500 Best Bucket List Ideas to Make Your Dreams Come True

Forget the routine of everyday life! Have you ever asked yourself what you really long for in life? We all have our own desires, dreams and wishes. Some are bigger, some smaller. For some all you need is to buy a train ticket, others will take diligence, training or sacrifice.

But those dreams will not become reality until you write them down. In this article we will look at what a bucket list is, the reasons why and how you can create your own, and there are also 500 epic ideas you can put on your bucket list.

What is a bucket list?

A bucket list is a list of everything you would like to experience, do, see or achieve before you die. The term comes from the English expression “kick the bucket”, a euphemism for dying.

So by creating your own bucket list you identify your dreams and your goals in life. A bucket list can contain anything from travel goals, personal visions, learning and career achievements to adrenaline experiences. A bucket list is simply a map and a motivation for making your dreams come true.

The Czech meaning and translation of bucket list

In Czech a bucket list can be translated as:

• A list of wishes
• A list of dreams
• The things we want to achieve in life
• The goals I want to tick off
• The experiences I have to live through
• Life goals

For fun: I once came across this phrase on an AI-translated page: a list of buckets 😀

Why create a bucket list?

If you really want to make your wishes come true, simply writing them down raises your chances of success by a third! People are generally 33 % more successful at reaching their goals when they write them down or share them with the people around them.

On top of that you will finally have the right motivation for creating amazing experiences and memories! At the end of their lives people generally regret what they did not do or never got round to. So this is the ideal step towards a fulfilled life.

How to create a bucket list?

Grab a piece of paper, open Excel, your notes app or anything else you want to write your list in.

1. Think it over – what matters to you in life? Which experiences, places and skills will bring you joy?
2. Write down everything that comes to mind – Note down everything you would ever like to do, however bold or seemingly out of reach it may be. The aim is to build the widest possible list of options.
3. Organise your list – Once your list is rich enough, you can start organising it. Split your goals into categories such as travel, personal growth, career, education and so on. That will help you get your priorities clear.
4. Keep the list up to date – Your bucket list should be a living document that evolves along with you and with your changing interests and priorities. Don’t be afraid to add new goals or remove the ones that are no longer relevant to you.

Travel bucket list ideas

1. Visit every continent
2. See the northern lights
3. Drive Route 66
4. Swim with dolphins
5. Visit all 7 wonders of the world
6. Go on safari
7. Visit Antarctica
8. Go whale watching
9. Walk the Camino de Santiago
10. Watch the sunset over the Grand Canyon
11. See surfers riding the giant waves at Nazaré
12. Walk along the Great Wall of China
13. Complete the Pacific Crest Trail
14. Visit Machu Picchu
15. Hike the GR 221 on Mallorca
16. Visit the Egyptian pyramids
17. Take part in the Holi festival in India
18. Spend a night in the desert
19. Travel to the southern hemisphere
20. Visit an ice cave
21. See penguins in the wild
22. See polar bears
23. Visit Alaska
24. Drive through every national park in the USA
25. Tackle the via ferratas in the Dolomites
26. Climb the highest peak of every Czech mountain range
27. Visit 50 Czech lookout towers
28. Visit every Czech chateau
29. Climb a volcano
30. See a solar eclipse
31. Visit the sequoias
32. Sleep in an igloo
33. Sleep in a yurt
34. Try glamping
35. Visit the Le Mans circuit
36. Set off for the Himalayas
37. See the Great Barrier Reef
38. Walk on a glacier
39. Visit the dinosaur footprints in Bolivia (near Sucre)
40. See a singing fountain
41. Spend a night on a houseboat
42. Fly first class
43. Visit a lighthouse
44. Visit indigenous people in the rainforest or another native tribe
45. Spend a night in an ice hotel
46. Ride the Orient Express
47. The Trans-Siberian Railway
48. See pink dolphins
49. Visit the vast underground river near Puerto Princesa in the Philippines
50. Go and work abroad
51. See the tulips in the Netherlands

