Summer is right around the corner—can you feel it in the air? The grass is greener. The breeze is warmer. School’s nearly done. Vacations are about to be poppin’. What a time to be alive.
So, what’s on your bucket list for summer? You know, that running mental checklist inside your head that catalogs all the fun things you want to do over the course of the season? Yes, that list.
If you’re coming up short on ideas, there’s no need to worry. We’ve compiled a list of nine bucket list ideas to help you get the ball rolling. Whether you’re looking for activities to do with your kids, friends, or significant other, the sky’s the limit.
Adult Ideas for a Summer Bucket List
While scrolling through social media on the couch and drinking an endless supply of boxed wine might already be on your bucket list, we’ve added a few other options that’ll get you out of your pajamas and ready for some summer fun. But hey, who says you can’t do them in your PJs? You do you.
Here are five summer activities to add to your adult bucket list that are perfect whether you’re with your boo, your besties, or on your own
#1 Take Your Relationship to New Heights
Whether you’re a fan of heights or maybe not so much, consider adding an adrenaline-boosting activity to your bucket list. Here are some of our sky-high favorites:
- Hot-air balloon ride – This option is an excellent start if you want to keep things a little tame, but are still interested in adding a height-related activity to your list. Hop in that basket and prepare to soar to a whole new level. With such limited space in the hot-air balloon basket, stash away your essentials in a compact, yet accessible case like our Travel Wallet, equipped with an adjustable shoulder strap.
- Skydiving – We’re just going to dive right into this suggestion. If you’re seeking a serious thrill, consider jumping out of a plane at around 10,000 feet.1 It’s an experience you’ll never forget.
- Flight over the Grand Canyon – The Grand Canyon along with other national parks are great places to go in the summer. However, seeing it in the air lets you appreciate it from an entirely new vantage point. Book a helicopter tour to enjoy it and all its grandeur while simultaneously making new memories from way up above. It’s a win-win.
#2 Sample a Few Summer Sippers
Pick a day to quench your thirst and get a little wild with your friends or your spouse. It doesn’t matter what time you start because it’s five o'clock somewhere, right? Consider one of the following options for a day full of libations, laughter, and a well-timed Uber XL to get you all home safely:
- A wine tasting at a local winery
- A flight of beers at a craft brewery
- A pub crawl downtown
#3 Binge Watch an Entire Series
Okay—now’s the time to slip into your comfiest set of summer pajamas. After you’ve haphazardly selected your wardrobe, determine which show you plan on devoting the next 24 hours to watching. Are you feeling romance or drama? Comedy or horror? Saddle up and settle in, friend, because you’re about to get temporarily transplanted inside a fantastically fictitious world.
#4 Get Tattoos
Hear us out—we’re not necessarily suggesting that you and your bestie get complementary salt and pepper shakers tattooed across your foreheads. (Although, maybe they are the salt to your pepper.) Instead, think about a special memory you share or a healthy self-care regimen, and you deserve a few new pieces to add to your wardrobe’s arsenal. Still dreaming of that new pair of wedges? Make them a reality. Contemplating whether to ginside a joke that never gets old. Then, ink that memory into your skin as a timeless reminder of what bonds you for life.
#5 Take Yourself on a Shopping Spree
Out with the old and in with the new—clothing, that is. What about that overpriced, yet oh-so-cute sundress you saw last week? Let your friends convince you that you need it. Just like you can convince them that they need a piece from the new Navy Luggage Collection for your next spontaneous adventure. (Trust us, they do.)
Kid-Friendly Bucket List Ideas for Summer That Your Little Ones Will Love
You’re not the only one who should have a list full of fun summer activities. Bring your kids into the fold with some of these wholesome bucket list activities:
#6 Go to a Waterpark
If you don’t have at least one fond memory of flying down the flumes at the water park when you were little, it’s time to make one. Plus, it’s only right to carry on the tradition by showing your kids how exciting all of its attractions are. From the lazy river and the wave pool to the twistiest of flume rides, there’s something for everybody to enjoy at a water park. Just as you would pack beach essentials for a day spent on the sand, make sure to include a towel, sunscreen, and extra change of clothes in your Terry Tote for the ride home after spending the afternoon splashing around at the water park.
