Ernest Shackleton, who led numerous expeditions to Antarctica in the early twentieth century, is said to have posted this recruitment notice. Whether the printed object survives is contested. The text itself has been quoted ever since.
Men wanted
for hazardous journey.
Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful.
Honour and recognition
in case of success.
After the notice was put out, more than 5,000 men applied. The expedition that followed left them stranded in Antarctica for over a year, subsisting on defrosted ice for water and clubbed seal for food.
You may not need to camp out on Antarctica and club your own dinner. But if you choose an unconventional journey of some kind, you’ll probably end up feeling alone from time to time.
Thankfully, you will also feel very alive.