Here’s the Friend Date You Should Plan, Based On Your Myers-Briggs® Personality Type

Summer has arrived and with it are plans for outings, adventures, road trips, and more!

Kids and young adults are getting a brief respite from school, old things are leaving our lives, and days are getting longer. And with more free time and more beautiful days in our calendar, we find ourselves looking for more to do with our friends. However, most of the plans we make never leave the planning stage.

In this guide, we’ll talk about one friend date that each Myers-Briggs® personality type can plan — and hopefully these ideas that won’t stay stuck in the group chat.

Not sure what your personality type is? Take our personality questionnaire here. Or you can take the official MBTI® here.

The ESTJ: Take a hike

If any personality type has the grit and endurance to get through a long hike,  it’s the ESTJ. These types love a challenge, and reaching a peak, scrambling up a stony path, or crossing a river can all give them a feeling of accomplishment and excitement. Plus it’s super healthy and releases a load of stress-reducing endorphins into your body, making for an awesome summer experience.

It costs little to no money to find a trail with a friend and (with sufficient preparation) spend the day hiking. Trails range from easy, 30-minute walks to trips that take over a day — there are plenty of options to choose from.

Not to mention, spending the day outside with fresh air will make you feel refreshed and healthy (albeit a little sore) the next day.

The ISTJ: Eat breakfast while watching the sun rise

ISTJs enjoy quiet, relaxing excursions that delight their senses without giving them sensory overload. So grab some donuts, muffins, or breakfast burritos, a thermos of coffee, and invite a friend or two over for breakfast while the sun comes up. You can unpack your week and catch up on the stories of your lives while enjoying the peaceful splendor of a new day.

Alternatively, you can flip this activity to night-time and roast s’mores while gazing at the stars! Either way, you get to enjoy the beauty of summer and the delight of tasty treats without sweltering in the mid-day sun.

Find out more about ISTJs: 21 Hobbies That ISTJs Love

The ESFJ: Plan a themed potluck

Even though I’ll admit that it’s a stereotype, I’ve never met an ESFJ who didn’t love hosting things.

More organized ESFJs revel in making guest lists and Google spreadsheets and group chats. Less organized ESFJs just enjoy spending time with their friends on the fly. A good way to get everybody together is a themed potluck.

Create a theme — desserts, types of cheeses, sushi, a movie theme — and ask your friends to each bring one food that matches the theme! I would keep everybody’s responses in a Google spreadsheet beforehand so that no two people choose the same dish.

The ISFJ: Have a summer movie marathon!

ISFJs love a good movie marathon. Delectable snacks, cozy throw blankets, and favorite movies make for a day of relaxation and connection. ISFJs are drawn to stories and they love being with their friends, but they can get overwhelmed by too much time in noisy, crowded environments. Movie marathons let them socialize while also giving them little breaks to quietly take in a favorite film.

Here are just a few iconic summer films you might enjoy!

• The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
• Stand By Me
• (500) Days of Summer
• How Stella Got Her Groove Back
• Moonrise Kingdom
• Adventureland
• The Notebook
• Call Me By Your Name
• Now and Then
• Thelma and Louise
• Mamma Mia!
• Independence Day

Find out more about ISFJs: 24 Signs That You’re an ISFJ

The ESTP: Enjoy a day at the lake

ESTPs love variety; and with a lake day they can choose from kayaking, swimming, fishing, picnicking, playing volleyball on the shore, or just talking! As lovers of action and fun, a lake day offers the chance to mix up relaxation with energetic challenges and camaraderie.

The ISTP: Go rock climbing

ISTPs aren’t into mindless activities — they love being stimulated physically and intellectually, which can be done through a day of indoor rock climbing.

Grab one or two friends and sign up to climb over artificial rocks while strapped to a harness. Figuring out a way to get to the top and ring the bell is exciting, and the exercise gained from the exercise is rewarding.

You and your friend(s) will leave feeling like you did something worthwhile. Also, it’s always funny when someone falls off and has to avoid eye contact with everyone else as they’re slowly lowered by the bungee cord.

Find out more about ISTPs: Understanding ISTP Thinking

The ISFP: Host an art night

ISFPs enjoy creative self-expression, and an art night can be a great way to indulge their creativity while connecting to others in a fun way.

Invite your friends over and set up supplies (paints, canvases, sketchbooks, markers) and ask everyone to create something based on a theme or prompt. Not only is it fun to watch each other’s interpretation of the same topic — it’s also a great conversation starter. After your works of art are complete, hang them up on the wall together and admire everyone’s unique perspectives.

The ESFP: Drive around and sample different local restaurants

Plan out your own “foodie tour” by mapping out a drive and making stops at the local “hole-in-the-wall” restaurants that serve the best food. Try appetizers at the first two places, then share some main courses at the next, and follow up with an amazing dessert! It’ll be a food adventure that will satisfy the ESFP’s desire for variety, adventure, and sensory enjoyment. You can even make a rule that each friend can’t spend over $5 at each place.

Amp up the experience by playing a nostalgic summer playlist in the car on the way to each stop!

Find out more about ESFPs: Understanding ESFP Sensing

The ENTJ: Go thrift store flipping

ENTJs like to have a goal in mind when they go on a friend date. They also enjoy challenges, games, and activities that yield a strong Return on Investment (ROI). For this challenging (yet fun) excursion, grab a friend and head to your nearest thrift shop. Look for rare or unusual items that could sell for much more in online shops like Etsy or Ebay. Make it a game to find the most unusual or high-value item you can find! Then get home, take pictures together, post your treasures online, and enjoy the pleasure of watching the money come in!

