Summer is a time for a no-holds-back, carpe-diem attitude toward life. It’s the time to take that first step outside your comfort zone and plunge headfirst into new, invigorating experiences. Maybe your thrill seeking takes you mountain biking amongst the rocky peaks in Montana. Perhaps it leads you to snorkeling above vibrant coral reefs in Hawaii. Or it could be trekking up to the ancient Incan city of Machu Picchu. From sun and sand to fresh mountain air to sweeping city views, there’s a potential adventure awaiting you everywhere you go.

Embarking on any adventure requires thorough preparation. That includes planning the food and beverages you pack to fuel your adventures. To ignite their inner explorer and make the most of their next vacation, many people across the world have started adding kava to their vacation packing list. This natural relaxation aid is becoming increasingly popular for all-things travel and adventure. In fact, a growing number of kava connoisseurs are finding that kava and adventure go hand-in-hand. Thrill-seekers and jet setters of have begun to weave kava into their activities to not only enhance their experiences but make them more memorable.

In this blog post, we’ll dive into the details of kava, it’s properties, and how this remarkable root can naturally fuel your adventures this summer and beyond.

What is Kava?

Kava, also known as Piper Methysticum, is a small shrub grown in the Pacific Islands, mainly Fiji, Hawaii, Tonga, and Vanuatu. It has been around for thousands of years, but modern society is only just scratching the surface on kava’s benefits. There is a long history and tradition of native islanders utilizing kava plants for social rituals, religious ceremonies, and medicinal purposes.

Most commonly, kava is used to naturally promote relaxation. When the root and stump of kava are ground down, made into a drink, and consumed, the effects of kava’s active ingredients help promote psychological and physiological relaxation. There are hundreds of kava varieties, and each one produces unique relaxation effects.

How Can Kava Fuel Your Adventures?

Just as nature has sculpted epic mountain tops, vast oceans, and dense woodlands for exploring, it also created the ideal plant for amplifying the thrill of vacation adventures. To better understand how kava can help you fully embrace the thrill of your excusions, let’s first review how kava works and how it affects the mind and body.

When the root and stump of the kava plant are ground down and consumed, users typically experience a sensation of physiological and psychological relaxation. This calming effect is thanks to the active ingredients in kava known as kavalactones.

Kavalactones interact with the central nervous system and the brain, notably the amygdala. The amygdala is responsible for regulating emotions like fear and anxiety. When someone drinks kava, the kavalactones in the plant bind to receptors in the amygdala, helping to calm the mind, generate feelings of euphoria, boost your mood, relax muscles, and more depending on the variety of kava you consume.

Because of it’s natural relaxation properties, kava is a great aid for helping yourself throughout a range of adventuring activities. From remaining chill and clear headed during thrilling but potentially nerve-wracking experiences or lifting your mood before a fun activity, kava can complement the needs of your various adventures.

What is the Best Kava for Adventuring?

There are many varieties of kava available, so it can be tricky knowing which one will boost your sense of adventure. There are a few factors you can consider to narrow down the field: the time of day you’ll want to drink kava and what types of activities you’ll be participating in immediately after drinking kava. Kava varieties are usually classified as heady, heavy, or balanced. Heady kavas impart relaxation while not making you too sleepy. Heavy kavas are known for their deeper relaxation properties with often the added benefit of promoting muscle relaxation and sleepiness. Balanced kavas are a good mix of both heady and heavy kavas and can be consumed during daytime or nighttime.

When it comes to helping promote your mental relaxation and unleash your adventurous spirit, we recommend heady kava varieties like our Pouni Ono and Samoan Ava. Our Pouni Ono is an uplifting kava that helps stimulate mental relaxation and mood enhancement. It’s wellknown for helping people relax and feel more happy, alert, and ready to take on a day of new adventures. Our Samoa Ava is also an uplifting and happiness-inducing kava with little to no sedation. It can initially boost your mood and relax you mentally before providing the physical body relaxation kava is typically known for. So if you are feeling tense before an impending experience while on vacation, our Samoa Ava kava can keep you #kalm, cool, and collected.

4 Benefits of Blending Kava and Adventure

Adventure travel calls you to be curious, to face your fears, and to do something difficult and worthwhile. But often, leaving your comfort zone can induce feelings of fear, anxiety, and hesitancy. At Kalm with Kava, our goal is to make the world a more fun-loving place one sip of kava at a time. To help mitigate your fears so that you can feel the exhilaration, and empowerment that comes from adventure travel, we’ve compiled a list of the top four benefits that come with blending kava and adventure.

