by Alycia W. Morales @AlyciaMorales
Here are 21 summer adventures to go on that will inspire your writing:
The beach
Listen to the ocean waves crashing on the shore. Smell the salt air with the tint of fish and sunblock. Feel the sand beneath your toes. Crack open the cold drinks and guzzle their fizzy contents but be sure to guzzle the bottled water too. Dehydration is a reality if you don’t proactively conquer it.
The mountains
Breathe deep of the fresh forest air as you hike a trail. Listen to the quiet stillness of the surroundings until a squirrel rustles the leaves or an armadillo hunts the nearby shrubbery.
A parkway
Take a daytrip and check out the majestic views. Be sure to stop and take pictures at the pulloffs. They make great fodder for world building. Leave early in the morning or stay later to catch the sunrise or sunset.
Summer Camp
Volunteer as a leader at camp and enjoy the many mischiefs of children or teens. Listen carefully to their dialogue. Pray for them. Pour into them. And just enjoy the sheer joy of knowing you’ve impacted someone’s life in a short amount of time.
Family Camp
Take a break with your family. Get a cabin in the woods or a cottage on the beach. Load up the camper. Or go old style and pitch a tent at a designated campsite. Take the time to focus on those who hold the closest places in your hearts. Listen to their dreams and aspirations. Focus on what they enjoy doing. Make S’mores over a campfire. Soak it all in.
Try a new restaurant
Order something you’ve never eaten before. Or cooked a different way, at least. Savor every flavor. Chew slowly. Sip the beverage. Note the tastes, the textures, and your responses to them.
Try something that scares you
Ziplining? White water rafting? Sky diving? Do something that you fear but have always wanted to try. Feel the adrenaline rush. Journal the experience. Be sure to get pictures of the expression on your face.
Go somewhere you’ve never been
Most people don’t move from their hometown. According to research done by the Pew Research Center, in 2008 57% of people had never lived outside of their birth state. 37% of those had never left their hometown. In another study by OnePoll/Victorinox, 11% of the 2,000 people polled have never travelled outside of their home state. 54% have been to ten or fewer states. There is so much out there to explore! Pick a place you are curious about, and go visit it.
For more on these surveys, check out the following two links:
https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2008/12/17/who-moves-who-stays-put-wheres-home/
Explore your local area
Take a drive with your spouse or kids or friend. Get away from home far enough that you are in unfamiliar territory. Have each person take turns giving directions. Turn right. Turn left. Go straight. Just make sure you don’t keep turning one direction, or you’ll end up driving in circles! Keep an eye out for new places you’d like to explore.
Visit a family member you haven’t seen for a year
You-know-what has kept a lot of people from seeing family and friends they would normally visit over the summer or vacation times. Take a leap of faith and spend some time with that person. For some, just stepping out the front door is an adventure anymore. Of course, be wise about your health. And the health of others.
Take a class
I have always wanted to do one of those paint and beverage type of class. You know, the one where you and your friend pay a small fee to go to a particular location for a night of sipping a drink while learning how to paint a particular canvas picture. There’s also pottery. Local craft stores host scrapbooking, painting, and other activities. Find something you’ve always wanted to try and take a class.
Be an extra on a movie set
If you live anywhere near a metropolitan area, you probably have some kind of film production happening. Even small towns get movies on occasion. I know. I’ve participated in one. I didn’t get hired as an extra when I applied. Instead, they hired me as a stand-in for one of the main secondary characters. I spent that summer eating catered food and reading while waiting to be called to set. Best paycheck I ever had.
Visit a state or national park
Pack up the kids and spouse and take off on a sight-seeing adventure. Take the trails. See the sites. Read all the plaques. Learn about someplace you haven’t been before. Focus on the nature around you and take in the awe of God’s creation.
Visit a historical site
I live in the Carolinas, close to the Biltmore Estate. Visiting houses is one of my favorite things to do when I go on adventures. It’s fascinating to see the architecture and textiles, furniture and clothing from eras gone by. History is full of inspiration. You just have to get out and discover it.
Go to a zoo or aquarium
Get close to the animals. Examine the intricate details in their designs. Check out the variety of colors and patterns and textures. Enjoy the wonders of God’s creations.
Ride a train
Or horse. Or camel. Take a mode of transportation you aren’t used to taking. Listen to the sounds of travel. Feel the way your body reacts and moves. Experience the difference in the time it takes to get from one location to another.
Attend an event
Hot air balloons. Helicopter rides. State fairs. Renaissance fairs. Rendezvous. Reenactments. Concerts. Local street fairs. Find something fun to do with a friend or spouse and make a day of it.
Attend a conference
Take an opportunity to get outside of the four walls of your home office or kitchen or living room. Go someplace to learn about the craft of writing or God or health or something else you’re interested or involved in. Take notes. Meet some people. Network. Go home and apply what you’ve learned.
Visit Disney
Or your local theme park. Take the fam for a fun day. Laugh together. Make memories. Eat cotton candy and fried dough. Try not to throw up or pass out on the rides. Spend a night in a hotel and travel home the following day.
Take a boat out on a lake or into the ocean
Whether speed boat, kayak, or canoe, take a ride out onto the water. Throw a fishing line off the boat. Sit back and relax. Jet ski. Sail. Whether it’s for fun, relaxation, or fishing, enjoy the day bobbing on the water.
Visit a foreign country
I know with all the restrictions, this gets more and more difficult. But if you have the chance, take it. Go on a mission trip. Visit someplace you’ve always wanted to go. Get off American soil and see what life is like elsewhere.
Whatever adventure you choose to go on, pay close attention to the sights, sounds, sensations, tastes, and smells you experience. These are all great fodder for your writing. Listen to the conversations around you. Note the movements of others, including their facial expressions. Think about what you are learning and experiencing and how you can share that with others via your writing.
If you could go anywhere right now, with no restrictions, where would you go and why? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.
Alycia W. Morales is an award-winning freelance editor and author. Her clients have won the Selah Award, BRMCWC Director’s Choice Award, and many others. Her writing has been published in Thriving Family magazine, Splickety Love, and several compilation books. She is a member of ACFW, the president of Cross n’ Pens critique group, and a BRMCWC Conference Assistant.
When she isn’t busy writing, editing, and reading, Alycia enjoys spending time with her husband and four children taking hikes in Upstate SC and NC, creating various crafts, coloring in adult coloring books, and watching TV.
Alycia blogs at The Write Editing and Life. Inspired. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.
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