I love making lists. If you peek into my diary or any blank piece of paper I could get my hands on, you’ll find every type of lists imaginable, including the usual to-do lists, to-buy lists, to-read lists, the ever-repeating monthly expenses, and the ones that don’t make sense at all, like the list of English words beginning with the letter C that I could come up with in 5 minutes (112).
In 2013, I created a bucket list to help me deal with depression and quarter-life crisis. The things listed were very extensive, ranging from the mundane (get a driving license) to the outrageous (jump out of an airplane), from the attainable (climb Mount Kinabalu) to the nearly impossible (have a flat tummy). But the list gave me a reason to get out of bed every morning.
While the original list had close to 1,000 items, the one featured here has been pared down to just over 600, to keep it (more-or-less) travel-related. Enjoy!
- Volunteer to clean up a public space
- Volunteer at an animal shelter
- Volunteer/work on a farm
- Volunteer to build a house
- Be an aid worker in a third-world country
- Hug a redwood
- Visit a virgin rainforest
- Be a tourist in my own city
- Go on a cruise
- Travel in a camper van
- Travel solo
- Hitchhike
- Pick up a hitchhiker
- Couchsurf
- Host a Couchsurfer
- Help someone cross something off their bucket list
- Make a snow angel
- Build a snowman
- See an iceberg
- See a blowhole
- Visit an ice cave
- Visit a sulfur mine
- Visit an active volcano
- Visit a floating village
- Visit a ghost town
- Visit McKamey Manor
- Visit a castle
- See windmills
- Walk in sea foam
- Experience a hailstorm
- See a tornado
- Stand under a waterfall
- See a petrified waterfall
- Watch a solar/lunar eclipse
- See a meteor shower
- See the Aurora Borealis
- See the Aurora Australis
- Experience the midnight sun
- Experience the polar night
- Experience zero gravity
- Ride in a cable car
- Ride on a ski lift
- Ride a funicular in Switzerland
- Ride on a roller coaster
- Ride on a Ferris wheel
- Ride a carousel (as an adult)
- Ride a mechanical bull
- Go to the circus
- Go to a chocolate factory
- Go to Candytopia in Santa Monica
- Go to Meow Wolf in Santa Fe
- Go to the Pecularium in Portland
- Visit the airplane graveyard in Bangkok
- Visit a cheese museum
- Visit the hair museum in Turkey
- Visit the Museum of Death in New Orleans
- Visit an upside-down museum
- Visit a 3D-art museum
- Go to Madame Tussaud’s
- Go to Universal Studios
- Go to Disneyland
- Learn to swim like a mermaid
- Swim in a cenote
- Swim in a glass-bottom pool
- Swim in the infinity pool at Marina Bay Sands
- Swim in the largest pool in the world
- Do the Polar Bear Plunge
- Jump off a cliff
- Rope swing into water
- Go snorkeling
- Go scuba-diving
- Go ZUBA diving
- Go free-diving
- Go sea-walking
- Ride the Aquaskipper
- Ride a banana boat
- Ride on a bamboo raft
- Ride on a water taxi in Bangkok
- Ride a jet-ski
- Ride a gondola in Venice
- Ride a shikara in Kashmir
- Ride a hovercraft
- Ride in a submarine
- Go sea kayaking
- Kayak through icebergs in Greenland
- Go cave canoeing
- Row a sampan
- Learn to sail
- Join the Croatia Sail Week
- Go white-water rafting
- Go tubing in Vang Vieng
- Go kiteboarding
- Go flyboarding
- Go zip-lining
- Go paragliding
- Go parasailing
- Go skydiving
- Go Scad diving
- Go hang-gliding
- Go bungee jumping
- Go on a ropeswing
- Do the reverse bungee (slingshot)
- Do the waterblob (human catapult)
- Base jump with a wingsuit
- Wing walk on a bi-plane
- Cycle in a foreign country
- Cycle down the Danube Bike Trail
- Ride on a tandem bike
