STORIES ARE THE spark that lights the fire of every great conversation.

We’re all a patchwork of the life adventures that leave us with great stories. And like most things, they’re better shared.

So what’s the best adventure you ever had? To get the inspiration flowing for you guys, we first got staffers in Journal Media Towers to tell us about their war stories. Hold onto your hats…

Lost in La Mancha

One DailyEdge.ie scribe told us this yarn about the time she travelled solo through Spain with just a tent for shelter:

I rented a car and took off from the south. It was brilliant. Camped in San Sebastian, somewhere outside Madrid, somewhere outside Grenada. I got literally lost in La Mancha. The only place I stayed in a hotel was Valencia because it was a city so there was nowhere to camp.

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She added: “I lost the car in Pamplona. I parked it near what I thought was a very ornate and recognisable fountain. Turns out Pamplona is full of them.”

D’oh.

All going wrong in Lusty Beg

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A journo on the news desk told us this madcap tale of misadventure:

Me and my friends decided we were going on a road trip to Lusty Beg island in Fermanagh for Valentines weekend. Three garage stops in the first hour of driving, GPS stopped working when we crossed the border, none of us brought a toothbrush to the island, and there were a few awkward incidents in the pool and sauna… But they’re all funny stories that people love hearing!

Stormtroopers on a trip from Salt Lake City

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This tale of up and downs was shared by another member of staff:

I went on a road trip with my friend who lived in Salt Lake City in Utah from SLC to Las Vegas. We stopped at a national park and climbed a precipice at sunset and we also got lost in the desert on the way to a small music festival but one of the women who was expecting us was sitting at a dusty crossroads, in a camp chair, cold beer in an icebox just as we thought we were goners. “I knew y’all would pass by here eventually,” she said, as if sitting in the middle of the desert, nothing as far as the eye could see, was the most natural thing in the world. When we finally got to Vegas, we fell in with a Star Wars convention and got hit on by a bunch of StormTroopers, in full costume.

Phew. We’re exhausted just reading that one, frankly.

A new perspective in Calcutta

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And we’ll leave you with this rather heart-warming tale from our commercial team:

When I was finishing up towards my school days, I was lucky enough to go to India, most notably Calcutta. I got to immerse myself in the culture, the food, and the people, and I have memories which have lasted me forever, and further encouraged me to always consider those in need before myself, and to always recognise how lucky I am.

Now it’s over to you. What’s the biggest adventure you ever had? Big or little, we want to hear them all…

To discover new horizons, you have to take the road less travelled. Stories are the source of every great conversation. Go where you haven’t been. Leave the city behind. Clear your mind. Add adventures. Add friends. Add memories and add meaning. And when you return, go tell your story. Check out the new MINI COUNTRYMAN to start your adventure now. #AddStories

Now read: 6 unmissable outdoor day trips to enjoy around Ireland