250 Bucket List Ideas: Incredible Things To Do Before You Die (2024)

If you don’t have a bucket list, I highly recommend you create one!

Simply put a bucket list is a series of things to do before you die. It’s not meant to be doom and gloom, but rather a collection of unique ideas you’d like to accomplish in your life.

Creating a good bucket list is really important, no matter how old you are. It helps you decide what you want out of life and motivates you to achieve your dreams.

If you need a little help getting started, a literal kick up the bum before kicking the bucket, here are 250 cool bucket list ideas you should add to your list.

Travel Bucket List Ideas

It makes sense that some of the most common bucket list items are travel related. Travelling gest us to leave our comfort zone and discover a world beyond our own. So many places, so little time!

1. Go on an African Wildlife Safari
2. Ride in a gondola in Venice
3. Kiss under the Eiffel Tower
4. Hunt the Northern Lights
5. Kiss the Blarney Stone in Cork
6. Fly in a hot air balloon over Cappadocia
7. Stand in the Sistine Chapel
8. Visit Chichén Itzá, a complex of Mayan ruins on Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula
9. See the tulips in Holland in full bloom
10. Scuba dive into an underwater cellar in Croatia
11. Walk across the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco
12. Have a cigar in Havana, Cuba
13. Road trip across the United States
14. Bathe in the Blue Lagoon in Iceland
15. See Christ The Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
16. Explore the Colosseum in Rome
17. Shop up a storm in Milan
18. Visit the red dunes of Namibia’s Sossusvlei
19. Visit the Mona Lisa in The Louvre
20. Walk through the Ruins of Petra in Jordan
21. Visit the Palace of Versailles in France
22. Take a boat trip down the Danube River in Budapest
23. Take a boat trip down The Nile River
24. Spend the night on a houseboat in Kerala, India
25. See Dracula’s Castle in Romania
26. Visit The Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt
    
27. Party the night away in Ibiza
28. Catch a Broadway Show in New York
29. Explore the lavender fields of Provence
30. Visit the annual Oktoberfest in Munich
31. Raft The Grand Canyon
32. Have breakfast on The Great Wall of China
33. Explore the Taj Mahal in Uttar Pradesh, India
34. Watch the sunset in Santorini, Greece
35. Sail around the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador
36. Visit New York during Fashion Week
37. Go Island hopping around Greece
38. Explore Patagonia’s glaciers from either Argentina or Chile
39. Go stand-up paddle boarding in Amsterdam’s canals
40. Explore a winery in every state
41. Sail to The Statue of Liberty
42. Sleep in a traditional hanok in Jeonju, Korea
43. Visit Ayres Rock in Australia
44. Take a photo in front of the Hollywood sign
45. Explore Bolivia’s Salt Flats
46. Camp out in the Australian Outback
47. Visit the Acropolis of Athens
48. See the religious Angkor Wat in Cambodia
49. Explore the Hagia Sophia, the world’s most prominent Byzantine structure
50. See a show at The Sydney Opera House
51. Visit the holy Wailing Wall in Jerusalem
52. Go sailing in Halong Bay, Northern Vietnam
53. Discover the tiles of Porto
54. Roll the dice in a Las Vegas Casino
55. Travel back in time on Easter Island
56. Explore the sheer scale of Iguasso Falls
57. Visit The White House
58. Soak up the spirit of New Orleans Mardi Gras Festival
59. Ride on a red bus in London
60. Spend St Patrick’s Day in Dublin
61. Watch the Tour de France roadside
62. Drink rose all day in Provence, France
63. Explore the fjords in Norway
64. Feel the mist of the Niagara Falls
65. Visit the world’s largest castle in Krakow, Poland
66. Dance under the cherry blossoms in Kyoto, Japan
67. See a show on London’s West End
68. Visit the Tonle Sap floating villages in Cambodia
69. See the sunrise at Shwedagon pagoda, Myanmar
70. Visit Buckingham Palace and see the Changing of the Guard
71. Chill out at the lovely beaches in Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam
72. Visit the locations in New Zealand that brought The Lord of The Rings to life
73. Drink gluhwein at a Bavarian Christmas Market
74. Watch the whirling dervishes in Istanbul

Adventure Bucket List Ideas

These bucket list items aren’t for the faint-hearted. The rarest to find and the toughest to achieve, life-changing adventures await those who are daring enough.

