453 Unique Ideas For Your Bucket List
The Bucket List is a collection of experiences and things you want to do before you kick the proverbial bucket and leave this world. This one is mine. The world is amazing and I never cease to discover new places and adventures. My list is not in any order of priority. I’ve broken it down into different categories to better organize the type of experiences I want to check off.
There’s the Classic list with the things that you’ll often find on anyone’s bucket list. The Adventure list is for experiences that require me to leave my comfort zone physically and the Food list because maybe we should live to eat, instead of the other way around. The Odd list is for stuff that will make you scratch your a head a bit, the Hidden Gems list for things you might not have heard about, and the Indulgent list because we should all treat ourselves once in a while. You can use these links to jump to those particular lists.
At the very bottom, is the Everyday list of things that you can check off over and over again, because not every experience needs to require planning or a flight.
What Should Go On Your Bucket List?
I want to live life as fully and deeply as possible, to spare the time to appreciate the big and the small moments. Together, they make a life special. My recommendation for your own bucket list is to find things that speak to you. It should be something you are willing to put in the time and the investment to accomplish. It can be grand or mundane, but it should be personal.
My list is not 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
- Go to space
- Meet the Dalai Lama ✔
- Buy a house for my parents
- Sleep under the stars in the Sahara Desert ✔
- Float in the Dead Sea ✔
- See the Aurora Borealis ✔
- Kayak in Puerto Rico’s Bioluminescent Bay ✔
- Celebrate Holi in India ✔
- Celebrate Carnaval in South America ✔
- Set the sun rise and set on all 7 continents
- See a bullfight in Spain
- See the man burn at Burning Man ✔
- Go skinny dipping ✔
- Climb Kilimanjaro
- Haggle for useless trinkets in Morocco ✔
- Climb above the clouds in Machu Picchu ✔
- Celebrate Songkran in Thailand
- Return to the Trevi Fountain ✔
- Camp in the Serengeti
- Be debt-free ✔
- Spike my adrenaline in New Zealand ✔
- Dive the Great Barrier Reef ✔
- Jump out of a plane ✔
- See lava erupt in Hawaii ✔
- Get soaked on the Maid of the Mist ✔
- Ride a gondola in Venice ✔
- Bike down the Death Road in Bolivia ✔
- Say a prayer in the Hagia Sophia ✔
- Jump off a large waterfall ✔
- Dive with dolphins ✔
- See the Salar de Uyuni ✔
- Celebrate Dia de los Muertos in Mexico ✔
- See the giant Buddha on Lantau Island ✔
- Start a fire without matches ✔
- Cross the Capilano suspension bridge ✔
- Visit the Sistine Chapel ✔
- Soak in a thermal hotspring ✔
- Road trip in Baja California ✔
- Ride the Trans-Siberian railway
- Draw something beautiful ✔
- Explore the Lofoten Islands ✔
- Be a New York Times Bestselling author
- Tube down the river in Laos
- See the Taj Mahal at sunrise
- Sunbathe on Ipanema and Copacabana beach ✔
- Release a lantern at the Yi Peng Lantern Festival in Chiang Mai
- Ride an elephant ✔
- Stand in the middle of the Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo ✔
- Speak fluent Spanish
- Learn to play the ukulele ✔
- Hike in the Swiss Alps ✔
- Marvel at La Sagrada Familia ✔
- Ride a camel in the desert ✔
- Eat crawfish in Louisiana ✔
- Fly a hot air balloon over Cappadocia ✔
