How You & Your BFF Should Spend This Summer

Make sure you make time for your bestie this summer. It's so easy to let things get in the way of your most valuable friendships during the year. The cold weather makes you less social. The heavy end-of-year work load makes you overwhelmed. You end up spending your weekends catching up on sleep rather than catching up with your bestie.

Make this summer all about finding quality time to spend with them. Instead of roasting on the beach all summer, plan some enriching adventures that will not only keep you entertained and cool, but add some memories to your scrapbook. Someday you'll look back on these summers of your youth and be happy to know that they were spent out in the world, exploring and bonding with your friends.

The farther we get into our 20s, the harder it is to maintain friendships. Life is constantly trying to get in the way. So the more traditions and routines you create with your friends, the easier it will be to maintain them. Sign up for some classes together, book some trips, get it down in the books so when that life doesn't get in the way. These are 16 activities to try with your bestie this summer that are a lot more fun and exciting than lying around on the beach:

Start A Book Club

Each of you can pick two books that you've been dying to read and then read all four. together. You can give each other homework assignments like, 100 pages a week. That way you can set times to get together and talk about the pages you've covered so far. It will make reading feel a lot more interactive and fun than scholastic.

Take A Class Together

Whether it's an athletic class, a music class, or a pottery class, pick something that you've been meaning to try and try it together. Sign up for a few classes at once so you don't have to worry about your plans fizzling out. When you've already signed up, you'll be a lot more motivated to stick with it.

Pick A Cuisine And Perfect Some Dishes

Ever wanted to try some homemade sushi? Curry? Pick a cuisine and then pick a few dishes that you and your bestie can work on mastering this summer. Watch some cooking documentaries to get you in the spirit.

Explore A New Language

Ever wanted to learn French but never had the motivation? Get your bestie to learn with you, it will make it more fun. If that's too overwhelming, try Pig Latin or Gibberish — they're a lot easier to learn and always come in handy.

Start An Ice Cream Tour

Map out all of the local ice cream places in a 25 mile radius and work your way through them over the course of the summer. Make a little map with your bestie and whenever you're bored, pick a new ice cream joint on the map to cross off.

Plan A Dinner Party

Now that you've learned how to make a new cuisine, show it off by cooking a big dinner party with your bestie. Invite co-workers, old friends and people you'd like to get closer with. Planning a dinner party can be a lot of work, but it's also a lot of fun when you have a partner.

Have A Picnic

On a nice day, grab a blanket, put together a low-waste lunch, a few stacks of magazines or a book from your list and hang in the park all day. Play catch, take a nap, sneak some wine. Make a whole day out of it.

Go To A Festival

Is there a festival in your town this summer? Get tickets to a festival that's filled with music you've never heard of. You'll probably spend your entire day laughing and wowing yourself with how far out of your comfort zone you've gone.

Go Camping

Pack your bags, go to a state park and pitch a tent for the night. It might be a short trip, but it will be a memory you make with your bestie that you won't forget.

Try A Challenging Hike

Do some research and find a difficult hike in your area. Maybe it's all uphill, maybe it's 10 miles, maybe you have to trek through a stream, or maybe it's an endless rock scramble. Psych yourselves up and hit the trails. If you have a blast, do it as much as possible.

Be A Tourist

Chances are you haven't even explored the place you live in. Look up a few historical landmarks or museums and grab your bestie and pay them a visit.

Explore Wines

Wine is an endlessly fun education. There's so much culture, geography and history to learn from wine. Pick a region or grape and spend the summer exploring it. Drinking wine never gets old, and it's always more fun to do with a friend.

Paint A Room

Between the two of you, someone needs a change. Pick a bright color and paint a wall together, Now and Then style, with overalls and bandanas and '60s music playing on a radio.

Go On A Bike Tour

Explore your neighborhood or find a new one and cover it on a bike tour. Pack up your backpack and take your bestie out on a day trip around the neighborhood.

DIY

Get together make something with your hands. Be it jewelry, decorations, candles, or soaps, get the supplies and make them together. It will feel like camp, but more useful.

Go To An Outdoor Movie

Check your local listings for outdoor movies. Most parks and summer theaters have outdoor screenings in the summer. Go early, bring a big blanket and tons of snacks, and watch a movie under the stars.

Images: CW, Giphy