Chasing Type 2 Fun: Why I Keep Coming Back for More

Nov 1

Why am I doing this on purpose?!! I’ve asked myself this question many times, exhausted and sore in the midst of a long distance trek. I’ve done many multi-day treks with Women Who Explore in places like Iceland, Peru, Nepal, the Dolomites, and across the French, Swiss, and Italian Alps. Each trek has been the epitome of Type 2 fun, leaving me with a deep and fulfilling experience. If you haven’t heard of Type 2 fun, it’s that wild kind of joy you only appreciate after the fact. Some of us are wired to love it…and others definitely are not.

What is Type 2 Fun?

There are three basic “types” of fun. Type 1 is always easy and fun while it’s happening (think cocktails by the beach, a sunset sail, a great meal). Type 3 is never fun: not during and not after (think food poisoning in a hostel with no toilet paper). But Type 2 fun? That’s the sweet and sweaty adventure right in the middle. The kind of experience that doesn’t always feel fun in the moment but becomes a powerful and cherished memory after the fact. When it’s over, you can’t stop thinking about it, you want to talk about it, and you’re weirdly proud of it.

Type 2 fun kicks in when you wake up sore from yesterday’s mileage and with blisters you didn’t see coming. It’s everything that challenges not just your body, but your mindset. It’s unpredictable and undeniably hard with miles still to go and yet you’re somehow thriving and energized by your own determination.

Type 2 fun willingly strips away all the fluff. You’re not worrying about your hair or your inbox. I once went seven sweaty days without showering in Nepal, not for “fun” but because of the environment around me. You find yourself pushing through creeping doubts and steep climbs, and discovering how strong you really are. Type 2 fun is raw and incredibly real, and yet that’s where the magic happens.

Why We Embrace It

Here’s where the “fun” comes alive: you realize you’re a part of something bigger than yourself. You’re accomplishing something alongside women you’ve just met, strangers who quickly become teammates, and by the end, lifelong friends. Together, you laugh and share stories on trail, swap snacks like school kids, and pause to take far too many pictures of the beauty that surrounds you. In the middle of it all, you realize the “fun” you’re having will leave you forever changed when it’s over. There’s something transformative about doing hard things in a world that doesn’t always encourage us to take up space, get dirty, or be unapologetically badass.

At the end of the day, or the completed trek, the reward is so much greater than the instant gratification of “easy fun.” It’s not about suffering for the sake of it. It’s about the growth that happens when you get through it. You feel it building inside you, that rush of accomplishment and the deep pride of knowing you did it. We did it.

But Not Everyone Loves It

Let’s be honest: Type 2 fun isn’t for everyone. For some it sounds more like misery than magic. Adventure looks different for everyone, and while some thrive on the challenge and the after-the-fact joy like myself, others prefer comfort, ease, and a different kind of fun. Both ways of experiencing the world are valid. Not all of us are wired to chase joy the hard way.

I can’t help it though. I don’t know when or where my last trek will be, or when easy Type 1 fun will fill my cup completely. In the meantime, I’m grateful my body can still do hard things when I ask it to. But most of all, I’m grateful for all the other Type 2 fun lovers who’ve shared the steep and difficult trails with me. Why do we do this to ourselves?! Because it challenges us, changes us, and keeps us coming back for more.

Interested in what type 2 adventures Women Who Explore has planned in 2026? Make sure to click HERE! We highly recommend the ABC Trek, Kilimanjaro or the Dolomites if that’s your style!