Summer – A Lifetime in Miniature

As the third month of summer sets in, so does the longing to soak up what’s left of the warm days and long evenings. We’ve brainstormed a list of tips we hope will inspire you to break out of your routine and live August to the full

1. Meet the dawn. Remember how you felt after leaving school – that absolutely everything in life was possible, that the whole world was at your feet, and that the summer would be unforgettable? There’s nothing stopping you from meeting this time again, whether you left school weeks or decades ago. To feel a sense of unity with the universe, make sure you prepare for the event: find out exactly what time the sun rises and go to the highest point in the city. Be sure to bring your friends and a bottle of champagne, and make a wish that will surely come true before the end of summer.

2. Go to an open-air festival. Each festival is unique; what’s more, no matter how many times you’ve been to a certain festival before, it’ll be different each time. If you’re hesitating about which to choose, consult our festivals calendar on page XX.

3. Pick a nearby town you’ve never visited, and plan a two-day holiday. You’ll be surprised: even the smallest of towns has its own special charm. Even a short trip is enough to renew your energy and make you see the world differently.

4. Have breakfast on the balcony or the roof. With a cup of tea or coffee, in the cool fragrant morning breeze, you’ll feel ready to take on new challenges.

5. Collect a bouquet of wildflowers. Give to a loved one or decorate your own kitchen table.

6. Try something new. Cook a new dish, taste a new flavour of ice cream, test-drive a car, or do a parachute jump: it all depends on your imagination.

7. Walk all night. Gather some friends on a Friday evening after work and set off together. You can always catch up on sleep the following weekend.

8. Get into one new good habit. Maybe you forget about the lift and start taking the stairs. Or, devise a simple daily exercise routine: warm-up, 10 squats and 10 push-ups. Or, maybe you finally buy yourself a reusable coffee cup and start helping keep the planet clean.

9. Create a new playlist. Choose songs about the summer, or songs that you personally associate with this season. Then, in the autumn rain and winter snow, you can listen and reminisce.

10. Play football. Or beach volleyball. Do whatever you like, as long as it’s an outdoor team sport. Flashback to childhood guaranteed.

11. Go hiking

12. Spend the day at an amusement park.
Try every ride you see and take a selfie on the Ferris wheel. For the full nostalgic experience, buy a stick of candy floss.

13. Get an unusual haircut or pick out some clothes you’d never normally wear

14. Visit an open-air cinema. Somehow, films are that much better under the stars.

15. Have a party. The very fact that summer is almost over is a good enough reason.

16. Confess your love to someone. In person, of course: you can’t do it without looking into their eyes.

17. Dive into a river or a lake Or just find a pool with a diving board. Stay hungry, stay foolish.

18. Write a letter to whatever god you believe in. Be grateful for the amazing summer you have been enjoying.

19. Get away from the bright lights of the city and go stargazing. Make a wish on a shooting star.

20. Talk to someone you’ve lost touch with. And no, that doesn’t mean commenting on their Instagram or Facebook post, but actually making the time to meet face to face

21. Dance a slow dance with someone special

22. Learn a few sentences in the language of a country you’d like to visit (or perhaps have visited several times, without speaking a word). We recommend starting with Italian. Barista, mi porte una bevanda!

23. Start a daily writing ritual. Whether it’s a diary, or just writing down one word to describe each day.

24. Fly to Cappadocia. In a balloon.

25. Alter your attitude to the rain

If the summer showers catch you by surprise, don’t be discouraged: seize the moment.

26. Make one of your youthful dreams come true. Dig through your memories and act.

27. Be silly. Sing songs, laugh loudly, have a water fight, draw on the asphalt. As Saint-Exupéry said: “All adults were children once, but few of them remember it.”

28. For one day only, say yes to everything. Remember that film with Jim Carrey?

29. Have a photoshoot – whether that means spontaneous selfies with your friends, or hiring a professional photographer. You’ll have a wonderful memento to look back on in winter, and indeed for years to come.

30. Fall in love.

Again.