Adventure bucket list ideas

1. Try canyoning
2. Abseil down a waterfall at least 50 metres high
3. Fly in a seaplane
4. Drive a dog sled
5. Cycle the Bolivian Death Road
6. Try the longest zipline in the world
7. Try a cave via ferrata in the Moravian Karst
8. Try caving
9. Learn a somersault on a trampoline
10. Learn to swallow fire
11. Try flyboarding
12. Climb a 6,000-metre peak
13. Try rafting
14. Try a fat bike
15. Drive a snowmobile
16. Learn to surf
17. Learn to windsurf
18. Try kitesurfing
19. Try a wind tunnel
20. Ride in a submarine
21. Fly in a helicopter
22. Heli-skiing
23. Scuba diving
24. Freediving
25. Sail on a yacht
26. Sail on a catamaran
27. Take part in a regatta
28. Take your skipper’s licence
29. Try paintball
30. Abseil into a cave
31. Drive a quad bike
32. Fly in a hot-air balloon
33. Jump out of a plane
34. Paragliding
35. Walk over hot coals
36. Zorbing
37. Put a snake around your neck
38. Hold a spider in your hand
39. Try ski touring
40. Snowboard in Italy
41. Learn to ski
42. Ski down the Hahnenkamm
43. Swim with sharks
44. Swim in a cage with sharks
45. Spend a night in a treehouse
46. Try panning for gold
47. Visit a haunted house at night
48. Try urbex (urban exploration)
49. Geocaching
50. Try ice swimming
51. Go snowshoeing
52. Try ice climbing
53. Learn the eskimo roll in a kayak

Travel bucket list – destinations

1. Komodo National Park, Indonesia
2. The Colosseum, Rome
3. Petra by candlelight
4. Tre Cime, the Dolomites
5. The Eiffel Tower at night
6. Big Ben, London
7. The glowworm caves, New Zealand
8. Franz Josef Glacier, New Zealand
9. The Inca Trail, Peru
10. Machu Picchu, Peru
11. Chichén Itzá, Mexico
12. The Azores, Portugal
13. Sagrada Família, Spain
14. The Great Wall of China
15. Kamchatka, Russia
16. Hawaii, USA
17. The Galápagos, Ecuador
18. The Bahamas
19. Réunion
20. Madagascar
21. Climb Kilimanjaro
22. Victoria Falls
23. Ayers Rock, Australia
24. Cappadocia, Turkey
25. The Opera House, Australia
26. Tasmania
27. The southern lights
28. Angkor Wat, Cambodia
29. Maya Bay, Thailand
30. The ice caves in Iceland
31. The geysers in Iceland
32. Yellowstone, USA
33. Yosemite, USA
34. Joshua Tree National Park, USA
35. Bryce Canyon, USA
36. Zion, USA
37. The Rocky Mountains, USA
38. Denali, USA
39. Atacama, Chile
40. Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia
41. The Iguazú Falls
42. The windmills, the Netherlands
43. The wild rivers of Slovenia
44. Madeira, the island of eternal spring
45. Plitvice Lakes, Croatia
46. A cruise down the Nile
47. Perito Moreno, Argentina
48. Torres del Paine, Chile
49. Bali, Indonesia
50. Nusa Penida, Indonesia
51. Santorini, Greece
52. Trolltunga, Norway
53. The Lofoten Islands, Norway

Fun bucket list ideas

1. Place a bet at the races
2. Be asked for your autograph
3. Build a huge sandcastle
4. Build a rude snowman
5. Hire a photographer
6. Take a DNA test
7. Haggle at a market
8. Invent something
9. Go through military training
10. Make a balloon animal
11. Send a message in a bottle
12. Light a fire without matches
13. Stay awake for 24 hours
14. Walk on stilts
15. Win an award
16. Go to a nudist beach
17. Throw someone a surprise party
18. Be a witness at a wedding
19. Be a bridesmaid
20. Kiss a stranger in the street
21. Go on a blind date
22. Meet someone famous
23. Meet the president
24. Write a message on the mirror in lipstick
25. Take part in a colour run

Bucket list ideas – nature and animals

1. Go to a rodeo
2. Learn to ride a horse
3. Jump a fence on horseback
4. Drive through a sandstorm
5. See a tornado
6. Swim with turtles
7. Swim with sea lions
8. Swim among hammerhead sharks
9. Milk a cow
10. Drive a horse-drawn coach
11. See a coral reef
12. See bioluminescent plankton
13. Head into the Amazon rainforest
14. Shear a sheep
15. See the endangered kiwi in New Zealand
16. Meet a kakapo
17. Visit a butterfly garden
18. Watch orcas hunting
19. Swim among manta rays
20. Swim naked in the sea
21. Visit a natural hot spring
22. Dance in the rain
23. Have your photo taken with a llama
24. Ride a camel
25. Ride across Patagonia on horseback
26. Visit a lavender field in Provence
27. Visit the almond orchard in Hustopeče
28. See the cherry blossom in Japan

Bucket list ideas – Fashion

1. Get a tattoo
2. Dye your hair
3. Get your hair cut short
4. Grow a beard
5. Grow your hair long
6. Have your hair braided
7. A henna tattoo
8. Permanent make-up
9. A week without make-up
10. Try wearing a wig for a day
11. A Brazilian wax
12. Coloured contact lenses

