Looking for New Things to Try? Here Are 15 Exciting Ideas!

We sometimes get so caught up in the daily grind that we can lose sight of all the amazing things we can do, make, or share with other people. 

After a while, this monotony becomes a suffocating routine, and finding fun things to explore feels somehow harder and less achievable.

Well, this is why these 15 cool ideas for new things to try can freshen your perspective! 

Some of the ideas are things to help you break out of your comfort zone. Others help you harbor a sense of community and share bonding moments with the people you care about the most.

Either way, we hope you give some of them a shot!

1. Change Your Look

As we grow, we can stagnate in the way we express ourselves through physical appearance. 

Aside from things you have limited control over, like height and eye color, there’s so much you can do to give yourself a fresh new look. Trying a new haircut, hair color, or even wearing a hat as a change of pace can be an exciting deviation from the usual. 

Personal style, like the choice of clothes or shoes, can also be a hidden confidence booster. If you get a new outfit that flatters your body shape and accentuates your good sides, you can get a pep in your step like no other.

You don’t even have to splurge to get stylish clothes that make you feel good. You can treasure hunt at the local thrift store, and you’ll likely come across some amazing finds not bound by current trends. 

2. Learn a New Language

Learning languages can be a fulfilling experience for people looking to connect with other cultures. 

Yes, you might find many resources about a certain culture in English, but these experiences are relayed by other people who might not see the world the same way you do.

There’s scientific evidence that speaking a second (or third) language engages the brain in ways that monolingual brains don’t experience.

3. Try a New Cuisine

Good food can be a deeply personal stimulus that helps us create connections with places, people, and memories. 

This shouldn’t stop at childhood, when most of these connections are formed, but extend throughout adulthood, where new experiences are more within reach.

Maybe a new restaurant that serves a cuisine you haven’t tried yet opened nearby. Or maybe you’d like to try making a new recipe that uses an exotic ingredient you found at the grocery store. 

It might even be as exciting as trying a new method of eating, like using your hands instead of utensils.

The new dish or cuisine you try might end up being your new favorite food, and you definitely don’t want to miss out on these new flavors.

4. Pick Up a New Hobby

We sometimes forget that having a hobby is part of a balanced daily or weekly routine. 

Being constantly bombarded with tasks and deadlines makes the weekend the only chance to sit on the couch and indulge in bad habits like doom-scrolling.

We’ve all been there, but there are exciting things you can do with your free time that can both make you feel fulfilled and relaxed. 

Baking bread, photo album scrapbooking, or even knitting are all great ideas for hobbies. They allow you to relax and get your mind off of stressors, and you get to enjoy a beautiful end product that your future self would be proud of!

5. Start a Book Club

Book clubs combine the joy of reading with forming a community of people who enjoy similar things. The clubs can be a wonderful way of making new friends or learning about other people’s lived experiences.

Ask anyone who might be interested in a book club if they’d like to join. They could be a family member, a friend, or a regular at your local library. 

You can also try virtual book club groups on social media, although in-person discussions can be a bit more fulfilling.

6. Join an Exercise Class

Getting or staying in shape is a real struggle in today’s world of hyper-palatable foods and sedentary lifestyles. It’s not impossible to do it, but having someone keep you accountable sure makes the process less of a challenge!

You can join an exercise class for Pilates, spin, or Zumba as a way to keep yourself motivated. They can also be a fun place to socialize and make new friends.

7. Go on a Road Trip

If you’re a fan of old-school experiences, going on a road trip can teach you a lot about yourself and what you can do. Planning the trip, getting amenities, the joy of slowly approaching your destination, and maybe taking a different route home might be just what you’re looking for.

You can also plan fun activities along the way, like sightseeing and visiting roadside attractions.

8. Try an Outdoor Adventure

The great outdoors isn’t for everyone, but there is something for everyone that can be done outdoors!

Even if you’re not a huge fan of the breathlessness of a bike ride or long walks on hiking trails, you can enjoy the fresh air on a hot air balloon ride or a fun scavenger hunt at your local park.

Other than the beauty of nature and the serenity you can experience with the more chill adventures, there’s also the excitement of rock climbing or scuba diving. 