- Ride a unicycle
- Go sky-biking
- Go fat-biking
- Learn to ride a scooter/motorbike
- Ride a Vespa
- Ride a Harley
- Ride a Segway
- Drive an ATV
- Drive a dune buggy
- Drive a Go-Kart
- Drive a truck
- Drive a tractor
- Drive a sports car
- Drive abroad
- Drive Route 66
- Go on a hayride
- Participate in a rickshaw run
- Ride in a songthaew
- Ride in a convertible
- Ride in a limo
- Fly first-class
- Fly in a private jet
- Fly in a fighter jet
- Fly in a hot-air balloon
- Fly in a helicopter
- Fly in a blimp
- Fly in a seaplane
- Learn to fly an airplane
- Fly over a volcano in Hawaii
- Fly on a trapeze
- Go abseiling
- Go wall-climbing
- Go rock-climbing
- Go spelunking
- Go canyoneering
- Climb a tree
- Climb up the steps of Batu Caves
- Climb to the top of a lighthouse
- Climb the KL Tower
- Walk on the sky bridge of Petronas Twin Towers
- Do the rope-course challenge at Komtar, Penang
- Do the CN Tower Edge Walk
- Do the Mount Huashan plank walk
- Walk across a hanging bridge
- Walk across the world’s longest hanging bridge
- Walk across a glass-bottom bridge
- Run a full marathon
- Compete in a triathlon
- Run barefooted
- Go dog-sledding
- Go tobogganing
- Go luging
- Go snowboarding
- Go snowshoeing
- Learn to ski
- Learn to roller-blade
- Learn to surf
- Go body-surfing
- Sand surf in a desert
- Try stand-up paddling
- Go volcano-boarding
- Go zorbing
- Go aqua zorbing
- Try archery
- Shoot a gun
- Play golf
- Learn yoga in India
- Go glamping
- Climb Mount Kinabalu
- Hike to the Annapurna/Everest Base Camp
- Hike the Grand Canyon
- Hike the PCT
- Hike on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu
- Walk El Camino de Santiago
- Walk the Jeju Olle Trail
- Walk the Te Araroa Trail
- Climb the Piedra el Peñol
- Climb one of the 7 summits
- Visit all countries in Southeast Asia
- Visit 50 countries
- Visit 50 UNESCO World Heritage Sites
- Visit all 7 New Wonders of the World
- Visit all 7 New Natural Wonders of the World
- Visit all 7 continents
- Visit the happiest country in the world
- Visit the coldest capital in the world
- Visit the smallest country in the world
- Be in two countries at once
- Go on the world’s tallest elevator
- Experience Grand Wailea water elevator
- Live on a tropical island for a month
- Become a citizen/permanent resident of another country
- See the Mulu Pinnacles
- See the Chocolate Hills in Bohol
- See the floating markets in Bangkok
- Visit the Maeklong Railway Market
- Visit the Angkor Wat
- Visit North Korea
- Visit Bhutan
- See Mount Fuji
- Visit the Great Wall of China
- See the terracotta army in Xi’an
- Visit a red-sand beach
- Visit the Red Beach, China
- Visit a pink-sand beach
- Visit a black-sand beach
- Visit a green-sand beach
- Visit the glass beach in California
- Visit a pink lake
- Visit the spotted lake in Canada
- Visit the biggest lake in the world
- Visit the deepest lake in the world
- See the Taj Mahal
- See the Burj Khalifa
- See the ancient ruins of Petra, Jordan
- Visit Tibet
- Visit Auroville
- Visit the Maldives
- See the Sydney Harbour Bridge
- Travel the Great Ocean Road
- See Ayers Rock
- Swim the Great Barrier Reef
- Swim in the Jellyfish Lake, Palau
- Visit the Hobbiton in New Zealand
- Walk in the Bora Bora lagoon
- See the ruins in Athens
- See the Eiffel Tower
- See the Catacombs in Paris
- See the Leaning Tower of Pisa
- See the Colosseum
- Make a wish at Trevi Fountain
- Visit Cinque Terre
- See La Sagrada Familia
- See the Tower Bridge
- See the Big Ben
- Ride the double-decker bus in London
- See the Stonehenge
- See the Dark Hedges, Northern Ireland
