Matador's Ways to Be a Badass Traveler

As we head into the weekend, a perfect time to reignite the “time to take on the world” attitude, it seems like a good idea to recap some of Matadorians’ (or Badassadorians?) ways to be a kick-ass-and-take-names kind of traveler, or just a kick-ass living-lifer.

Here are some of my favorites:

Going Off the Deep End

Wanna show Sunday, and an 80ft granite cliff, who’s boss? Check out Ben Polansky’s foray into diving off a rock just a hop, skip and a jump from San Francisco.

Shake What Your Momma Gave Ya

With non-stop reminders from Mom – not to mention Pee Wee’s Big Adventure – of why we shouldn’t hitchhike, it may not seem like the smartest thing to do. Mike Szymanski busts open the myths around the oldest means of transportation in his blog, Hitchhiking Down-Under.

My favorite part is his description of the people you’ll meet while hitching:

Hippies, truck drivers, old, young, travelers, locals, women, men, grandmothers, women with children, Europeans, Americans, Asians, single women, those in love, those with hearts broken, friendly, lonely, quiet, talkative, and everything else in between.

And that’s what makes it so damn cool.

Work It, Girl

Drinking alone usually gives off an air of being a badass. Drinking alone as a female in a foreign place is a whole other ballgame of badassness. Check out Eva Holland’s guide to the gutsy gal drinking sans amis.

Single and Looking

Searching for love in the rockingest of places? Look no further than Sascha Matuszak’s Love Tour: World’s Best Cities for Singles. Though I’m not sure I agree with his assessment of the Bay Area making the list, considering all the singles there I know and love, I certainly appreciated his advice about Oakland: “Find a thug to love ya for a night.” Truly a badass thing to do.

I Will Survive

Falling into the category of badassery also includes accepting defeat, middle ground, or that fight to continue on. Sarah Menkedick recently wrote a poetic treatise to fourth place, noting:

You are human beings plunked kindly down in front of their inherent irrelevance, fourth place, you are the universe gently mocking us and our sweating fervent seriousness and at the same time, telling us, you can’t stop, can you, nice try, and good job and keepitup, the universe letting us taste that bittersweet honey that’s half-meaning and half-meaninglessness.

And so to all you badass travelers, I say don’t stop, keepitup.

What is your most badass travel experience? Share your experiences below.