- Have a cappuccino in Rome (only for breakfast) ✔
- Stand atop the tallest building in the world ✔
- See the Monarch butterfly migration
- Eat chimney cake at a Christmas Market ✔
- Milk a cow
- Wander in Angkor Wat ✔
- Attend the Morning Alms in Luang Prabang ✔
- Stand at the footsteps of Christ the Redeemer ✔
- Join a flash mob ✔
- Be a member of a TV studio audience ✔
- Run with the bulls
- See the tuna auction at the Tsukiji fish market ✔
- Soak in the Blue Lagoon in Iceland ✔
- People watch in Paris ✔
- Ride in a helicopter ✔
- Learn to surf ✔
- Walk the Camino de Santiago ✔
- Get soaked at Skogafoss ✔
- Walk along the Great Wall of China
- Take the funicular up Sugar Loaf ✔
- Bundle up in an Ice Bar ✔
- Shoot an AK-47 ✔
- Wear lederhosens to Oktoberfest ✔
- See the windmills of Holland ✔
- Go to a medieval faire ✔
- Fight in La Tomatina
- Be surrounded by a million fireflies ✔
- See the sunrise over Haleakala ✔
- Go Zorbing in New Zealand ✔
- Sleep in a capsule hotel ✔
- Go jet skiing ✔
- Ride the blue train from Ella to Kandy ✔
- Fly over the Andes and not crash ✔
- Dash through the snow on a snowmobile
- Visit all 50 United States
- Make graffiti art ✔
- Meet a geisha ✔
- Release baby turtles back into the oceans
- Ride a dog sled in Lapland
- Stand at the “end of the earth” ✔
- Find myself by chance in Timbuktu
- See the snow monkeys bathing in Japan ✔
- Row a boat to the Lake Bled church ✔
- Roam the City of Petra ✔
- Stand atop Mt. Sinai ✔
- Cage dive with great white sharks
- Get Lost in Fes ✔
- Eat in Barcelona’s La Boqueria ✔
- Catch the salmons jumping upstream
- Fly on a seaplane ✔
- Patent something
- Eat a thali in India with my hands ✔
- Be a guest on Good Morning America and/or The Today Show
- Airstream across America
- Drive Route 66 ✔
- 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 Turn those into bucket list items.
Adventure Bucket List Ideas
- Hit 250 kph on the Autobahn
- Drive a rickshaw through India ✔
- Free dive the Blue Hole
- Hunt and cook a deer
- Walk from Tokyo to Kyoto on the Nakasendo Trail
- Free dive in Jellyfish Lake ✔
- Ride a motorbike through Vietnam
- Ice climb a glacier ✔
- Kayak in the Grand Canyon
- Sail down the Nile River ✔
- Dive with a Mola Mola
- Swim with Whale Sharks ✔
- Explore New Zealand in a camper van ✔
- Go lobster diving ✔
- Fly a stunt plane ✔
- Hike up Zion’s Angel’s Landing ✔
- Race the Mongol Rally
- Drive across the Gobi Desert ✔
- Walk On The Wings Of A Plane ✔
- Paraglide in Nepal ✔
- Explore Yellowstone’s backcountry ✔
- Jump into a cenote ✔
- Sail across the Atlantic Ocean
- Summit Mt. Toubkal ✔
- Dive for pearls
- Hike to the top of the Fushimi Inari shrine in Kyoto ✔
- Ride the Vomit Comet
- Dive in Raja Ampat
- See the Cherry Blossoms from a row boat in Japan ✔
- Play a game of Kok Boru
- Hang upside down in the Maui Bamboo Forest ✔
- Catch some air on a hang-glider ✔
- Sail around Greenland
- Via ferrata in the Dolomites ✔
- Finish an ultra-endurance race ✔
- Dive the wrecks in Coron ✔
- Ride a speedboat through a narrow canyon ✔
- Climb Svolvaergeita in Norway ✔
- Dive Darwin’s Arch in the Galapagos
- Dive the crystal clear water of Silfra ✔
- Learn to do a wheelie on a motorcycle ✔
- Go flyboarding in the Mediterranean
- Speed over 300 kph on a bullet train ✔
- Ride the bamboo train in Battambang ✔
- Feed the deers in Nara ✔
- Snowshoe above the Hakkoda Wall ✔
