Because “Work from Anywhere” Should Include Fun
One of the best parts about being a freelancer (or remote worker) – besides dodging the commute and choosing your own Slack emoji – is the built-in flexibility and opportunity for spontaneous adventures. But even with all that freedom, it’s surprisingly easy to blink and realize you spent the entire summer working from the same desk, sipping lukewarm coffee, and promising yourself, “next weekend, I swear.”
No more. This summer, we’re rewriting the “work from anywhere” narrative. Here are 15 affordable, creative, and actually fun things to do as a freelancer this season. These Freelance Summer Adventure ideas are equal parts budget-friendly and serotonin-boosting.
Pack your portable charger, slap on some sunscreen, and prepare for a summer of fun.
1. National Park Passport Challenge (Roadtrip Adventure)
If you’re craving fresh air and that classic “main character looking thoughtfully at a mountain” moment, national (and state) parks are calling. Grab an America the Beautiful pass – it’s just $80 for unlimited annual entry to over 2,000 federal recreation sites. That’s like the Costco membership of nature, but with more eagles.
Plot a road trip route with two or three parks you haven’t visited. Set up your car for wild camping (or just regular camping if you like a little less stealth), pack easy meals and your laptop, and make a goal to work from at least one scenic overlook. The Wi-Fi might be iffy, but the views are five bars of inspiration.
Pro tip: Most parks have a stamp booklet where you can collect physical stamps at each visitor center. It’s like Pokémon Go for outdoorsy grownups.
2. Take a Weird, Wonderful Local Class (Learning is Fun)
This isn’t about productivity. It’s about fun. Check your city’s local adult ed center, arts council, or even Airbnb Experiences and try something that has absolutely nothing to do with your job. Candle-making? Improv for beginners? Build-your-own-ukulele night? Yes, please.
There’s something magical about learning a new skill purely for the joy of it. Plus, using a part of your brain that isn’t the one responsible for Slack messages and client follow-ups? Highly recommended.
Bonus: These classes are often super affordable (like $15–$40) and come with the chance to meet people who won’t ask you about your most effective AI Chat prompt.
3. Work from a Botanical Garden (Perfect Picnic Poetry)
Here’s a simple upgrade to your usual workday: relocate your office to a nearby botanical garden or large public park. Admission is usually $10 or less, and the change in scenery is worth every penny.
Spread out under a shady tree, coffee in hand, and suddenly even your client’s seventh revision request feels a little more… poetic. Birds chirping. Bees buzzing. Your Slack notifications pinging softly in the distance. Is that a lavender bush or a manifestation of your creative energy? Doesn’t matter. You’re thriving.
Bring snacks, a blanket, and something analog to read during your screen breaks. And if your city has free Wi-Fi hotspots in the park? You’ve just unlocked “ultimate chill productivity” mode.
4. Do a 30-Day Phone Photography Challenge (Flex Your Focus)
You don’t need a DSLR or a formal education in lighting. All you need is a smartphone, a fresh eye, and a list of daily prompts. “Starts with a spark.” “Look up. Way Up.” “Found hearts.” “Barefoot energy.” You can also invent your own creative ideas that focus on texture, reflections, colors, or mundane things – made cinematic.
Doing this every day for a month will make your regular environment feel suddenly new and oddly exciting. The sidewalk cracks? Art. Your coffee foam? High drama. That pigeon on your windowsill? Muse. Need some additional inspiration or want to join our community in a photo hunt, check out our July “Flex Your Focus” photo challenge.
Share your photos online (or don’t), make a mini zine out of them (super easy on Canva), or just enjoy the dopamine hit of noticing your world more closely. It’s mindfulness disguised as content creation.
5. Rent a Kayak and Pack a Snack (Picnic and a Paddle)
Many urban and suburban areas have rivers, lakes, or even calm coastal bays where you can rent a kayak or paddleboard for under $25. Grab a dry bag, toss in some snacks, a cold drink, and maybe even your Kindle, and paddle away from your inbox for an hour or two.
It’s a mini getaway without the logistics of, you know, planning a getaway. Some freelancers even treat this as a reward-based ritual – complete your project, then float off into your well-earned bliss.
Bonus: The upper-body workout makes you feel productive even if you did absolutely nothing else all day.
6. Small Town Treasure Hunt (Roadtrip Swag)
Here’s your mission: pick a town you’ve never been to that’s within a two-hour drive. Now, go there. That’s it. That’s the plan.
But once you arrive, you must do at least three of the following:
- Eat at the oldest diner in town
- Visit a museum or historical site, no matter how odd (especially if it’s odd)
- Buy a souvenir for under $15 (think: shot glass, snow globe, commemorative spoon)
- Talk to at least one local (bonus points if it’s not your waitstaff or the person who rings you up at the gas station)
You’ll return home with stories, photos, and a fresh perspective. Plus, it’ll scratch that “I need to go somewhere but I’m not made of money” itch.
7. Library Coworking Day (A Love Letter to Free AC)
Libraries are having a renaissance, and we are here for it. Besides being quiet, cool, and wildly underrated, your local library is probably one of the best coworking spaces you’re not using.
Find a sun-drenched corner, set up shop, and revel in the lack of background café chatter or $7 lattes. Some libraries even offer private study rooms you can book in advance if you need to take calls or focus.
