Dear readers, I hope each one of you is having a wonderful summer! Being an educator, this is the best time of the year for me. Although I am not a fan of the hot summer months in Texas, the place which I call home, summer is the time every year where I get to travel, spend time with family, and relax and rejuvenate myself to get prepared for the busy months ahead. We are a travel enthusiast family and have been fortunate to travel each and every summer since being married, and we just completed 22 years last month. In today’s post, I share my experiences of how I spend my summer months and give some tips about how to relax and rejuvenate in the peak hot season, so read on!
Background
To give some background, we are a family of 4 and love to travel, so travel or vacation is always the highlight of our summer break. But even when I was growing up, we took summer breaks as both my parents were teachers, and this was the perfect time to take trips to visit extended family and travel far and wide. In addition to exploring places, I also like to make memories for my kids by letting them plan their summer time and making sure they get to enjoy with their friends, do activities they like, give back to community through volunteering, or just have lazy days or weeks at home…
Below are the trips we have taken in the last few summers-
2024: Canada, PA & NY
Visited Calgary, Vancouver, Whistler & Kelowna in Canada in June. Visited Pittsburgh & NYC in July.
2023: PA & India
Visited Pittsburgh for the Taylor Swift concert in June. Visited Faridabad, Leh & Ladakh in July.
2022: Canada & Italy
Visited Calgary in Canada. Visited Rome, Vatican City, Florence, Pisa, Cinque Terre, Venice, Milan and Lake Como in Italy.
2021: Pennsylvania & New York
Visited Pittsburgh in PA. Visited NYC in NY.
2020: no travel due to COVID
2019: India & Europe
Visited Faridabad in India. Visited parts of Switzerland, Austria and Czech in Europe.
2018: Mexico
Visited Cancun.
2017: Minnesota, Iowa, Indiana, and Illinois.
Visited Des Moines in IA; Minneapolis, Bloomington & Mall of America in MN; Portage & Chesterton in IN; and Chicago in IL.
2016: India
Visited Faridabad and New Delhi.
2015: Texas
Visited San Antonio.
2014: New England
Visited parts of MA, NH, ME & RI.
2013: Canada & India
Visited Calgary in Canada & Faridabad in India.
2012: New York & Washington DC
Visited Niagara Falls, Times Square Memorial, Ellis Island in NY. Visited Pentagon Memorial and White House in DC.
2011: local Texas travel
2010: India
2009: San Antonio
2008: California & Las Vegas
2007: San Antonio
2006: Move from VA to TX
2005: India & local travel in Virginia
2004: New York
12 ways to relax and rejuvenate this summer:
- Travel
As you read above, traveling is our favorite way to spend a couple of weeks of summer break. This summer we took an out-of-country trip to Canada to visit my sister and her family, and took a second vacation to PA & NY. The few pictures below are from our summer travels.
2. Volunteer
We try to volunteer throughout the year but especially during the summer when we have more time on hand. When the kids were younger, we used to volunteer regularly at Houston Food Bank. As they got older, they started to volunteer at animal shelters. My older one did many years at Special Pals and my younger one volunteers at Friends for Life. We also foster dogs and cats from Pup Squad and Houston Pets Alive, which are both animal rescue organizations based in Houston.
3. Library visits
Both my girls are avid book readers. Although we do visit the library to check out books every month or so, it becomes more frequent during the summer. The book that I am reading right now and loving is “How to Die with Zero” by Bill Perkins!
4. Meeting up with friends
Socialization is something that I enjoy. We try to meet up with families few times a year but I also have girls meets in between. My kids have their own circle of friends they hang out with, and they go to mall, to eat out, or go out for a movie or other events.
5. Pursuing your hobby
Whether it is reading a book, crochet, painting ,or drawing, depending on what interests them my kids pursue their interest in the summer the most when they have the extra time on their hands. So their interests vary summer to summer, but they get to do what they enjoy during the break.
6. Summer internship or research or job
My older one has done jobs & internships during the summer. My younger one has done 2 summer internships with SEWA earning 150+ volunteer hours. She is a Girl Scout and completed her Silver Award in 2021 summer, putting in 50+ hours. This summer she has started on her Gold Award, and is planning to put 100+ hours towards its completion by the end of the year. She is also doing summer research with a university professor, so she has been pretty busy!
7. Plan ahead for the fall
Although summer is the perfect time to take a break, relax, and rejuvenate, a little planning is still needed to get ready for the busy months ahead. For me, it could be planning for the trainings at work , lesson plans, or school calendar events. For kids, it could be summertime learning books for the next grade level when they were younger, summer readings for school, or summer homework for middle and high schools. Some kids even take summer classes to jump ahead in school.
8. Get started or finish something you have started
For me, it could be my blog writing or catching up with friends/families I have not connected with in some time. For kids, it could be learning to cook, getting a learner’s permit or driver’s license, or learning a new language.
9. Do nothing
It is very important for kids (& adults) to have some days when we do nothing. Lazying around means to relax and enjoy, and do nothing. At our home, it may look like binge watching, playing board games till late at night, sleeping in, skipping breakfast and getting up late. We could just be at home chilling or enjoy outdoors, like the pool, beach, or hike, or take a leisurely walk to the park. Some people do a staycation where they stay at home and do leisure activities without staying out overnight. Talk to your family members and find your niche to decide what works best for your family.
10. Pamper yourself
There are tons of ways to pamper yourself, especially when you don’t have a jam packed routine. Think of something relaxing that you can look forward to during the summer and do it! For us, it could be a manicure, pedicure, massage, spa treatment or just eating out more.
11. Learn And grow
If you have been putting off something important that you feel will help you learn and grow, do it now during the summer months! Examples include learning to swim, paint, do some adventurous activity, learn a new language, get a certificate, etc.
12. Reflect and pause
Summer is the perfect time to take it easy and do things that help you grow and make you better. Take time to pause, reflect, be grateful and think of ways to feel whole and happy!
Wrap Up
To summarize, there are many ways to enjoy summer. I have listed my 12 ways to relax and rejuvenate. Dear readers, we would love to hear from you. Share how you spend your summer, and how you make the best use of the hottest months of the year. You can comment below, or send an email to nishtha@dawnandhope.com. We would love to add those to our list.
Related posts:
10 summer break activities for teens
10 goals to work towards during the summer
