Follow these five tips to make sure your summer is anything but vanilla.

Sail into something new.

It is easy to spend an entire academic semester slumped at roughly 75 degrees over a pile of textbooks. When we are sleep-deprived and only seem to be motivated by deadlines, we forget that there is a world outside of research papers and all-nighters at Grainger. Summer is the time to re-discover what it means to live a plentiful and worldly life!   Get out there and take lessons for something you have been dying to learn other than the formula for Absolute Permeability. Whether it is sailing, golf, salsa or horseback riding lessons (or all of them) that you have been dying to try, I guarantee it will be worth your while. Even if you capsize on your first lesson, there is a strong chance that Captain McDreamy of the Yacht Club will be right there to save you.

Challenge yourself and your body.

If anyone has ever had a breakdown in a J. Crew fitting room when shopping for their summer wardrobe, listen here. Although summer is the time for mimosas and tanning by the pool, you want to make sure you look hot doing it. If you need some extra motivation to get off of the couch or to unglue yourself from the cookie dough roll, sign up for a race! If you have a concrete date for a triathlon, half-marathon, 10k or 5k hanging over your head every morning, you will really notice a difference in your dedication. If you find it hard to get started, pick a playlist of your favorite songs, buy a new pair of running shoes that you have been ogling, and convince a friend to come jogging with you.

Go on a coffee date with Fitzgerald

As college students, the minute we hear “reading” we think homework. Reading for leisure is one of the simplest pleasures in life and I highly recommend it. Organize a book club with a few close friends and pick a few books that you have been dying to read over the summer that you will not be quizzed on. Switching up topics of conversation and adding intellectual material to your clique can only have positive effects. Reading is something you can do alone, at your favorite Starbucks or by the country club pool.    Discussing and gushing over the book with your gal pals is the perfect excuse for a Sunday brunch reunion. 

Become a tourist.

While being away at school we become accustomed to our surroundings. We have memorized how many steps it takes from our sorority house to Red Lion and could name every single building on the Quad with a blindfold on. If home is a plane or long car ride away, it is safe to assume you probably are not visiting mom and dad every weekend. Coming home for the summer is not the worst thing to happen since crocs. Be a tourist in your own city! Go for a hot-air balloon ride over the town or go kayaking in a nearby lagoon. Check out that new restaurant that opened down the street or drag your boyfriend to neighborhood festival (Lincoln Park fest, Wicker Park fest, etc.).

Pick a place on the map and get in the car.

Put on a cute outfit, convince a friend or two to tag along, and go get lost in a new city. If you live near the Chicago area, I highly recommend visiting these various cities that are all roughly a three hour drive or under:

Michigan: New Buffalo, St. Joseph, Mackinac Island

Wisconsin: Mineral Point, Cedarburg, Milwaukee

Illinois: Starved Rock (North Utica), Geneva, Downtown Chicago