Do you remember when Will Smith took us on a journey of accomplishing his bucket list ideas once he turned 50? Wasn’t it cool to watch and see how much fun he was having?
Will Smith was brave and adventurous as he traveled the globe to jump out of airplanes, swim with sharks, run a half-marathon in Cuba, and much more. He even dragged his wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith, along for the ride.
That’s how a bucket list should be. Full of fun, and adventures, while hitting milestones and facing your fears head-on before you die.
Do you want to make an exciting and unique bucket list of ideas to do before you die, as Will Smith did?
I think it’s safe to say that you do since you landed on this page. And I’m glad you are here because you are in luck.
In this post, I have collected over 175 incredible bucket list ideas about travel, life, adventure, and everything in between.
This post contains affiliate links to the products that I use and recommend. If you click on any of the links and make a purchase, then I may earn a small commission. For more info, click my full disclosure.
Are you a fan of lists? I know I love lists of all kinds. A bucket list, however, is at the top of the best lists I love. If you are a fan of lists, you will love creating a unique bucket list.
Since it’s the start of the New Year 2023, it’s the perfect time to make your bucket list of things to strive towards.
What is a bucket list?
So let me give you a brief rundown of what a bucket list is. A bucket list is similar to goals. For instance, it’s become very popular to set goals or make resolutions of what you want to achieve in the New Year.
Therefore, a bucket list is a long list of things you want to accomplish in your lifetime.
These include accomplishing your dreams, hitting your goals, traveling, facing your fears, and having the thrills of a lifetime.
Things you’ve been wanting to do or were a passing thought but never quite got around to doing it.
Why make a bucket list?
Haven’t you heard that writing things down will help you see things clearer and help them come to fruition. Writing down your ideas, wants, and dreams is always a good idea.
Speak it! And WRITE it into existence!
Once it’s written on paper, it’s easier to fulfill some of those dreams because you have something you can see. It makes it more REAL.
These incredible ideas need to be put on paper so that they won’t just evaporate into space.
Plus, having a bucket list will get you out of your comfort zone.
Why do I love bucket lists?
Anyhow, there are many things that I would love to accomplish. Some I have completed, and others I have yet to do.
Specifically, I love to travel. As you may know, since you landed on my travel blog. But I love traveling and writing down a travel bucket list of places to go and experiences to have is important to me.
It gives me inspiration the more I see my bucket list. Plus it challenges me in ways I couldn’t have imagined.
In addition, the adventure bucket list I created, kind of goes hand in hand with the travel list. Especially since I tend to be more adventurous in other countries. LOL.
How to make a bucket list?
In retrospect, there’s no one way to make a bucket list. Everyone is different and has various ideas about what they want to complete.
However, here are some examples of how to create a bucket list.
First, one way to start constructing a bucket list is by setting milestones. Some people have bucket lists of things to achieve by the time they are 20, 30, 40, or 50 years old.
Next, there’s the bucket list of ideas you’ll like to achieve before you die. Including all the activities you would like to do within your life without a specific timeline.
This can include fun, exciting, business, adventure, family, and educational things to do.
Lastly, but not all-inclusive, you could create a bucket list by the season: Things you would like to do in the Spring, Summer, Winter, and Fall.
For example, I would like to visit New York City during Christmas to see all the beautiful Christmas lights and shows, just like I did in London.
Personalize your bucket list
Next, feel free to go through my bucket list ideas, steal my ideas, pick out the ones that you would like to do, and add them to your list.
By no means is it meant for you to do all the things on this list I prepared.
It’s here for you to get some ideas from and help you get your creative juices flowing in your head.
But let me tell you. There are some exciting and unique bucket list ideas in this post.
Don’t take the bucket list too seriously or stress yourself.
You do not….I repeat, you do not have to rush into checking items off your bucket list. You can check things off your list gradually.
If you have 200 or 1,000 items on your bucket list ideas, then maybe prioritize what you would like to do each year.