If you’re truly after the adrenalin rush, then maybe you should cross bungee jumping, zip-lining, and skydiving off your bucket list! 

9. Host Board Game Night

Board games get a bad rap for causing many a family fight, but they can be really fun and exciting, especially if it’s been 20 years since you last played one.

There are many interesting board games on the market today that have elaborate storylines and lore. You’ll see firsthand how engaging these fictional worlds are and how defensive some of your friends get about their castles and riches.

It’s also a nice way to spend some time away from screens and just have some good old-fashioned, wholesome entertainment. That’s, of course, unless you decide to play Cards Against Humanity.

Gather your friends, prepare snacks and drinks, and let chaos ensue! 

10. Volunteer for a Local Charity

Going through the same routines every day or week can make us lose sight of how fortunate we are on several levels. It’s easy to become resentful if you’re focused only on yourself and what your life lacks.

Giving back by volunteering for community service at a local charity is a way to reach out and immerse yourself in other people’s worlds. You get to experience struggles and triumphs from someone else’s point of view and in the process, make that someone’s life a little better.

Donating money to charity is a noble endeavor, but being in the trenches with other volunteers can be a truly life-changing experience.

11. Master a New Instrument

If music is a huge part of your life and you enjoy learning new things, then maybe picking up a new musical instrument is the right next move! 

It can be challenging, that’s for sure, but the uphill climb should deter you from trying to master it. Aside from teaching your muscles, ears, and eyes to work in tandem, you’re also etching new neural pathways that connect the movements you make with the sounds you hear. How neat is that!

If you’re a first-time learner as an adult, you might be thinking that old dogs can’t learn new tricks, but you definitely should try to learn a new instrument if you have the capacity to.

12. Host a Dinner Party

Dinner parties our parents hosted in the 70s and 80s were lavish affairs that aimed to impress the guests and set apart the “hostess with the mostest.” 

Well, in today’s culture of DoorDash, GrubHub, and UberEats, there’s very little incentive to invite people over to just eat. 

A dinner party should be a miniature celebration of sorts, cherishing your friends’ company and enjoying good food and drink. 

Maybe you can start by going over to the farmers’ market, grabbing some fresh produce that goes into a delicious salad or charcuterie board. Choose the drink list, add options for friends who don’t drink alcohol, and create a general cozy vibe that makes everyone feel at home.

These gatherings can be a nice way to connect with your friends and nurture each other’s mental health. If it works out, your friends might decide to make it a recurring thing where you meet regularly at a new home every so often.

13. Participate in an Open Mic Night

Open mic nights at the local pub or bar might sound like an archaic, pre-pandemic thing. However, it can still be a rewarding experience if you’re looking for inspiration as an artist or to just use it for exposure and to get your name out there.

Aside from allowing you to try new material, live music has a way of reaching people that streamed music can’t replicate. Your audience might find themselves discovering a new genre or listening to their new favorite song for the very first time!

14. Host a Book or Clothing Swap

We probably own a lot of material possessions, and as we get older, we tend to accumulate more and more stuff that we either don’t need, don’t use, or both.

If you’ve done a deep clean and discovered a pile of things you can do without, maybe host a book or clothing swap with family or friends who could use some of these things. You might also find new things that others don’t want or care about anymore, so it’s a win-win situation!

15. Take an Online Course to Learn a New Skill

The internet is full of new ideas for skills waiting to be tapped into, and one way you can discover and master one of these skills is through online courses.

You can find world-class experts sharing their decades-long expertise with you, and the result is an opportunity to pursue an interest you’ve always had from the comfort of your home.

Try to choose a topic you’re enthusiastic about so you’ll have a better chance of adhering to the course schedule and finishing it. It doesn’t have to be a serious or marketable skill, either. Just consider it a fun challenge you want to undertake.

Wrapping Up

Learning how to enjoy life can be a hard task if you’re going through the same old routine day in and day out. Luckily, the world is full of new things to try that you’re yet to experience!

Whether you want to try a new sport, visit a new country, or even reexamine your list of favorite movies, there’s so much room to grow and many things to cross off your bucket list.

What do you think of this list? Is there something else you want to add? Let us know what you think in the comments below, and share this with a friend looking for some inspiration!