388 Unique Ideas and Items For Your Bucket List

The “Things To Do Before I Die” list. The “Bucket” list. The “Amazing Sh*t You’d Be Crazy Not To Do” list. Call it what you please. This one is mine. It always seems to be growing and it’s not in any order of priority. I recently broke the list down into a few different categories to better capture the type of experiences I want to check off.

There’s the Classic with ideas that you’ll find on many other lists, the Adventure for things that require me to go a little out of my comfort zone physically, the Funny for stuff that will make you scratch your a head a bit, the Hidden Gems for places you probably don’t know about but should, and the Indulgent because we should all treat ourselves once in a while.

At the very bottom, is the Everyday list of things that you can check off over and over again, because kindness is the best thing I’ve searched for and found in this life.

What To Put On Your Own Bucket List?

The ultimate goal is to remind myself to live life as deeply as possible and to take the time to appreciate both the big and the small moments that make it special. My suggestion is to find things that really call out to you, things that you are willing to put in the time and the investment to eventually do. It can be big or it can be small, but it should be personal.

My list is far from complete. Please send any suggestions my way. Better yet, if you can help me check any of these items off my list or want to do something with me, I’m all ears.

“I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list.” – Susan Sontag

Classic Bucket List Ideas

  1. Go to space
  2. Meet the Dalai Lama
  3. Buy a house for my parents
  4. Sleep under the stars in the Sahara Desert
  5. Float in the Dead Sea
  6. See the Aurora Borealis
  7. Kayak Puerto Rico’s Bioluminescent Bay
  8. Celebrate Holi in India
  9. Celebrate Carnaval in South America
  10. Eat a beignet at Café Du Monde
  11. Set the sun rise and set on all 7 continents
  12. See a bullfight in Spain
  13. See the man burn at Burning Man
  14. Go skinny dipping
  15. Climb Kilimanjaro
  16. Haggle for useless trinkets in Morocco
  17. Climb above the clouds in Machu Picchu
  18. Celebrate Songkran in Thailand
  19. Return to the Trevi Fountain
  20. Camp in the Serengeti
  21. Be debt-free
  22. Jump off something high in New Zealand
  23. Dive the Great Barrier Reef
  24. Jump out of a plane
  25. See erupting lava in Hawaii
  26. Walk the Capilano Suspension bridge
  27. Get soaked on the Maid of the Mist
  28. Ride a gondola in Venice
  29. Bike down the Death Road in Bolivia
  30. Say a prayer in the Hagia Sophia
  31. Jump off a large waterfall
  32. Dive with dolphins
  33. See the Salar de Uyuni
  34. Celebrate Dia de los Muertos in Mexico
  35. See the giant Buddha on Lantau Island
  36. Start a fire without matches
  37. Visit the Sistine Chapel
  38. Soak in a thermal hotspring
  39. Eat Swiss fondue in Switzerland
  40. Ride the Trans-Siberian railway
  41. Explore the Lofoten Islands
  42. Be a New York Times Bestselling author
  43. Release a lantern at the Yi Peng Lantern Festival in Chiang Mai
  44. Ride an elephant
  45. Stand in the middle of the Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo
  46. Speak fluent Spanish
  47. Learn to play the ukulele
  48. Hike the Swiss Alps
  49. Marvel at La Sagrada Familia
  50. Ride a camel in the desert 
  51. Eat crawfish in Louisiana 
  52. Fly a hot air balloon over Cappadocia
  53. Have a cappuccino in Rome 
  54. Stand atop the tallest building in the world 
  55. See the Monarch butterfly migration
  56. Eat chimney cake at a Christmas Market
  57. Milk a cow
  58. Shuck an oyster
  59. Join a flash mob
  60. Be a member of a TV studio audience
  61. Run with the bulls
  62. Eat fresh sushi at Tsukiji fish market
  63. Soak in the Blue Lagoon in Iceland
  64. People watch in Paris 
  65. Ride in a helicopter 
  66. Learn to surf
  67. Walk the Camino de Santiago
  68. Get soaked at Skogafoss
  69. Walk the Great Wall of China
  70. Bundle up in an Ice Bar
  71. Shoot an AK-47
  72. Wear lederhosens to Oktoberfest
  73. Fight in La Tomatina
  74. Be surrounded by a million fireflies
  75. See the sunrise over Haleakala
  76. Go Zorbing in New Zealand
  77. Plow through the snow on a snowmobile
  78. Visit all 50 United States
  79. Do some graffiti 
  80. Release baby turtles back into the oceans
  81. Find myself by chance in Timbuktu
  82. Row a boat to the Lake Bled church
  83. Roam the City of Petra 
  84. Stand atop Mt. Sinai 
  85. Cage dive with great white sharks
  86. Get Lost in Fes 
  87. Eat in Barcelona’s La Boqueria
  88. See salmons swim upstream
  89. Fly on a seaplane
  90. Patent something
  91. Eat a thali in India with my hands
  92. Be a guest on Good Morning America and/or The Today Show
  93. Airstream across America
  94. Drive Route 66
  95. Make the news

Bucket list tip #1: Think experience rather than just location. If you’ve dreamed of going to paris, think about the things you’d want to do there and make those bucket list items instead.