1. Ignite Your Sense of Adventure

While anyone can sit and daydream about their perfect getaway adventure, it takes a real shift in your mental state and energy levels to pursue an adventure in real life. Sipping a kava root drink may just give you the nudge you need to unleash your inner adventurer. When consumed, certain varieties of kava, like our House Blend Kava, can help generate uplifting and energizing effects that help ease your worries and nervousness and get you pumped to try a new experience.

2. Boost Your Mood

Between hectic travel schedules, irregular sleep, and new environments and people, vacations can sometimes leave you feeling emotionally drained, not rejuvenated. Fortunately, kava’s natural mood-boosting abilities can help lift your spirits, making you happier and more inclined to socialize, have fun, and embrace the thrilling experiences on your vacation.

3. Enhance Social Interactions

You may have heard it said that “it’s the friends we meet along the way that help us appreciate the journey.” Travel experiences create opportunities that force you to interact with strangers in ways you never would back home. They also open the door for building new connections and friendships across the world. While engaging with total strangers can be awkward initially, kava works as a social lubricant, helping ease your nerves and shyness in social situations. Heady kavas–called “heady” for their uplifting kava effects—are particularly excellent for helping you feel more sociable and talkative. Heady kavas, like our Pouni Ono and Samoa Ava, can help lower any social inhibitions you may have and encourage a bubbly, happy feeling.

4. Reduce Anxiety

Whether you’re trying to calm your nerves before boarding a long flight to your destination or maintain the gumption that originally prompted you to sign up for that backpacking experience in the first place, kava can be a great option to help soothe your fears. When your vacation anxiety has you reaching for a cocktail, consider kava instead as a safe, all-natural alcohol alternative for your usual way to calm your nerves.

Kava Destinations: Your Next Adventure

Now that you understand the benefits of fusing kava and adventure for truly thrilling vacation experiences, it’s time to kick your kava interactions up a notch. Reading about the history, folklore, and traditions associated with kava is fascinating. Drinking kava from bilos in a modern kava bar is exhilarating. But experiencing kava in its traditional form at its historical ground zero in the South Pacific–priceless.

For your next vacation, consider making kava the destination rather than the companion. An immersive trip to a kava-growing country will open your eyes to kava’s cultural significance and help you better appreciate all the benefits it has to offer. Drink kava from hand-carved bilos while watching the sun melt into the horizon, participate in a traditional kava ceremony, or tour a kava farm while conversing with native peoples who harvest and prepare kava root for worldwide consumption. Known for their rich cultures, hospitable people, and exceptional sights, here are four kava drink destinations that are a must-see:

• Hawaii
  Known as “Awa” in Hawaii, kava has played a large role culturally and socially in Hawaii’s history. The first Polynesian travelers were responsible for bringing kava to Hawaii, as they felt it was important enough to bring it with them in their canoes. Today, Hawaii is home to some 13 varieties of kava and is a true adventurer’s playground. The luscious island offers endless outdoor adventures including scuba diving, surfing, parasailing, and deep sea fishing.
• Fiji
  Fiji is a bucket list destination, famous for its white-sandy beaches, clear cerulean waters, friendly locals, and delicious food. Boasting some 330 islands, you’ll never run out of places to explore either by land, sea, or air. That includes visiting the small island of Monuriki, where the famed Tom Hanks movie, “Cast Away” was filmed. And don’t forget that when entering a village in Fiji, it is customary to always bring a gift of kava root to be presented to the head of the village.
• Samoa
  Formed thousands of years ago by epic volcanic activity, Samoa features diverse scenery that promises to wow. Hike up coast-hugging peaks, explore eerie lava fields and tube caves, and weave through lush plantations filled with tropical fruit trees. Samoan kava is notably special because it is grown in incredibly small quantities. This means few get to experience Samoan kava, its fantastic taste, and its singular relaxation effects.
• Vanuatu
  Known as the ancestral home of Pacific Island kava, the archipelago of Vanuatu comprises 83 small islands. The islands offer lush rainforests, vivid landscapes, world-class scuba diving, and unforgettable Pacific hospitality.

Thrilling Adventures Await – Buy Kava

This summer don’t slip into a safe, comfortable, and monotonous routine where you resist change and avoid trying new experiences. Instead, embrace your inner wanderlust by finally booking that vacation you’ve been talking about and pinning Pinterest ideas on for far too long.

At its heart, adventure is a state of mind. At Kalm with Kava, we are committed to instilling the #kalm an island state of mind in your life no matter where in the world you are or what you’re doing. Shop our selection of premium kava products today and be ready to confront the thrills of the unknown with curiosity and bravery. Buy kava online today.