- See a Muay Thai fight at Rajadamnern ✔
- Catch and cook a fish ✔
- Stand Up Paddleboard in the Arctic ✔
- Ski indoors ✔
- Dive with whale sharks ✔
- See orangutans in the wild ✔
- Climb down to Kelingking Beach ✔
- Take a true polar plunge
- Surf in Morocco ✔
- Squeeze through a slot canyon ✔
- Run a marathon in Antarctica
- Dive an underwater museum ✔
- Hike the Annapurna Circuit ✔
- Run wild with Bear Grylls ✔
- Raft down the Amazon River ✔
- Visit a longhouse in Borneo ✔
- Explore an ice cave in Iceland ✔
- Extract honey from a bee hive
- Run a 100-miler
- Freedive the Sardine Run in Moalboal ✔
- Win a fight ✔
- Ride the Ha Giang Loop in Vietnam
- Walk towards the light in Jomblang Cave ✔
- Hitchhike in the Balkans ✔
- Drive an F1 vehicle
- Cycle around Lake Ohrid ✔
- Sand board down a sand dune ✔
- Dive in all 5 oceans
- Climb Half Dome ✔
- Walk on a bed of hot coals
- Go Arctic stand-up paddleboarding ✔
- Abseil down a waterfall ✔
- Hang over the edge of The Devil’s Pool
- Search for the Proboscis monkey in Borneo ✔
- See Uluru when it rains ✔
- Drive in a NASCAR vehicle
- Graduate from an Ivy League university ✔
- Bike through Eastern Europe
- Race a drone
- Sit for at least 5 minutes in an ice bath ✔
- Swallow a ball of fire
- Motorcycle through South America
- Ride down a volcano ✔
- Compete in the Death Race ✔
- Run across Leichtenstein ✔
- Dive the Red Sea ✔
- Drive on the Bonneville Salt Flats
- Deep water solo in Thailand
BUCKET List Tip #2: don’t get caught up with what you see on social media. It should be more than just getting the same photo you’ve seen. if you find a travel blog you like, comb through it. See If anything they’ve done resonates with you and put it on your own list.
Food Bucket List Items
- Eat a beignet at Café Du Monde
- Eat fondue in Switzerland ✔
- Shuck an oyster ✔
- Eat Txuleta in San Sebastián ✔
- Eat at a Michelin 3-Star restaurant ✔
- Forage for truffles
- Dine in complete darkness ✔
- Eat fresh uni underwater
- Harvest chicatana ants in Oaxaca
- Taste port wine in the Douro Valley ✔
- Eat at a Michelin-starred food cart ✔
- Feast at a Hawaiian luau ✔
- Eat Tafelspitz in Vienna ✔
- Drink an Aperol Spritz in Bellagio ✔
- Eat Kaya toast and half-boiled eggs in Singapore ✔
- Learn how to make a perfect omurice
- Eat supermarket poke in Hawaii ✔
- Brunch at the Red Bull Hangar 7 ✔
- Complete the Big Texan Steak Ranch 72 oz steak challenge
- Enjoy an omakase in Japan ✔
- Secretly dine on an ortolan
- Afternoon Tea at the Burj Al Arab ✔
- High Tea at the Ritz in London
- Win a chicken-wing eating contest ✔
- Roast a whole lamb on a spit
- Make your own nokkedon in Aomori
- Make my own Kombucha
- Scrap fresh sushi from the bones of a tuna
- Eat a country rat
- Jiggle and eat a Japanese cheesecake ✔
- Bite into a Happy Pierrot chicken sandwich ✔
- Cook for a famous chef
- Explore the the Taipei night markets
- Eat a bat in Palau ✔
- Win an eating challenge ✔
- Survive street meat in India ✔
- Eat a home cooked meal with a big Italian family
- Find the best steak in Buenos Aires ✔
- Eat a still moving octopus at the Gwangjang market in Seoul ✔
- Boil an egg in a thermal hot pool ✔
- Eat sheep brains in Jemaa El-Fna ✔
- Drink some real absinthe ✔
- Go on a poutine crawl ✔
- Make moonshine in Kentucky
BUCKET List Tip #3: don’t be afraid to think small. it doesn’t have to be a bucket list item for someone else. It just needs to be something you’ve always wanted to do.
