5 Creative Ways to Offer Hospitality This Summer

Daylight comes early now.  Hummingbirds suck down our sugary syrup before the slow drip of black coffee has even begun.  Summer is the season of long, lush days that open wide with possibilities.  It’s the season for picnics and bonfires – fireflies and s’mores. Summer is also the perfect season to offer hospitality.

You might think of cookouts and sparklers when you think of summer hospitality. However, hospitality involves more than just opening our homes; it’s about opening our hearts.  We can offer hospitality anywhere.

We weren’t made to do life alone.  Every time you open your heart and life to someone else, you extend hospitality.  This can happen in a coffee shop, grocery store checkout aisle, or office lunchroom.  Hospitality is the gift of letting others see our true selves and creating spaces to share life’s ups and downs.

Let’s look at five creative ways to offer this kind of hospitality this summer:

1. Offer Hospitality by Leading a Hike

I love hiking.  I also love connecting with friends as we hike beneath the cool shade of summer’s deciduous canopy.  We meet at the local walking path.  We find seldom-hiked trails and head to the deep woods.  Walking and talking is a healthy and enjoyable way to create space for connection.  Beautifully, this activity requires virtually no preparation or clean-up.

2. Plan a Multi-family Campout

Our friends have been known to pitch tents together in a backyard.  We enjoy the adventure of a camping trip next to the safety of home.  If you feel more adventurous, find a family-friendly campground and hit the road.  Plan a camping trip with a few families who love wild places.  Friendships exist at different levels.  Some of our closest friends are the ones who know what we look like after a night in a tent!

3. Offer Hospitality by Inviting Just One Family to Join You on a Day Trip

Does the idea of camping with your ten closest friends and their 45 children feel like too much?  Plan a day trip with just one other family. Head to a local nature conservancy, state forest, or lake.  Spend the day fishing, paddling, searching for frogs, or exploring a unique landform near you.

4. Offer to Help a Friend with a Project

Summer is often the season for household projects. Ask your friends if they want to swap hours and spend some time joining forces to complete summer projects.  Stain the deck.  Mulch the landscaping.  Plant flowers.  Paint the chicken coup.  You’ll have a better time with good help and good conversation.

5. Offer Hospitality by Exploring the Wonders of a State Park or National Park

The State and National Parks systems offer countless opportunities for exploring in most states. Hop online to find the nearest State or National Park, and enjoy exploring a new location.  Swim on the public beaches.  Make the most of programs regularly offered by park staff.  These parks are run by wildlife professionals who often offer guided tours and fun activities.

Above all else, remember this: Hospitality is the gift of welcoming others.  Every time you create space where others feel accepted and included, you offer hospitality.  For more ideas, join me at the following posts:

Six Outdoor Hospitality Ideas for Pandemic Times

15 Attitudes That Cultivate Biblical Hospitality

How to be Hospitable With Less Stress

A Free Toolkit to Help You Offer Hospitality:

Are you ready to take the leap and offer the gift of hospitality to others?  Hospitality Without Perfection: Your Complete Guide is my free guide to inspire and equip you. This kit includes dozens of easy ways to extend hospitality, games, activities, recipes, conversation starters, and more.  Click here to receive your toolkit.