By Riley Corboy
- Hit the lake or beach: Even if it takes a few hours to drive over, few troubles cannot be solved by a beach day. The feeling of sand crumbling between your toes and the cool breeze wafting off the water… add in your best friends, a cooler of ice-cold watermelon and tons of sunscreen for the perfect afternoon.
- Take a weekend road trip: If you’re working or taking classes over the summer, it can be hard to find time for a full-fledged week of vacation with your besties. But isn’t that what weekends are for? Pick someplace less than five hours away that you and your friends are dying to go to and spend a blissful few days away from home.
- Bonfire & s’mores: This one is a classic for a reason. If you’re looking to spice up your s’mores experience, try swapping out plain marshmallows for gourmet flavors, like mint chocolate or churro.
- Pig out: Grab something decadent from the bakery down the road. Forget calories and pick whatever sings to your heart (and of course, Instagram it so everyone can share the food love).
- Explore the local area: Whether you’re back home on well-loved paths or in a brand new city for your summer internship, there’s always exploring to be done! You can easily find the best local coffee shops and dessert places online, or you could take a long walk around your area and map out your favorite finds. If you’re staying at home, try a new restaurant or pop into a boutique you’ve always just walked past – you never know what treasures are right under your nose!
- Make a hiking date: Hiking is exercise you can do while talking to your best friend and admiring nature. There are hiking trails everywhere, so do a little research to find the best spot and then head out! After the walk, you and your friend can treat yourselves to brunch.
- Go to a live concert or sports event: Even if you don’t care about the band or baseball team, the real draw behind live events is the people. These crowds have an electric current that is so easy and fun to get swept up into, so grab some frozen lemonade and let go of your troubles (but hang on to your sunscreen)!
- Shake up your look: There is no better time than summer to try something new. Whether you want to dye your hair a fun color or get a bold new haircut or piercing you’ve been thinking about, go for it! You might be surprised by how much you love it.
- Make a new friend: Whether it’s the barista you always see in Starbucks or the nice girl with awesome style at work, try striking up a conversation and see what happens. Sometimes the people you end up closest to are those you meet in unlikely situations. Plus, imagine how cute it would be to have friend lunch dates at the office! So worth it.
- Learn something new: Remember taking French in high school? Now is the perfect time to get back into learning the language. Or if languages aren’t your thing, pick up a new skill or hobby that you’ve been interested in for a while. We all usually have more free time over the summer, so it’s the ideal time to do something constructive for yourself.
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