Presenting: My Bucket List

Last updated on:

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 theย 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. Peterโ€™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 theย 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 theย 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 โ€œSound of Musicโ€ 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 inย Wrocล‚aw, 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 onย 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. Peterโ€™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)
  • Draculaโ€™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 โ€œLord of the Ringsโ€ tour in New Zealand (2005)
  • Go zorbing in New Zealand (2008)
  • Hike the Tongariro Crossing, New Zealand
  • Hike Roy's Peak in Wanaka,ย 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 worldโ€™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 inย 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 Yearโ€™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/raceย (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 someoneโ€™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 โ€œThe Amazing Raceโ€
  • 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

Join the ADB Community!
Sign up here to get exclusive travel tips, deals, and other inspiring goodies delivered to your inbox.

157 Comments on “Presenting: My Bucket List

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. […] following this dream. I have student loans and credit card debt and way too many destinations on my travel bucket list. My bank account has never become acquainted with large sums of money or hefty […]

    Wow your bucket list is amazing!!! Hope I can do all of that someday

      I hope I can, too! ๐Ÿ˜‰

    That is an impressive list ! I can help you with the poutine, you are welcome anytime in MTL !

    Ooooo the lava thing!! I need to add that to mine! Glad to see India on your list ๐Ÿ˜‰

      My list is growing all the time! In fact, I just updated it again today!

    Skydiving in the Swiss Alps! I did mine in Lauterbrunnen, and while it scared the absolute bejeezus out of me and I would never do it again, I would definitely recommend it at least once. And could you get a better scenery??

    I also did La Tomatina this year. I went with Stoke Travel as a solo traveller. Wasn’t too bad, great energy but it was my first lone journey and I definitely need to put myself out there abit more!

    I’m gonna keep this page bookmarked, and see if I can’t help you get some of these crossed off.

    Amazing compilation. Well thought out.
    But one question.. Why nothing from India? You may want to check out a few places in India too.! Not advertising my homeland :p
    I plan to go for my second backpack trip to Europe in October and i must say i am inspired by your articles.. Again the thought so much to see in such a short time!!
    Anyhow, glad i found your site. Another follower added to your list ๐Ÿ˜‰
    Cheers!

      I will eventually tackle India, I’m sure, but not just yet! (And I do have one thing in India on my list – the Taj Mahal!)

    fantastic list.
    some of them made me smile.
    some people dont plan out their life. I see you are totally a architect of your life and life journeys.
    really inspiring.
    i sure will steal some from your list. ๐Ÿ™‚
    God bless

      I like the phrase “architect of your life.” Yes, that’s exactly what I am!

    I see that you have in your bucket list to participate in an archaeological dig…well there is a very cool site discovered in 2009 and in need of volunteers in Magdala Israel. I’m currently a volunteer there and have had the opportunity to visit some pretty amazing places (Dead sea anyone?!). I found your site last year when I was looking for information about Iceland, since that time I visited a couple of places in Europe and the Caribbean, I spent three months in India, some time in Thailand and two amazing weeks in Myanmar. Certainly “The World Is a Book and Those Who Do Not Travel Read Only One Pageโ€!

      Awesome, I will definitely keep that in mind! It would be cool to visit Israel one of these days.

    Hello! I saw that you were in Romania! Also I saw your Bucket List. Putting these two together, I want to ask you a few things:

    Have you been to Bucharest? Have you seen House of the People (Romanian Parliament)? You know it is the largest office building in Europe and second in the world after the Pentagon?

    I think this is something that you can add and cross off from your Bucket List! What do you think?

    However, if you have not visited Bucharest, when you come in Romania we offer to be your guide. (team “Proud to be Romanian” – “Mandru ca sunt Roman”)

    PS: Thank you so much for the beautiful words you wrote about Romania!

      Hi Alex! Yes I have indeed been to Bucharest and saw the Parliament building – it’s so huge!!

    Hello! I just want to say that i stumbled upon your website while i was doing a search on what to pack to take to Europe for 3 months and honestly i’m so glad i found it! I just spent hours reading the blog and you have just become my hero!! I’m leaving to Spain/italy in a couple of days and your website just gave me so many ideas on where to go and what to do! not a big fan of blogs, but this one i can say just became one of my favorites ๐Ÿ™‚

      Aww thanks so much for the fantastic comment, Kathleen! I’m really glad you stumbled upon my little corner of the Internet! ๐Ÿ™‚

    This is so great! I love this list, I might use the format to make my own. So far I have done the 21 things to do before I turn 22 list/ 22 things to do before I turn 23 from Positively Present. But I love how extensive this list is, especially since you have done so much.
    Although, I am sad to see the Canada section so small. There are so many great things here in Canada. Go Spirit bear watching in the Great Bear Rainforest. Go above the arctic circle on June 21 and watch the sun never set. Have Tourtiere (much better than poutine) in Quebec during Carnaval de Quebec (also High-five Bonhomme) Beaver tails on the Rideau Canal, getting Screeched in Newfoundland, and you may never be able to swim with belugas as the temperature of the water is well below 0 (unless you’re wearing a special scuba suit) but that would be awesome. Anyway these are a few of the things that are pretty awesome to do in Canada. Thanks for the great post! Good luck completing them all!

      Yes, I definitely need to put more things in my Canada section!!

      (And, as for the beluga swimming, you can do it up in Churchill every summer!)

    wow what a great list you have there! and how awesome it is that you have been able to check off a bunch of things so far! I have a long list too, just hoping I’ll be able to cross off some! ๐Ÿ™‚ thanks for being so inspiring! and I love how you are a “normal” person and not doing a RTW trip! I get really discouraged because I read so many blogs of people who are permanently traveling and that’s just not possible at this stage in my life (probably never will be). So, thanks again! I feel so cheesy with my constant “thank you’s”, but you truly deserve it! ๐Ÿ™‚

      Aww, you’re so sweet, Jessica! Thanks! I’m constantly updating this list – but also constantly crossing things off!

As Seen On

As Seen OnAs Seen OnAs Seen OnAs Seen OnAs Seen OnAs Seen OnAs Seen OnAs Seen On