There will be a moment this summer, maybe two, when your eyes will drift away from the intoxicating glow of your computer screen and toward a window, then focus on that elusive place known as “outside.” Visions of fun will dance through your head. Briefly, you’ll recall a time when summer meant sprinklers and snow cones, not spreadsheets and…more spreadsheets. You’ll allow your brain to idle just a minute — OK, that’s enough.
If this is how your summer has played out so far, stop drinking the “There is no summer after college” juice and do something about it. Here are some ways to not waste your summer for poor widdle adults with day jobs.
Take a road trip to your hometown à la SNL. Who wouldn’t want to visit the center of the universe known as the place you were raised? Be sure to drag your significant other along for the ride — smart was built for two, after all. You can eat at your favorite BBQ restaurant, shop at the mall you worked at six hundred years ago, and visit the relatives you always forget to call. Your family will feel loved, your partner will get to make fun of your terrifying school photos, and you’ll get to kill all the birds with one stone. Summer road trip FTW!
Head to a music festival. If, deep in your heart, you want to sleep in a tent and dance in front of a fire pit wearing an adult diaper, you should have that moment. And if you prefer a more chilled-out bluegrass scene, don’t let festival stigma scare you away from fulfilling your destiny. This festival finder will help you find tickets to both popular music festivals that are priced somewhere in the “semester at college” range and tickets to lesser-known festivals that cater to your specific tastes and budget.
Go to wherever the water is. Just go. Sounds like a no-brainer, but if you’re on your way to letting this entire season pass by without so much as getting your toes wet, you’re doing summer wrong. Find a beach — or a lake, if you’re land-locked or hate going to the beach — and indulge in some aquatic appreciation. Bring a snack and enjoy a breeze that isn’t dispensed from an air conditioning unit. It’s called nature; you’ll love it! Just remember to slather on the sunscreen.
Do as the children do. Believe it or not, there are other adults out there who want to blow off their workweek steam, just like you do. And there’s no better way to do so than regressing back to childhood! Large groups of adults can band together and join a kickball league or go on local “field trips” with the aim of recreating their fondest childhood memories. Try organizing an egg drop for your science-y friends, or plan a camping trip. Don't forget to bring along all the processed junk food you miss from your youth but wouldn’t be caught dead eating as an adult.
Or you could, you know, let the summer slip away quietly, like your youth.
Or! You could unboring your summer and drive in the fun lane with smart. Learn more here.
Stephanie Georgopulos is the Entertainment Content Producer for Studio@Gawker.
Image by Alex Cannon, Studio@Gawker.