Presenting: My Bucket List

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I've always had a kind of running bucket list in my head — a list of all the things I would ideally like to do before I die. It's a long list. Probably an impossible list to actually complete, especially since my list only seems to get longer the more I travel. But it's always good to have goals and dreams, right?

So here follows my ever-growing bucket list. It may look different next week, but that's the point of a work in progress.

If you can help me out with any of the items on this list, please let me know!

The U.S.

Adventures to have

  • Visit all 50 states
  • Take a U.S. road trip (2011, 2013, 2016)
  • Do a cross-country trip by train
  • See wild grizzly bears in Alaska
  • See a Broadway play on Broadway (x3 “Phantom of the Opera,” “Wicked,” “Lion King”)
  • Get a behind-the-scenes tour of the White House
  • Climb to the crown in the Statue of Liberty
  • Ride a cable car in San Francisco (2012)
  • Go to Disney World and have fun as an adult (2016)
  • See live improv in Chicago (2011)
  • Be a geek at Harry Potter World
  • Go island hopping in Hawaii
  • Visit Roswell, NM
  • Take an air boat tour in the Everglades in Florida (x2)
  • Experience Mardi Gras in New Orleans
  • Have a Voodoo Donut in Portland (2017)
  • See the Kentucky Derby live at Churchill Downs
  • Bike across the Golden Gate Bridge in SF
  • Go to a really weird/random local festival
  • Drive the Pacific Coast Highway through California
  • Swim with manatees in Florida (2015)
  • Eat lobster in Maine
  • Go to the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta (2015)
  • Hike Angel's Landing in Zion National Park (2016)
  • See a sunset at Delicate Arch (2016)
  • Pursue a tornado with a team of storm chasers in Tornado Alley
  • Stay at a dude ranch in Montana
  • Take a helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon
  • Road trip the Florida Keys (2021)

Things to see

Canada

Adventures to have

  • Go to the Tulip Festival in Ottawa (2013)
  • Skate on the Rideau Canal in winter
  • Eat poutine in Quebec (2018)
  • Ride trains across the country
  • Hike to the Larch Valley in Banff
  • Swim with Beluga whales in Churchill, Manitoba
  • Go on an iceberg quest in Newfoundland
  • Bobsled down an Olympic track in Calgary
  • Go to the Calgary Stampede (2019)
  • Explore Montreal
  • Drive the Icefields Parkway (2015)
  • Go tidal bore rafting in Nova Scotia
  • Spot narwhals in the Canadian Arctic (2022)

Things to see

  • Niagara Falls
  • Banff National Park (2014)
  • Jasper National Park
  • Polar bears in Churchill, Manitoba (2018)
  • Dinosaur Provincial Park in Alberta
  • Moraine Lake in Banff (2015)
  • Quebec City, Quebec (2018)
  • Niagara-on-the-Lake (2014)
  • Capilano Suspension Bridge in Vancouver (2015)
  • Fogo Island
  • Hopewell Rocks in New Brunswick
  • Gros Morne National Park in Newfoundland

Mexico

Adventures to have

  • Snorkel in cenotes in Tulum
  • Spend time in a beach town in Mexico
  • Swim with whale sharks in Cancun
  • Go on a great white shark dive trip to Guadalupe Island
  • Eat my way through Oaxaca
  • Release baby sea turtles on a beach
  • Celebrate the Day of the Dead

Things to see

  • Mexico City
  • The colorful city of Guanajuato
  • Maya ruins at Tulum
  • The pink lakes
  • Flying manta rays in the Sea of Cortes

Caribbean

Adventures to have

  • Watch planes fly in over Maho Beach in Saint Maarten
  • Rent a scooter in Bermuda
  • Swim with pigs in the Bahamas
  • Hang out with flamingos in Aruba (2018)
  • Kayak the bioluminescent bay in Puerto Rico (2020)

Things to see

  • Flamenco Beach on Culebra Island in Puerto Rico (2016)
  • Old San Juan (2016)
  • The Pitons in St. Lucia

