Last August, I sat on my back porch with a beer that had gone warm an hour ago.
And I realized I hadn’t left my zip code all summer.
Not once.
That feeling, the one where the season just slipped through your fingers while you were busy answering emails, is the whole reason this list exists.
So if you’re reading this in a panic because it’s already August and you haven’t done a single “summer thing,” you’re not alone, man.
I’ve been there.
Let’s fix it together, one weekend at a time.
Chase a Sunrise You Didn’t Plan For
There’s a version of you that sets an alarm for 5 a.m.
on purpose.
I promise that guy exists, even if he feels like a stranger right now.
Two summers ago I woke up early for a flight and ended up watching the sunrise from an empty parking lot near the airport.
It wasn’t planned, it wasn’t pretty, and it was one of the best twenty minutes of my whole year.
There’s something about watching the world turn the lights on before anyone else is awake.
The air is different.
Cooler, quieter, almost like the day hasn’t made up its mind yet.
So here’s my tip: pick one morning this month and just go somewhere, a hill, a beach, a rooftop, doesn’t matter.
Bring coffee.
Don’t bring your phone, or if you do, keep it in your pocket.
If you’ve got a partner or a buddy who’s into it, drag them along, it’s better shared.
And if not, honestly, go alone.
Some of my favorite travel memories are the ones I didn’t post anywhere.
This one costs nothing and it resets something in you that a whole vacation sometimes can’t.
Try it once and I bet you’re hooked.
Take the Road Trip Detour You Always Skip
You know that little brown sign on the highway.
The one for the “scenic overlook” or the “historic site” that’s two miles off the main road.
I used to blow right past those, every single time, because I was always trying to make good time.
Then one summer my truck’s AC broke and I had nowhere to be, so I finally took one.
It led to this overlook in the middle of nowhere with maybe four other cars and a view that stopped me mid-sentence.
That’s when it clicked for me: the detour is usually the whole point.
So this summer, pick one drive you’re already taking, even a boring one, and commit to taking every single brown sign detour along the way.
Bring snacks, bring good music, and just let the trip take longer than it needs to.
My personal hack is to turn off the map app entirely for the detour part.
Just follow the signs like it’s the eighties.
It feels kindda ridiculous at first, but it’s genuinely fun.
Worst case, you find a mediocre roadside diner.
Best case, you find the story you’ll be telling at Thanksgiving.
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I’m not going to pretend I’m some hardcore camper, because I’m really not.
But there’s a version of camping for guys like me too, and it changed how I think about a night outdoors.
Last summer I rented a cabin with basically no cell signal, and the first two hours were honestly uncomfortable.
I didn’t know what to do with my hands.
Then it got quiet, and I mean really quiet, and I started hearing things I never notice at home.
Wind moving through trees, some kind of bird I couldn’t name, my own breathing.
It’s a strange kind of peace that takes a minute to settle into.
My tip here: you don’t need a tent if that’s not your thing.
A cabin, a yurt, even a decent car camping setup works fine.
The goal isn’t roughing it, the goal is getting far enough from noise that your brain finally exhales.
Bring a book you won’t read and a flashlight you probably won’t need.
And leave room for boredom, because that’s where the good thoughts sneak in.
Eat Something You Can’t Get Back Home
Food is one of those things I used to treat like fuel.
In, out, back to whatever I was doing.
That changed the year I wandered into a tiny seafood shack on a work trip, no sign, no menu online, just a guy grilling fish behind a counter.
I still think about that meal, and I couldn’t even tell you the name of the place.
That’s the thing about real local food, it’s rarely the spot with the longest line.
So here’s what I do now wherever I travel this summer: skip the place with the best reviews and ask a local instead.
A gas station clerk, a bartender, whoever’s around.
Nine times out of ten they point you somewhere better than any app would.
My rule of thumb is if the parking lot has more trucks than tourists, that’s a good sign.
Order the thing you don’t recognize on the menu.
Worst case you learn you don’t like something, best case you find your new favorite meal.
Either way, you walk away with a story instead of just a receipt.
Get On the Water, Even If You’re Bad at It
I am, for the record, not a great swimmer, and I’m even worse at kayaking.
But some of my favorite summer afternoons involve me being mildly terrible at a water sport.
