The summer that gets away from you is the one you didn't decide to have. The summer that becomes a memory is the one with specific things on the calendar: the morning at the beach before anyone else arrives, the road trip you actually took, the evening when the light was perfect and you were exactly where you wanted to be. Here are 30 things worth deciding to do.
Beach and Water
- Get to the beach before 7am at least once. The early beach is the real beach — see our 5am beach guide for why it's worth the alarm.
- Swim somewhere you've never swum before. A new lake, a different beach, a swimming hole. Somewhere that makes you remember what summer water feels like when it's new.
- Spend one full day at the beach doing nothing. No phone, no itinerary — just the towel, the book, the water, the time.
- Watch the sunset from a beach or waterfront. Actually stop, actually watch, don't photograph it for 20 minutes before looking up.
- Kayak or paddleboard somewhere. The change in perspective — looking at the shore from the water — is worth the rental fee.
- Find a swimming hole or natural body of water you haven't visited. Every region has them; most people never go.
Food and Morning Culture
- Have a proper hotel breakfast. Sit at the table, order coffee, look at something beautiful, have nowhere to be for an hour. This is the whole Hotel Breakfast thesis in one morning.
- Go to a farmers market before 9am. Early enough for the best selection, cool enough to linger over coffee and prepared food. Bring a good canvas tote.
- Eat dinner outside at least once a week through July. The specific pleasure of warm evening air, outdoor tables, and summer light at 8pm is non-renewable — it ends in September.
- Make ice cream at home or visit a local scoop shop you've been meaning to try.
- Have an outdoor brunch with the people you like. Not a restaurant reservation — someone's backyard or a park, good food, no schedule.
- Do the hotel breakfast thing at home. Slow morning, real coffee, sit down, no phone. Give Tuesday the Tuesday it deserves.
Travel and Exploration
- Take a road trip with no specific destination. Or with one, but arrive at it slowly. The driving is part of it.
- Go somewhere you've been meaning to go for three years. The place that keeps getting postponed. This is the summer to actually go.
- Visit a state or national park you haven't been to.
- Do the overnight or weekend trip you've been talking about since last summer.
- Explore your own city like a tourist for one Saturday. The neighborhood you've never walked through, the restaurant you've passed a hundred times.
Evening and Social
- Go to a concert outdoors. The amphitheater, the festival, the free park show — see our concert outfit guide for the right approach.
- Host a summer dinner. Outside if possible. The kind of dinner that goes late because no one wants to leave.
- Watch a movie outside. Drive-in or outdoor cinema series — summer-specific pleasures that don't exist in other seasons.
- Have a perfect evening with no agenda. Walk somewhere, get something cold to drink, end up at a good spot when the light is right. The unplanned evening is often the best one.
Wellness and Morning
- Build a morning routine that actually sticks through August. See our morning routine guide for the system that works.
- Read three books you've been putting off. The beach and the slow morning are the two best reading environments available.
- Spend one full weekend unplugged. No work email, no social media — just what's in front of you.
- Learn something physical that summer is better for: surf, paddleboard, outdoor yoga, open-water swimming.
Style and Objects
- Invest in one quality summer piece you'll use for years. The premium beach towel, the good crewneck, the hat that actually fits — see the full Hotel Breakfast collection.
- Build the beach kit you actually want. Good towel, right tote, a hat. The kit that makes the beach day feel considered rather than assembled from whatever was available.
- Wear the thing you've been saving for a special occasion. The occasion is a Tuesday in July. Wear it.
- Replace the one bad beach towel. Everyone has one. This is the summer to upgrade. See our beach towel guide for what makes the difference.
- Photograph one perfect summer moment without touching your phone for the hour before or after. Just the one good photo, and then the actual experience of being there.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I make the most of summer 2026?
Decide to. Specifically: put things on the calendar that you actually want to do, rather than letting summer become the background of a busy season you experience passively. The summers that become memories are the ones with specific moments in them — the early beach, the road trip, the outdoor dinner, the book you finished on a towel. None of these require travel or large budgets. They require decision and attention.
What should be on a summer bucket list?
Mix the ambitious with the achievable: one trip or experience that requires planning, several recurring pleasures that happen weekly (the farmers market, the beach morning, the outdoor dinner), and a few things you've been meaning to do for years. The list should feel like a set of invitations, not a checklist. Check them off by actually doing them, not by photographing them.