- Kiss the Blarney Stone
- See the Berlin Wall
- Visit Chernobyl
- Visit Auschwitz
- Visit the Crooked Forest, Poland
- See the fjords of Norway
- Pose on the Trolltunga rock in Norway
- Soak in the Blue Lagoon, Iceland
- Visit the Red Square in Moscow
- Visit Santorini
- Cross the Tunnel of Love in Ukraine
- Visit Jerusalem
- Swim in the Dead Sea
- Visit the Land of the Fairy Chimneys, Turkey
- Visit Pamukkale, Turkey
- See Haghia Sophia
- Visit Socotra Island, Yemen
- See the Pyramids of Giza
- Go on a desert safari
- Go on a safari in Africa
- Swim at the edge of Victoria Falls
- Visit the Blue Pearl, Morocco
- Shop in the souks in Morocco
- Visit the White House
- Walk in Central Park, Manhattan
- See the Empire State Building
- See the Statue of Liberty
- See the Hollywood sign
- See the Golden Gate Bridge
- See Mount Rushmore
- See New England in the fall
- Do the Hollywood Walk of Fame
- Visit all 50 states of America
- Visit Anne of Green Gables’ house
- See the Niagara Falls
- See the Mayan ruins
- See the statues on Easter Island
- Visit the Galapagos
- Visit Bioluminescent Bay, Puerto Rico
- Visit Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia
- Visit the rainbow mountains of Peru
- Swing at the end of the world in Ecuador
- Visit the Amazon
- Visit Patagonia
- Go to the North/South Pole
- Celebrate Songkran in Thailand
- Celebrate Loy Krathong in Thailand
- Celebrate Yi Peng in Chiang Mai
- Go to the Harbin Ice Festival
- Attend a Japanese tea ceremony
- See a real-life geisha in Kyoto
- See the whirling Dervishes in Turkey
- Throw tomatoes at La Tomatina
- Participate in the Battle of the Oranges in Italy
- Run with the bulls in Pamplona
- Celebrate Las Fallas in Valencia
- Join a hammer festival in Portugal
- Attend snowbombing festival in Austria
- Run after a giant wheel of cheese in Gloucestershire
- Celebrate Oktoberfest in Munich
- Go to the Brazilian Carnaval
- See the Burning Man in California
- Celebrate Mardi Gras in New Orleans
- See the Chicago River turn green on St Patrick’s Day
- Visit an Amish community in Ohio
- Attend a pow wow
- Go to a renaissance festival
- Spend the 4th of July in USA
- Celebrate Holi
- Celebrate New Year’s Eve at Times Square
- Celebrate Christmas with a Christian family
- Decorate a Christmas tree
- Go Christmas-caroling
- Have a white Christmas
- Celebrate Hanukkah with a Jewish family
- Go trick-or-treating on Halloween
- Travel on a steam train
- Travel on an Indian train
- Ride the bullet train in Japan
- Cross Russia via Trans Siberian/Mongolian railway
- Ride the Orient Express
- Ride the Glacier Express
- Ride “the Tube” in London
- Ride on top of a train
- Travel on a sleeper bus
- Eat chili crab in Singapore
- Eat pho in Vietnam
- Eat pad thai in Thailand
- Eat Peking duck in Beijing
- Eat sushi in Japan
- Eat kimchi in South Korea
- Eat biryani in India
- Eat momo in Nepal
- Eat ema datshi in Bhutan
- Eat shawarma in UAE
- Eat kibbeh in Lebanon
- Eat pavlova in New Zealand
- Eat Turkish ice-cream in Turkey
- Eat plov in Uzbekistan
- Eat dolmasi in Azerbaijan
- Eat khachapuri in Georgia
- Eat borscht in Russia
- Eat verivorst in Estonia
- Eat cepelinai in Lithuania
- Eat mamaliga in Moldova
- Eat goulash in Hungary
- Eat sarmale in Romania
- Eat cevapi in Bosnia & Herzegovina
- Eat pierogi in Poland
- Eat tzatziki and souvlaki in Greece
- Eat Belgian fries in Belgium
- Eat sauerkraut in Germany
- Eat macarons in France
- Eat fish n chips in a pub in London
- Eat strawberries and cream at Wimbledon
- Eat haggis in Scotland
- Eat Irish stew in Ireland
- Eat frikadeller in Denmark
