Are you kind of person who lives for the next adrenaline high? Does your ideal vacation include things like skydiving into extreme weather conditions or ziplining in areas filled with exotic (and dangerous) animals? If so, you probably know that most of these activities don’t come cheap whether you’re doing them on vacation or doing them at home. So what do you do if you want to get that adrenaline high but you don’t want to have to pay a fortune to participate in the adventures that help you get it?
Here are ten exciting activities that should get your blood pumping because of the activity itself and not the panic that you feel after opening your bank statement when the activity is done:
1. Free running / parkour. Some people call this an extreme sport; others call it a form of martial arts or defense practice. Whatever you call it, if you’re doing it with all of your heart then you’re going to find yourself in some precariously scary positions. Basically it involves setting a course for yourself in an urban environment and trying to get through that course as quickly as possible doing things like jumping from one rooftop to another, running up walls and launching yourself off of them and incorporating gymnastics techniques into running to increase your speed. It doesn’t cost you anything to get started with this activity although you may want to make sure you have health insurance in case of an accident.
Video - Two Brothers Free Running
2. Craning. The world around you is rapidly being developed and that means that there is probably a good chance that there’s a construction crane somewhere in your area. The art of scaling this crane without any sort of climbing equipment is called craning and it’s something that adventurous folks are doing more and more often. There are a lot of risks to this sport including the risk of falling, the risk of electrocution from nearby wires and the risk of getting caught scaling equipment that clearly doesn’t belong to you. Ah, but that’s what makes it so terrifying! This activity is basically free although it’s wise to invest in a decent pair of climbing shoes. You also might want to put some money in the bank in case you get caught and fined.
Video - Completely crazy climbing on a tower crane (no safety) !!!!
3. Elevator surfing. Instead of being a boring person who rides inside of elevators to the top of tall buildings, you can choose to jump around inside of elevator shafts. Depending on the set-up of the elevator location, you can either jump around on the tops of the elevator or you can jump in between two moving elevators. This can be done in any building where you can sneak into the elevator either by holding the elevator between floors and climbing to the top through the safety hatch or by forcing open the exterior elevator doors and jumping on to the elevator from above. This is clearly dangerous and highly illegal but it’s one cheap method of entertaining yourself that isn’t going to cost you an admission fee.
Video - Elevator Surf
4. Train surfing. This is typically considered to be related to elevator surfing because the same people that do one often get involved in doing the other. The experience, however, is entirely different. As you might have guessed, this involves getting on to the top of a train and riding it as it speeds down the tracks. Again, it’s dangerous and illegal but that’s really what finding fun, cheap adrenaline rushes is all about.
Video - Extreme Trainsurfer
5. Cliff jumping. You’ve probably already done some variation of this when you have been near a body of water where it could be done. Take it to the extreme by trying to find the highest cliffs and narrowest ledges to jump from. This can be done from anywhere where there is water and something to jump off of. Where there are no “cliffs” people often jump from bridges and railroad tracks. This is one of those activities that can really get your adrenaline going and it doesn’t have to cost you anything but the gas that it takes you to get there. If you really want to save money, you could always bike to the water instead of driving there.
Video - Cliff Jumping Extreme
6. Exploring off-limits areas. There are many variations on this activity but basically it involves going into an abandoned building or area where you aren’t technically supposed to be going. The fun comes from exploring what there is to be seen in abandoned buildings, tunnels and sewers. The sense of adventure comes from the fact that you are exploring areas that are forbidden and that you never really know what you are going to find there. This activity requires minimal investment in the form of things like flashlights.
Video - Joseph Lemaire Sanatorium - Urban Exploration
7. Buildering. Why explore the inside of the buildings around you when you can scale the outside instead? Buildering is the act of scaling large skyscraper buildings, usually without any sort of ropes or anything to make you feel safe. It’s a combination of urban exploration, free running and craning so a lot of people who do any of those activities will also find themselves interested in doing this one.
Video - Spiderman Climbs Skyscraper
8. Ghost hunting. You have to believe in ghosts, at least a little bit, to engage in this activity. Assuming that you can overcome that mental barrier, there is a lot of fun fear to be experienced by going ghost hunting in the areas of the country that are reported to be most haunted. Whether you do this with a group or in some form of alternative urban exploration may determine how frightening you actually find this activity to be. Just imagine being alone inside of an abandoned hotel that is supposed to be haunted and suddenly hearing or seeing the very things that others have said are ghosts. It’s a cheap thrill at the very least. Unfortunately, getting too serious about this activity can end up costing you money in the end because you’ll find yourself wanting advanced “ghost tracking” equipment.
Video - Ghost caught on tape
9. Ghost riding. Forget looking for ghosts when you could be ghostriding the whip instead. A favorite activity of people involved with the hyphy music movement in the San Francisco Bay Area, this activity involves dancing around and acting crazy on top of a car while it is in motion. There is no driver for the car while it’s slowly driving around since the driver is also outside of the car, dancing around on top of it. You have to have enough money to afford a car for this activity (or at least be able to find some friends that are willing to ghost ride with you) but other than that it’s not going to cost you anything more than a partial tank of gas to get a thrill that can sometimes be scarier than you might have thought.
Video - Ghost Ride The Whip Compilation
10. Survivalism adventures. This is one of those things that doesn’t immediately seem like it’s going to be too frightening but it has the potential to evolve into a scary, life-changing situation. The basic idea is that you attempt to learn the skills that it would take to survive in nature without bringing any supplies along with you. Then you head out into nature for days or weeks or months at a time to try out your survival skills. It is recommended that you bring water with you when first starting out in case your survival skills aren’t as great as you think that they are. Ultimately, you want to get all of your food and any shelter that you need straight from the land. This is a long-term test of your will to survive and it can ultimately cause your adrenaline to go haywire. Since you’re getting everything you need for sustenance from the earth, it goes a long way towards teaching you how to live without money (although you’ll want a decent pair of hiking shoes when you head out to most places).
Video - Survivalist tips and items for camping/hiking and outdoors
Chill out Stan, its up to the person if they do it or not, no one is making them do it.
more people die from drugs than surfing elevator shafts but why not bitch about that.
Don’t knock it til you try it!
Luke- Adrenaline Junkie
This is by far the best site I have come across with.
And I have added all these things to my do to list.
Altitude with Attitude, I say.
Stan - Elevator Mechanic
Do you not think that person that decides to do these things know of the risk and as well as that person is doing it because of his own free will?
No one on this site is forcing anyone.
Kathryn,10/10. We would like to see more extreme adrenaline things for us adrenaline addicts!
We are Kathryn and Captain Frugal two money saving fanatics. Kathryn is a freelance writer living in San Francisco which means that she's had to work hard to maintain a frugal budget. Captain Frugal learned from a young age that a penny saved is a penny earned, he's made it his life's mission to beat "the system" a few cents at a time. 
"Living the high life is easy!" say's captian frugal, "all you need is a little creativity, to improve your lifestyle and still save money!
Are you looking for a lawsuit with your dangerous ideas and video links? While you might not have much to sue for I’d hate to be in your shoes the day a high school kid gets hurt after gaining entry into an elevator shaft to surf it.
I can see it now, Blog link gives kid idea to live life dangerously. Please consider removing this part of your blog.
Stan - Elevator Mechanic