Europe

Adventures to have

  • Hike between the villages in the Cinque Terre
  • Eat pizza in Naples, Italy
  • Ride a gondola in Venice, Italy
  • Hike in the Dolomites
  • Climb to the top of the dome of St. Peter’s, The Vatican, Italy (2005, 2013)
  • Visit Calabria, where my Italian grandpa's family is from
  • Watch the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain
  • See all the Gaudi architecture in Barcelona (2015)
  • Throw tomatos La Tomatina in Valencia, Spain
  • Hike the Mont-Rebei Gorge in Spain
  • Island hop in the Azores
  • Celebrate New Year's at Hogmanay in Edinburgh, Scotland (2012/13)
  • Go to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (2012)
  • Hunt for Nessie in Scotland (2012)
  • Drive the North Coast 500 in Scotland
  • Land on the beach runway in Barra (Scotland)
  • Ride the Jacobite train through the Scottish Highlands (2015)
  • Cross the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge in Northern Ireland (2017)
  • Do a Game of Thrones tour in Northern Ireland
  • Take a Black Taxi tour in Belfast (2013, 2022)
  • Track my ancestry in Ireland
  • Stay in a castle in Ireland (2018)
  • Sleep in a library in Wales
  • Lay on a beach in Croatia for a day
  • Island hop in Croatia
  • Sail around the Greek islands
  • Sing “Sound of Music” tunes in Salzburg, Austria (2013)
  • Experience the true Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany
  • Drive on the Autobahn, Germany
  • Ride in a hot air balloon in Cappadocia, Turkey
  • Hunt vampires in Romania (2012)
  • Soak in the Blue Lagoon in Iceland (x3)
  • Drive the Ring Road in Iceland (2022)
  • Snorkel in between tectonic plates in Iceland (2015)
  • Go inside an ice cave in Iceland (2015)
  • Go on a multi-day horseback riding tour in Iceland
  • Chase the Northern Lights in Norway (2016)
  • Drive the Atlantic Road in Norway (2015)
  • Be in St. Petersburg during White Nights
  • Try a spacecake in Amsterdam (2013)
  • Visit family in Slovakia
  • Go on a river cruise
  • Go hunting for gnomes in Wrocław, Poland
  • Take a pletna boat across Lake Bled (2012, 2023)
  • Go on a road trip in Slovenia (2023)

Things to see

  • Stonehenge, England (2012 and 2015)
  • Abbey Road, London, England (2013)
  • Highclere Castle, England (where Downton Abbey was filmed)
  • All the cool sights in London (Big Ben, The Eye, London Bridge) (2012)
  • The Royal Mile in Edinbrugh, Scotland (x3)
  • Isle of Skye, Scotland (x3 – 2012, 2015, 2016)
  • Orkney Islands, Scotland
  • Heather blooming in Scotland
  • The Fairy Pools on the Isle of Skye (2016)
  • Beaches on Lewis and Harris, Scotland (2016)
  • Cliffs of Moher, Ireland (2013)
  • Harbor in Cobh, Ireland (2018)
  • Skellig Michael in Ireland
  • Dark Hedges in Northern Ireland (2017)
  • Trevi Fountain, Rome, Italy (2005)
  • Colosseum, Rome, Italy (2005)
  • St. Peter’s Basilica, The Vatican, Italy (2005)
  • The Scavi, The Vatican, Italy
  • Ruins in Pompeii, Italy (2005)
  • Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy (2013)
  • Canals in Venice (2013)
  • The villages of Cinque Terre, Italy
  • The walls of Dubrovnik, Croatia (2012)
  • Plitvice Lakes in Croatia
  • Red Square, Moscow, Russia (2016)
  • The Winter Palace in St. Petersburg (2016)
  • The fountains at Peterhof Palace in Russia
  • Remnants of the Berlin Wall (2013)
  • Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland (2013)
  • Dracula’s Castle in Romania (or what inspired it, at least) (2012)
  • Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany
  • Flower carpet in Brussels, Belgium
  • The Old Town of Prague (2013)
  • The Bone Church in the Czech Republic (2013)
  • Eiffel Tower, Paris, France (2013)
  • The Mona Lisa, The Louvre, France (2022)
  • Normandy beaches, France
  • Lavender fields in France
  • Mont-Saint-Michel in France
  • Notre Dame, Paris, France
  • Rila Monastery, Bulgaria (2012)
  • La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain (2015)
  • Plaza de Espana in Seville, Spain (2015)
  • Montserrat, Spain
  • Alhambra palaces in Granada, Spain (2015)
  • Great Mosque in Cordoba, Spain
  • Ronda, Spain
  • Tiled houses in Portugal (2019)
  • The Douro Valley, Portugal (2019)
  • The Algarve in Portugal (2023)
  • The fjords of Norway (2015)
  • Pulpit Rock in Norway
  • Lofoten Islands, Norway (2023)
  • Santorini, Greece (2013)
  • The Acropolis in Athens (2013)
  • The Faroe Islands (2017)
  • Reykjavik, Iceland
  • Stari Most bridge in Mostar
  • Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey (2012, 2019)
  • Icebergs in Greenland (2018)

