30 Things To Do Over The Summer

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Students may be the envy of most of the working world during the long summer holiday, but three months can be a long time to fill. When you’ve finished watching the latest season of Game of Thrones and you’re starting to get a little sick of daytime TV, it’s time to hit our list of things to keep you busy…

Write a letter to your uni friends – An actual old-fashioned, pen and paper piece of snail mail.
Go for a run – Download a running app to help you track your progress, hit play on the new Blood Orange album to see you across Itchen Bridge
Bake a cake – Dust off your family’s cookbooks and buy ingredients to bake a cake. If you’re a dab hand at baking, maybe try something a little more challenging (see the Bake-Off for ideas).
Complete a reading challenge – Read one classic, one book you haven’t managed to finish before, one book that you would like to read again, one poem and one short story.
Take a walk – There’s nothing more therapeutic or head-clearing then a brisk walk to explore your surroundings. Take a new route or play the ‘left and right game’ and take the opposite direction at every turn to see where you end up (but don’t get lost!).
Make a mixtape – Whether it is songs for summer 2016, songs that remind you of your time at uni or a compilation of new music, nothing can beat a mixtape with a customised cover. It will blow your ‘Now!’ albums out of the water.
Spring clean your room – It may not be the most exciting or glamorous of tasks to do when you’re bored, but chances are you have been putting it off since last summer. Start September afresh with an organised room.
Do a film marathon – Whether Harry Potter, John Hughes films or the Back to the Future series that floats your boat – grab yourself some popcorn and watch them all back-to-back to remind yourself how great they truly are.
Browse our societies and student groups – With over 300 student groups and societies to join, it can take a bit of time to browse everything we have to offer. Why not write down one society you know that you would like to join and one that you are intrigued to find out more and make it your mission to speak to them at The Bunfight in Freshers’.
Learn a language – Ok, so this may take a little more than a summer, but you can learn a surprising amount in little time. Download free apps such as Duolingo and Memrise to help you. Maybe you could aim to learn a few basic phrases before your next holiday.
Meditate – Student life is hectic and fun, but you probably don’t have a lot of time to yourself. Take five minutes to concentrate on your breath. You can download free meditation apps to help or use a YouTube video to access guided meditations.
Visit the library – The summer gives you the perfect opportunity to rediscover reading for pleasure and with the opportunity to access hundreds of book for free, money is no object.
Go vinyl shopping – Scout out bargains and classic throwbacks from local charity shops and village hall community sales.
Start a Pinterest board – Get inspiration for starting a new hobby or connect with other enthusiasts on Pinterest. Private boards can be useful for mind-mapping travel plans for the future or thinking up gift ideas.
Up-cycle a piece of furniture for your room – Make your house a home in a sustainable way. Pinterest can be a great place to start on this too.
Exercise – Exercising has many benefits and it is certainly a healthy way to spend your time. Find something you enjoy by trying out taster sessions at your local gym or working out using videos for free at home.
Catch up with your family and friends – So often we get absorbed in our lives and forget to put the time into those we love. Why not catch up with your friends and family by giving them a ring?!
Play a computer/console game – Try to level up on your favourite game and connect with other players to see how they are doing too.
If you’re in Southampton, enjoy a breakfast at The Bridge – We are still open during the holidays, so pop in and say hi.
Like our new social media pages to make sure you stay up-to-date with upcoming news and events – You can find out all the links here.
Play Geoguessr – Guess the location across the world from the photos.
Create a bucket list – You might not have the resources to do everything that you want to right now, but why not write down some of your long-term goals and dreams so you know what you’re aiming for in the future?!
Make a video – You don’t have to be too tech savvy to make a basic video, just grab your phone and get filming.
Find out what Harry Potter house you would be in – This is for all the Harry Potter fans out there. Join Pottermore and get sorted into your houses.
Read a newspaper – Find out what is happening in the world around you.
Volunteer your time – Whether it is caring for someone or offering your time to a charity shop, do something to give back. Find out more volunteering opportunities over on our Opportunities Facebook page.
Go on a Wikipedia trail – Search the internet for something you are interested in (e.g. your favourite band) and then click on the links to find out more information. Continue to do this and you will find out some unusual and interesting facts.
Make a photo album – Bring your camera memories cards and print out your favourite pictures into an album or for the walls of your room.
Start blog – Get creative and write about a topic you are interested in or simply do an online diary.
Host a dinner party – Cook your favourite dishes for your friends.

This list is by no means exhaustive, but if you complete them all – let us know how you get on by tweeting us @union_soton.

Tags: #ideas, #inspiration, activities, boredom, bucket list, challenge, friends, holiday, list, new, Summer, things to do, time