Adventure Bucket List Ideas

  1. Hit 250 kph on the Autobahn
  2. Drive a rickshaw through India
  3. Free dive the Blue Hole
  4. Hunt and cook a deer
  5. Walk from Tokyo to Kyoto on the Nakasendo Trail
  6. Free dive in Jellyfish Lake
  7. Ride a motorbike through Vietnam
  8. Ice climb a glacier
  9. Kayak in the Grand Canyon
  10. Sail down the Nile River
  11. Dive with a Mola Mola
  12. Swim with Whale Sharks
  13. Explore New Zealand in a camper van
  14. Go lobster diving
  15. Fly a stunt plane
  16. Hike up Zion’s Angel’s Landing
  17. Race the Mongol Rally
  18. Drive across the Gobi Desert
  19. Walk On The Wings Of A Plane
  20. Paraglide in Nepal
  21. Explore Yellowstone’s backcountry
  22. Dive a cenote
  23. Sail the Atlantic Ocean
  24. Dive for pearls
  25. Ride the Vomit Comet
  26. Climb around in the Bamboo Forest on Maui
  27. Catch some air on a hang-glider
  28. Sail around Greenland
  29. Via ferrata in the Dolomites
  30. Complete an ultra-endurance race
  31. Dive a wreck
  32. Ride a speedboat through a narrow canyon
  33. Climb Svolvaergeita in Norway
  34. Dive Darwin’s Arch in the Galapagos
  35. Dive the crystal clear water of Silfra
  36. Drive a rickshaw across India
  37. Learn to do a wheelie on a motorcycle
  38. Try flyboarding
  39. Catch and cook a fish
  40. Stand Up Paddleboard in the Arctic
  41. Ride a dog sled
  42. Ski indoors
  43. Dive with whale sharks off the coast of Mozambique
  44. Climb down to Kelingking Beach
  45. Do a polar plunge
  46. Explore Utah’s slot canyons
  47. Run a marathon in Antarctica
  48. Dive an underwater museum
  49. Hike the Annapurna Circuit
  50. Run wild with Bear Grylls
  51. Raft down the Amazon River
  52. Go Bushwhacking in Borneo
  53. Explore an ice cave in Iceland
  54. Extract honey from a bee hive
  55. Run an 100-miler
  56. Win a fight
  57. Walk towards the light in Jomblang Cave
  58. Hitchhike the Balkans
  59. Drive an F1 vehicle
  60. Sand board down a sand dune
  61. Dive in all 5 oceans
  62. Climb Half Dome
  63. Walk on a bed of hot coals
  64. Go Arctic stand-up paddleboarding
  65. Abseil down a waterfall
  66. Hang over the edge of The Devil’s Pool
  67. See Uluru when it rains
  68. Drive in a NASCAR vehicle
  69. Graduate from an Ivy League university
  70. Bike through Eastern Europe
  71. Race a drone
  72. Eat a ball of fire
  73. Motorcycle through South America
  74. Ride down a volcano
  75. Compete in the Death Race
  76. Run across Leichtenstein
  77. Dive the Red Sea
  78. Drive on the Bonneville Salt Flats
  79. Deep water solo in Thailand

BUCKET List Tip #2: don’t get caught up with just what you see on social media. It should be more than just getting a photo. if you find a travel blog you like, explore it. See If anything they’ve done resonates with you and put it on your own list.