Central/South America

Adventures to have

  • Dance in a Latin American salsa or tango club
  • Attend Carnival in Brazil
  • Climb some Mayan ruins (2013)
  • Get up close with sloths in Costa Rica (2013)
  • Snorkel the Belize Barrier Reef (2013)
  • Chill out on Caye Caulker, Belize (2013)
  • Go on a sailing trip in Belize
  • Relax on Little Corn Island in Nicaragua (2016)
  • Hike the W in Torres del Paine National Park
  • Relax on Little Corn Island in Nicaragua (2016)
  • Straddle the equator in Ecuador (2016)
  • Swim with marine life in the Galapagos (2023)

Things to see

  • Machu Picchu, Peru
  • Galapagos Islands, Ecuador (2023)
  • Easter Island, Chile
  • Salt flats, Bolivia
  • Glaciers in Patagonia
  • Cartagena, Colombia
  • Sugarloaf Mountain in Rio, Brazil
  • Arenal Volcano in Costa Rica (2013)
  • Bocas del Toro, Panama
  • Tikal ruins in Guatemala (2013)
  • Lake Atitlan, Guatemala
  • Antigua, Guatemala

Oceania

Adventures to have

  • Heli-hike a glacier in New Zealand
  • Go on a “Lord of the Rings” tour in New Zealand (2005)
  • Go zorbing in New Zealand (2008)
  • Hike the Tongariro Crossing, New Zealand
  • Hike Roy's Peak in Wanaka, NZ
  • Surf in Raglan, New Zealand
  • Ride the TranzAlpine train across New Zealand (2011)
  • Go on an epic NZ road trip in a campervan (2018)
  • Swim with seals in Kaikoura, NZ (2014)
  • Kayak near the Tasman Glacier in NZ
  • See a kiwi bird up close in New Zealand (2008)
  • Climb up the world’s steepest road (Baldwin Street, Dunedin, NZ, 2008)
  • Stay overnight in Doubtful Sound, NZ
  • Hike around Uluru in the Australian Outback
  • Climb the Sydney Harbor Bridge in Australia
  • Road trip around Tasmania
  • Take a helicopter ride over the Great Barrier Reef
  • Sail in the Whitsundays
  • Take a selfie with a quokka
  • Swim with manta rays at Coral Bay, WA
  • Stay in an over-water bungalow
  • Swim with humpback whales in Tonga

Things to see

  • The Great Barrier Reef, Australia
  • The beaches in the Whitsundays
  • Uluru, Australia
  • Sydney Opera House and Harbor Bridge, Australia (2008)
  • Rottnest Island in Western Australia
  • Tasmania
  • Hobbiton movie set, New Zealand (x4, 2005, 2008, 2014, and 2018)
  • Castlepoint, New Zealand (2008)
  • Lupins blooming at Lake Taupo, NZ (2014)
  • Milford Sound, New Zealand (2008 and 2014)
  • Abel Tasman National Park, NZ (2018)
  • Queenstown, NZ
  • Aitutaki Lagoon in the Cook Islands

Africa

Adventures to have

Things to see

  • The Pyramids of Giza, Cairo, Egypt (2017)
  • Victoria Falls (2016)
  • Chefchaouen, Morocco (the “Blue City”) (2019, 2023)
  • Table Mountain in South Africa (2016)
  • Beaches in Zanzibar (2019)
  • Lemurs in Madagascar
  • The deserts of Namibia (2016)
  • Wildlife in the Serengeti (2019)
  • The Okavango Delta in Botswana (2016)
  • The Big 5 (2016)
  • Rock-cut churches in Ethiopia

Asia

Adventures to have

  • Climb the Great Wall of China (2007)
  • Ride (and survive the ride) in a tuk tuk (2014)
  • Beach/island hop in Thailand (2014)
  • See the Yi Peng lantern festival near Chiang Mai
  • Volunteer at Elephant Nature Park in Thailand (2014)
  • Go diving around Koh Tao, Thailand
  • Get custom clothes made in Hoi An, Vietnam (2014)
  • Attend the Cherry Blossom festival in Japan
  • Stay in a cave in Cappadocia, Turkey
  • Go hot air ballooning in Cappadocia, Turkey
  • Volunteer with pandas in China

Things to see

  • Ephesus, Turkey (2019)
  • Travertine terraces in Pamukkale, Turkey (2019)
  • Great Wall of China (2007)
  • Forbidden City, Beijing, China (2007)
  • Live pandas in China
  • The teracotta warriors in Xi'an, China
  • Mount Everest up close
  • Angkor Wat, Cambodia (2014)
  • Halong Bay, Vietnam (2014)
  • Sapa, Vietnam
  • Taj Mahal, India
  • Temples in Bangkok, Thailand (2014)
  • Longtail boats on a Thai island (2014)
  • Pai, Thailand
  • The “White Temple” in Chiang Rai, Thailand
  • A geisha in Japan
  • The Peace Memorial in Hiroshima, Japan
  • Hemji Castle in Japan
  • The Tori Path in Kyoto, Japan
  • Snow monkeys in Japan
  • The lights show in Victoria Harbor in Hong Kong
  • Temples in Myanmar