- Eat meatballs in Sweden
- Eat smalahove in Norway
- Eat stroopwafel in the Netherlands
- Eat pizza and pasta in Italy
- Eat rosti in Switzerland
- Eat paella and tapas in Spain
- Eat churros in Spain
- Eat Portuguese egg tart in Portugal
- Eat francesinha in Porto
- Eat schnitzel in Austria
- Eat halusky in Slovakia
- Eat fli in Kosovo/Albania
- Eat couscous in Tunisia
- Eat kushani in Egypt
- Eat tagine in Morocco
- Eat an Ethiopian meal
- Eat nyama choma in Kenya
- Eat succotash in Equatorial Guinea
- Eat New York Cheesecake in New York
- Eat buffalo wings in Buffalo
- Eat Kentucky Fried Chicken in Kentucky
- Eat poi in Hawaii
- Eat poutine in Montreal
- Eat maple syrup pancakes in Canada
- Eat tacos in Mexico
- Eat gallo pinto in Costa Rica
- Eat ropa vieja in Cuba
- Eat ceviche in Ecuador
- Eat pastel de choclo in Chile
- Eat feijoada in Brazil
- Eat bugs
- Eat bird’s nest
- Eat red durian
- Eat cactus
- Eat escargot
- Eat raw oysters
- Eat caviar
- Eat a century egg
- Eat sea urchin
- Eat kangaroo meat
- Eat crocodile meat
- Eat crocodile egg
- Eat herring
- Eat the stinky tofu
- Eat balut
- Eat a wormcake
- Eat black pudding
- Eat nagashi somen
- Eat the spiciest chili on earth
- Eat liquid-nitrogen ice-cream
- Eat fondue
- Dine in the dark
- Dine in the sky
- Enter a food eating contest
- Eat a molecular gastronomy dinner
- Chew betel leaf
- Chew khat
- Drink Ceylon tea in Ceylon
- Drink tea in England
- Drink kopi luwak
- Drink Absinthe
- Drink eggnog
- Drink at an ice bar
- Go to an oxygen bar
- Go tea-tasting
- Go cheese-tasting
- Go on a food tour
- Go on a ghost tour
- Crowd surf
- Smoke hookah
- Smoke a cigar
- Drink weed tea
- Drink bhang lassi
- Inhale the laughing gas
- Try the magic mushroom
- Eat space brownies
- Go to a full-moon party
- Go to a luau party
- Party on a helipad
- Party on a yacht
- Party at the Playboy Mansion
- Watch a ping pong show in Thailand
- Receive a lap dance
- Go skinny dipping
- Shower outside in a sarong
- Sunbathe topless on a crowded beach
- Go to a nude beach
- Attend a horse race
- Ride a horse
- Ride an ostrich
- Ride a camel
- Bathe an elephant
- Swim with pigs in the Bahamas
- Swim with dolphins
- Swim with whale sharks
- Swim with manta rays
- Swim with manatees
- Swim with otters
- Kiss a sea lion
- Cage dive with sharks
- Cage dive with saltwater crocodiles in Darwin
- Go whale-watching
- Go bird-watching
- Go bear-watching in Alaska
- Shear a sheep
- Milk a cow/goat
- Herd cattle
- Feed a crocodile
- Play frisbee with a dog
- Walk a St Bernard on St Bernard’s Pass
- See kangaroos in their natural habitat
- See penguins in their natural habitat
- See fireflies
- See the salmon run
- See a yak
- See an alpaca
- See komodos on Komodo Island
- See the Serengeti’s great migration
- See glowworms in New Zealand
- Visit the Giraffe Manor in Kenya
- Visit a bee farm
- Extract honey from a bee hive
- Visit the rabbit island in Japan
- Visit the cat island in Japan
- Be a panda keeper in China
- Hold a monkey/ape/chimp/orangutan
- Hold a koala
- Hold a tarantula
- Cuddle a tiger cub
- Wrap a python around my neck
- Release a bird
- Release baby turtles into the sea
- Adopt a pet dog
- Go to a pet cafe
- Go fishing
- Go deep sea fishing
- Go clam digging
- See a baobab tree
- See a giant sequoia tree
- See cherry blossoms
- Visit a lavender field
- Visit a tulip field
- Visit a poppy field
- Visit a sunflower field
- Visit a bamboo forest
- Walk through a corn maze
- Pick my own strawberries at a strawberry farm
- Pick wild blackberries
- Wade in a cranberry bog
- Stomp grapes for wine
