One thing we did which was good & cheap was driving about a day away to a cool park to camp and explore. It’s relatively cheap once you own tents and sleeping bags. I know some people who signed up for Catholic service trips in Central America, Africa, etc… which were definitely experiences, and perhaps not 100% as safe as staying home (depending on how safe home is), though I though they also had at least a small vibe of making oneself look really good. And I’m not sure they were actually cheap.