Hidden Gems Bucket List Ideas

  1. See the synchronous fireflies in Elkmont
  2. Explore the Marble Caves in Chile
  3. Climb the Heavenly Stairs
  4. Celebrate the Winter Solstice at Stonehenge
  5. Climb the Takstsang Monastery in Bhutan
  6. Wander the dunes of Sossuvlei in Namibia
  7. Soak in the thermal baths of Pamukkale
  8. Watch the fires of Azerbaijan burn
  9. See the sunrise over Wadi Rum
  10. Hike the Wave
  11. Marvel at the Cave of the Crystals
  12. Stand before the “Door To Hell” in Turkmenistan
  13. Walk In La Valle De La Luna
  14. See the pagodas of Bagan at sunrise
  15. Sled down Mt. Wallberg
  16. Play in the Salida Turda
  17. Descend into the Lost World
  18. Drive the Transfaragaran highway
  19. Celebrate New Years in Kiribati
  20. Get away to Bucas Grande Island
  21. Visit a paper making town in Japan
  22. Light something on fire at Las Fallas in Valencia
  23. Behold Vestrahorn
  24. See the buddha in the Ngu Hanh Son cave
  25. Explore a Glacier Ice Cave in Iceland
  26. Get muddy at the Boryeong Mud Festival in South Korea
  27. See where Romeo met Juliet in Verona
  28. Ride The Bernina Express from Switzerland to Italy
  29. Sneak into Buzludzha
  30. Drive the Road to Hana
  31. Hike The Corcovado Rainforest
  32. Explore the Catacombs under Paris
  33. Cross the Rakotiz Brucke bridge in Germany
  34. Go sledding on a frozen Lake Baikal

Bucket List Tip #3: If you are looking for an adventure, pick a continent you’ve never been to and narrow it down to a country. Do a Search For “Adventures In ______” and click on the image tab. Then get carried away down that rabbit hole.

Indulgent Bucket List Ideas

  1. Listen to Flamenco in an Andalucian cave
  2. See Roger Federer win a Grand Slam
  3. Solve an Agatha Christie murder on Burgh Island
  4. Smoke a cigar in Cuba
  5. Sip champagne in a penthouse hot tub
  6. Gamble in Monte Carlo
  7. Hear Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony live
  8. Eat fresh uni underwater
  9. Harvest ‘chicatana’ ants in Oaxaca
  10. Attend a luau
  11. Go all out in Barcelona
  12. Saber a champagne bottle
  13. Ride the Orient Express
  14. Eat Tafelspitz in Vienna
  15. Bath in a Japanese onsen
  16. Smoke a Hookah in the Middle East
  17. Attend the Cannes Film Festival
  18. Brunch at the Red Bull Hangar 7
  19. Stay in an overwater bungalow in Bora Bora
  20. Spend 24 hours in a spa
  21. Walk down a red carpet premiere
  22. See Tom Brady win the Super Bowl with my dad
  23. Drink a beer in a motel hot tub
  24. Go big at the Burj Al Arab
  25. Fly First Class
  26. Sit front row at Fashion Week
  27. Eat an ortolan
  28. High Tea at the Ritz in London
  29. Enjoy an omakase in Japan
  30. Pretend to understand the art at the Biennale festival in Venice
  31. Go on a 6 month cruise
  32. Drink an Aperol Spritz in Bellagio
  33. Leave a 100% tip
  34. Make a $1000 bet on a hand of “War”
  35. Attend the White House Correspondents Dinner
  36. Enjoy a private hamman in Morocco
  37. Party at the Playboy Mansion
  38. Hear Alfie Boe sing Bring Him Home from Les Misérables live
  39. Dine in complete darkness
  40. Get an 8 hour massage
  41. Eat at a Michelin 3-Star restaurant
  42. Forage for truffles
  43. Sleep in a castle
  44. Have $1,000,000 in my bank account
  45. Fly a hot air balloon in Myanmar

Bucket list Tip #4: Learn something. It’s astonishing how many times I’ve picked a subject or skill to Learn and then stumbled onto a whole world of experiences that I’ve put on my list.

