As we approach the New Year, do you have a bold adventure on your bucket list for 2015?

I certainly do. This year, I bungee jumped in Auckland, New Zealand (see picture). I also conquered kayaking Kauai’s Na Pali Coast twice, once against the current and strong winds. For 2015, I will be in Bali, Kauai, Cuba, and Tuscany. I plan on getting into some fun adventures while I’m in all of my 2015 destinations: SCUBA, hiking, SUP, perhaps surfing, and more. To help you with your 2015 adventure travel bucket list items, I asked a peer travel writer and adrenaline junkie, Cheryl Staunton to write this post on ummissable extreme sport spots around the world.

Take it away Cheryl!

Are you an adrenaline junkie, just waiting to get that kick from your own Route 66? Extreme sports have never been more popular, and if you’re looking for those extra thrills then there are plenty of great places to go to find them and many amazing activities to try out. Wherever you go in the world you’ll find something to excite and challenge you, from the strenuous physical exertion of skiing to the heart-stopping moment when you throw yourself out of an airplane for your first ever skydive.

Surf’s up

If you think surfing is not an extreme sport, then think again. When the surf’s really up you have an opportunity to catch massive waves rolling towards the shore, and if you can ride them and still stay on your feet you’ll never forget that moment as the top of the wave curls over and threatens to obliterate you, but you can use your speed and skill to make it all the way down.

Australia’s Gold Coast has fantastic break points for good surf, or head for the Canary Island of Fuerteventura where not only is it warm all year round but the conditions for surfing are fantastic.

Anyone for bungee?

You probably thought it was a good idea the night before. On vacation you may possibly have had a couple of drinks to loosen you up. But when you’re standing on the edge of a bridge, many meters above a gorge and river, you could be forgiven for feeling a little nervous. The elasticated cord is tied firmly to your ankle though and it’s too late for you to back out.

Why would you? As adrenaline thrills go there’s not much to compete with a bungee jump. No trip to New Zealand would be complete without doing a jump in the country where it all started, so head to Queenstown in the South Island and go to Kawarau Bridge for your first test, and then head to the Nevis River to really get a challenge with a 134m fall that only takes eight seconds. Your life may flash before you but you’ll be safe.

Skyfall

Okay, so it’s not really James Bond, but you could have some fun pretending for a few minutes. Skydiving is partly about the anticipation and then of course the reality. If you want to leap out of a plane – don’t worry, you’ll be accompanied if it’s your first time – head for Interlaken in Switzerland and experience the grandeur of the Alps from a new perspective, or for a more exotic location, get a sense of the vastness of the desert in Namibia as you gently come back to earth.

Enjoy and be safe

Extreme sports are huge fun but you do need to think about the stresses put on your body, and particularly your legs. Whether it’s skiing, snowboarding or whatever else you choose to do, you can get protection and support with compression calf sleeves from tommiecopper.com.

**Post written by Cheryl Staunton who is a freelance writer currently based in the UK, and specialising in writing for the web. Her primary interests are everything Adrenaline-fuelled.