By Alycia Morales @AlyciaMorales

Here are 21 summer adventures to go on that will inspire your writing:

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/lealane/2019/05/02/percentage-of-americans-who-never-traveled-beyond-the-state-where-they-were-born-a-surprise/?sh=41cca4592898

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. 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.

12. 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.

13. 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.

14. 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.

15. 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.

16. 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.

17. 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.

18. 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.

19. 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.

20. 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.

21. 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.

Alycia Morales is a freelance editor and writer. Her work has been featured in numerous magazines and several compilation books. Thanks to her mad editing skills, her clients have won multiple awards in several national contests. She’s also a sought-after ghostwriter, with years of experience working with clients across many different categories. In addition, she’s the prior Conference Assistant for the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference. Alycia is currently working on a nonfiction project while characters are running around in her mind waiting to be released into children’s books and YA fantasy novels.

When she isn’t busy writing, editing, and reading, Alycia enjoys spending time with her husband taking hikes in the Blue Ridge Mountains of the Carolinas or running off to the beach with friends. She loves coffee, sweet tea, crafting, and watching crime shows.

Alycia can be found at alywmorales.com. She hangs out on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.