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Are you living your best friluftsliv? Loosely translated as "free-air life," it's the outdoor complement to the cozy Danish concept of hygge — and it just might flip your otherwise over-scheduled summer on its head.Where hygge (pronounced hoo-gah) is all shearling slippers and cuddling in front of the fireplace, friluftsliv (pronounced FREE-loofts-leave) encourages skipping barefoot across a dew-kissed field any chance you get. And Scandinavians know how to do it right.<img src="https://www.lifeandmoney.citi.com/rcs/lifeandmoney/storage/public/Teepee. .jpg" alt="little girl in teepee" class="right_image" />Try these traditional Scandinavian friluftsliv activities to fill your summer break with as much fresh air as possible:<ul><li>Make a daily habit of going for a walk in nature or just around your neighborhood without any agenda. Turn off your phone, or put it in airplane mode.</li><li>Eat as many meals as possible outside — at a sidewalk café, in your own backyard or at a local park. Bonus activity: try making <a href="http://rainorshinemamma.com/how-to-make-bread-on-a-stick-recipe/">bread on a stick</a> over an open fire.</li><li>Build a home for the fairies in the woods, park or backyard using materials (leaves, flowers, acorns, feathers) you find in nature.</li><li>Celebrate the summer solstice by picking seven types of flowers and putting them under your pillow. According to Scandinavian legend, the person you dream about that night is the person you will marry — sweet dreams.</li><li>Forage for flowers in the woods. Or, have the kids help plant window boxes with herbs and edible plants that they can tend to over the summer.</li><li>Sleep under the stars, either on a camping trip or just outdoors on a back porch.</li><li>Pluck dandelions, link them together and make a crown.</li><li>Beat the crowds and take a refreshing morning dip in a lake, ocean or pool.</li><li>Walk barefoot, as often as you can.</li></ul>Once you start living the "free-air life" of friluftsliv you'll be hooked, even if it takes some practice to pronounce it. So, kick off your shoes, grab your dandelion crown and head outdoors for a Scandinavian-inspired summer that's closer to home.

The Ultimate Summer Break, Scandinavian Style

Do you really need tech to relax and have a good time? I thought I did — until a flip was literally switched for me.This past summer I booked a trip to a cabin in Cape Cod, MA, for myself and my 3-year-old daughter. We had visited the previous year, and, as a freelance writer, I'd been able to file stories during the day from the porch overlooking a lake as my daughter stayed entertained watching shows on her device. At night, she would snuggle up next to me as I binge-watched a new season of a favorite television series. To me, it had been the perfect vacation, prime for repeating.This summer, however, there was a twist: The property had switched to a new Internet service and currently didn't have any Wi-Fi — and my cell phone only showed one tiny bar. We were unplugged. I panicked. In fact, I packed us up and drove 250 miles back to New York City so I could attend a few meetings I had presumed I could have called in for.As we drove back up to the cabin two days later, it suddenly hit me: I was too dependent on tech. After all, this was supposed to be vacation. Why had so many of my key memories from the last summer involved my laptop?So, for the next few days, my daughter and I enjoyed our tech-free life. Yes, I took photos on my phone. But we also splashed in the lake, caught crabs at the beach, and played a silly, giggly game of mini golf. I also returned to my life back in New York feeling stress-free — and determined to learn how to turn off tech once I got back home, too.<img src="https://www.lifeandmoney.citi.com/rcs/lifeandmoney/storage/public/GettyImages-545868125_web.jpg" alt="family running on the beach" class="right_image" /><h2>DIY getaways from tech</h2>Of course, you can always create a DIY vacation during which screen time is not an option. "This summer, my family booked a trip to a dude ranch in Colorado," says Cari Dineen, a mom of two in Boston, MA. "We were four hours from Denver, but there were so many activities, like horseback riding, fly fishing, dancing and hiking, that my 8-year-old and 5-year-old were never bored. Booking a vacation where there's limited access to tech doesn't make it any less enticing."The key to a successful tech-free trip? Plan ahead, advises Springfield, NJ, freelance editor and mom Melanie Mannarino. "Before we go on our annual Jersey Shore vacation, we have a family tradition where we all head to the bookstore, and I let my 9-year-old son choose three books for the trip," she says. "It's fun, it gets him excited, and prepped for this week when he won't have his shows and games, but he won't be deprived." The family also brings puzzles, board games and coloring books along on the trip.As you work to set new boundaries and broaden the non-tech horizons for your kids, remember to model the sorts of behavior you're hoping to encourage. "I think it's important to take a mindful approach to using technology while traveling — taking advantage of the benefits it brings, while limiting the amount of time you spend using it so you can explore, enjoy and remember the places you're visiting," says Dave Dean, founder and editor of the tech travel website Too Many Adapters. "This applies to all members of the family: It's easy to focus on kids being engrossed in the latest video games or teenagers endlessly texting friends back home, but it's equally important for parents who can't stop checking work emails.<h2>Take your tech-free habits home</h2>Unfortunately, all vacations do come to an end, but it doesn't mean that your digital-free habits have to become a distant memory. You can't totally disconnect once back in 'the real world,' but try these strategies to help keep that tech-free feeling from fading (if only you could say the same about that sun tan).<h3>Have a tech-free weekend day</h3>Round up electronics, put them in a central place, and commit to an entire day without tech — except for navigation apps, if needed. If it makes you more comfortable, put an out-of-office message on your email and let friends and family know you won't be texting them back. If you must, check your texts a few times a day, but only to ensure there aren't any emergencies.<h3>Go tech-free in the a.m. </h3>The morning rush can be even more hectic if you're always checking your email or messages. Limiting devices in the morning may give you more time to savor your coffee, enjoy family time and ease into the day — just like you would have on vacation.<h3>Keep up the tech-free habits</h3>Let's say you discovered a love of puzzles in a vacation house. Or realized your family connected on long hikes through the woods. There's no reason why you can't introduce these things to your non-vacation life to some degree or another.<h3>Let your kids discover tech-free ways to play</h3>While it may be sneaky, a ruse wherein you unplug the router or television for a bit and simply pretend it's broken can minimize the temptation to turn on for the kids — and you.