Bring a snack (quietly), explore the stacks during your breaks, and feel smug knowing you’re being productive and thrifty. Librarians are also the original knowledge workers – show some respect.
8. Host a Freelance Tailgate (Coworking, But Cooler… with a Cooler)
This one’s for the social butterflies (or the extroverts in denial): coordinate with a few fellow, local freelancers and plan a pop-up tailgate coworking session. You don’t need a stadium – just an empty parking lot with a decent view or a park that allows parking nearby.
Open your trunks, set up camp chairs, bring snacks and portable Wi-Fi, and suddenly you’ve created a casual, sun-soaked coworking space where no one judges your inbox count. You might even get a little tan (responsibly, of course).
It’s community, it’s sunshine, it’s technically work. And it makes for a very aesthetic Instagram story.
9. Golden Hour Walks + Podcast Pairings (Storytelling While Strolling)
You know that time of day when everything glows and suddenly even your apartment building looks romantic? That’s your cue. Step away from the screen and into the golden hour.
Pair your walk with a podcast that inspires you – maybe a storytelling show, a business one that doesn’t make you feel like you’re behind in life, or even something super random like mushroom foraging. Doesn’t matter. The goal is movement, inspiration, and light.
You’d be amazed what a 45-minute walk at sunset can do for your creative brain. Also: less screen time, more people-watching. Win-win.
10. Host a Backyard Movie Night (Cinema al Fresco)
You don’t need a massive setup. A $60 mini projector, a white sheet or blank wall, and some popcorn are enough to turn your backyard or balcony into a summer cinema. Choose a modern action flick like John Cena’s “Freelance” – if that is a bit too on the nose for you, go full indie or explore some international cinema..
Make it a date night, a solo night, or an open invite to your neighbors or freelance friends. Bonus points for planning it as a recurring weekly or monthly event. With genres spanning from heist films to cult classics to rom-com revivals. You’ll be the talk of the group chat.
Cost per viewing: $0 (after setup). Experience: priceless.
11. Take Yourself on a Self-Guided Food Tour (Freelance Foodie)
Here’s your delicious challenge: pick a theme (tacos, coffee shops, bagels, whatever your stomach desires), and explore 3–5 new places in your area over the course of a single afternoon.
Bring a notebook or your Notes app, rank your bites, and treat it like you’re a one-person Michelin reviewer on a mission. Take pictures. Eat slowly. Sip something cold. Maybe even make a reel about it. Just remember: the journey is the snack.
Not only is this a fun way to break your routine – it’s also a creative way to see your neighborhood (and support local businesses) through fresh, flavor-filled eyes.
12. Roadside Oddities Tour (Weird, Cheap, Wonderful)
Every state in America has a list of must-see attractions that are so wonderfully strange, they become instantly iconic: the world’s largest frying pan. A statue of a giant peanut. A cryptozoology museum. Sometimes, summer adventures require weird destinations.
Make a list. Build a route. Grab a travel buddy (or not) and hit the road. These spots are almost always free or dirt cheap to visit, and they make the best photos. Especially if you’re the kind of person who enjoys standing next to a 30-foot lobster and pondering life.
Plus, you’ll have the most niche conversation starters at your next Zoom happy hour.
13. Join a Free Walking Tour (or Make One Up)
Many cities and towns offer free or “pay what you wish” walking tours led by local guides. You’ll learn weird facts, meet curious travelers, and get your steps in – all in one go.
Or… make your own tour. Research your city’s quirks, put together a route, and invite a couple friends to join. Even better: turn it into a photo scavenger hunt or “urban explorer” day.
When you walk through your city like a tourist, suddenly even the most familiar street corners can surprise you.
14. The One-Tank Getaway (Ultimate Solo Retreat)
Got a full tank of gas and a free weekend? Choose a destination within driving distance that you’ve never been to and book the coziest, quirkiest, or most delightfully random Airbnb you can find (hello, refurbished school bus in the woods).
Use the trip to either unplug completely or do one of those “reflective solo retreats” you read about in wellness newsletters. Journal. Sketch. Read that book that’s been mocking you from your nightstand. Or just eat snacks in bed and call it “restorative stillness.”
You’ll come back recharged – and your creative brain will thank you.
15. Botanical Garden (Again), This Time, Tech-Free (Digital Detox Day)
Yup, we’re circling back. But this time, you’re not bringing your laptop. This is your no-screens, no-emails, no-scroll day.
Set up camp at a botanical garden or nature preserve. Bring a physical book. Bring a picnic. Bring zero expectations. Let your brain defrag itself in the presence of leaves. If you must, journal by hand. You’ll be shocked by how loud your own thoughts are… and how good that can actually feel.
It’s rest that feels luxurious – but costs less than your last delivery order.
Final Thought: Choose Your Own Adventure
You chose this flexible life for a reason – don’t forget to live it. Whether it’s a one-day micro-escape or a quirky weekend adventure, summer is your permission slip to shake up your routine and refill your creative tank. Use any of these summer adventure ideas or create your own – whatever you choose to do, let us know where you end up.
Happy adventuring. Don’t forget to turn your Out Of Office on (even if it’s just for the aesthetic).
FlexTal is the #1 flexible talent matching platform. Every day, we match organizations with pro-level independent contractors for flexible hourly and project-based engagements. Match with the Right Pro, Right Now.
