Spontaneous adventures inspired by Lastminute.com.au game variation A super James Tindale with a lick of bodypaint. The Australian December 12, 2016

Spontaneity is the spice of life, so why do some prefer the bland over the bold? Lastminute.com.au has done some ­research and found that 62 per cent of Australians prefer routine weekenders over ­impromptu jaunts. To remedy this, the travel company has released a deck of cards aimed at inspiring exciting excursions. The game (clearly inspired by foul-mouthed mega-hit Cards Against Humanity) asks players to choose a card from three cate­gories: “I wish I could …”, “at” and “with”, mixing and matching to create their ideal holidays. The cards range from the banal — “I wish I could talk like a pirate” — to the extreme — “get a nipple piercing” — with locations around the world and companions including exes or fashionistas. Rejecting the statistics, I ­decided to take the game to the next level — drawing the cards blind. My first draw was relatively tame: “I wish I could dress as a ­superhero at a rooftop bar with my hottest friend.” Grabbing my ­wannabe-model mate, we visited Sydney rooftop bar The Light Brigade, where a Batman costume was waiting for me. As my mate ­ordered pints, I ducked down to the bathroom to become Bruce Wayne. With the cowl strapped to my face, adrenalin rushed through me. Revellers cheered as I made my grand entrance, but 15 minutes of selfies and laughter with the crowd later it was like any other night on the town. For the second drawing the hand of fate turned cruel: “I wish I could be body painted in the Hunter Valley with my favourite sibling.” Body painting — any proud man’s ideal weekend, right? The trip with my brother was like any other — singalongs, Maccas stops and bickering included. Staying in Maitland, we aimed to maximise our city decompression with a long drive out towards the valley’s centre in Scone. Watching the sun set across the rolling fields massaged away my city tension, while the stop at Scone’s majestic Belmore Hotel for a steak and salad was certainly more satisfying than any inner-west vegan pub grub. A great adventure so far … Then the body painting. Australia’s top body painter, Eva Rinaldi of Human Statue Bodyart, arrived at my hotel room at 8am sharp, black plastic wig and red super-­undies under her arm. “You’re hairier than expected, you definitely can’t shave your beard?” asked Eva, visibly concerned. Her partner in crime, Marco Gentili, calmed her down. “Clark Kent had some stubble in Superman III, remember?” Body painting is an overwhelming experience. After some quick stencilling of the borders of the suit and the super “S”, lashings of blue and red make-up paint were brushed across my body. As I tummy-sucked, compliments were kindly delivered: “You’ve got great calves”; “If you shaved all this hair off I’d use you as a model”. I wasn’t quite sure if the adulation was sincere but after 1½ hours I was caped and ready (physically and emotionally) to hit the streets of Maitland in nothing but my underwear. Strutting along High Street, I was greeted with waves and wolf-whistles. A few street-selfies later, I made my way into one of the pubs for a brekkie beer. Although the heavily tattooed man settling into his third bevvie could hardly look at me, the friendly bartender was keen for a yarn. After a chat I traipsed back to the car for the long drive back to reality. When playing Cards of Spontaneity as it’s meant to be played, the options are wonderful. Watching a sunrise at sea on a yacht with my high school crush? Sounds great. Inventing a cocktail at a Fijian ­island with my bae? Even better. But why not throw caution to the wind? My experience, while emotionally draining, left me rejuvenated and confident. As I washed the paint off into a bright blue puddle at the bottom of my shower, I couldn’t help but look forward to the next adventure. You can play Cards of Spontaneity at Lastminute.com.au’s Facebook page: www.facebook.com/lastminute.com.au. Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

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