Bucket list ideas – Food

1. Try guinea pig
2. Visit a Japanese restaurant
3. Taste elk
4. Have a bison burger
5. Try ambience dining
6. Taste bear meat
7. Visit a Michelin-starred restaurant
8. Taste real Italian pizza in Naples
9. Try sushi in Tokyo
10. Make your own French croissant
11. Have Belgian waffles in Belgium itself
12. Have an Irish Guinness in Dublin itself
13. Taste fresh oysters on the French coast
14. Cook a traditional Moroccan tagine
15. Try Texas barbecue
16. Have dim sum in Hong Kong
17. Make your own Italian pasta (not from a packet, but rolled from dough)
18. Enjoy paella in Valencia
19. Have Korean BBQ in Seoul
20. Make jam
21. Learn to eat with chopsticks
22. Cook your own Indian curry
23. Try Argentinian empanadas
24. Try sake
25. A bombardino on the slopes in Italy
26. Have Italian gelato while strolling the streets of Rome
27. Taste real Mexican tacos
28. Have traditional Thai pad thai in Bangkok
29. Drink tea in a traditional Japanese tea house
30. Make yourself breakfast in bed (even better when your partner makes it for you)
31. Enjoy Swiss fondue
32. Taste fresh salmon in Norway
33. Try Vietnamese pho
34. Catch, gut and grill a fish
35. Eat Spanish tapas in Barcelona
36. Bake your own bread
37. Taste traditional Polish pierogi
38. Leave a 100% tip
39. Enjoy Portuguese pastel de nata in Lisbon
40. Eat authentic Chinese jiaozi (dumplings)
41. Taste real Greek moussaka
42. Enjoy a traditional British afternoon tea (in England)
43. Taste Canadian poutine
44. Try Scottish haggis
45. Taste Australian Vegemite
46. Enjoy a traditional Turkish kebab
47. Make your own Korean kimchi
48. Have a bratwurst at a German Christmas market
49. Eat Danish smørrebrød in Copenhagen
50. Taste Indonesian nasi goreng
51. Eat real Brazilian feijoada
52. Make and enjoy Mexican guacamole
53. Taste Belgian chocolates in Brussels
54. Eat worms
55. Eat crickets
56. Eat a tarantula
57. Eat a spider
58. Come up with your own recipe
59. Dare yourself to eat a scorpion (at a market in Thailand)

Bucket list ideas – Personal Growth

1. Learn a new language
2. Meditate every day for a month
3. Write and publish a book
4. Take a self-defence course
5. Finish a marathon
6. Give a public speech
7. Learn to play a musical instrument
8. Practise yoga regularly, give a TED talk
9. Take a public speaking course
10. Start your own blog or vlog
11. Gain a new skill or certification in a field that interests you
12. Take a solo trip (and don’t worry, you are never really alone when travelling solo)
13. Volunteer abroad
14. Draw up a personal financial plan
15. Learn to play a musical instrument
16. Try being vegan or vegetarian for a month
17. Take a self-defence course
18. Put together your family tree
19. Take part in a creative writing workshop
20. Build up your fitness and keep it up
21. Try mindfulness
22. Learn photography
23. Try yoga
24. Do a social media detox
25. Go to lectures on the topics that interest you
26. Create a daily routine or set of rituals and stick to it
27. Improve your cooking skills
28. Sign up for dance classes
29. Improve your productivity
30. Try a new sport
31. Create your own herbarium or plant collection
32. Take a first aid course
33. Learn new things through online courses
34. Go on a retreat focused on personal growth
35. Learn a new craft skill such as pottery or blacksmithing
36. Become a mentor to someone else
37. Learn the basics of presenting yourself
38. Draw up a personal development plan for the coming year
39. Go to networking events in your field
40. Attend a time management workshop and improve how you plan your time

Bucket list for couples

1. Go on a double date
2. Try tantric lovemaking
3. Kiss under the northern lights
4. Talk all night long
5. Watch the stars
6. Go to a funfair or a fairground
7. Shoot for a rose at a fair
8. Pick one day of the week for a regular date night
9. Take a wellness weekend together
10. Make love in the water
11. Get a dog
12. Try a stay with a hot tub in the room
13. Get engaged
14. Get married
15. Have a child
16. Travel the world
17. Take a holiday in a campervan
18. Set off on an adventure hitchhiking
19. Hike across a mountain range together
20. Head out on the via ferratas
21. Set off for wherever you land when you point at the map with your eyes closed
22. Take a cruise on a cruise ship
23. Go to a concert together
24. Head to a festival together
25. Sleep out under the stars together
26. Recreate your first date
27. Make love in an unusual place
28. Make love out in nature
29. Do a week-long fast
30. Buy a game for two
31. Start going to dance classes
32. Try meditating together
33. Take a massage course together