Tune out Tech and Tune into Vacation

Just like flickering fireflies on a warm July night, the relaxing days of summer often pass by in a flash — but it doesn't mean you have to let go of your lighter, breezier mindset.All it takes to keep an easygoing mental outlook are a few simple behavior switch-ups. To help you shift your habits, we asked mindfulness experts and summer enthusiasts to share their top tips and tricks.<img src="https://www.lifeandmoney.citi.com/rcs/lifeandmoney/storage/public/summer-bliss_body-2_1401618920.jpg" alt="A woman wearing a black palm tree dress reads a book in a cabana by the beach." class="right_image" /><h2>Lean into the laidback vibes</h2>It starts with noticing the changes as the weather turns warmer. With the busy state of our day-to-day lives, "It's important as summer approaches to be on the lookout at the world around you and adjust your mind and body accordingly," says Elisha Goldstein, Ph.D., clinical psychologist and co-founder of The Center for Mindful Living in Los Angeles, CA. "When you do that, your mind and body slow down and you're more aware of what's happening in the moment."<h2>Be up for anything</h2>There's something about summer that makes us more apt to take a trip or get together with pals without much planning. It can be fun to try to keep that flexibility year-round. When you find yourself with free time, throw an impromptu happy hour or hop in the car for a last-minute road trip. Keeping weekends spontaneous when you can — even once the school year starts and work ramps back up — is a good way to continue the carefree spirit of the season.<img src="https://www.lifeandmoney.citi.com/rcs/lifeandmoney/storage/public/summer-bliss_body-1_1064987572_0.jpg" alt="At a table in a house backyard, a woman tosses a salad while man prepares to cut chicken." class="right_image" /><h2>Prioritize the positive people in your life</h2>Summer is often the most social of seasons, so it's a good time to bolster your support system. Don't be afraid to forge friendships with people you meet "who are naturally inspiring," suggests Dr. Goldstein, and make a concentrated effort to spend more time with people who lift your mood. "People are the greatest environmental cues," he says, "and those social cues remind us to live in this particular way on a daily basis."— With additional reporting from Life and Money by Citi editors.

3 Easy Ways to Hold on to Summer Bliss 

You know the warm, comfortable feeling you get from stepping into a pair of fuzzy slippers or sitting around a candlelit table with close friends?That's hygge (pronounced hue-gah), the Danish word that translates to a feeling of utter contentment. According to Danish anthropologist Jeppe Trolle Linnet, Ph.D., any time you feel an immediate sense of pleasure in a particular social or physical situation, you're experiencing hygge. Or as Bronte Aurell, author of "Scandikitchen: The Essence of Hygge," suggests, it simply means appreciating the moment you're in, while you're in it.<img src="https://www.lifeandmoney.citi.com/rcs/lifeandmoney/storage/public/GettyImages-466637938_web.jpg" alt="a man and a woman walk in the snow with a beam of sunlight coming through the trees" class="right_image" />For her, that means decorative pieces that spark memories, soothing paint shades and natural materials like wood, plants or glass. Pay attention to furniture arrangements too, Gove suggests. In the living room, set up seating in a way that encourages conversation rather than facing a TV, for example.Hygge in the kitchen or dining area can be as simple as adding a cushy rug or tossing a sheepskin throw over a bench or chairs, or even just cooking and sharing meals together. Keep step stools in the kitchen so your kids can help you, Linnet suggests, and consider setting aside time on a weekend, like Walls does, to make a slowly simmering soup or stew.<h3 style="margin-bottom: 11px;">How to hygge financially</h3>At its core, the concept of hygge is all about mindfulness, and as that relates to your finances, it's about being aware of and taking stock of what you have and what you truly need. One way to do this is to purposefully declutter from time to time, says Tove Maren Stakkestad, a Danish-American mother of four in Seattle, WA. Think critically about the items in your space. For example, "You may even be able to sell your old baseball card collection that just collected dust," Stakkestad says. "Take that money and set it aside for a specific goal."<img src="https://www.lifeandmoney.citi.com/rcs/lifeandmoney/storage/public/GettyImages-881280596_web_0.jpg" alt="young woman with brown hair snuggles under a thick pink chunky knitted blanket" class="right_image" />For Stakkestad, hygge came from a childhood pact she made with her dad: They had a map and vowed to walk down every street in their Denmark town. During their strolls along every single path and alleyway, she would tell her dad about school and friends; in turn, he would tell her about his own teenage years and life in America. He passed away more than a decade ago and, says Stakkestad, "to this day, I remember the hygge moments we shared and am so thankful that we both took the time for each other." — With additional reporting from Life and Money by Citi editors

How to Hygge

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