5 ideas to help harvest the best of the summer

Going for a bike ride, strolling around the parks, lapping up the sun are some of the classic summer activities many of us enjoy come the summer. Here are a few additional, alternative suggestions that might help put a new spin on summer!

Glamping

Glamping. Translation: Camping with a glamorous, luxurious, chic or posh twist. Need the promise of certain creature comforts before you head into the great outdoors? Then here’s why you’ll love glamping:

• Forget the tent pegs! Glamping accommodations come in the shape of treehouses, tipis, yurts, rustic cabins, gypsy caravans … most with hot water, electricity and other civilized amenities.
• Cozy bed linen replaces the sleeping bag and assures you a good night’s rest.
• The environment and respect for nature are very often close to the hearts of glampsite owners, values shared by their nature loving “glampers.”

A breeze through the websites of the several organizations offering glamour camping options and you are just a click away from your first glamping trip!

Canoe-camping

Prefer a more rugged adventure? Or maybe you’re coming back for another taste of the experience?

Plan your canoe-camping trip carefully and write a list of everything you’ll need BEFORE departure day. You’ll find it hard to buy missing necessities in the middle of the forest.

Choose a route that’s suitable for everyone in the group. If your group members are beginners, avoid rivers with rapids.If your kids are joining in the adventure, you’ll want to steer clear of circuits that involve portage.

Find out about the facilities available where you want to camp, such as drinking water and toilets.

Play it safe, even if you are experienced: accidents can happen fast!

Mini-golf tournament

If you get a pang of nostalgia whenever you pass a mini-golf course, then why not organize a friendly tournament with family and friends?

Make up fun team combinations for extra laughs: brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law together, young hot shots and old pros, long-time friends and recent acquaintances.

Offer prizes for the winners and consolation prizes for the runners-up. Include special souvenirs for players who achieve particular feats, such as a hole in one.

Add to the entertainment with a quiz at each hole, where players have to get the right answer to win points.

Kitesurfing

Something of a thrill-seeker? Try kitesurfing or kiteboarding, the board sport that combines surfing with the art of kite-flying on water!

Already tried it and want to kit yourself out?

Here’s the gear you will need:

• A small surf board
• A special kite
• A harness which attaches you to the kite
• A control bar which you hold tightly to steer and the traction lines which are attached to it
• Helmet
• Life jacket
• Wetsuit and wet shoes, if you’re averse to the cold.

It is essential to start with the appropriate lessons. Kitesurfing can be dangerous if not done properly. Learn, in particular, how to:

• “Launch” the kite properly
• Steer the board and make turns … without crashing into the water
• Water re-launch if the kite falls into the water
• Anticipate what may happen
• Capture and read the wind.

Make sure you know the boating safety rules: watercraft priority, what buoys mean, etc, and that you are covered for this kind of sport with your insurer.

Do not over-estimate your ability to avoid any kind of accident. Ride safely and fly the wind!

Outdoor cinema

If you’re a movie fan AND love the outdoors, set up an open-air movie park in your own back yard. You’ll need:

• A projector
• A screen: a white sheet pulled taut between two trees, for example, or a white wall

Invite family and movie-loving friends over and treat them to all the movie theater comforts and extras:

• Provide comfortable chairs. Ask them to bring along chairs if you don’t have enough
• Blankets will be welcome as the night turns cooler
• Offer drinks and make sure everyone has a flat surface to rest their glass
• Don’t forget the popcorn – no movie night should be without it!

Keep the mosquitoes at bay with citronella candles or supply your guests with insect-repellant.

Let your neighbours know you are planning a screening in your back yard. Better still, invite them over!

If you and your guests enjoyed the outdoor movie night, do it again, varying the movie categories: comedy, drama, family saga, and so on.

Go one step further and light up the barbecue: that way, you can enjoy chatting with your guests before the movie – something you won’t be able to do once it starts.

Don’t miss out on the summer weather just round the corner. Try out new activities or revive the classics from your childhood. Whatever you do, have fun!

Enjoy a great summer!