward Bound to every day life. To schedule a session, e-mail Amanda at mailto:amanda@next-step-coach.com amanda@next-step-coach.com or call 704.451.8622. You can also check out her program at next-step-coach.com next-step-coach.com

Puerto Rico is an island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, located east of the Dominican Republic. The island is almost rectangular in shape and is the smallest and most eastern island of the Greater Antilles. The island spans an area of 9,104 sq. km, slightly less than three times the size of Rhode Island. The island has a length of 180 km, stretching from Punta Puerca in the east to Punta Higuero in the west. The maximum width spans an area of 65 km from Isabella in the north to Punta Colon in the south. The length of the coastline is 501 km, which is the reason for Puerto Rico being a key -shipping lane to the Panama Canal. In addition to the principal island, the Commonwealth includes Vieques, Culebra, Culebrita, Palomino (also known as the Spanish Virgin Islands), Mona, Monito and various others isolated islands.

To the west of the island lie Haiti and the Dominican Republic, which are separated from the island by the Mona Passage or Mona Canal. To the east lie the Virgin Islands. The north is flanked by the Atlantic Ocean while the Caribbean Sea is to the south.

Puerto Rico has a predominantly mountainous terrain. The coastal plains are spread across the north of the island. Sandy beaches cover the coastal areas. Cerro de Punta is the highest point at a height of 1,338m. San Juan is one of the biggest natural harbors.

Puerto Rico’s numerous small rivers and high central mountains ensure that the land is well watered. The south coast is relatively dry and the north consists of a fertile coastal belt.

Puerto Rico is close to the deepest submarine depression in the North Atlantic Ocean. The Puerto Rico Trench is about 1,750 km long and 100 km wide. The trench was formed by a series of faults in the north Caribbean and is partially filled with sediments. The trench is parallel to the northern coast of the island of Puerto Rico, lying about 120 km to the north. The deepest point in the Atlantic Ocean, the Milwaukee Depth, lies within the Puerto Rico Trench, at a depth of 8,380 meters, 160 km northwest of Puerto Rico.

i-PuertoRico.com Puerto Rico provides detailed information on Puerto Rico, Map Of Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico Vacation, San Juan Puerto Rico and more. Puerto Rico is affiliated with e-puntacana.com Punta Cana Hotels .

Amsterdam due to its location and proximity to two of the premier beer-drinking nations in Europe – Belgium, where modern beer was more or less invented, and Germany, famous for its beer consumption, is a great city to go drinking in. As for eating, this may not be Europe’s culinary capital, but there’s a good choice of ethnic restaurants, especially Indonesian, Chinese and Thai, and the prices compared to other big-city standards are quite reasonable. Amsterdam’s tradition of cafes and bars serving adventurous food for a good price in a relaxed and modest setting is a huge advantage too.

Dutch mealtimes are a little eccentric. Breakfast tends to be later than what generally a person might expect, and other meals times are earlier than expected. If one chooses to eat breakfast out of the hotel, then very few cafes are open before 8 or 8.30am. The typical Dutch lunch hour is from noon to 1pm, and dinner time in most restaurants is between 7 and 8pm, quite a few restaurants stop serving by 10pm.

Though quite small in size, Amsterdam is filled with places to eat and drink. There is always somewhere convenient and enjoyable to suit everyone’s budget. Weekends tend to get busy so for eating out at a favorite joint it is advisable to have a booking or geo early before the rush hour. Throughout the city there are plenty of good restaurants scattered all over the city, and in much of the centre one can find a bar on almost every corner.

Dutch restaurant food has higher protein content than imagination. The staple diet is the steak, chicken and fish, along with filling soups and stews… Many places offer dagschotels – dish of the day, generally available for as long as the restaurant is open- a meat and two vegetable combinations.

A wide selection of vegetarian restaurants offer full-course set meals which are quite reasonable. Another inexpensive stand-by is Italian food – pizzas and pasta dishes start at a fairly uniform in all but the ritziest places. Chinese and Thai restaurants are also common, as well as the Spanish ones, all of which serve well priced, filling food. But Amsterdam’s real area of expertise is its Indonesian restaurants, a consequence of the country’s imperial adventures. One can eat nasi goreng and bami goreng meaning rice or noodles with meat are ever-present dishes, and chicken or beef in peanut sauce -sateh is available everywhere too. Alternatively, order a rijsttafel: boiled rice and/or noodles served with a number of spicy side dishes and hot sambal sauce on the side.

In bars one can get sandwiches and rolls frequently open and varying from a simple slice of cheese to something so overstated that it’s a complete meal – as well as more substantial fare. Dutch classics include broodje halfom, a roll with a combination of thinly sliced salted beef and liver eaten with mustard, and broodje warm vlees, thinly sliced warm pork served with sateh sauce. The way to eat in Amsterdam is through the local style. Though not what is one used to but certainly quite a tempting fare.

