Summer is short. Maybe not everywhere, but in Canada and some more northern places, summer can feel as short as a week.
I always joke that I hope the summer lands on a weekend because it really does feel that short.
Sooo the most important thing to do is make the time count!
I always have so many things that I want to do throughout the summer and I never seem to get them done. Not this time!!
This summer, I have gathered my best ideas for an awesome summer bucket list! And not only that, I created a summer bucket list planner so you can custom create your perfect summer!
Which you can grab below! And you’ll also get all of my other printables and courses that promote wellness and happiness and that will overall make your life easier and more enjoyable 🙂
It’s all free btw 🙂

So let’s check out some fun ideas that you can add to your summer bucket list!
(Btw, they’re all social isolation friendly!)
The idea of this post is to inspire you to do things that are fun and that get you out and adventuring! I’ve also included some ideas to help you reach some wellness goals too! This can be a nice time to incorporate some journaling or daily wellness rituals into your day!
So let’s starts off with some health and wellness bucket list ideas (before we work our way to the fun stuff!)
Healthy and fun bucket list ideas
Summer can feel like a time for rejuvenation and vitality – which is why I felt like this is a great place to start off with the bucket list.
If you make it a priority to feel good, then you’ll have more energy to do the other fun things on your bucket list!
Here are some easy healthy habits that you can start that will have you feeling great! You don’t have to do all of them – I’d say even just choose 1 and you’ll notice yourself feeling much better!
- eating 5 servings of vegetables a day
- having a smoothie everyday
- yoga every day
- wake up at 7 everyday
- work on the couch to 5k running challenge (it’s very slow and incremental, so it’s not as daunting as it sounds!)
- if you live near water or have a pool, try to go for a quick swim every day (I absolutely love swimming, so this is a great one for me!)
- write in your journal every day
- do a mindfulness drawing or adult colouring activity once a day
- take a mindfulness walk every morning and just appreciate your surroundings
- write 3 things you’re grateful for every day
Intention based bucket list ideas
Now this might sound a bit strange, but just creating an intention can help you to live the summer vibes mindset!
For example, picture your ideal summer. What do you consider to be the ultimate “summer vibe”?
For me, I see twinkly patio lights, the fresh smell of leaves and flowers, water, freshness, friends, and freedom!
So for me – I want to be able to be outside as much as possible, with my friends (at an appropriate distance to keep safe during covid time), going to a patio or having a backyard hangout, and eating healthy foods (for that freshness vibe).
So an intention that would get me there is: to prioritize friendship, fun, health, and the outdoors – and to embrace some spontaneity!
Some other examples of intentions that you can incorporate into your bucket list are:
- Embrace the outdoors
- Embrace spontaneity
- Focus on the fun
- Focus on health
- “I want to feel free”
- “I will be mindful of my surroundings”
- “I will be grateful for the beauty around me”
Just simple things like that can help you to start living a great summer! I have actually included a spot for your summer intention in my summer bucket list!
Related Article: How to create a great goal setting worksheet
Adventurous Summer Bucket List Ideas
Summer is a time for adventuring! But adventuring takes a lot of commitment sometimes (if you want to get crazy and do a giant backpacking trip), but there are other easy and fun adventures that you can go on, which will make your summer so much more fun!
- Picnic somewhere new
- camping (parks should be open)
- Take a road trip – you can make a list of places you’ve never been and try to hit all of them!
- Go on a backpacking trip at a state or national park – they should be open!
- Literally go chasing waterfalls (or any other cool nature thing). Make a list of ones near you (or draw them on a map!) It will give you some purpose for a road trip.
- Find the best lookout in your town
- Go to a drive-in movie
- Make a list of cool historical sites to go to and do a road trip
- Make a list of the most beautiful nature sites you have been meaning to visit
- Kayaking somewhere (this can be inexpensive because you can just ask around amongst your friends or in a local facebook group to see if you can borrow or rent a kayak or canoe!)
- Organize a scavenger hunt (or a photo scavenger hunt!) for you and your friends or just for yourself!
The scavenger hunt thing can be really fun because you can do this over the span of a day or the entire summer! You can write down whatever you want! You can even do a photo “scavenger hunt” of your bucket list, so that you have photo evidence of all the cool things you’ve done.
Some slightly more adventurous ideas:
These things are easy enough to do in a social distancing way – so I would assume they will open at some point soon!
- bungee jumping
- skydiving
- ziplining
It can be hard to fit all of these in, but definitely try my summer bucket list planner (which comes with all of my other fun freebies, like a free goal planner) which can help you make the absolute best summer plan and give you tools (such as great productivity tricks) so that you can fit it all in!
Things you can do in your backyard!
- Picnic in your backyard with fairy lights and a cute blanket
- Backyard bonfires
- Backyard bbq
- Backyard concert – you can space out the seats as much as possible
- Backyard picnic
- Set up a slip n’ slide
- Build a garden!
- Build an obstacle course in your backyard. (This is something I’ve always wanted to do, so I’m going to try and do it this summer!)
Summer bucket list ideas for the foodie
I always associate summer with fun foods! Like watermelon, ice cream, and bbq foods!
These bucket list ideas incorporate those and also add to your adventurous ideas, by making it a little adventure to try new foods!
- try ice cream from a bunch of different shops around your town or city
- make your own ice cream or fro-yo
- make a list of the most summery food or drink ideas you can find (think anything watermelon) and make them throughout the summer
- try different cocktails (or cocktails you’ve wanted try) – then you can bust them out at a backyard bbq
Final Tips for Your Best Summer Bucket List Ever
So my final tips for having the best summer ever, are to:
1. Write down all the fun things you want to do
2. Find out how many days/weekends you have free for the fun stuff!
3. Set you summer intention
4, Follow through with your summer intention and just have fun!
5. Use my summer bucket list planner and other free resources 🙂 They are down below!


Sagesse ("Say Jess")
Owner of Mindaya