Summer Bucket List For College Students - By a Recent Grad

As a college student, your summer breaks should be eventful and full of amazing memories. Many college students, will make a summer bucket list to make the most out of their summer break.

As a recent college graduate, I know first hand how important it is to make the most out of your college years. Your time in college will be some of the best years of your life, so it’s important to make the most of it!

With that being said, here are 20 summer bucket list ideas for college students.

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20 Summer Bucker List Ideas for College Students

1. Travel Abroad

Travelling abroad is a great way to stop out of your comfort zone and experience different cultures. Now I know, traveling abroad can be hard for a college student on a budget to afford. However, there are affordable ways to travel, especially for young people.

Many college students will backpack when they are abroad, to keep costs down. Many people will stay in youth hostels, rather than a pricey hotel. In Europe especially, the hostels are quite safe and they are super affordable.

As a college student, traveling abroad with a group of friends is an unforgettable experience!

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2. See Old Friends

In college, summer vacation is the perfect time to visit old friends. It’s very common for friends to go their separate ways after high school, so during the summer it is the perfect opportunity to reconnect.

For most young adults, they have a great group of high school friends. However it becomes harder to keep in touch during the college school year. However, once it’s summer break there’s no reason not to get together and hang out.

This summer, make sure to get together with your best friends from high school and have a good time like you used to!

3. Try a New Hobby

Just because it’s summer break doesn’t mean that you can’t be productive. Summer break is the perfect time to learn a new hobby.

Throughout my time in college, I would always try to pickup a new hobby throughout the summer break. This was a great way to keep my mind active and to learn new things.

Here’s a list of hobbies you can pick up over the summer:

Painting
Baking
Learn a new language
Lean an instrument
Bike riding
Dancing
Skateboarding
Fitness

4. Go to Music Festivals or Concerts

Going to a music festival or concert is a fun way to see your favorite artist. Since I grew up in a major city, we would have music festivals every summer.

This was a fun way to see multiple artists at the same time and it was an amazing experience with my friends. A music festival should be on everyone’s college bucket list.

This is a fun activity that will be one of the highlights of your summer.

5. Learn a New Skill

The summer break is the perfect time to learn a new skill. Learning a skill that can make you money would be a great way to have a productive summer.

In college, I had friends that learned some skills like social media, landscaping and photography. These skills were big money makers and they were able to earn a solid income while they were in college.

Here’s a list of skills that can make you money:

Tutoring
Social media manager
Flipping items
Photography
Content creator

6. Go On a Hike

Going on a hike is a great way to exercise and see beautiful landscapes. The great thing about hiking is that you don’t have to be in the best shape.

If you’ve never hiked before, start with an easy mountain and take a lot of breaks. Hiking with a group of friends is a good way to enjoy the beautiful summer weather and it doesn’t really cost money.

Hiking is an inexpensive activity that will be really enjoyable. If you live near a national park, then be sure to visit. If not, just do a quick Google search and you will be able to find trails in your area.

7. Have a Picnic Brunch

Having a picnic brunch is a really fun activity to do with your friends this summer. This idea has blown up on TikTok and it looks like so much fun.

Get together with a few friends on a day with warm weather and have a picnic in a park, on the beach or by a lake. At the picnic brunch you will be able to take some nice pictures, hang out with your friends and eat good.

A picnic brunch is a great time for everyone and it’s a very affordable activity.

8. Rent an AirBnB with Friends

Renting an AirBnb with friends is part of the college experience and is a really fun activity to do over the summer. Getting a group of friends together and renting an AirBnB for a day or two will be a fun getaway.

As someone who lives in Canada, this is a very popular activity for college students to do in the summer. We will get together, and rent a cottage by a lake and do water sports, have camp fires and party.

If you split the AirBnB with a few friends, it won’t be too expensive and it will be a very memorable activity.

9. Start Working Out

Working out over the summer is a good idea, because you will come back to school in the best shape of your life. By working out, you will look better and feel better.

If you get into the habit of working out over the summer, by the time school comes you will want to continue working out. This is a great way to become the best version of yourself and to stay productive over the summer.

10. Plan an Adventure

Summer vacation is the perfect time to plan an adventure with your friends. This can be anything from camping, to going on a road trip, to something as simple as going on a late night bike ride.

As a young adult, there is no better time to go on an adventure. You have all summer break to have fun so take advantage of the time you have and plan something memorable.

