• Bachelor weekends are often a guy's last big hurrah with his friends before his wedding.men image by Mat Hayward from Fotolia.com
  
  When planning a drawn-out bachelor party or just hanging with the guys, it can be tempting to fall back on the usual activities. Consider trying something different--radically different. You'll build memories and muscles, and just might discover a deep love for paintball or whitewater kayaking (or sweet tropical drinks).
  
  

Special Ops Weekend

• A book about espionage or spy gadgets would make a good party gift for this weekend.spy camera image by dinostock from Fotolia.com
  
  This is a weekend for doing the things you secretly envy the secret agents on TV doing---namely, sneaking around with a weapon, blowing stuff up and driving really fast. Fuel up with a hearty breakfast and hit the road. If it's legal in the area, go blow up some fireworks (carefully). Try a paintball fight, an afternoon at a shooting range, or a few rounds of go-kart racing. Paintball and laser tag are fun, relatively inexpensive way to get some exercise and run around like kids again.
  
  

Great Outdoors Weekend

• If you bought a new tent for a weekend, do a practice run beforehand.Trail in the woods in spring image by Calin Tatu from Fotolia.com
  
  Even if---or, perhaps, especially if---your usual hangout routine involves takeout pizza, rental movies, and video games, and you haven't gone camping since that traumatic family vacation at age eight, there is nothing like a weekend in the great outdoors to cement the buddy bond and create a whole new batch of memories to reminisce about later.
  
  Take stock of the budget, the natural resources of your area, and the bachelor weekend attendees' collective daredevil quotient, fitness level, and outdoor experience. If money's no object, many outfitters offer whirlwind weekend adventures centered around adrenaline activities, such as rock climbing, whitewater rafting and hang gliding. For a low-budget alternative to a fully-guided weekend trip, camp or stay in a hotel in the area and do a guided day outing on Saturday.
  
  

Tropical Getaway Weekend

• A tropical getaway will help you escape the stress of an upcoming wedding.beach image by Amjad Shihab from Fotolia.com
  
  If you can afford to jet off for a bachelor weekend in the tropics, by all means, do. But even if your budget is tiny and you live far from the coast, you can still indulge your desire for a tropical vacation. Take over someone's house for the weekend (with their knowledge, of course) and declare it "Bachelor Island." Stock the fridge, rent a stack of movies and video games, make yourselves a round of tropical-themed cocktails, and crank the heat until you're sweating. Break out of your usual food habits. Try something that's exotic. If cabin fever sets in and you end up going somewhere, wear matching Hawaiian shirts---yes, even if it's January and you live in Minnesota.