1. Sleep at Everest Base Camp
2. Go Gorilla Trekking in Uganda
3. Swim With pigs in Exuma, Bahamas
4. Swim with Manta Rays in the Maldives
5. Hike Machu Picchu
6. Walk The Camino De Santiago
7. Swim in each of the four major oceans
8. Go mushing in the arctic
9. Swim inside cenotes in Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico
10. Hike through the Himalayas
11. Dive at The Great Barrier Reef
12. Float in the Red Sea
13. Ride horses on the beach in Andalusia
14. Go skinny dipping at night
15. Snorkel between tectonic plates in Iceland
16. Hike through Chile’s barren Atacama Desert
17. Catch a wave surfing
18. Go whale watching in Hermanus, South Africa
19. Take a submarine down to the real Titanic
20. Air boat across an alligator infested swamp
21. Go camel riding into the Moroccan Desert
22. Ride a mechanical bull
23. Dive for your own diamond in South Africa
24. Travel through the Amazon Rainforest
25. Climb Kilimanjaro, the tallest free standing mountain
26. Hike a part of the Appalachian Trail
27. Go horseback riding with the Argentine Gauchos
28. Ride on a motorcycle at peak hour in Bangkok
29. Swim in one of America’s Great Lakes
30. Abseil down a waterfall
31. Watch the Serengeti Migration in a hot air balloon
32. Go river rafting beneath the Victoria Falls
33. Great White Cage Diving in South Africa
34. Go bungee jumping

Nature and Wildlife Bucket List Ideas

It is often in moments when we are free and uninhibited – out in nature or standing before a living, breathing wild animal – that we feel time stands still and life is most exquisite.

1. Swim with Whale Sharks off the coast of Mozambique
2. Climb a volcano
3. Watch the sun rise and set in one day
4. Chase a Tornado
5. Ride an ostrich
6. Walk on a volcanic black sand beach
7. Hug a koala bear
8. Make a snowman
9. Take a selfie with a lemur in Madagascar
10. Hug a baby panda in Chengdu
11. Swim with whale sharks in Donsol, Philippines
12. Release baby turtles back into the ocean
13. Witness a solar eclipse
14. Take a falconry class
15. Listen to a coral reef growing
16. Experience the salmon run
17. Sleep inside an igloo
18. See Tarsier monkeys in Bohol, Philippines
19. Stand underneath a waterfall
20. Watch a caterpillar turn into a butterfly
21. See the Big Five In Africa
22. Visit the African Penguins in Cape Town
23. Meet Ecuador’s sea lions

Sports Bucket List Ideas

These bucket list items are for the real fans. Those who want to be a part of the game, to live the action, absorb the atmosphere and taste blood, sweat and tears.

1. Play golf on the old course at St Andrews, Scotland
2. Watch a NASCAR race
3. Watch the boat race between Oxford and Cambridge University
4. Go to the Superbowl
5. Watch a football game at London’s Wembley Stadium
6. Attend the Olympics
7. Run a marathon (or a half)
8. Get an athletes autograph
9. Watch a baseball game at a classic stadium
10. Attend a World Cup Football game
11. Eat strawberries and cream at Wimbledon
12. Go to a PGA event tour
13. Watch the Monaco Grand Prix from a boat in the harbour
14. Learn how to play chess
15. Sink a hole in one
16. Experience polo at Palermo
17. Don a fancy hat for the Kentucky Derby
18. Get tickets to the Daytona 500
19. Dive (or jump) off a 10m diving board
20. Go snow skiing in The Alps
21. Swim across The English Channel

Foodie Bucket List Ideas

Food is at the centre of our universe; it is one of life’s greatest pleasures and we create many memories around it. Not to mention, the best way to explore the culture of a country is through its belly.