Here’s a list of fun adventures for college students:

Cliff jumping
Watch the sunrise
Paddle boarding
Camping
Road trip
Fishing
Outdoor yoga

11. Plan a Beach Day

Planning a beach day is something every college student has to do before the end of the summer. Planning a day trip to the beach with some friends is a really fun time and a great way to relax outdoors.

If you live close to a beach, you’re in luck! This activity will be super easy to plan and it will be very cheap.

If you don’t live close to a beach, consider planning a road trip to a beach near you.

Going to the beach is a big change from the dorm room. The summer is the best time to take advantage of the beautiful weather and plan a beach day.

12. Go Clubbing

During the school semester, going clubbing can be hard. Part of college life is partying a lot and going to clubs and bars.

However, if you’re in a hard college program, it can be a real challenge to find the time to party. During the summer break is the best time to go clubbing.

If you live in a major city, go out to a club on a Friday night with some friends. You will have a great time and can enjoy partying before the school semester starts again.

13. Visit a Water Park or Theme Park

The summer months are the perfect time to visit a theme park or water park. If you’ve never been on a roller coaster, there is no better time to try one than over the summer break.

Going to the water park is one of the most fun activities. If you get a group of friends together and go to the water park, you guys will all have a lot of fun.

14. Try a Nice Restaurant

If you’re looking for a fun activity to try over the summer break, go to a new restaurant or a very nice restaurant. Spending a bit extra for an amazing culinary experience is super worth it.

Going to a nice restaurant is a great way to get nice pictures for Instagram and really enjoy yourself. The college semester can be really stressful so going out to a nice restaurant is a good way to celebrate and relax.

15. Visit a Local Fair

Visiting a local fair is a fun activity to do with friends or your significant other. Over the summer, most cities will have a local fair come into town.

This is a great chance to get some awesome pictures and to have fun at the fair. The carnival always gives me that summer vibe and it’s a fun activity.

You can go on rides, try carnival games and win prizes!

16. Go On a Late Night Walk

The summer is the perfect time to go on a late night walk. There is nothing like getting together with a group of friends and walking to a local park in the evening time.

As someone who grew up in the suburbs, this is something my friends and I would always do in the summer. There is something about walking late at night on a nice summer evening that can’t be beat.

Walking until the sun rises is also a great summer activity and it doesn’t cost any money. Hearing the birds chirp and looking at the pretty morning sky is something you can really only do when it’s the summer.

17. Binge Watch Netflix

The summer is the perfect time to catch up on all of your favorite shows. After the college semester is done, I think most students spend a few days relaxing and watching Netflix.

Although the summer is a great opportunity to catch up on your favorite series, don’t spend your whole summer doing it. Make sure to spend time seeing your friends and being productive.

If you stay in all summer and watch TV you will feel very unproductive and it’s not good for your mental health. Spend a few days catching up on some series then get outside and have the best summer ever!

18. Read a New Book or Books

If you like to read, the summer is the perfect time to read some books. As someone who never really liked to read growing up, I made it a goal of mine to read more as I got older.

Instead of spending hours of my day on social media, I began to read as it felt more productive.

If you have trouble reading, I have a great trick for you. Try listening to an audio book while you read the physical book. As crazy as this may sound, it has helped me stay focused and enjoy reading a lot more.

Another trick is to read books that you actually find interesting. Many students tend to hate reading, because they are forced to read books they’re not interested in, in class.

However, if you find a book that you find interesting, you will enjoy reading much more.

Here are a few book suggestions:

19. Work a Job

Working a summer job or doing a summer internship is a great way to get real world work experience. Now this might not seem like the most fun idea, however when you work a job you will meet new people and make friends.

Throughout my time in college, I always worked a job over the summer so I would have money and I really enjoyed my coworkers. Having a job just made me more productive and I still had time to relax and enjoy my summer.

This was a huge plus because once the school semester began, I always had extra money.

20. Spend Time With Family

The summer is a really good opportunity to spend time with your family. You never know when it’s the last time you will see a relative, so it’s important to make the time over the summer to see your loved ones.

If you go to college in a different state, you may not see your family for a long time. This means that you should cherish every moment you have with your loved ones because you are going to miss them once the semester starts.

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Final Thoughts on Summer Bucket List For College Students

As a college student, making the most out of your summer is super important. Hopefully these ideas have inspired you to have the best summer ever!

In this post, I shared 20 fun college summer bucket list ideas.

What’s your favorite summer bucket list idea? Please let me know in the comments below.

Summer Bucket List For College Students – By a Recent Grad