Recreation is the undertaking of activities in spare time not spent working and sleeping. Such activities usually offer a balance of relaxation from work and stimulation from relaxation.

Recreation involves pursuing personal interests and includes games, sports, video games, watching television and movies, listening to music and the radio or participating in outdoor activities such as tramping and fishing. Eating, although necessary to survive, has turned into a recreational activity, pursued in free time to gain personal satisfaction.

In developed societies weekends and holidays are usually devoted to recreation. People often travel during longer holidays or on periods taken off work called vacations.

Recreational activities may also be played professionally as an occupation, at which point they cease to be recreation. This is most notable in sports, where some sports people made be paid high salaries to play their sport.

Recreation may cause controversy or be considered immoral. Examples include drug-taking, variations of sexual activity, gambling, nudism or exposure to sexually-oriented entertainment and literature.

A hobby is a recreational activity which is undertaken in spare time not occupied by other activities. Hobbies are a form of work purely for enjoyment that offers no financial benefit and may even involve some financial loss. However, many hobbies involve a high level of knowledge and skill.

Although hobbies are often a form of socialization, an intense interest in a particular hobby may also lead to someone being identified as a non-conformist in society. The term "geek" is often used to describe a person with an intense or obsessive interest in a particular field, such as computer programming, the Star Trek television program, mathematics, video games, comics and history. Although the term refers largely to those with an interest in computer-related topics, it can even include those with a strong interest in sports.

While some hobbies would not be offered as occupations, many are professions, such as cooking, computer programming, astronomy and sports. In such cases hobbyists are considered amateurs in their field, although they may often contribute largely to it. Many of the major developments in astronomy and other sciences were made by hobbyists. The development of Yahoo!, Google and Linux, like many developments in the computing field, are examples of the work of amateurs.

Activities which are not compulsory, competitive or essential are considered leisurely. This includes time not spent working, homemaking, learning or doing difficult or unpleasant tasks.

Quality time, although considered obligatory, is a form of leisure.

Relaxation is an essential part of leisure and all forms of leisure should not require excessive exertion of energy. Equally, however, they should not lead to the boredom of the participant.

Leisure may take the form of non-competitive active recreation which is done purely for fun and enjoyment. Sport and exercise, particularly if it is light, may be considered leisurely.

Inactivity may also be considered leisure, such as sun-bathing, reading, sleeping or lying still in a relaxed and enjoyable manner. Such inactivity may be considered lazy and may be disapproved of, but it can have some health benefits.