Big adventures are inspiring and they are great for impressing strangers in bars, but they happen quite rarely and the gap between them can make your life feel empty and uneventful. Plus, sometimes you just can't take a day off from work even when you're itching to get out and do something fun.

But all hope is not lost! There are several options that you've probably failed to notice in your despair.
After all, on a normal working day you're free:

in the morning;
during your lunch break;
after work (including the evening).

Here are 12 ideas for mini trips and adventures that you can squeeze into these breaks. They're exciting, Instagram-worthy (because we all crave that killer shot that gets 100+ likes) and will help your free spirit survive until the weekend comes.

A sunrise picnic by the lake | © Maria Angelova/ 203challenges.com

A picnic can be so much more than eating an alfresco meal on a blanket. Simply changing the time of your picnic can completely change the experience. Leave home an hour or so before sunrise, take a flask of coffee and breakfast in a basket, then drive somewhere beautiful to greet the new day.

>>> Try more creative picnic ideas.

Outdoor yoga routine | © Maria Angelova/ 203challenges.com

Yoga, tai chi or downhill biking - whatever your sporting passion is, try it somewhere new and exciting. Why practice your morning meditation in your living room when you can do it in a forest or a quiet park?

Go forest bathing | © Maria Angelova/ 203challenges.com

The Japanese call it shinrin-yoku (forest bathing) - the practice of walking in the forest to improve your health. The Swedes have a somewhat similar tradition called gökotta, which involves heading to a forest before sunrise to listen to the first birdsong of the morning. It's much more exciting to tell your colleagues you practiced shinrin-yoku or gökotta instead of simply saying "I went to the park this morning."