The Middle-East

Adventures to have

  • Float in the Dead Sea
  • Pretend I'm Indiana Jones at Petra
  • Go on a desert adventure in Oman

Things to see

  • Petra, Jordan
  • Jerusalem
  • Mosques in Iran

Anywhere

Adventures to have

  • Go skydiving
  • Go bungy jumping (x4 – Taupo (2008) and Queenstown (2005, 2011, 2014), New Zealand)
  • Hike out on a glacier (Franz Josef, NZ, 2011; Alaska, 2012)
  • Ride in a hot air balloon (Monument Valley, 2011)
  • Go white water rafting
  • Ride in a helicopter (New Zealand, 2008 and 2014; Niagara Falls 2014)
  • Go kayaking
  • See an active volcano up close (I wanna see the lava!) (2022, Iceland)
  • Climb a mountain
  • Drive in a country where they drive on the opposite side of the road
  • Attend a professional sports game (football, baseball, soccer, rugby, hockey)
  • See gymnastics live at the Olympic Games (London, 2012)
  • Go jet boating
  • Go ziplining
  • Celebrate Christmas in a different country
  • Celebrate New Year’s in a different country (Ireland, 2007/8; Scotland 2012/13)
  • Go on a cruise
  • See the Red Bull Flugtag in person
  • Hang out with someone famous
  • Attend a huge parade and/or rally
  • Take part in a protest
  • Play in a marching band at a professional sporting game/match (Canada, 2006)
  • See a favorite band in concert
  • Participate in a wacky cultural event/tradition/race (Loony Dook and Color Run, 2013)
  • Eat something that looks/sounds/smells scary
  • Tour someplace haunted at night (Ottawa, 2012; Edinburgh, 2012)
  • Go horseback riding on a beach
  • Go SCUBA diving
  • Take part in an archaeological dig
  • Stomp grapes to make wine
  • Visit a nude beach (and actually go nude)
  • Dance a Latin dance with a Latin guy
  • Go skinny dipping
  • Jump off a waterfall

Things to see

  • The Northern Lights (Manitoba, 2013; Norway 2015)
  • Icebergs up close
  • A geyser explode
  • Sufi Whirling Dervishes in action (2019)

Things to Learn

  • Become fluent in a second language
  • Learn how to drive a manual car
  • Learn how to cook really well
  • Take surfing lessons (x2, in New Zealand and Florida)
  • Learn how to swing dance
  • Learn to snowboard

Personal Goals

  • Make a difference in someone’s life
  • Live abroad for at least a year
  • Fill up a passport before it expires (2012)
  • Visit all 7 continents
  • Witness a historical event in person
  • Take Mom to see Paul McCartney in concert (August 2010)
  • Try my hand at being a tour guide
  • Volunteer
  • Host an exchange student
  • Connect with someone from another culture even if we speak different languages
  • Go barefoot for a week
  • Read an entire book in a day
  • Say yes to everything for a week
  • Get a tattoo
  • Have a fling
  • Fall in love
  • Find a job that I love

Professional Goals

  • Have a photo published in a magazine
  • Have a story published in a travel magazine or book
  • Have my own website
  • Make money off said website (working on it!)
  • Write a travel book
  • Be on “The Amazing Race”
  • Be in a movie

Are any of these things on your bucket list? Have you done any/can you recommend any of the things on my list?

 

"It's a dangerous business, going out your door. You step onto the road, and, if you don't keep your feet, there's no telling where you might get swept off to." - JRR Tolkien

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157 Comments on “Presenting: My Bucket List

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  1. what a great list! stonehenge is pretty amazing but there are some other really good places to visit in the UK. i need to add some of yous to mine, so imaginative!

      Thanks! There are, of course, lots of other places in the UK that I also want to see. But Stonehenge is kind of that iconic one that I know I can’t miss!

    lol just randomly found your site while googling for sweet cliffs in new zealand [im looking for the best one to camp out on as part of my bucket list, which im blogging as a poor person on wordpress haha]
    just wanted to say i think this site is pretty sweet, you’ve done a lot of shit ! your bucket list it a lot more detailed than mine. i just wrote 100 things on it. no special categories or anything haha.

