Summer Bucket List: Ideas, Friends & Family | Vaia (2024)

Looking for Summer Bucket List Ideas?

Is there anyone who has never made a bucket list? I seriously doubt it. Whether you’ve written it down, made a mental note, or even compiled an entire mind map around your life goals, you’re familiar with the concept – it’s a list of things you want to do or achieve. Some bucket lists are fairly serious (they outline life goals), but others can be more relaxed – like the Summer bucket list ideas we have here for you.

It feels like last year’s Summer didn’t hang out for too long – or is it because of constant stress and worry over corona? While the-pandemic-which-must-not-be-named is still alive and kicking, people have become more relaxed about it and have started traveling again. If you haven’t got any plans yet, you’ve come to the right place.

Summer Bucket List – Activities around You

Your Summer adventures do not necessarily need to take you far away from home. If you’re unsure whether you want to travel, you can explore what your local area has to offer:

• Strawberry picking 🍓. Depending on where you live, it may or may not be too late for strawberries, but it’s certainly not late for other kinds of fruit. Cherries, peaches, apricots – just look up what’s happening in your vicinity, get your backpack ready, and take a few friends along. Fun is guaranteed!
• Summer festival. Every bigger town (let alone city) has some sort of a festival going on in Summer. Beach parties, renaissance fairs, music festivals – you name it. Most of the time, you won’t have to travel longer than an hour to reach one of these, so what are you waiting for?
• Learn a new skill. Summer feels like a great time to learn a Latin American dance. Often, dance schools offer beginner courses at reduced rates during Summer or even have an open day when everyone can drop in and see whether dancing is for them. Don’t worry if you’re uncoordinated – you won’t be the only beginner, and you’ll have lots of fun.
• Open-air cinema. Summer in the city usually means at least some degree of cinematic engagement. Parking lots are transformed into cinema grounds, as are parks and sports stadiums. All you have to do is find a movie you like and spend a quality evening under the stars.
• Go camping. You will need to buy or borrow a tent, but otherwise, camping is a relatively affordable pastime in Summer. Check out the hiking trails around you, bring enough water, and enjoy some time in nature.

Similar local experiences include getting a massive dose of ice cream with your friends, checking out that new Asian restaurant, braving a new dish, and visiting local museums.

Don’t Feel like Going Alone? Check Out This Summer Bucket List with Friends

Sometimes it’s great to take yourself out on a date, grab a cup of coffee in your favorite café, and read. Other times, however, you might feel like inviting your friends and embarking on an adventure. Here are some of the best activities to do with friends:

• Amusem*nt parks. At least one of you has a driving license, and you can put it to good use and go to an amusem*nt park. Roller-coasters, lots of laughter (and some fear), Ferris wheels, and an obligatory smoothie – what more could you wish for on an adrenaline-infused afternoon?
• Hot-air balloon ride. I keep seeing balloons from my window in Summer, and the more I think about it, the more I want to try it. Gather a few friends to split the cost and take off for several unforgettable hours.
• Go rafting. As long as there’s a river, there will be rafting offers for beginners and seasoned adventurers alike. Listen carefully to the instructions, and rest assured that nothing too dramatic can happen. On the other hand, you and your friends will have a Summer to remember!
• Water-balloon fight. Nobody is ever too grown up to have a water-balloon war on a hot Summer day. You can ramp up your game with water pistols and an occasional hose. Grab your swimwear, ditch your phone, and enjoy the blast from the past!
• Have a Summer party. Music, barbecue, and finger foods – Summer parties are an excellent way to spend quality time with your friends, chat, and relax (until mosquitoes declare war on everyone).

Additionally, you can organize a trip to a bigger zoo out of town, enjoy the coolness of laser tag halls, and go to a beach.

