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.