The INTJ: Spend a day at the museum

INTJs love to explore meaningful objects that have significance in time. Whether they’re grasping at the profound meaning of a Vincent van Gogh painting or examining the relics of an ancient war, museum exploration can put them in touch with patterns, symbols, and pivotal moments throughout time. The process can awaken inspiration, spark curiosity, and increase the INTJ’s knowledge (something they are always hungering for).

The stillness and slower pace of museums makes them the perfect place for INTJs who focus best in peaceful environments.

Find out more about INTJs: The Underrated Kindness of the INTJ Personality Type

The ENTP: Attend a comedy show

We all appreciate witty humor, but ENTPs appreciate it more than anybody else. Because they’re always cracking jokes and looking for humor in day to day life, they will appreciate someone else doing the same.

Go to an open mic night or an actual comedy show with your friends and eat cheap fries while listening to stand up comedy. When the comedian asks for audience participation, raise your hand and shout out answers.

Comedy shows are a unique way to have fun because we all usually opt for more convenient coffee and movie dates. Taking your friends to a comedy show, however, will create core memories.

The INTP: Play Dungeons and Dragons with friends

INTPs are strategists and problem-solvers. The perfect friend date for this type is playing a game that requires cunning, creativity, and imagination — like Dungeons and Dragons!

Grab two to four friends (the more the merrier), assign roles in a party of adventurers, choose what kind of quest you’ll embark on together, create characters with backstories — and let the adventure begin.

INTPs will especially appreciate the complexity of Dungeons and Dragons, as it allows them to use their skills of critical thinking, problem solving, and creativity. Plus, if they don’t like a certain rule or storyline, they can always change it — or create another imaginative side-adventure to explore.

Find out more about INTPs: 24 Signs That You’re an INTP, the Prodigy Personality Type

The ENFJ: Poolside or Beach Picnic

There are just a few exceptions to this rule, but most of the ENFJs I have met are the friendliest people on the face of the earth. They genuinely love their friends and enjoy getting together to experience thought-provoking conversation and good food.

This is why a picnic is the perfect friend date.

Reach out to a friend and plan the food lineup. Bake or buy the desserts, sandwiches, and drinks and put them in a basket with a blanket. Plan for a breakfast or dinner picnic so as to avoid the intense heat of the summer afternoon. Or plan a picnic by the pool! The picnic will give you an opportunity to catch up. If you want more meaningful conversation, you can go through this list of 365 thought-provoking questions.

Discover more about ENFJs: A Look Inside the ENFJ Mind

The INFJ: Bookstore trip

For the INFJ, delving into the imagination is a process that can spark a sense of meaning, fulfillment, and insight. Most INFJs love to read, and if they don’t, they love quiet places where they can relax with a hot drink and recharge. A bookstore offers endless worlds of possibility in the form of stories, psychology books, and how-to manuals. There’s nothing one can’t learn in a library!

Plan a day where you and a friend visit a bookstore and spend an afternoon exploring the shelves. This is much more fun than it sounds. Seeing books that have been all over social media and deciding which ones to put on your TBR will inspire conversations about the ideas you like reading about. And finding rare treasures that can inspire a new hobby or even friend activity can catalyze your life forward to new heights!

Maybe, by the time the trip is over, you can commit to reading a book together for accountability.

Discover more about INFJs: 21 Hobbies That INFJs Love

The ENFP: Write a friendship bucket list

ENFPs love their friends and imagining possibilities. Combine those two things, and you get creating a friendship bucket list.

Get with a close friend and make a list of things you want to do together before a certain deadline. Maybe you want to do some things before college is over. Maybe you want to maximize 2023 and have the time of your lives.

Create a deadline and consequences for not completing a certain number of things on your list. When I made a list with my friend, we both promised that if we didn’t finish a list of things before the end of our senior year of high school, we would have to (gasp) tell the people we liked in ninth grade that we used to like them. Pick a truly fear-inspiring consequence.

Fulfilling the items on this list will bring you together. So will the mutual fear of the consequences you choose for yourselves.

Explore more about the ENFP personality type: 24 Signs That You’re an ENFP, The Visionary Personality Type

The INFP: Stargaze while listening to your favorite playlists

If INFPs have a superpower, it’s their ability to romanticize anything. And one of the easiest things to romanticize is gazing up at the stars while a nostalgic song serenades you on your blanket.

Look out for shooting stars as you listen to your favorite music or audio-books. Connecting the stars or songs to memories or stories will help you connect with your friend on an emotional level.

This activity may be especially meaningful if both of you both need a reminder that life is magical and beautiful. Stargazing can help open up conversations about dreams, love, and what the future holds.

Find out more about INFPs: 25 Quotes That INFPs Will Instantly Identify With

What Are Your Thoughts?

Did you like these ideas? Do you have any other ideas to suggest to people with your personality type? Let us and other readers know in the comments!

Explore more about your personality type in our eBooks, Discovering You: Unlocking the Power of Personality Type,  The INFJ – Understanding the Mystic, The INTJ – Understanding the Strategist, and The INFP – Understanding the Dreamer. You can also connect with me via Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter!