5 Adventures for Your Summer Bucket List
For some, flip flops, bikini tops, and summery drinks exemplify the summer season. It’s a great time for vacation, time off from work, and adventure. When scheduling weekend plans with family and friends, be sure to leave some room to check a few things off your summer bucket list. Everyone’s bucket list looks a little different, but make yours special by adding adventurous new activities and getting the most out of the weather.
Camp by Yourself
Camping is a great activity for many different seasons, with each one providing a new experience with different types of challenges. Summer is the most popular camping season as people head out to enjoy the swimming and water sports associated with summertime. Camping might be a pretty basic summer activity to add to your list, but camping alone is a whole other animal. You’ll have alone time at the most rustic level. You’ll rely on yourself for your shelter, food, water, and entertainment. There’s a feeling of independence and closeness to nature that you get from camping alone that you can’t get in many other settings. Take time with yourself this summer and add camping alone to your bucket list.
You might try kayak camping, yurt camping, or car camping. Bring a journal and write about your experiences. You might take photos, collect plants, or even draw in a sketchbook. Bringing your dog can add a little companionship; otherwise, take this time to be alone with the outdoors. It’s truly something not many people do very often.
Do an Activity You’ve Never Done
Nothing says adventure like doing something you’ve never done before. This summer, add some things to your bucket list that are brand new to you. If you spend a large portion of your day sitting for work, try something that gets you moving — sitting too often has proven to be pretty dangerous for your overall health. Try a new hike, run a fun marathon, or try a local cycling trail. If you spend a lot of your time at work being active, maybe the activity you try is to relax. Spend time on a beach and read or make a conscious effort to slow down and take time for yourself.
Regardless of your overall activity level, new experiences help to make us feel enriched. Whether it’s paddle boarding, reading in a hammock, or horseback riding, try adding something to your list that you’ve never done.
Leave the Phone, Bring the Map
One way to have an adventure is to do something you enjoy doing but do it tech-free. We’ve gotten so used to using our phones to count our steps, give us directions, and communicate with each other, we’ve forgotten how to do without technology. This summer, try bringing a map and navigating on your own. Thankfully, if you’re using wearable technology for your health, you can still wear it without bringing your phone. Otherwise, bring an old camera, grab a map, use an old radio, and go have an adventure without technology. Don’t feel like you can’t bring a phone or GPS just in case something goes wrong, but commit to leaving it out of your adventures unless it’s an emergency.
Planning your adventure is half of the fun. Grabbing an actual map, highlighting your route, and learning how to get by without the aid of technology is refreshing as well as challenging. Just be sure to communicate with friends or family about where you’ll be and take safety precautions.
Get Your Blood Pumping
Is a bucket list even a bucket list if you don’t add a few blood pumping adventures to it? Do your best to include a few things that challenge you, scare you, and take you out of your comfort zone. With the many advances in wearable technology and how it compiles data for your health, you can even watch your heart rate to see when your blood is literally pumping. Decide for yourself what type of activity you want to include: skydiving, whitewater rafting, mountain climbing, surfing, or hiking might all work to spice up your summer bucket list. Be safe and research each activity, but be sure to decide for yourself what constitutes an extreme adventure.
Bring a Newbie
Sometimes adding adventure can be as simple as bringing along a newbie on one of your normal activities. Show them the ropes, share your passion, and allow them to do something new and exciting through your knowledge of the activity. This can help raise awareness for something you enjoy, get you closer to that person, and reignite your love for it. They might even return the favor and bring you as a newbie on one of their activities — which can knock off the “do an activity you’ve never done” entry of your summer bucket list.
Many outdoor sports are about bringing communities of people together, for marathon runners, for instance, community is a big component. It’s also a big reason why cycling can be a big help for people that might be fighting through addiction recovery. So sharing your adventure with a beginner is a way to help your community grow.
Each new season brings with it a new feeling. For many people, summer brings adventure. It’s the time of year with the most access to many fun activities, so it’s the perfect time to implement an adventurous summer bucket list. Each person’s list will be a little different, but if you’re looking for ideas, don’t be afraid to leave your comfort zone. In fact, that should be a goal. You might try camping on your own, doing some things you’ve never done, leaving your phone behind, getting your blood pumping, and bringing a newbie on an adventure with you.