#7 Have Some Fun in the Kitchen
Depending on where you are, it can get really hot in the summer. We’re talking about the sweltering kind that the term “fry an egg on the sidewalk” came from. If you’re looking for a fun activity indoors, what better place to start than the kitchen? Let the kids be sous chefs and together you can enjoy the spoils of all your hard work. Here are some tasty treats your kids can help make:
- Homemade popsicles or ice cream
- No-bake cookies
- Fruit salad (make it into a fruit mosaic for an added touch of creativity!)
#8 Have a Water Balloon Fight
Bust out the water balloon filler and prepare for the water balloon fight of a lifetime. Gather the rest of the neighborhood kiddos and pair off into teams, or let everyone fend for themselves. Better yet, if your kids are old enough, hand over the reins and let them make the rules for this fun summer activity.
#9 Spend a Night Camping
Whether you set up a tent in the backyard or take your camper to the nearest campground, outdoor adventures are a great idea for your kids. Here are some mini items you can pack in your travel bags if you decide to go camping:
- Make some s’mores
- Tell ghost stories
- Play flashlight tag
- Catch fireflies
- Play card games
Tips and Tricks to Help You Cross Off Your Summer Bucket List Ideas
So, you’ve got some solid ideas brewing. Your ultimate summer bucket list is growing by the minute. Before the list gets too long, here are some tips and tricks to make sure you’re able to check them off before the end of summer:
#1 Pick Realistic Goals
When establishing your bucket list, choose ideas that you can confidently say you’ll be able to accomplish by the end of summer. Including “backpack in Europe” might sound exciting, but if you don’t plan on following through, pick something that’s more attainable. Maybe instead, you add “go on a road trip to New Orleans” since you know you can commit to it.
#2 Hold Yourself Accountable
It’s one thing to know you can check off each and every fun idea that made it on your list. It’s another to push yourself to actually complete them. To make yourself more accountable, share your list with family or friends so they can help keep you on track. Your enthusiasm might even convince them to create bucket lists for the upcoming summer. Then, you’ve got yourself an accountability partner!
#3 Give Each Item a Deadline
Prioritize your list at the beginning of summer. Decide what order you’ll accomplish each fun activity and then set a date that each needs to be completed. This could prevent you from backing out at the last minute.
Having deadlines is especially useful if you have any items on the list that challenge you mentally, such as skydiving or going a day without technology—yeah, we said it. Pick a date, make arrangements ahead of time if you need to, and do the darn thing.
#4 Add a Realistic Number of Items to the List
By now you might have 20 activities you want to complete by the end of summer. But remember, you’ve only got about three months to check off all of those items. If you have lofty goals, like traveling to Paris and seeing the cenotes in Mexico, try shortening your list to two or three items.
If you have a lot of smaller items, like baking homemade brownies, watching all eight Harry Potter films in one sitting, and reading a novel, you can make your list a little longer—but preferably no more than ten ideas. Regardless of the number you choose, try to make your list early in the summer so you have plenty of time to comfortably check each item off of the list.
Let BÉIS Help You Achieve Your Bucket List Goals
There’s no bucket list idea that’s too big or too small.
Whether you’ve decided to take a weekend road trip down the coast or spend the afternoon with your gal pals doing some well-deserved shopping, take BÉIS with you wherever you go.
From The Weekender Bag designed to make packing hassle-free to the High-brid Backpack that holds pretty much everything, make that list, check it twice, and grab your BÉIS bag because you’re ready to take on that summer bucket list.
Sources:
- “How High Are Skydiving Jumps?” Skydive Orange, 2 Nov. 2019, https://www.skydiveorange.com/2019/11/02/how-high-are-skydiving-jumps/