- Tap a maple tree
- Go truffle-hunting
- Release a sky lantern
- Go on a meditation retreat
- Go on a darkness retreat
- Get ordained
- Stay in an ashram
- Stay in a Buddhist monastery
- Stay in a nunnery
- Stay in a cabin in the woods or by a lake
- Stay at a dude ranch
- Stay in an ice hotel
- Stay in a cave hotel
- Stay in an underwater hotel
- Stay on an oil rig
- Stay in an overwater bungalow
- Stay in a jjimjilbang
- Stay in a capsule hotel
- Stay in a ryokan
- Stay on a houseboat
- Sleep in a tent
- Sleep in a tree house
- Sleep in a cave
- Sleep in a salt mine
- Sleep in a teepee
- Sleep in a yurt
- Sleep in an igloo
- Sleep in a trailer
- Sleep in a castle
- Sleep in a prison cell
- Sleep in a hammock
- Sleep on straw in a barn
- Sleep in a windmill
- Work on a ship
- Work as a fruit-picker abroad
- Quit my job and be my own boss
- Start my own business
- Have my own business cards
- Learn to use chopsticks
- Learn Thai massage in Thailand
- Attend a basic survival course
- Attend an avalanche survival course
- Attend a space camp
- Learn to escape from quicksand
- Learn to throw a boomerang
- Learn to juggle
- Learn to eat fire
- Learn to dance flamenco
- Learn to waltz
- Learn to salsa
- Learn to tango in Argentina
- Learn traditional Balinese dance
- Dance bharatanatyam
- Do the Hula dance
- Join in a tribal dance
- Attend a cooking class
- Roast a turkey for Thanksgiving
- Learn to shuck an oyster
- Learn to make sushi
- Join a chocolate-making workshop
- Learn to make ice cream
- Learn to make latte art
- Learn to make pickles
- Learn to make cheese
- Make homemade jams
- Make fresh pasta
- Bake a cake
- Make bread from scratch
- Make my own pizza
- Make homemade marshmallows
- Learn fruit-carving
- Carve a pumpkin
- Learn to weave a ketupat
- Learn to weave a basket
- Make something out of clay
- Blow glass
- Learn to make candles/soap
- Create my own fragrance
- Learn to speak a new language fluently
- Take Spanish lessons in a Spanish-speaking country
- Learn sign language
- Celebrate my birthday abroad
- Wear a cheongsam
- Wear a sari and bindi
- Wear a kimono/yukata
- Wear a hanbok
- Wear a kilt
- Wear traditional Thai costume
- Wear a conical hat in Vietnam
- Wear traditional Balinese costume
- Wear a burqa in the Middle East
- Wear baju kurung in a foreign country
- Go to a fish spa
- Take a mud bath
- Get a Balinese massage in Bali
- Get a Thai massage in Thailand
- Get an Ayurvedic treatment in India
- Go to a hammam in Turkey
- Go to an onsen in Japan
- Go to a jjimjilbang in South Korea
- Get a shiatsu massage in Japan
- Go to a thermal bath in Hungary
- Go to a beer spa in Austria
- Have a sulfur bath in Georgia
- Get a Swedish massage in Sweden
- Soak in a natural hotspring
- Try a sensory deprivation tank
- Eat at a Michelin starred restaurant
- Eat at a Hard Rock Cafe
- Stay at a Hard Rock Hotel
- Go to a music festival
- Go to a drive-in movie
- See a Broadway musical
- Watch ballet
- Watch the opera
- Watch a flamenco show in Spain
- Listen to fado music in Portugal
- Watch the launch of a space shuttle
- Watch a sports match in a stadium
- Watch a muay thai match in Thailand
- Watch sumo wrestling in Japan
- Watch The Alternative Games in Wales
- Watch the Grand Prix in Monaco
- Attend the Olympics
- Attend the Merdeka Parade
- Attend a WWE match
- Watch a TED talk live
- Attend a gay parade
- Attend a wedding of a different culture
- Attend a Bon Odori festival
- Meet an internet-famous animal
- Meet a president/prime minister
- Meet the POTUS/FLOTUS
- Meet the Dalai Lama
- Meet the Queen of England
- Meet the Pope