Last year a buddy talked me into paddleboarding on a lake near his place, and I fell in twice within the first ten minutes.
We were both laughing so hard I nearly went in a third time.
There’s something humbling and kind of freeing about being bad at something outdoors, with nobody around who cares.
So don’t skip this one just because you’re not “outdoorsy,” whatever that even means.
Rent a kayak for an hour, try paddleboarding, even a cheap inner tube on a lazy river counts.
My tip is to go in the late afternoon when the light gets soft and golden on the water.
It photographs beautifully, but honestly you’ll be too busy enjoying it to care about the photo.
Bring a dry bag for your phone and a towel you don’t mind getting soaked.
And go with someone who’ll laugh with you, not at you, when you inevitably tip over.
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Find the Small Town Nobody Talks About
Big cities get all the attention, and don’t get me wrong, I love a good city trip.
But some of my most vivid summer memories come from towns so small they don’t even show up when you search them.
I stumbled into one on a road trip because I needed gas, and ended up staying for six hours.
There was a diner, a little shop selling handmade stuff, and an old guy on a bench who told me the entire history of the town whether I asked or not.
I loved every minute of it.
Small towns move at a different pace, and honestly, that pace is good for you.
My tip: next time you’re driving somewhere, pick a town along the way with a population under two thousand and just stop.
Walk the main street, sit somewhere for a coffee, talk to whoever seems chatty.
You don’t need a plan, that’s kind of the whole appeal.
These towns won’t be flashy, and that’s exactly why they stick with you.
Some of the best stories I’ve collected traveling came from places I couldn’t even find on a map beforehand.
Watch the Sky Do Something Wild
There’s a specific kind of summer evening where the sky just puts on a show.
Big dramatic clouds, colors that don’t look real, that ten minutes before it gets fully dark.
I used to be inside during that window almost every single day, cooking dinner or scrolling on my phone.
Then one evening I stepped outside for something random and just stood there, kind of stunned, watching the whole thing unfold.
It’s easy to forget the sky is doing this basically every night, for free, and most of us miss it.
So here’s a small habit I picked up: check the sky around sunset a few nights a week this summer.
If it looks promising, drop what you’re doing for ten minutes.
Find a spot with an open view, a field, a rooftop, even your own driveway works.
Bring nothing, do nothing, just watch.
It sounds almost too simple to matter, but it genuinely shifts your mood.
And if you’re near water or mountains when it happens, even better, the whole thing gets amplified.
This one’s free, it’s fast, and it might be the most underrated item on this entire list.
Say Yes to the Plan You’d Normally Skip
I’m naturally the guy who says “maybe next time.”
Someone floats an idea, a last minute trip, a random hike, a weekend away, and my instinct is to find a reason not to.
Last summer a friend texted me at 9 p.m.
asking if I wanted to leave for the coast the next morning.
Every part of me wanted to say no, I had stuff to do, I was tired, all the usual excuses.
I said yes anyway, and it turned into one of the best weekends I’ve had in years.
That trip taught me something simple: the plans you almost skip are often the ones you remember most.
So this summer, I want you to say yes once, just once, to something spontaneous.
Doesn’t have to be a big trip, could be a day hike, a last minute concert, a drive to nowhere in particular.
My tip is to keep a small bag half packed during summer, just basics, so saying yes is actually easy.
And give yourself permission to be tired later.
You’ll rest in the fall.
Right now, go say yes.
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There’s something about a small town festival that a big event just can’t replicate.
The county fair, the local food festival, whatever’s happening near you, doesn’t matter how small.
I went to a tiny blueberry festival last summer mostly as a joke, and ended up staying the whole day.
Live music from a local band, a pie eating contest, kids running around with face paint.
It was corny, and I mean that in the best way possible.
There’s a warmth to these events that feels earned, not manufactured for tourists.
My tip: search for whatever local fair or festival is happening near you or anywhere you’re traveling this summer, and just show up.
Don’t overthink it, don’t need a plan for the whole day.
Grab whatever food smells the best, wander the booths, watch whatever’s on the little stage.
Talk to the vendors, they usually love sharing their story.
These events remind you that not everything has to be big or bucket-list famous to be genuinely great.
Sometimes the best day of your summer costs ten bucks and a little bit of your time.
