In most parts of the world, becoming 18-years-old is the start of your adult life and it means you can start making choices for yourself.
Some of those choices include what career you want to embark on, who you may want to be romantically involved with, and even what hobbies you want to take up.
In fact, as an adult, you’ll be able to start taking on hobbies that require a little more responsibility (or an adult mindset) such as working with machinery e.g. woodworking, or other grown-up pastimes such as brewing your own alcohol.
Whatever you decide to do, eighteen is a great age to start becoming your own person and hobbies are a great way to carve that personality out.
1. Homebrewing
When you become eighteen, it’s quite likely the first thing on your mind is to go and get legally served an alcoholic beverage (in most of the world), however, why not make it yourself?
Homebrewing is a fantastic hobby as it allows you to know exactly what’s going into your drinks and you can even get inventive with some of the ingredients depending on your tastes.
If you’re wanting to dabble with home brewing then you can start with a simple ready-prepared homebrew kit that gives you everything you need to make your own beers or ciders.
In fact, we think that making the choice to drink alcohol without understanding the effort that goes into making it will give you a lack of appreciation for the craft; this is a great way to learn some new skills and to make yourself a little more cultured.
With that said, in some countries it’s still illegal to drink alcohol even at the age of eighteen, so make sure to check in with your local regulations before attempting this one.
2. Weightlifting
Weightlifting is an excellent hobby and that’s because it can keep you in shape whilst also giving you some well-needed muscle tone.
However, some people fear going to the gym when they’re young and that’s because their confidence hasn’t fully blossomed yet. A handy solution to that conundrum is to get a set of home dumbbells which will help you start putting some solid muscle on your frame without needing to go to a public place to do so.
As well as that, having home gym equipment is a great long-term investment especially since it can save you from all the costly monthly gym membership expenses too.
3. Reading
Most people read as children but sometimes they end up stopping when they’re a little older in favor of more stimulating activities such as watching Netflix or playing video games. Don’t get us wrong, we love those activities too, however, we believe that reading is a great way to continue expanding your imagination and your views of the world.
If you want to be a cultured individual with lots to talk about then reading is the key to being just that. It’s impossible to live a thousand years, however, you might be able to attain the wisdom of multiple lifetimes if you read enough books.
If you’re not sure where to start then it’s worth appealing to your interests. If you love fantasy then why not try reading a sci-fi novel such as Dune?
Alternatively, if you prefer to appeal to more factual interests then you might enjoy A Brief History of Time by the late English physicist Stephen Hawking where you can learn about all the wonders of cosmology and theoretical physics.
Reading really has no end to what you can learn or read about and that’s why we love it so much regardless of your journey into adulthood.
4. Woodworking
If you were a kid who enjoyed building stuff such as LEGO sets then you’ll absolutely love woodworking as an adult.
We’re not talking about the tedious kind of woodworking you were doing in school either, no, in fact, we’re talking about the kind where you can make awesome gaming tables or beautiful home furniture with your hands, a few tools, and a little bit of imagination.
We’ve talked about the costs associated with woodworking in the past including all the tools needed to get started — if you’re really interested then don’t miss this article. With that said, there are many areas of woodworking that you can get started in such as pyrography, carpentry, and even simpler forms of woodworking such as wood carving.
5. Social Events
Attending social events once you’re an adult is like a rite of passage. You can go to parties, gigs, and the theater, and can even go to your first nightclubs with your friends or family.
As an adult, there’s really no restriction on what you can do and that opens up a whole world of possibilities in terms of socializing or mixing with others.
In fact, we think that attending social events should be part of any healthy adult’s repertoire of pastimes as it will make you more confident and can make you a better speaker which is transferable to career skills too.
6. Friendship Networking
What’s better than making friends? Very little we think. That’s because networking with other people is probably one of the healthiest hobbies you can have as an adult because it’s good for your mood and outlook.
We evolved as social creatures and therefore it’s safe to conclude that making friends and being interlinked with others is very important for our overall well-being. Plus, It’s never been easier to connect with others than it is right now and that’s because you have tons of services at your disposal such as Reddit, Facebook, Twitter, and even dedicated friend-making apps that help you find other like-minded people.
Aside from that, there’s also the good old-fashioned way of networking with others by attending social events outdoors such as at gigs or clubs. You’d be surprised at the positive collection of responses from people when you go up and talk to them so why not give it a try?
7. Traveling
When you become an adult, one of the first things you’ll probably think about doing is going on a holiday abroad with all your friends. You’ll be able to go anywhere you want because you’re now officially old enough to buy alcohol and get into all the clubs in pretty much the majority of places across the world.
With that said, traveling is not all about partying or getting off your rocks. You can have lots of fun going abroad just to experience the independence of it all and so you can meet people from various cultures.
You’ll be able to indulge in the local cuisine which might be completely different from what you usually eat which can also make for an interesting experience. As they say, the world is your oyster and that’s very true from the moment you become an adult.
8. Learn a second language
This one links in with our previous point and that’s because learning a second language will help you communicate with others from around the world. In fact, even for career prospects, learning a second language can increase your salary dramatically depending on what you’re doing.
With that said, it’s quite fun to learn another language as a hobby and it’s a bit like trying to solve a puzzle. Once you get to grips with the basic words then it becomes easier to link that in with all the bigger words.
There are plenty of ways to assist your learning experience and most people simply opt for a book about the language. English is the most popular spoken language across the world and has recently outranked Mandarin Chinese.
You might be wondering why loads of people are speaking Mandarin and the answer to that is simply because the population of China is so huge that they end up dwarfing the majority of the world on numbers alone.
If you’re not sure what language to start with then we recommend learning either Mandarin, Spanish, or French as these are the most commonly used languages (aside from English) to interconnect with others.