Funny Bucket List Ideas

  1. Stomp grapes in Italy
  2. Raise an Amish barn
  3. Take a photo in every Photoautomat in Berlin
  4. Dig for dinosaur bones
  5. Win a chicken-wing eating contest
  6. Film an “Ed” reunion with Tom Cavanagh and Julie Bowen
  7. Boil an egg in a thermal hot pool
  8. Eat sheep brains in Jemaa El-Fna
  9. Become an American Ninja Warrior
  10. Build my own furniture
  11. Publish a book of poems
  12. Hand feed a crocodile in the wild
  13. Kiss the Blarney Stone
  14. Take sides in the Battle of the Oranges in Ivrea, Italy
  15. Be a merman for a day
  16. Sing along unabashedly at a Taylor Swift concert
  17. Complete the Big Texan Steak Ranch 72 oz steak challenge
  18. Learn how to pick a lock
  19. Capture the World Nomad Games
  20. Become a Royal Geographical Society fellow
  21. Become a National Geographic Society fellow
  22. Read 52 books in a year
  23. Go to an owl cafe in Tokyo
  24. Dance with an African tribe
  25. Be a lighthouse keeper
  26. Drink some real absinthe
  27. Sleep in a monastery
  28. See The Water Buffalo Chariot Races in Indonesia
  29. Dive in the Bay of Pigs
  30. Do a fashion shoot for Vogue Italia
  31. Sleep in a capsule hotel
  32. Visit a nudist colony
  33. Sumo wrestle
  34. Get over 1,000,000 views on YouTube
  35. Run from an attack dog
  36. Relax in a deprivation chamber
  37. Roast a whole lamb
  38. Get a matching tattoo
  39. Visit the island where they filmed Mamma Mia 2
  40. Learn to play the ukulele
  41. Make a short feature film
  42. See Punxsatawny Phil predict the weather on Groundhog’s Day
  43. Float in a sensory deprivation chamber
  44. Build an igloo
  45. Hear Gabrielle Aplin sing “Home” live
  46. Go on a poutine crawl
  47. Make moonshine in Kentucky
  48. Play Pachinko for 24 hours
  49. Create a board game
  50. Get in or turned away at Berghain. It doesn’t matter.
  51. Watch a movie at a drive-in theatre
  52. Train with Buakaw in Thailand
  53. Live abroad
  54. Eat over 100 bowls of soba noodles in Morioka, Japan
  55. Dance with Matt
  56. Snowboard indoors in Dubai
  57. Be on a Japanese variety show
  58. See my work at a film festival
  59. Sleep in an ice hotel
  60. Skydive indoors
  61. Sleep in a yurt in Mongolia
  62. Make my own paper
  63. Dive in an aquarium
  64. Visit the birthplace of KFC
  65. Be silent for 10 days
  66. Summit a 6000m mountain
  67. Throw a football with Julian Edelman
  68. Sheer a sheep
  69. Be on a reality TV show
  70. Fly on a trapeze
  71. Give a Ted or Ted(x) talk
  72. Do a canyon swing
  73. See the World’s Largest Ball of Twine
  74. Follow’s Dracula’s trail in Romania
  75. Fight in the Thunderdome
  76. Write a hit country song
  77. Eat a possum pie
  78. Find the one
  79. Break a Guinness World Record
  80. Listen for aliens at the VLA
  81. Get published in Vanity Fair
  82. Win a didgeridoo playing contest
  83. Meet Park Ji Yoon
  84. Play an extra in a movie
  85. Watch a game of Kok Boru in Kyrgyzstan
  86. Crash an Indian wedding
  87. Exhibit my work in a gallery
  88. Dress up for Comicon
  89. Ride a reindeer
  90. Cook for a famous chef
  91. See my work on a billboard
  92. Eat a bat in Palau
  93. Stare at the Roswell night sky
  94. Learn to breakdance
  95. Take a date to an Air Supply concert
  96. Shoot for National Geographic
  97. Impress Richard Branson
  98. Eat a live grub Pumbaa style
  99. Do the Game of Thrones walk of shame in King’s Landing
  100. Visit Sleepy Hollow
  101. Ride a rollercoaster at the Mall of America
  102. Dunk a basketball
  103. Throw a pot of hot water into sub-freezing air
  104. Drive a Delorian
  105. Be a hobbit
  106. Win an eating challenge
  107. Eat street meat in India
  108. Be my own boss
  109. Herd cows
  110. Eat a home cooked meal with a big Italian family
  111. Eat my fair share of steak in Buenos Aires
  112. Dance all out in a silent disco 

Bucket List Tip #5: Share the experience. Whether it’s with a friend, a partner, or a new travel companion, having someone with you means you have someone to reminisce about the adventure with later on.

Everyday Bucket List Ideas You Can Do Over And Over Again

  1. Make someone smile
  2. Tell someone you love them
  3. Do something unexpected
  4. Offer someone your time
  5. Stay up all night talking
  6. Watch the sun rise and set in the same day
  7. Leave a random for someone
  8. Sing your favorite song at Karaoke
  9. Be free in the rain
  10. Sleep in
  11. Be warm inside on a rainy day
  12. Take a long bath
  13. Reserve your judgment
  14. Let the small stuff go
  15. Share a meal with someone

If you’ve made it to the bottom, thank you. I hope you found some good ideas along the way. Feel free to bookmark this page and come back when you need a little inspiration for your next trip. I’ve spent many years doing these experiences and I’ve taken my time to write about them as much for myself to remember down the line, as for others, so they can partake in some of the amazing things I’ve seen, done, eaten, and experienced. Dig around, explore, and I’m sure you’ll find some stories that will have you planning your next trip sooner rather than later.