Hidden Gems Bucket List Ideas
- See the synchronous fireflies in Elkmont
- Explore the Marble Caves in Chile
- Climb the Heavenly Stairs
- Celebrate the Winter Solstice at Stonehenge
- Climb the Takstsang Monastery in Bhutan
- Wander the dunes of Sossuvlei in Namibia
- Visit the sea gypsies and stilt houses in Borneo ✔
- Soak in the thermal baths of Pamukkale ✔
- Watch the fires of Azerbaijan burn
- See the sunrise over Wadi Rum ✔
- Fly above Sigiriya ✔
- Hike the Wave ✔
- Marvel at the Cave of the Crystals
- Stand before the “Door To Hell” in Turkmenistan
- Walk along the Nine Arch Bridge in Sri Lanka
- Walk In La Valle De La Luna ✔
- See the pagodas of Bagan at sunrise ✔
- Sled down Mt. Wallberg
- Play in the Salida Turda ✔
- Descend into the Lost World ✔
- Drive the Transfaragaran highway ✔
- Celebrate New Years in Kiribati
- Get away to Bucas Grande Island
- Ride the Winter Stove train
- Visit all 9 bathhouses in Shibu Onsen ✔
- Dive in Chuuk
- Visit the most beautiful bookstores in the world
- Hike in the Azores
- Visit a paper making town in Japan
- Light something on fire at Las Fallas in Valencia
- Behold Vestrahorn ✔
- See the buddha in the Ngu Hanh Son cave ✔
- Explore a Glacier Ice Cave in Iceland ✔
- Get muddy at the Boryeong Mud Festival in South Korea
- Attend the Thaipusam festival at the Baku Caves ✔
- See where Romeo met Juliet in Verona ✔
- Ride The Bernina Express from Switzerland to Italy ✔
- Sneak into Buzludzha ✔
- Drive the Road to Hana ✔
- Hike The Corcovado Rainforest ✔
- Explore the Catacombs under Paris ✔
- Cross the Rakotiz Brucke bridge in Germany
- Go sledding on a frozen Lake Baikal
Bucket List Tip #4: 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 [Fill In The Blank]” and click on the image tab. Then get carried away down that rabbit hole.
Indulgent Bucket List Ideas
- Listen to Flamenco in an Andalucian cave ✔
- See Roger Federer win a Grand Slam
- Solve an Agatha Christie murder on Burgh Island
- Smoke a cigar in Cuba ✔
- Sip champagne in a penthouse hot tub ✔
- Gamble in Monte Carlo
- Hear Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony live ✔
- Go all out in Barcelona ✔
- Saber a champagne bottle ✔
- Ride the Orient Express
- Bath in a Japanese onsen ✔
- Smoke a Hookah in the Middle East ✔
- Attend the Cannes Film Festival
- Stay in an overwater bungalow in Bora Bora
- Visit every Disney park in the world
- Spend 24 hours in a spa ✔
- Visit an onsen town in Japan ✔
- Walk down a red carpet premiere
- See Tom Brady win the Super Bowl with my dad ✔
- Drink a beer in a motel hot tub ✔
- Fly First Class ✔
- Sit front row at Fashion Week
- Ride the Presidential Train ✔
- Bath in an outdoor mountain onsen ✔
- Get a perm in Korea ✔
- Stand front row at a Twice concert ✔
- Pretend to understand the art at the Biennale festival in Venice
- Sip sake in an onsen ✔
- Go on a 6 month cruise
- Leave a 100% tip ✔
- Make a $1000 bet on a hand of “War”
- Get front row tickets to a Blackpink concert ✔
- Join the sunbathing crowd at Polignano A Mare ✔
- Enjoy a private hamman in Morocco ✔
- Party at the Playboy Mansion
- Hear Alfie Boe sing ‘Bring Him Home’ from Les Misérables live ✔
- See ABBA in concert ✔
- Get an 8 hour massage ✔
- Sleep in a castle
- Have $1,000,000 in my bank account
- Fly a hot air balloon in Myanmar ✔
Bucket list Tip #5: Learn something new. It’s astonishing how many times I’ve picked a subject or skill to Learn and then stumbled onto a whole world of new experiences.
