How to Spend More Time Outdoors

Spending time outdoors is so beneficial for our physical and mental health. But it can be easy to default into couch potato mode after work, get stuck in a routine, or simply get sidetracked by the weather. So if you feel like you want to get outdoors more but aren’t sure how to actually make it happen, this post is for you.

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Plan Ahead

One of the best things you can do to spend more time outdoors is to plan ahead. Even if you need to select a day weeks or even a month in advance, block off a day on your calendar and plan an outdoor activity. It could be a hike you’ve been meaning to try, a day out renting kayaks with a friend, or even a camping trip with your partner or family. Planning ahead will also help create anticipation and get you excited about your upcoming adventure.

Plan Ahead for Spontaneity

Another way to plan ahead is to plan for more spontaneous outdoor time. This probably sounds a bit odd, but what I mean is it’s a good idea to make things easier for you to get outdoors at the last minute if that’s what you might want to do in the future. For example, in the summers I always keep a bathing suit and extra towel in my car no matter where I’m headed. That way, if I feel like going to the beach after work one day, I can. In the winter I always keep shoe spikes and extra layers in my car in case I want to go for a quick hike after work. In this way I plan ahead for spontaneous adventures too!

Go With Friends & Family

Ask some friends or family members if they also want to start prioritizing getting outdoors more. You could even find someone to go on a walk or hike with once every couple of weeks. Plan in advance a day when you want to get outdoors and see if anyone else wants to join.

Go Alone

While going with friends and family is fun, don’t wait for someone to go with you! You are more than capable of enjoying your own company and you don’t need someone else there to have a good time. Just remember to bring a first aid kit, and always carry bear spray where necessary.

Reframe How You Think About the Weather

Something we say at the forest preschool I work at is, “There’s no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing”.

While of course, that statement is not true when it comes to natural disasters, it is true for most kinds of weather. And yes, I understand that rainy and grey days mean we don’t get as much Vitamin D and that can lead to changes in our mood, but when did we stop enjoying rain? I truly believe we are not born hating rain or other kinds of weather, but we are taught to by the adults around us because of the ‘hassle’ of changing our clothes and drying off after. Children love to jump in puddles and can find magic in a rainy day so why can’t we do the same as adults?

So don’t cancel your hike if it’s rainy. Bundle up with rain pants, boots, and a good raincoat, and get out there!

Get Some Gear for Each Season

Investing in some good quality gear for each season will help equip you to enjoy the outdoors more. Adequate layers and clothing are important for staying comfortable outdoors.

But aside from that, I have found that investing in a few pieces of ‘fun’ gear really helps me want to spend more time outdoors. For example, a few winters ago my partner and I bought some snowshoes for ourselves and now in the winter, we can go snowshoeing whenever we want! We also made the decision last summer to buy two paddleboards and we use them all the time!

Choose What to Splurge on and What to Save on

You need to choose what you’re willing to splurge on and what you want to save on. We wanted to make a larger purchase on paddleboards since we knew we would use them regularly each summer. We also chose to buy paddleboards since we wanted to get out on the water and paddleboards are usually much more affordable than buying kayaks or a canoe. We also liked that buying inflatable paddleboards meant they wouldn’t take up much space when stored away.

Buying gear like a paddleboard or a pair of snowshoes can be expensive upfront but once you’ve got the gear you can use it endlessly for free. It’s not like skiing, where once you have the gear you then also have to purchase a pricey lift ticket every time you want to use it.

How to Find Affordable Gear

Search in your area for used sports goods shops. You can also search on Facebook marketplace and ThredUp for gear or outdoor clothing as well as in thrift shops. Another website I found for used gear is Gear Trade, which you can use if you live in the USA. This is not to be confused with the Canadian company Gear Trade, which only sells new gear. The American one is the one selling used gear for a discount. Hopefully, they will expand to other countries soon.

If you want to get more into skiing or snowboarding, search for when and where your nearest ‘ski swap’ will take place. These are pop-up consignment events where people can buy and sell used ski and snowboard gear. That’s how my family got all our ski gear growing up.

Another thing to do is to borrow gear from friends and family. You could even offer to trade gear for a weekend or two to try new outdoor sports.

Outdoor Activities to Try

Getting outdoors more often could mean doing super adventurous things but it doesn’t have to. It could simply mean going on a walk in a park. Here are some ideas of activities you could try outdoors.

• Walking
• Hiking
• Going for a picnic
• Visiting a park
• Rollerblading
• Skateboarding
• Cycling
• Mountain biking
• Rock climbing
• Swimming at a lake or in the ocean
• Paddleboarding
• Kayaking
• Canoeing
• Camping
• Snowshoeing
• Cross country skiing
• Downhill skiing
• Snowboarding
• Ice skating

Join a Class, Tour or Event Outdoors

From outdoor yoga classes to whale watching to learning how to forage, there are lots of classes, tours, and events you can attend outdoors. Some places to look for classes or events in your area are GetYourGuide, MeetUp, and even a variety of Facebook groups.

Get an Outdoor Job

There are so many rewarding careers and jobs you can get outdoors. I work as a preschool teacher at a forest preschool and I love it. Below is a list of some outdoor jobs and careers (some seasonal and some year-round) that might interest you.

Outdoor Jobs and Careers

• Forest preschool or kindergarten teacher – this one is the best 😉
• Surf instructor
• Lifeguard
• Ski instructor
• Ski patroler
• Park ranger
• Gardener
• Dog walker
• Landscaper
• Farm worker
• Fish and game warden
• Travel and tour guides
• Raft guide
• Tree planter
• Wildlife biologist
• Environmental and conservation scientist

I could spend hours adding to this list as there really are so many different outdoor jobs in so many fields and with varied experience requirements.

Volunteer Outdoors

Giving back to your community can be done outdoors too. From joining your local beach cleanup, to volunteering at summer camps, there are a lot of ways to volunteer in nature. Just search ‘outdoor volunteer opportunities near me’ online and you’ll find lots of ways to get involved. Local YMCAs and community centres may also have a variety of outdoor volunteer positions or may have community bulletin boards where you can find other such opportunities posted.

I currently volunteer for Vancouver Adaptive Snow Sports and help teach skiing to people with disabilities. It’s a rewarding way to put my education background and ski instructor training both to good use. I love giving back to the community in a way that helps make the outdoors more accessible for everyone. If you’re interested in volunteering somewhere like this look up CADS (Canadian) or search ‘adaptive snow sports volunteering’ plus the name of your city to see if there is an organization in your area.

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