There’s something about summer that makes you want to live a little differently and embrace an outdoor lifestyle more than other seasons. Maybe it’s the longer days or the way the air feels softer after 7 p.m.
Whatever it is, it stirs something in you — that quiet itch to shut the laptop, kick off your shoes, and just go outside. Not in a big, dramatic way, but enough to remember what it’s like to move through life without a destination, to breathe without thinking and trade the constant buzz of “doing” for the simple rhythm of just “being.”
You don’t need a perfect plan or expensive gear, just a little curiosity, to remind you that good stuff is often found under the open sky, not your ceiling.
Start Your Day Outside
Some mornings hit different when you get out and about out early on, breathing in air that hasn’t yet been touched by to-do lists or traffic. Even if it’s just five quiet minutes with a cup of coffee on the front steps, or a lazy stretch on the balcony in pajama pants, it counts. That pause — before the phone lights up, before emails and errands — can feel like reclaiming a little piece of peace you didn’t know you’d lost.
Make Your Meals Al Fresco
You don’t need a fancy setup or a reason. A sandwich on a park bench can taste like a five-star meal if the sun’s warm and there’s a breeze. Dinner in the backyard, paper plates, citronella candle flickering — suddenly you’re laughing a little louder, chewing a little slower. Maybe it’s the fresh air. Maybe it’s the way no one’s in a rush. But somehow, food outside just hits better.
Explore Local Trails and Hidden Gems
There’s probably a place within 20 minutes of your house you’ve never walked. A dirt path winding through trees, a boardwalk hugging the edge of a lake, even just a nature trail tucked behind a school. You don’t need to plan it out. Just get in the car and go! Take a turn you’ve never taken, and see where it leads. That’s the thing about nature: It’s not trying to impress you; it’s just waiting to be noticed.
Photo by Alberto Casetta on Unsplash
Take Your Work (or Hobbies) Outside
Everything doesn’t have to stop just because you stepped outside. Work emails still get answered. Books still get read. But suddenly, you’re replying to that Zoom invite while birds argue overhead and your feet are in the grass. It’s not a vacation, but leaning into an outdoor lifestyle reminds us that not everything has to happen inside four walls. Sometimes, just changing your backdrop changes your whole mood.
Go On a Weekend RV Adventure
You don’t have to disappear for weeks. A couple of days will do the trick. Hit the road, windows down, playlist on, snacks riding shotgun. Whether you’re solo or piled in with family, there’s something grounding about parking in a forest or by a lake and just… being there. The convenience of full hookup RV sites means you won’t be roughing it, but you’ll still wake up to the sound of wind through trees instead of your neighbor’s leaf blower. It’s the best kind of in-between.
Try Something You’ve Never Done Before
It doesn’t have to be extreme — no skydiving required — but take a leap with an outdoor activity you have yet to try. Maybe it’s renting a kayak for the first time, trying to start a fire without lighter fluid, or looking through a telescope on a clear night to wtiness just how many stars are actually up there. Trying something new outside makes you feel like a kid again (in a good way), reminding us to continue believing in the wonder and possibility we’re surrounded by.
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Embracing an outdoor lifestyle for the summer isn’t asking you to be someone else; it’s just inviting you to remember who you were before everything got so busy, so plugged in, so loud. You don’t have to go far. You don’t have to spend a fortune. You just have to step outside and let the air hit your skin. Start small, or go big. Either way, the wild is waiting.