1. Eat pho in Vietnam
2. Partake in the annual Valencia Tomato Festival
3. Indulge in a quintessentially British Afternoon Tea
4. Try Murtabak in Malaysia
5. Eat breakfast, lunch and dinner in three different countries
6. Bottle your own jam and sell it
7. Savour the best gelato in Italy
8. Learn to use chopsticks
9. Eat Pad Thai noodles in Thailand
10. Order one of everything off the menu
11. Have starters, mains and dessert at three different restaurants
12. Create your own signature dish
13. Enjoy fish and chips in Hastings, England
14. Try a juice cleanse
15. Try some roast goat with the Maasai in Kenya
16. Get fresh honey from a beehive
17. Eat a croissant in Paris
18. Catch and fillet a fish
19. Try molecular gastronomy
20. Make your own sushi
21. Eat Indian food by hand
22. Thank a waiter with a 100% tip
23. Enter a food eating contest
24. Bake for a cake sale
25. Eat waffles in Brussels, Belgium
26. Create your own latte art
27. Learn how to cook a traditional dish using authentic ingredients
28. Go vegetarian for a month
29. Savour dinner at a Michelin Starred restaurant
30. Start a herb garden
31. Eat at a restaurant on your own
32. Hunt for truffles with a dog
33. Toss pizza dough in the air
34. Shuck your own oysters

Luxury Bucket List Ideas

Luxury comes in various shapes and sizes, and sometimes these ideas can seem near impossible. But in reality, many of them you can achieve – if you just set your mind to it.

1. Order room service
2. Eat at a Three-Michelin star restaurant
3. Charter a yacht
4. Find the dream job
5. Pay off someone else’s debt
6. Flip a house
7. Start your own scholarship fund
8. Own a successful business
9. Drink a £500 bottle of Champagne
10. Make a piece of jewellery
11. Create a bespoke suit
12. Become a self-made millionaire
13. Fly in a private jet
14. Rent a private island
15. Hire a personal shopper
16. Give back to charity

Relationship Bucket List Ideas

The ultimate relationship bucket list is not just aimed at romantic things to do. It includes working on all relationships in your life – including the one with yourself.

1. Attend a high school reunion
2. Go on a blind date
3. Fall in love
4. Get married
5. Play matchmaker and set a couple up
6. Compliment a stranger
7. Stay up talking until the sun rises
8. Go on a family vacation
9. Become a Godparent
10. Tell someone you love them
11. Create a family tree
12. Be a Bridesmaid / Groomsman
13. Go on a double date
14. Be a Maid of Honour / Best Man
15. Organise a family reunion

Creative Bucket List Ideas

These cool bucket list ideas are a great way to encourage you to tap into those creative juices or to try something new.

1. Learn to sew
2. Publish a piece of work
3. Understand the art of origami
4. Learn a new language
5. Make your own personalised stationery
6. Attend a live music concert
7. Create your own business cards
8. Learn how to play an instrument
9. Read the (entire) book before watching the movie
10. Purchase a piece of artwork
11. Attend a poetry reading workshop
12. Take up knitting or crocheting
13. Meet your favourite musician in person
14. Create your own website
15. Get dressed up and attend the Opera
16. Blow your own glass
17. Create your own flower arrangements
18. Try your hand at calligraphy
19. Make a candle
20. Finish a classic novel
21. Create your own greetings cards

Wellness Bucket List Ideas

Setting goals for personal wellness is key to healthy living. After all none of us would eat leaves or go running – if we didn’t care about our wellbeing.

1. Stretch for five minutes when you wake up every morning
2. Avoid processed foods
3. Wear sunscreen
4. Relax with a spa getaway
5. Visit your doctor annually for a check-up
6. Aim for 8 hours of sleep every night
7. Eat a balanced diet
8. Find an exercise type you like and stick to it
9. Make time for yourself everyday
10. Meditate!
11. Spend time with people that uplift you
12. Take time to appreciate nature
13. Find something to laugh about each day

A bucket list is a great way to give your goals a life – and actually achieve them. So no more excuses, get out there and start ticking off your list!

Written by Kimberleigh Tessendorf

Tom Emerson

Tom’s travel writings are a testament to his insatiable curiosity and love for the road less traveled. Eschewing the typical tourist spots, Tom has built a reputation for uncovering hidden gems known only to locals.

From secluded mountain villages in the Himalayas to untouched beaches in the South Pacific, his adventures have taken him to the world’s most undiscovered corners.