Rahul viz recommends that you visit bookings.nl/city/nl/amsterdam.html?aid=305255 bookings.nl/city/nl/amsterdam.html?aid=305255 for more information on bookings.nl/city/nl/amsterdam.html?aid=305255 The City of Water.

Holidays in Provence generally mean Peter Mayle territory or the Cote d’Azur. Great, that means that up in the hills behind Cannes and near Grasse you have a quiet, select few who can enjoy all the good stuff without the crowds: sunshine, lavender, wine, dramatic countryside, olives, thyme and great food. Still, you can rest happy with the knowledge that Nice, Cannes, Antibes and other Mediterranean sea towns are 45 minutes away.

Fayence is nestled between the mountains of the Esterel and the lower Alps. It is in a string of perched villages which include Montauroux, Seillans and Callian – each one no more than 10 minutes from the next. All these villages have typical markets, pleasant restaurants (to suit all budgets) and a sensible collection of day-to-day and tourist shops. None is over-run by foreigners, you can’t buy curry and there are no fish-and-chip shops. But you can drink Pastis and watch petanque.

Travel to the Fayence area is straightforward. For car drivers, it’s about twelve hours door to door from London via Eurostar. Set off bright and early, then aim to break anywhere from Beaune onwards. We’ve stayed in downtown Puligny at Le Montrachet – right in the heart of Burgundy and minutes away from the most valuable wine real estate in the world. We’ve also stayed in Tournus at the classy Hotel de Greuze.

For the brave and armed with books on tape, go on – do it in one go.

Air travel takes you to Nice (British Airways, Easyjet and British Midland/BMI) all offer routes. You’ll need a car, so avoid the hassle of queuing and rent one from Truche Location. They’ll make a plaque with your name on it and meet you. Leaving, just park the car in airport terminal parking and drop your keys in the post. Fayence is about 50 minutes drive from Nice airport.

Those wishing to arbitrage money for time can try Toulon/Hyeres – closer to two hours after a Ryanair flight.

Fayence is exit 38 (Les Adrets) off the A8 autoroute.

For aquatic activity, you have the beaches, the mountain streams and, well, the swimming pool – which can be enjoyed with a good book. We love heading off to the mountain gorges of the Siagne and the Siagnole – either side of the 830m high village of Mons. Splash around in “refreshing” streams, dive into rock-pools and plunge in the waterfalls. Or eat your picnic lunch and watch the children do it. The beaches really are crowded but a walk down La Croisette in Cannes, lunch by the sea and a quick dip should not be missed. For a more intimate experience, find a cove in the red rocks Esterel or visit Theoule. Make sure you book ahead for sun lounger: at about 10 euros a day, it’s well worth it. Marco Polo beach gets our pick.

Les gorges du Verdon offer something for everyone at about 90 minutes drive. Hire a pedalo (with water slide) at Lac St.Croix and meander down the river looking up several hundred metres of rock wall. For the walker, take the six hour Sentier Martel hike along the Verdon. (Tip: leave a car at the end then catch a taxi to the start point). The more adventurous can pursue hybrid sports like white-water rafting and canyonning: book ahead at Castellane.

Closer to home, there’s plenty of spectacular, challenging hiking (with gorgeous hostelries at either end). For 1200m and above, our top picks are Bauroux (start in Seranon, where Napoleon stayed on his way to Grenoble in 1815), the plateau de Caussols (between St. Vallier and Gourdon) which affords views of Cannes, Nice and the southern Alps from the same vantage point. For a riverside walk, head for the Pont des Tuves between St. Cezaire and Mons.

After a long hard day in the sun – temperatures in the summer average 30 degrees – one’s mind drifts towards food and drink. Lunch is never problematic: baguettes, salad, cheese and saucisson or rillettes are a done deal, washed down by some rose and followed by juicy, fresh fruit.

For a “quiet” night in, the chefs amongst you will prepare the cuisine yourselves. Fayence boasts three supermarkets to procure the wherewithal. The Leclerc in Montauroux has the widest choice: in our family the name “smelly Eric’s” has stuck and we have been ticked off for scantily-clad appearances. For the night out, Le Castelleras provides Michelin one star quality (order the menu gastronomique). Mons, Fayence and Seillans all boast sensibly-priced, well-prepared local fare with friendly service.

We like Mons: Le Petit Bonheur, busy and casual in the town square and L’Auberge Provencale with views out across the Esterel and the coastline.

To accompany your meals, there’s a splendid and affordable range of local Provence wines to sample – supermarket output is fine for everyday quaffing. For the connoisseurs, a visit to the Maison des Vins in Les Arcs will deepen your liquid knowledge.

Tired, enjoy a coffee and a marc de Provence under the stars – there’s no light pollution up here in the hills.

For more Provence holiday information, visit go-provence.com Go Provence. To rent a farmhouse in Provence away from it all, see our go-provence.com/mons_farmhouse.htm Provencal mas for rent.