Summer's Supercharged Vacations
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STUPID FUN
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Fulfill your most extreme dreams at these adrenaline-packed fantasy camps.
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Wide Open Baja
Fantasy: Eating desert dust touring Baja, Mexico
Itinerary: This camp is all about slicing the same trails as the world-renowned Baja 1000, the annual (November) 30-hour roadless race from Ensenada to La Paz. “This is no Grand Canyon donkey tour,” says Rob Ward, one of the camp’s off-road adventure consultants. “It’s insane what we let people do with our open-wheeled vehicles.”
Not in the brochure: Want to enter the Baja 1000? WOB will hook you up with a car and a support team for $80K. $5,000, wideopenbaja.com
Throwdown (MMA) Fight Camp
Fantasy: Fighting in the octagon
Itinerary: Here you’ll be training, learning technique, and sparring with UFC legends like Frank Mir and current light-heavyweight champ Rampage Jackson. Just be careful what you volunteer for:
The instructors aren’t shy about showing you their moves. “This is real-life pros versus regular Joes,” says TFC director Justin Lopez.
Not in the brochure: Train with high-profile classmates like The Unit’s Max Martini—star of the MMA movie Redbelt. $2,500, throwdown.com
Fighter Combat International
Fantasy: Air-to-air dogfighting
Itinerary: Ripping the Mesa, Arizona sky at 300 mph and 8 Gs (a roller coaster is 3 Gs) in a 300L plane. Video game vets shouldn’t assume their skills will translate to kills. “An hour of air combat equals eight hours of physical labor,” says FCI president Paul “BJ” Ransbury. “So hit the gym beforehand.” Roger that, couch commander?
Not in the brochure: Your copilot won’t just be an enthusiast. All are ex-fighter pilots with combat experience. $4,000, fightercombat.com
DEA Citizens Academy
Fantasy: Joining the enforcement clampdown to be on the other side of a drug bust for once
Itinerary: Strap on a bulletproof vest, grab yourself a Glock, and get trained to crack junkie skulls at one of the DEA’s 21 countrywide field division training camps. After classroom time, you head to the live-bullet shooting range and go on simulated raids in the DEA’s very own “shoot house.”
Not in the brochure: Mandatory background check. Free, usdoj.gov/dea
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