Summer Bucket List – Family Edition

If you live and study away from home, Summer is a good time to visit your family and catch up. Instead of just sitting at home, you and your parents can try out some of these slightly-lower-adrenaline ideas:

• Bonfire. This is a good chance to have your parents’ social life reinvigorated. Organize a bonfire night in someone’s backyard, bring a guitar or a portable sound system, and don’t forget s’mores. You’ll get to enjoy some of the wackiest stories from your parents’ youth and show off what you’ve achieved while away.
• Go to the mountains. You can escape the heat by taking off to the mountains for a few days. If my parents are anything to judge by, mountain trails are refreshing and calming and will leave you all feeling much younger.
• Bake a pie. It’s time for your mum to stop gatekeeping the kitchen and share her knowledge. You can spend some great time with her while baking a pie from scratch – not to mention that you’ll learn a new recipe.
• Watch movies together. I found that Oscar-nominated movies usually work great for parents’ sensibilities. Check out what your Netflix has to offer in the award-winning section and spend a peaceful evening with your family.
• Fly a kite. If you have kids, flying kites is an excellent way to spend Summer days. It’s engaging and will tire everyone out by the end of the day, so you can all sleep like babies.

A few other family-friendly activities to add to your Summer bucket list include: Going to an arcade (budget beforehand, though, these things can bleed you dry), planting a flowerbed, wine-tasting, and having a pizza night (pizza must, by law, be made from scratch!).

Crazy Summer Bucket List

If you’re greedy for adventure, there are a few wacky ideas for your Summer. Mind you, some of these may require a bit more money, so plan carefully:

• Long-term travel. Now’s the time to spend almost two months gallivanting the continent. This is a wonderful opportunity to recharge your batteries, explore new places, try new foods, or even make lifelong friendships. Make sure you’re traveling sustainably!
• Volunteer. Whether you’re volunteering locally or going abroad, there’s nothing better than knowing you’re positively impacting a community you’ve chosen to give your time to. From teaching children to helping in medical centers, volunteering is a wonderful act of kindness. If you’re going abroad, make sure to do it responsibly – no voluntourism!
• Go surfing. I hear Hawaii is great this time of the year.
• Travel to India for a yoga retreat. Be warned, though, it may be extremely hot there!
• Run a marathon (or complete a triathlon). Now’s the time to put your physical fitness to the test! Devote some weeks to training and working your condition up, and make sure you warm up thoroughly before starting the race. You don’t want to end up like Barney from How I Met Your Mother, so sore he couldn’t leave the subway and kept rotating around New York until someone picked him up.

A few other out-of-the-box ideas for your Summer include volunteering at your local zoo, cliff-jumping, and doing survival training.

Is There Such a Thing as an Adult Summer Bucket List?

While I will always argue that you’re never too old to try something new, being an adult may imply that you don’t have an entire Summer off. If this is the case and you still want to try new things this Summer, check out some of these:

• Raise your own urban jungle. If you’ve never had plants, now’s the time to bring natural air fresheners into your own home. Start with a few potted plants, or take on the challenge of taking care of more demanding species. Some plants, like Venus flytrap, will pay you back in kind by catching flies for you.
• Adopt a pet. Visit your local shelter and give one of the fluffy four-legged babies a new, loving home. Lifelong friendship – unlocked!
• Learn to play an instrument. Book a few lessons and make YouTube tutorials your new best friend. Are you ready to jam?
• Try horseback riding. Visit your local stables and see whether they offer lessons. Time to be a cowboy.
• Go hiking with llamas and alpacas. Similarly, chances are that your countryside farms offer some llama trails. Don’t upset them, though; llamas tend to spit and laugh at you.

If you’re in doubt, you can always cozy up with a good book, take up photography, book an art course on Domestika, or book some time to do absolutely nothing.

Final Thoughts on Summer Bucket List 2022

Summer is a time for adventure – trying out new things, traveling, and spending time with friends and family. It’s good to have some ideas up your sleeve about what you want to do, but the most important thing is to have fun. If you’re frightened of horses, by no means should you go horseback riding unless there is someone to assuage your fears. On the other hand, if you prefer to spend your rest days alone, you don’t have to invite your entire family and friends.

Whatever you choose to do, make this Summer about challenging yourself in big and small ways. After all, you’ll never know if you don’t try. And once you’re done, reward yourself with a nice freshly-made lemonade or beach co*cktails.

Happy Summer!☀