Odd Bucket List Ideas
- Stomp grapes to make wine
- Raise an Amish barn
- Take a photo in every Photoautomat in Berlin ✔
- Dig for dinosaur bones
- Film an “Ed” reunion with Tom Cavanagh and Julie Bowen
- Become an American Ninja Warrior
- Build my own furniture ✔
- Publish a book of poems
- Hand feed a crocodile in the wild ✔
- Kiss the Blarney Stone
- Take sides in the Battle of the Oranges in Ivrea, Italy
- Be a merman for a day
- Sing along unabashedly at a Taylor Swift concert ✔
- Learn how to pick a lock ✔
- Photograph Kok Boru at the World Nomad Games ✔
- Become a Royal Geographical Society fellow
- Eat at Mechoui Alley in Marrakech ✔
- Become a National Geographic Society fellow
- See the “Alexander the Great” statue in North Macedonia ✔
- Pay homage at the Cup Noodles museum in Yokohama ✔
- Read 52 books in a year
- Go to a pet cafe in Tokyo ✔
- Dance with an African tribe
- Bathe in a mixed gender onsen ✔
- Fight a luchador ✔
- Be a lighthouse keeper for a day
- Sleep in a monastery ✔
- See The Water Buffalo Chariot Races in Indonesia
- Dive in the Bay of Pigs ✔
- Dance with Twice
- Do a fashion shoot for Vogue Italia
- Sleep in a capsule hotel ✔
- Visit a nudist colony
- Sumo wrestle
- Get over 1,000,000 views on YouTube ✔
- Run from an attack dog
- Relax in a sensory deprivation chamber ✔
- Get a matching tattoo ✔
- Visit the island where they filmed Mamma Mia 2 ✔
- Learn to play the ukulele ✔
- Make a short feature film
- See Punxsatawny Phil predict the weather on Groundhog’s Day
- Float in a sensory deprivation chamber ✔
- Build an igloo
- Hear Gabrielle Aplin sing “Home” live ✔
- Play Pachinko for 24 hours
- Create a board game
- Get in or turned away at Berghain. It doesn’t matter.
- Watch a movie at a drive-in theatre ✔
- Train with Buakaw in Thailand ✔
- Live abroad ✔
- Eat over 100 bowls of soba noodles in Morioka, Japan
- Dance with Matt ✔
- Snowboard indoors in Dubai ✔
- Be on a Japanese variety show
- See my work at a film festival
- Sleep in an ice hotel
- Skydive indoors ✔
- Sleep in a yurt in Mongolia ✔
- Make my own paper
- Dive in an aquarium
- Visit the birthplace of KFC ✔
- Be silent for 10 days
- Summit a 6000m mountain
- Throw a football with Julian Edelman
- Sheer a sheep
- Be on a reality TV show
- Fly on a trapeze ✔
- Give a Ted or Ted(x) talk
- Ride A Tricycle Down A Canyon Swing ✔
- See the World’s Largest Ball of Twine
- Follow’s Dracula’s trail in Romania ✔
- Fight in the Thunderdome ✔
- Write a hit country song
- Eat a possum pie ✔
- Find the one
- Break a Guinness World Record ✔
- Listen for aliens at the VLA ✔
- Get published in Vanity Fair
- Win a didgeridoo playing contest ✔
- Meet Park Ji Yoon
- Play an extra in a movie
- Watch a game of Kok Boru in Kyrgyzstan ✔
- Crash an Indian wedding
- Exhibit my work in an art gallery
- Dress up for Comicon
- Ride a reindeer ✔
- See my work on a billboard
- Stare at the Roswell night sky ✔
- Learn to breakdance
- Take a date to an Air Supply concert
- Stay overnight at a Jjimjilbang in Korea
- Shoot for National Geographic
- Impress Richard Branson
- Eat a live coconut grub ✔
- Do the Game of Thrones walk of shame in King’s Landing
- Visit Sleepy Hollow
- Ride a rollercoaster at the Mall of America ✔
- Dunk a basketball
- Throw a pot of hot water into sub-freezing air
- Drive a Delorian
- Be a hobbit ✔
- Be my own boss ✔
- Herd reindeer in Mongolia ✔
- Dance all out in a silent disco ✔
Bucket List Tip #6: 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
- Make someone smile
- Tell someone you love them
- Do something unexpected
- Offer someone your time
- Stay up all night talking
- Watch the sun rise and set in the same day
- Leave a random note for someone
- Sing your favorite song at Karaoke
- Run or dance in the rain
- Sleep in on a weekday
- Stay cozy inside and do nothing on a rainy day
- Take a long bath
- Reserve your judgment
- Let the small stuff go
- 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 chasing after these experiences. And I write about them as much for myself to remember down the line, as to inspire and share these amazing things for others to experiences themselves. Dig around, explore, and I’m sure you’ll find something that will have you planning your next trip sooner rather than later.