Pick a few things or 10 for each year to achieve and keep going from there. You can set little milestones for yourself to achieve. And it’s okay if you don’t fulfill them all.
This list isn’t about making things more complicated for you. I know life is already a struggle. TRUST!
However, it’s about “having something to look forward to” versus the same old daily dry routine. No offense.
Have fun
Finally, I want to inspire you to go out and live your best life! Have fun, be creative, and there are no limits to what you can achieve!
Now let’s get to the best bucket list ideas for travel, adventure, food, and life!
Travel Bucket List Ideas
1. Glamping on Mars AKA Wadi Rum
2. Walk around the lost City of Petra, Jordan
3. Visit the Blue City in Chefchaouen, Morocco
4. See Penguins in Antarctica
5. Run through Lavender fields in Valensole, France
6. Enjoy Hot Springs in Budapest
7. Take a drive down the Amalfi Coast
8. Swim in Cenote Suytun Yucatan, Mexico
9. See the 7 wonders of the world
10. See the Grand Canyon
11. Take a Nile River cruise in Egypt
12. Take a helicopter ride in NYC
13. Walk across the Golden Gate Bridge
14. See the Changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace
15. Take a dip at Turtle Paradise in Zanzibar
16. See the Pink Flamingos in Aruba
17. Lounge on a Black Sand Beach
18. Tour a historic Cathedral
19. Visit an Egyptian Tomb
20. Watch them make beautiful carpets in Turkey
21. Visit a Bazaar in the Middle East
22. Take a picture with the Hollywood Sign
23. See the Leaning Tower of Pisa
24. Visit a Castle in Europe
25. Ride a Gondola in Venice
26. See a flamenco show in Barcelona
27. Watch the sunset in Santorini
28. Go inside the Great Pyramid of Egypt
29. Climb the Duomo in Florence
30. Run up the Spanish steps in Rome
31. Observe views at the top of the Burj Khalifa
32. Visit the Louvre Museum
33. Take a picture with the “Mona Lisa”
34. Climb up the Acropolis of Athens hill
35. Fly First Class
36. Go to the top of the Eiffel Tower
37. Cruise the Atlantic Ocean
38. Stay in Al Bustan Palace Ritz Carlton Muscat Oman
45. Take a dip in “All the Oceans”
46. Take a hike down Jurassic Coast
47. Visit the Taj Mahal
48. Tour the Catacombs in Rome
49. Dance in Carnival de Barranquilla in Colombia
50. Swim in the Blue Lagoon, Iceland
51. Smoke a cigar in Cuba
52. Pet the llamas in Peru
Food Bucket List ideas
1. Try the “floating” breakfast in Thailand
2. Eat Mexican Street Food
3. Try Turkish Coffee in Cappadocia
4. Eat snail soup in Morocco
5. Make your own pasta
6. Eat pizza in Rome
7. Eat gyros in Greece
8. Try octopus
9. Eat camel burger in Jamaica
10. Try exotic foods at a food market in Oman or anywhere
11. Eat Chicken Tava in Turkey
12. Drink from a coconut on the beach
13. Eat Chicken Tagine in Morocco
14. Go without meat for a week
15. Eat food from a food truck
16. Eat pho in Vietnam
17. Eat a delicacy dish
18. Take a food tour in Rome
19. Cook your own food in a restaurant
20. Drink wine in a Vineyard
21. Eat macaroons in Paris
22. Eat at an authentic African restaurant
23. Try at least 1 new restaurant a month in your city
24. Eat something you would never think you’d try
25. Have dinner in the sky
Adventure bucket list ideas
1. Hike in Atlas Mountains, Morocco
2. Swim with whale sharks in Los Cabos, Mexico
3. Ride dune buggies in the Sinai Desert
4. Visit an active volcano (Iceland)
5. Go ziplining
6. Ride in a hot Air Balloon over the Valley of the Kings
7. Bathe in Pacaya natural reserve
8. Experience the Drake Passage in Antarctica
