Top Summer Activities to Do by Yourself Or with Friends
It’s summer! The evenings are long and warm, the smell of sunscreen and the sound of sprinklers are everywhere, and everyone is having barbecues. This is primetime for embarking on adventures by yourself or with friends. There are so many summer activities that will deepen your relationships, reignite your creativity, and keep you refreshed.
If you’re looking for last minute ideas for how to take your summer to the next level, or if you’re the planning type and want some fuel for dreaming up summer activities. We have 8 key ideas for summer activities that will help you get the most out of this time of year!
#1 - Prioritize your connection with yourself and your people
With summer months and time off stretching before you, it’s easy to take the time you have this summer for granted. Don’t do it! When you’re planning summer activities for yourself and your friends, make sure to set aside devoted time to give each other your undivided attention. Make that time about connecting, and nothing else.
This could look like taking a whole day to hike by yourself, just to get back into your own skin. It could look like giving each of your friends space and time to explain something they love, a hobby, a tv show, an album, while the rest of you listen and ask questions. It could be as simple as going for a walk, one-on-one with someone you haven’t seen in a while. Whatever connection looks like for you and the people you love, you will never regret investing in your relationships
#2 - Indulge in your nostalgia
A great way to connect with friends and to ignite excitement for summer activities is to deep dive into nostalgic summer classics! Recreate a great summer memory you lived through as a kid, and invite your friends to do it with you. Build a fort, ride a bike, find a swimming hole, make some s’mores, play an album you loved in high school, and reminisce and swap stories about summers you’ve spent together
#3 - Get outside (and stay there!)
When it comes to summer activities, this is a no-brainer! We’ve all been inside for WAY too long, and we know that the sun boosts our bodies’ serotonin levels. Get outside and bask in the light! (Just don’t forget your sunscreen.)
There are so many fun things to do outside with your friends. Think hiking and beach camping, or barbecues and picnics, or swimming and sunbathing, or open markets and live music. The list writes itself!
#4 - Chase a new experience
Did you know that doing something NEW actually changes how our brains interact with the people we are experiencing it with? The novelty of the activity forces our brains to slow down its processes. Familiar stuff puts us on auto-pilot, but trying new things to try ends up forcing us to focus and be fully present!
Fresh experiences create striking and enduring memories. One of the best things you can do to connect with your friends (or with yourself) is to find summer activities that you've never tried. Engaging in unfamiliar experiences and opportunities to learn new skills, whether you’re going solo or taking on a challenge together, will always help us slow down and forge deeper connections
#5 - Take a break from your phone
If you’ve ever been annoyed by someone checking their phone in the middle of a conversation with you, you’ll also know the power of someone’s undistracted attention. There’s nothing like it!
Sometimes the best way to connect to your friends, and even to connect with yourself, is actually to disconnect from the internet. Phone addiction is so common; it’s crazy how a device that was made to bring people together can actually put up barriers between us and the ones right in front of us.
That’s why it’s so effective to put your phone away every once in a while! As you explore things to do in the summer, pencil in some summer activities when you can simply enjoy life undistracted.
#6 - Pay it forward to help others
Choosing a way to give back to your community is a great summer activity; it will help you make lasting memories, meet new people, and invest in the legacy you want to leave in the world.
One of the best summer activities is to volunteer somewhere for a cause you believe in, or to take on a fundraising challenge to raise money for a charity. You could even start a competition with your friends to see who raises the most! Having a goal to work towards together is going to unlock so much creativity as you dream up summer activities that support your cause.
#7 - Go somewhere new
You can’t talk about summer activities without mentioning a road trip! If you ever took a trip with your family when you were a kid, you’ll remember the sense of excitement and adventure it evoked when you found yourself somewhere completely unknown. Exploring somewhere new is still one of the best ways to unleash inspiration, foster connection, and ignite passions. Whether it’s a trip across state lines, a visit to a nearby city, or even an international flight. The benefits of traveling are countless!
#8 - Hop, skip, and jump out of your comfort zone
If we could urge you to attempt just one of these summer activities, it would be this. Step out of your comfort zone! Breaking the rut of the familiar and trying something new, and maybe a little bit scary, is the only way to grow and change. Wouldn’t it be amazing if you and your friends came out of this summer with a new adventure, a new skill, or, hey, even a new date?
Challenge your friends to take risks and support them when they do. Help them figure out how to ask a girl out or how to book that international trip. Stepping out in risk will send you home with a few good stories, if nothing else!
Summer activities for you and your friends
Hopefully this list has fired up your imagination with ideas for summer activities with your friends! It’s time to seize the moment and build lifelong memories together. For more ideas, 50 of them to be exact, about the kind of summer activities you and your friends could get up to in the coming months, check out our Adventure Challenge: Friends Edition. Happy adventuring!
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