The semester has come to an end, which means it’s time to start packing up and making your way back home for the long-awaited reunion with your hometown friends and all of the places you love to go to. As you begin the journey driving home from college into the warm sunny days, entering your summertime mode, you’re probably starting to wonder, “What are we going to do this summer?” Of course, it might be challenging to think of new things to do and places to go since you have most likely hit a lot of the popular spots in your town already. If your dream is to have a summer filled with some unforgettable memories, get together with your friends and come up with some really different, unique activities to add to your bucket list.
Can’t think of anything? Here are some ideas to get you started!
- Get Creative and Write it Out
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Do you remember back when you were a kid, and you and your best friend made a colorful bucket list full of things you wanted to do someday? Well, now is a great time to break out those colored pencils again, embrace your inner child, and make an updated, summer-driven bucket list with your friends. It could be exciting to be able to cross things off the list as you go through your summer break, especially if you are hoping to get out of your house or your comfort zone!
- Go on a Bike Ride
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Taking a ride on your bike is always a relaxing, nostalgic thing to do on a nice day. If you have ridden your bicycle around the neighborhood a thousand times already, give yourself the quest of finding somewhere you’ve never taken a ride before. It could be even more fun alongside some friends to see how far through your town you can go, play some music, and enjoy the ride. You might just find some hidden wonders!
- Picnic and Painting
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Get your paintbrushes and bring out your creative side by painting on some canvases, seashells, or even rocks. And to make the experience more interesting, make it a picnic! Lay out a blanket in the sand or the grass, bring your favorite snacks, sing along to some music, and paint in the sun with your friends. You can inspire each other with different ideas or collaborate together on something bigger. What better combination than yummy food and painting on a sunny day?
- Have a Photoshoot
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Maybe I’m biased because I have a photographer friend, but getting dressed up for a little photoshoot is a great way to discover the hidden beauty of your hometown. Find a pretty beach, garden, field, painting on a wall, or any other cool place to take pictures, and give each other some pointers and poses. Your Instagram page will have never looked better!
- Secondhand Shopping Spree
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I always enjoy going thrifting with my friends. If you have a few thrift stores nearby, spend the day thrift hopping together! We once drove almost 30 minutes to hit a massive thrift store and ended up leaving with a huge pile of amazing finds. I love that you can almost always find such unique pieces without breaking the bank.
Another way to shop secondhand is to go on the website Garage Sale Finder, type in a zip code, and map out a yard sale adventure. You can also usually find yard sales in your area listed on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace. During the summer of COVID-19, my friends and I searched for yard sales (safely with a mask, of course) and scored big time since everyone had been cleaning out their houses!
You can also add things to your bucket list that you might normally do together so that you really get the satisfaction of crossing everything off of the list, such as going out to get coffee or dressing up for a group meal. It doesn’t take much more than a positive mindset and surrounding yourself with good people to have an amazing summer break! What’s important is to get together with your girls as often as you can and make the most out of your time together before college starts back up again.
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