    I love this list. I don’t have a bucket list when it comes to travel, but when I moved to Spain I did a list of five countries I wanted to visit before going home: Germany, Portugal, Ireland, Holland and Morocco. In my first year alone, I did every one but Holland, and I keep adding a new place to the list as I cross one off.

    And I LOVE your inclusion at watching a historical event take place. I love the Spanish football team, so rooting them on last summer during the world cup was great, but hearing the Spanish national anthem play as they beat Holland along with 5,000 other Spaniards in La coruña made the tears flow! It’s truly amzing to be outside of what you’re used to and get a feeling that you know that this very moment will be forever etched into your conscious, as well as the world’s. Good luck!

      Thank you, Cat! I like lists, and I especially like lists that inspire me to go out and do things! I have a feeling I may never complete this one (as I’m sure it will only continue growing as I cross things off), but that’s okay. It’s fun to even just dream about some of these things.

      I can only imagine how awesome it must have been to be in Spain last year during the World Cup!

    Fantastic post. I would love to do something like this, but with kids, its hard to find the time to complete a bucket list. Maybe i will have to wait until they have grown up before i can complete my list. However i also have a long list of things to do in my bucket list.

    I like the way you have chosen things to do and see in certain countries and split them in to country order.

    I hope you manage to complete the list, especially being in a movie (and you can’t cheap by choosing a home movie).

    Good luck!

      You shouldn’t let a family or kids keep you from trying to complete your own bucket list! I know plenty of families (with young kids, too) who travel the world together.

    You do know why there are a lot more suicides around New Year, right? Because people make lists and can’t keep up, so they get depressed. But i guess for a list of things to do before you die you don’t have to worry about that 🙂
    And you do have high goals, at least in my opinion. My list is ten times shorter.

      I know my list is long. But dreaming about some of these things is half the fun!

    That is a fascinating bucket list. If you happen to be in Western Canada in any summer, swing by Calgary, Alberta and there’s an excellent chance we can get you to a mountain summit. There are a whole range of possibilities nearby and we’ll find one that will match your needs. I like your blog. Came to me by email as a recommendation from Stumble Upon.

      Hi Barry. I’m glad you “stumbled” upon my blog! And I would love to climb a mountain in Calgary. Though, it would have to be a little one – I don’t think I’m ready for anything huge and scary!

    I always enjoy a good bucket list and you have some great goals in there. I’m especially impressed with your goal of seeing Earth from space. I also learned something today – I had never heard of the Red Bull Flugtag but it sounds completely awesome. Think I’m going to steal it and add to mine 🙂

      Hi Mike! Thanks for checking out my bucket list! I know I have plenty on here that I probably won’t ever get the opportunity to do (such as going into space), but that’s kind of the point of a bucket list, right? If you actually crossed everything off, what would you have to work toward??

      And feel free to steal anything off my list! I think the Red Bull Flugtag would be so much fun to see! Hopefully that’s one of the things I’m actually able to cross off someday.

    I think you can cross >> Make money off said website from the list 🙂

      Haha, yes, I suppose I can! Though, I really meant the sort of money I can live off of… And I’m certainly not there yet!

    Here is a great place to create, manage and share your bucket list. You can also get some interesting ideas to put on your bucket list from others.

    Check it out.

    http://www.sharebuckets.com

    Swing through Chicago on your U.S. road trip and you can check off a bunch of these: sky diving, kayaking, Red Bull Flugtag, pro soccer or hockey game, hang out with someone famous (we’re turning into quite the celeb destination lately), attend a huge parade and even stomp grapes to make wine!

      I’m definitely planning to hit up Chicago at least once this year — maybe even twice! I’ll have to keep my eye on this year’s Red Bull Flugtag… that’s one random thing I really want to see in person!

    Wow now THAT is a list, rock on girl, you can do it!!!!!!!!!!!!

      Thanks, Andi! And yes, my list is scary and big… but I don’t half-ass things, not even my bucket list! I hope to cross off a lot of the US stuff in the coming year!

    My bucket list keep changing. But seeing the northern lights and discovering a new species are consistently pretty up there 🙂

    Nice list you got there and it’s cool you got most of them crossed out already!

      Discovering a new species? That’s a pretty unique bucket list item! Good luck with it!

    If you make it to Las Vegas, let me know. I call Sin City home, and the Strip is just a short drive away from my living room. Would love to show you some of my favorite sites.

      Awesome! I will definitely keep you in mind if I find myself in Vegas!

    Wow! What an extensive list! I think I’m going to have to borrow a few of your points and add them to my bucket list too!

      Borrow away! It’s an ambitious list, I know… but that’s kind of the point, right?

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