Survivalist School
With shows like Man vs. Wild and Naked and Afraid, every thrill seeker on planet Earth has at one point wondered how they’d fare alone against the elements. Wonder no more (and keep your pants on) because all over the world, you can take a course that could save your life and earn you big time bragging rights if you’re ever naked and afraid for real. Plus you’ll learn from real experts in the field, the same people the Marines and the Navy train with.
There are all sorts of training courses and schools all over the world, but the one that caught our eye is called California Survival Training School where in a single weekend you’ll learn:
to combat the #1 killer in outdoor survival
how to make a fire with sticks
to construct a weatherproof survival shelter
how to make an effective small game trap
how to locate and purify water in the field
how to make rope from wild plants
how to cook a meal without pots, pans, or utensils
It's a scenarios based training course where you show up with a knife and that's. No sleeping bag, no food, no lighter. They show you the rest. It's not for everybody, but for the true thrill seeker, this course must be top of the list.
Price: about $100- $300
Scuba Certification
I can’t tell you how many people I’ve met over the years that say, “Wow, I’d love to get scuba certified.” Here are three reasons why you shouldn't wait to get certified:
1. It’s a lifetime certification. So if you ever plan to get certified, may as well get it out of the way so you can hurry up and start enjoying it.
2. You can get certified in about a weekend. It's not a big undertaking or big commitment. One weekend course will have you certified for life.
3. It’s internationally recognized. With just the basic open water certification, you can scuba all over the world for the rest of your life. The most common certifications are PADI, SSI, and Naui and skills are standard across the globe.
Whether you live inland or on the ocean, as long as you have access within a couple hours to a pool and a large body of water, like a lake or ocean, you can get certified in about a weekend. Check out our blog about it, How to Get Scuba Certified Today (And Why You Must Do It Immediately)
Price: Since the certifications are internationally regulated, the price tends to be relatively uniform across the globe, around 400 USD. However Oakland, CA has a dive shop called Steele’s (no website, but here's their #(510) 655-4344) which is subsidized by the city, so their certification is a little cheaper and in the global market, Thailand has had some of the cheapest diving certifications in the world.
Stunt Driver
This one gets golden star for Badass. Learn J Turns and high speed parallel parking from the experts with you at the wheel. There are multiple schools out there and while they don’t all offer certifications, they do all offer insane experiences that could either save your life, land you a new stunt career, or at least blast your heart out of your chest.
These schools are not for the faint of heart either, with skills ranging from how to turn your vehicle into a weapon to high speed reverse driving, stunt driver schools offer courses for professional bodyguards, professional stunt drivers, and amateur James Bond wannabes. Regardless of what drives you to stunt driving school, this adventure certification will give you the badge of badass. Here are a couple of the schools that caught our eye:
Bobby Ore Sports
Wagon Train Productions
Rick Seaman Stunt Driving School
You need no experience to get started in this, all you need to do is get down to the track and reach deep in your pocket because this one can add up quick. Courses range anywhere from one single day to weeks long and this sh$t aint cheap.
Price: $500- $4,000
Explosives Expert
Most Students: “I'm majoring in Sociology with a minor in literature, how about you?”
You: “Pyrotechnics and explosives.”
Most Students: "Seriously?"
Yup, you can actually take classes at your local community college that will train you in the art of wiring, hand firing, recognizing and dismantling dud fireworks and more. Courses range from one day to semesters long and if you love blowing stuff up enough, there could actually be a career on the other side for you. While different countries have different certification processes and even within the U.S. rules differ state to state, there is an international guild called the Pyrotechnics International Guild (PGI) that you can certify through and actually become every young thrillist’s dream—the explosives expert.
Cost- Less than $100 for community college course.
Find something you liked on here. Let us know. Have an adventure course you'd like to add to this list? Please share!