9. Scuba diving in the Red Sea
10. Sandboarding in the Desert
11. Ride horses in the Ocean
12. Partake in an Active volcano mud bath
13. Take a clear glass boat ride in Thailand
14. Bamboo rafting in Jamaica
15. Go Gorilla trekking in Rwanda
16. Take a Beer bath in Prague
17. Visit Monkey Beach, Thailand
18. Go kayaking in a clear boat
19. Jump in the Devil’s Pool Victoria Falls (Sub-Saharan Africa)
20. Stay in an Igloo hotel (Finland)
21. Go down the Rainbow Slide in El Salvador
22. Stay in a cave hotel
23. Take a road trip across America
24. Smoke Hookah/Shisha in the Sahara Desert
25. Take an alligator swamp tour
26. Hike Vinicunca mountain aka rainbow mountain
27. Stay at Giraffe Manor in Kenya
28. Go Zip biking in Albania
29. Backpack through Europe
30. See the Big Five in Africa
31. Ride camels in the desert
32. Road Trip to different countries in Europe
33. Deep Dive in Dubai’s deepest pool in the world
34. Go down Rainbow Slide in El Salvador
35. Go off-roading
36. Go skiing in Colorado
37. Chase waterfalls around the world
38. Basket Boat Ride in Vietnam
39. Skydiving
40. Drive through the “Valley of Fire”
41. Drink whiskey in Scotland
42. Float in the Dead Sea
43. Have a Hamman massage
44. Go rock climbing
45. Try Glamping
46. 4 x 4’s in the desert
47. Soar in the sky on the Bali Swing
48. Bathe under a waterfall
49. Hike Machu Picchu
50. Cross the Amazon River
Life bucket list ideas
1. Write a book
2. Start a business
3. Attend the opera
4. Sing Karaoke in a bar
5. Take a “gap year” and travel
6. Record a song
7. Dance on stage
8. Get a tattoo
9. Work or study abroad
10. Attend New York Fashion Week
11. Call your family often
12. Get a new piercing
13. Get a pet
14. See a live musical on Broadway
15. Move to a different country for a year
16. Attend a Carnival in the Caribbean
17. Start a Podcast
18. Go to a professional football/basketball game
19. Volunteer at a soup kitchen
20. Foster a child
21. Take a staycation
22. Celebrate the New Year in London
23. Go to a “speakeasy bar”
24. Attend a comedy show
25. Attend an awards show
26. Attend a Mardi Gras Ball
27. Ride on a Mardi Gras float in New Orleans
28. Go shopping on Rodeo Drive
Helping Others Bucket List Ideas
1. Become a mentor
2. Give away your old clothes to a shelter
3. Host a “local event”
4. Pet sit
5. House sit
6. Rent out your car for a day
7. Bake cupcakes and give them to coworkers
8. Have a potluck at home with friends
9. Host a game night with family and/or friends
10. Pick up the tab for someone else’s dinner
11. Take in a foreign Exchange student
12. Make an investment in someone you know
13. Give people their flowers now
New skills Bucket List Ideas
1. DIY deodorant
2. Do a podcast interview
3. Learn a new language
4. Learn how to swim
5. Guest host on a podcast
6. Make your own soap
7. Learn how to Surf
8. Take up a new sport/hobby
9. Take a “Twerking class”
10. Learn to play a musical instrument
11. Take a pole dancing class
Health Bucket List Ideas
1. Have a spa day
2. Try “Goat” Yoga
3. Take a cold shower
4. Drink more water
5. Wear a face mask weekly
6. Run a half or full marathon
7. Meditate
8. Start journaling
9. “UNPLUG” from social media for a week
10. Read a new book every month
11. Grow herbs at home
12. Walk in nature
13. Plant a tree
14. Start a vegetable garden
Now that you’ve seen all the best bucket list ideas, it’s time to start creating your own. I would love to see what items you tick off your bucket list this year.
Let me know in the comments below. Happy Challenging!