9. Driving
If there’s one hobby on this list that we think is going to unlock a whole world of possibilities for you once you’re 18 then driving has to be it.
Essentially, driving is your key to opening up the entire world and will make traversing large distances relatively easy depending on your confidence as a driver.
In fact, we’ve talked about what defines driving as a hobby versus being simply a way to get around.
If there’s one thing that people regret not doing earlier then driving often ends up ranking as one of the highest so we recommend getting started with your driving lessons as soon as you can.
10. Blogging
Blogging has become far more popular in recent years mainly due to how much time we’re all spending indoors.
As a hobby, blogging allows you to connect with your audience about a relevant topic that you’re interested in. This could be something like your passion for cooking, tips on finance, and even something as simple as a skateboarding hobby.
There’s really no limit to what you can talk about on your blog, however, it can eventually make you money if it becomes popular enough through various monetization techniques such as display ads.
If you want to know more about blogging as a hobby then make sure to check out our dedicated article — we also include links to get your hosting set up which is a relatively easy process.
11. Skydiving
Skydiving is an extreme hobby where you’re literally volunteering to throw yourself out of a plane at high altitudes in the hope that your parachute will open and you’ll slowly descend to the ground whilst admiring the views around you.
Because this situation is potentially risky, you won’t be able to do it without either having a responsible guardian sign you off for it or without you being an adult who can decide that for themselves.
If you’re wanting to celebrate your eighteenth with a bang then skydiving is a great way to do that and the rush is unlike anything else.
There are tons of places around the world where you can skydive and it’s only a Google search away from getting yourself signed up.
12. Investing
One of the perks of being an adult is that you can now open your own bank account and can even open your own investing account to buy shares in companies that you believe will make you a profit.
As a hobby, investing has lots of good qualities but mainly it’s quite thrilling to see the potential of your money grow. However, there’s also the potential to make losses so you should never invest anything that you can’t afford to lose and should always speak to a financial adviser or an expert before investing.
13. Study Philosophy
If you’re wanting to become an educated and well-rounded adult then we think studying philosophy is one of the best hobbies you can have.
Philosophy helps us make sense of the world around us and gives us a lens to filter it through to make things seem more rational.
Philosophy presents us with abstract thoughts to help us view things from other perspectives which is extremely important if you want to get along with people and so that you can be prepared when unexpected things occur.
Unfortunately, most school curricula don’t feature philosophy which we think is a missed opportunity, however, it’s never too late to start.
If you’re wanting to get acquainted with philosophy then we recommend checking out Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, or alternatively, Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl.
As an added point, Meditations as a book can be a little hard to read but the meanings are usually quite clear once you get your head around it.
Lastly, Russell Brand is well-known for having a popular YouTube channel that discusses both philosophy and political points of view which is great for someone wanting a more modern take on philosophy.
14. Genealogy
As a kid, you probably didn’t pay too much attention to your family bloodlines or the history surrounding them, however, it can be a real eye-opener to find out why you are the way you are and even why you make certain choices over others.
It’s interesting to connect the dots and eventually it becomes one large puzzle for you to solve which can be quite fun, though, you may have to do a little detective work.
With that said, there are quite a few web services out there such as MyHeritage or Ancestry (UK) that will help do some of the leg work for you where you’ll be able to look up family connections and who’s related to who.
If you want to take your genealogy one step further then you can even get a DNA test kit that will reveal your genetic makeup i.e. where your family bloodlines originate from on a geographical basis.
There’s no telling how far the rabbit hole will go on this one but that’s what makes it so interesting as a hobby.
15. Activism
Young adults are full of opinions and are often more open-minded in regard to change than older folk who are more set in their ways.
This is why activism can be an important hobby or pastime where you’ll be looking to challenge long-established ideals with more modern, fresher ideas.
Some of the most popular forms of activism include climate activism and vegan activism where you’ll be looking to establish a more carbon-friendly world, or where the treatment of animals is better.
With that said, you can become an activist for basically anything especially if you think the changes you’re proposing make more sense than the current model.
16. Dating
As an adult, there’s no pressure to start dating, however, it is something that most people look forward to so they can start a life together with someone else.
Most things are far easier to accomplish in life when done with others and that’s why having a partner can make lots of sense.
For most people, going on dates gives them a buzz unlike many other things and that’s why it can be quite enjoyable as a sort of hobby.
In case you’re already on the dating scene, don’t forget to check out one of our advice articles about dating someone with no hobbies.
17. Off-Grid Living
As an adult, one of the pleasures that you get to enjoy is that you can simply separate yourself from the daily rat races if you wish by going into the wild on a camping adventure or by taking a hike up some mountains. However, what if you were to prolong those things?
Essentially, that’s where off-grid living comes in which is where you’ll try to sustain yourself through natural measures where you can live off the land. Some technological advents such as solar-panel technology can really assist with this and if you’re serious, then you’ll be happy to know that even modern comforts such as broadband will be available in the future through Starlink regardless of where you are.
This means that living off-grid is becoming more and more viable the longer time goes on which means you can live in relative comfort without being based in a city.
You’ll need to become familiar with survival techniques, foraging, gardening, and maybe even some forms of construction to make the most of your off-grid lifestyle so get reading now.
18. Saving money
Saving money is an underrated hobby but one that can bring immeasurable pleasure the longer you do it.
Essentially, you’ll budget whatever you can afford out of your monthly income and set it aside for later in the future or for a large purchase such as a car or a deposit for a house.
Being frugal with your money is especially important these days mainly because the cost of living is so high compared to what the average person gets paid. If you can get to grips with saving your money then you’re already ahead of 90% of the population who don’t even have a month’s salary in savings.
