Popular Bucket List Items
These days most people know what a “bucket list” is, even if they have not taken the time to sit down and write one out for themselves. A bucket list is a numbered list of everything you have ever wanted to see, do, or accomplish in your lifetime…and the idea is that you take an active approach to crossing every item off your list while you still have time.
For some people, this list is a reminder to live each day to the fullest. For others, it is a way to grapple with terminal illness or the recent death of a loved one. There is no right or wrong way to make one, but it can be overwhelming to sit down and put all your hopes and dreams onto paper. These popular bucket list items crop up time and time again – and for good reason. For many of us, these milestones and activities represent the chance of a lifetime.
Feel free to pick and choose from these options (or any others that occur to you) or to go in a different direction. Nothing is too big or too small when it comes to living life the way you want.
- See the Northern Lights
- Watch More Sunrises
- Run a Marathon/do a Triathlon
- Go Skydiving
- Hike the Appalachian Trail or the Pacific Crest Trail
- Go on a Safari
- Visit the Australian Outback
- Move to a Foreign Country
- See the Great Pyramids
- Travel to Every Continent
- Write Your Memoirs
- Write a Novel
- Visit the Current Seven Wonders of the World (Great Wall of China, Christ the Redeemer Statue, Machu Picchu, Chichen Itza, Roman Colosseum, Taj Mahal, and Petra)
- Snorkel
- Adopt a Dog or Cat
- Learn a Second Language
- Drive Route 66
- Visit all 50 States
- Go on a Cruise
- Climb a Mountain
- Live by the Ocean
- Play a Sport
- Learn to Play a Musical Instrument
- Read a List of Literary Classics
- Learn to Knit or Sew Your Own Clothes
- Earn a College Degree
- Research Your Genealogy
- Take up Gourmet Cooking
- Ride in a Hot Air Balloon
- Invent an App
- Take up Meditation
- Take up Yoga
- Journal and/or Scrapbook
- Volunteer for a Local Charity
- Embark on a New Career
- Mend Damaged Relationships
- Look up Long Lost Friends
- Create a New Family Tradition
- Join a Book Club
- Watch More Sunsets
- Pre-Plan Your Funeral
Remember, too, that income does not have to dictate how full your life is. Although the big travel plans and high-adrenaline adventures typically require that you have some money saved up, many of these goals take only your time, your ambition, and your heart.