Bucket list ideas – Creativity

1. Sign up for improv classes
2. Try glassblowing
3. Sign up for a pottery class
4. Learn to crochet
5. Make your own soap
6. Make candles
7. Write a song
8. Write a poem
9. Keep a journal
10. Weave yourself a bracelet
11. Make jewellery
12. Knit a scarf
13. Create your own colouring book
14. Put on an exhibition
15. Take part in a flash mob
16. Sign up as an extra in a film
17. Build a house of cards
18. Make your own carnival costume

Bucket list ideas – Health and Wellness

1. Take part in a half marathon
2. Practise daily gratitude
3. Practise yoga regularly for a whole year
4. Complete a half marathon
5. Try meditating every day for 30 days
6. Go on a detox retreat
7. Try a month without sugar
8. Join regular pilates classes
9. Learn to cook healthy, balanced meals
10. Try a month of vegetarianism or veganism
11. Complete a 10,000 steps a day challenge for a month
12. Take a self-defence course
13. Get a first aid certificate
14. Sign up for swimming lessons and perfect your technique
15. Join an outdoor fitness programme
16. Take part in a workshop on mindfulness
17. Try aromatherapy to sleep better
18. Join a team sport or a club
19. Try acupuncture or reflexology
20. Learn the basics of Ayurveda
21. Try different kinds of massage
22. Start stretching every day
23. Create your own personal wellness rituals
24. Take a healthy cooking course
25. Learn deep breathing techniques
26. Try cold water therapy
27. Sign up for dance or another movement class
28. Try hot yoga classes
29. Try biohacking techniques
30. Take a course on emotional intelligence
31. Read 5 books about a healthy lifestyle
32. Try walking barefoot on natural surfaces
33. Try mindfulness colouring or painting
34. Learn techniques for improving your memory
35. Try Qi Gong or Tai Chi
36. Start your own health and wellness journal
37. Take part in a charity run or sports event
38. Visit a thermal spa
39. Join group meditations
40. Try winter swimming
41. Attend healthy lifestyle classes
42. Grow your own herbs for cooking
43. Learn the basics of good posture and ergonomics

Bucket list ideas – Career and Education

1. Start your own business
2. Complete an online course in a field that interests you
3. Get mentoring from people you admire
4. Speak at a conference
5. Earn a(nother) academic degree
6. Write and publish a specialist book or article
7. Become a mentor for people starting out in your field
8. Complete an online course at a prestigious university
9. Build a professional network with people from all over the world
10. Get a job with a foreign company or on an international project
11. Lecture at a university or in schools
12. Take part in or win a professional competition or hackathon
13. Win a scholarship for study or research
14. Start an educational blog or YouTube channel
15. Become a member of a professional association in your field
16. Organise a professional seminar or conference
17. Learn to code or gain IT skills
18. Do an internship abroad
19. Expand your skills in digital marketing
20. Take a personal development course
21. Learn a new technique or technology in your field
22. Start a professional mastermind group
23. Build your personal brand
24. Publish a research paper in a prestigious journal
25. Get a certificate in AI
26. Complete a personal research project
27. Develop a new product or service in your field
28. Learn to lead your own team or project

Bucket list ideas – Art and Culture

1. Visit the Louvre
2. A Viennese ball
3. See a Broadway show
4. Learn to paint in watercolours
5. Write a collection of poems
6. Go to a premiere
7. Go to a traditional feast day (anywhere in Moravia)
8. Take part in the carnival in Rio
9. Go to the ballet
10. Visit the National Theatre
11. Go to a classical concert
12. Go to a folklore festival
13. Burning Man festival in the USA
14. The carnival in Venice
15. Día de los Muertos (Mexico)
16. Songkran (the water festival in Thailand and Myanmar)
17. Visit Shakespeare’s Globe theatre in London
18. See a live opera at La Scala in Milan

Bucket list ideas – Charity and Helping Others

1. Volunteering abroad
2. Organise a collection for a local charity
3. Adopt an animal from a shelter
4. Start or join a community garden
5. Organise a food drive
6. Volunteer at a care home for the elderly
7. Join an international volunteering project, such as building schools or wells in developing countries
8. Organise a charity run or sports event in support of a good cause
9. Give your time and skills to non-profit organisations
10. Join a tree planting project
11. Take part in a clean-up event such as Let’s Clean Up the Czech Republic

Bucket list – finances and business visions

1. Live debt-free
2. Have at least 3 months’ salary saved up
3. Hire a cleaner
4. Make yourself a millionaire
5. Find the career you dream about
6. Build yourself a passive income
7. Buy an investment property
8. Buy shares
9. Sell online
10. Turn your hobby into your job

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