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Inward bound: how IAC2026 challenged the way we think about adventure
The 12th International Adventure Conference took place over three days at Breda University of Applied Sciences. Co-organised with the Adventure Tourism Research Association (ATRA) and Wageningen University & Research, the event brought together approximately 90 participants from 13 countries, including researchers, practitioners, students, and industry leaders.
The theme was Transformation through Adventure: Beyond the Consumer Mindset. It challenged participants to rethink adventure — not as an external pursuit of risk, achievement, or spectacle, but as a relational and inward-looking process through which meaningful transformation can occur.
Across keynotes, workshops, mobile sessions, and informal conversations, three key takeaways emerged.
1. Adventure is an inward journey that transforms how we relate to the world
A recurring theme throughout the conference was that adventure should not be understood solely through physical challenge, remote landscapes, or extraordinary activities. Rather, adventure is fundamentally an inward endeavour - a process of openness, reflection, uncertainty, and learning through which individuals are transformed.
2. Moving beyond consumption towards care, reciprocity, and responsibility
The conference critically examined dominant consumer-oriented approaches to adventure, tourism, and leisure. Rather than asking what can be gained from an experience, speakers and participants encouraged a shift towards questions of contribution and reciprocity.
3. Meaningful transformation emerges through dialogue between research, practice, and lived experience
The conference reinforced the importance of bridging academic knowledge and practical action. Through presentations, workshops, industry panels, and outdoor mobile sessions, participants explored how transformative ideas become meaningful when they are tested, challenged, and enacted in practice.
Importantly, many participants noted that some of the most valuable insights emerged outside formal conference sessions, while walking, cycling, sailing, sharing meals, and engaging in conversation. These encounters reflected a central lesson of adventure itself: transformation often happens not through grand moments, but through everyday interactions, reflection, and connection with others.
Looking ahead
As the conference concluded, participants left with a renewed appreciation that adventure is not primarily about conquering mountains or seeking extremes. Rather, it is about remaining open to being changed by the process - an inward journey that ultimately shapes how we engage with the wider world.
