Cheap Summer Activities for You and Your Friends!

1. Plan and go on a road trip

Sure, you’ll have to pay for gas, but if you go with three friends, then you can split the price four ways and that’s not so bad. And if your trip is only a day long, then you also won’t have to pay for a hotel. So pick a destination that’s a couple of hours away from you, whip up a good playlist, and hop in the car with your buds.

2. Go to a museum

You may have found museums boring when you were younger, but some museums are pretty fun and educational and a lot of times they’re free as well. There are museums in virtually every county, so there’s no excuse for distance. In fact, there are far more museums in the U.S. than there are McDonalds and Starbucks!

3. Go stargazing on a warm night

Grab some blankets and your friends and kick back on the grass for a relaxing night. Plan ahead and pack a picnic dinner to get the most out of the night too. It’s finally warm enough to enjoy the great outdoors at night, so make sure to take advantage of that.

4. Be a tourist for the day

Go to a tourist trap lunch spot, take a walking tour of your city, or just do anything that would make you cringe on a normal day. The key here is to take a ton of selfies and make sure you post every single one of them to all of your social media accounts.

5. Learn a new skill

Ever wanted to learn how to fishtail braid, juggle or speak French? Summer’s endless hours make the perfect time to devote the time to learn a new skill. Pull up a YouTube tutorial or visit the local library and get to work on perfecting your craft.

6. Take a hike

Summer means not being stuck in a classroom all day, so make sure you devote some time to soaking up some sunrays while you’ve got the chance. Pick a place with a rewarding view at the top, or perhaps a nice waterfall to take a dip in and start trekking. If you live in a city and can’t see a wooded area for miles and miles, hit up a nearby park and play some Frisbee instead.

7. Have a water balloon fight

Think these are just for kids? Think again. Buying a pack of balloons is cheap, but watching your friend’s expression as you hit him or her with a sopping wet balloon is priceless.

8. Build a fire and make some s’mores

Nothing says “summer” like roasting marshmallows, so make sure you take part in this activity at least once over the next couple of months. If you don’t have a big outdoor area available to you, roast the ’mallows over a gas stove or a candle flame. Same results, same fun.

9. Check a community calendar for free events

Though some of the events might seem lame at first glance, participating with your friends can actually be quite enjoyable. Don’t pass up free stuff just because it seems like something your grandmother would dig.

10. Have a movie marathon

If you’re feeling worn out from all the fun outdoor activities, reserve a day just for yourself or for you and your bestie to just kick back and watch a ton of movies. Maybe it’s the entire Harry Potter series, or maybe you’ve got a long list of movies in your Netflix queue that you’ve been dying to watch. Either way, summer makes for the perfect time to spend a day watching movies and not feel guilty about it.

Have a great summer, everyone!

(Image via WENN)

- Emmy Freedman, YH Contributing Writer