250+ Wild and Crazy Bucket List Ideas to Inspire Your Wanderlust
We all know we’re going to kick the bucket one day. But before that happens, don’t you want to do a bunch of crazy, unique things that make your heart race and make you feel alive?
For me, those crazy things include traveling to far-off places, experiencing unique cultures at their most festive times, learning new skills and fun hobbies, and participating in adventure sports that scare me half to death.
This is my personal list that I started in 2014. It has grown to over hundreds of things I’ve decided I want to do in my own life, and I’m continuously adding to it. If you’re looking for some inspiration to help jump-start your own list, here’s my seriously long list of wild and crazy bucket list ideas to get you started.
What is a Bucket List?
“A list of things that one has not done before but wants to do before dying” – Meriam Webster
The first time I heard the term was in the Morgan Freeman movie, ‘The Bucket List,’ about two terminal cancer patient friends who aim to cross everything off in the short time they have left. My problem with this was, “It’s too darn late!”
Bucket lists inspire you to think about the future and, more importantly, all the amazing things you want to accomplish before your time’s up. So why not maximize that time by starting as early as possible?
I used to work at REI selling memberships with the line, “The best time to plant a tree was yesterday; the second best time is today.” So why not take homage to another quote in a Morgan Freeman movie ‘Shawshank Redemption,’ “Get busy living or get busy dying.”
My Ultimate Crazy Ideas for a Bucket List
After years of light bulb epiphanies and curation, it’s time to share my own bucket list with you. Check back for updates because I’m constantly adding and crossing things off it!
Epic Achievement Bucket List Ideas That I will Rave About Until I Die
- Visit Every Country In The World (Excludes Airports Layovers)
- Buy A Horse And Cross Mongolia
- Conquer The Biggest Peak Of Each Continent
- Pilot a Plane Cross Country From East Coast to Alaska, USA
- Walk Across an Entire (not tiny) Country
Self-Challenge Bucket List Ideas That Take A Lot Of Willpower
- Dymaxion Polyphasic Sleep Cycle
- Go On A 7 Day Fast
- Go To A Buddhist Meditation Retreat
- Spend A Day Blind
- Stop Being Scared Of Worms
- Vipassana: Week Of Silence
Extreme Bucket List Ideas for Adrenaline Junkies and Curious Weirdos
- Airboat In An Alligator River
- Astral Project
- Axe-Throw
- Be In A Mudbath
- Be In An Infinity Pool With A Cool View
- Bungee Jump
- Bungee Jump The Top 10 Biggest Places In The World
- Climb A Coconut Tree For The Fruit
- Compete In A Cheese Rolling Competition
- Complete A Sprint Triathlon
- Do A 360 On Snowboard
- Do A Color RunDog Sled
- Drive A Lambo (Or Similar) On A Racetrack
- Deep Sea Diving
- Experience Weightlessness
- Explore A Ghost Town
- Fly A Kite
- Flyboard
- Get A Boomerang To Come Back
- Go On A Cruise
- Go Skinny Dipping
- Go Through A Corn Maze
- Go To A Baseball Game
- Go To The Hawaii Lucid Dreaming Facility
- Hang glide
- Have A Picnic
- Heli Backcountry Snowboard
- Hunt And Actually Kill Something
- Go Larping
- Learn Windsurfing
- Live In A Nudist Community
- Mudfight
- Mudslide
- Ride A Hot Air Balloon
- Ride A Real Bull
- Ride A SegwayRide In A Submarine
- Sail
- Scuba Dive
- Skydive Somewhere Amazing
- Sleep In An Igloo
- Snorkel
- Spend The Night In A Haunted Place
- Sunrise/Sunset In A Hot Air Balloon
- Surf In A Barrel
- Swing Like Tarzan
- Train Surf
- Trek Through The Amazon Rainforest
- Volunteer At An Archeological Dig
- Watch The Launch Of A Space Thing
- Zorb
Bucket List Skills to Learn to Impress Everyone You Meet
- Attend A Neon Making Class
- Be A Good Shot
- Be Great A Negotiating
- Be Great At A Martial Art
- Build A Boat
- Build A Treehouse
- Built A Proper Teepee
- Finish An Entire Book In Spanish Not Meant For Children
- Fly A Helicopter
- Get Scuba Diving Licensed
- Get My Motorcycle License
- Get My Private Pilots License
- Get My Skydiving License
- Ice Sculpting Class
- Know A Bartending Trick
- Know My Way Around A Samurai Sword
- Kung Fu Shaolin Temple 1 Month
- Learn 5 Languages Conversationally
- Learn Interior Design Basics
- Learn Morse Code
- Learn Some Sign Language
- Learn To Graffiti
- Learn To Ride A Motorcycle
- Learn To Sail
- Learn To Salsa
- Learn To Single Axil Figure Skating
- Learn To Take A Compliment
- Learn To Tango
- Learn To Use Excel Like A Master
- Public Speak In A Large Crowd
- Shoot An Arrow Well
- Speed Read
- Surf On A 5+ Foot Wave
- Take A Pole Class From A Famous Poler
- Take A Proper Etiquette Class
- Tie A Tie Without Help
- Walk On Stilts
Memorable Animal Bucket List Encounters
- Whale Watch
- Salmon Run
- Shave A Sheep
- Swim With The Dolphins
- Swim With The Sharks
- Cuddle With A Koala
- Watch Turtles Nest
- Watch Turtles Hatch and Go to Sea
- Swim With The Whalesharks
- Pet A Squirrel
- Milk A Cow (Actually was a Reindeer)
Kooky Food-Related Ideas for a Bucket List
- Visit An Ice Bar Or Restaurant
- Order Everything On The Menu
- Master One Full Course Meal
- Grape Stomping
- Cook A Fish In The Sand
- Eat At Jiro Dreams Of Sushi
- Eat Something Fried At The Texas Fair
- Go To An Eating Competition
- Make Good Bread
- Make Wine
- Make Apple Cider
- Eat At A Dark Restaurant
Adventure Travel Bucket List Ideas That Will Whisk You Around The World
- Backpack Through Europe (Eurotrip)
- Conquer The Tallest Mountain Of A Continent
- Cross Country Motorcycle An Entire Country
- Give A Hitchhike
- Go On A Safari
- Go To Every Continent
- Go To Outer Space
- Hitchhike
- Hitchhike Trip Exclusively
- Holi Somewhere It Matters
- Lock A Lock On A Famous Lock Place
- No Plan, First Ticket Plane Ride
- Participate In A Sweat Lodge Purification Ceremony
- Road Trip The Entire US
- Roadtrip
- See The Floating Market
- See The Northern Lights
- See The Northern Lights In An Ice Hotel
- Study Abroad
- Take A Random Mode Of Transportation To A Random Place
- Take The Trans-Siberian Express
- Visit A Ghost Town
- Visit An Active, Flowing Volcano
- Visit An Ex- Concentration Camp
- Visit An Indigenous Tribe That’S Not Mainstream
- Visit Every National Park In the USA
Expand Your World, Cultural Festivals To Experience
- Attend Carnival
- Attend Octoberfest
- Attend Songkran
- Attend The Floating Lantern Festival
- Attend La Fiesta De Los Diabilitos Costa Rica
- Butterfly Migration In Mexico
- Catalonia Human Tower Competition
- Go To La Tomatina Spain
- Go To Queen’s Day In Netherlands
- Go To The Gilroy Garlic Festival
- Go to Burning Man (One in Israel)
- Go To The Orange Throwing Festival
- Penguin Parade On Prince Island
- See The Ball Drop NYC NYE
- See The Pope Get Elected
- Spend Chinese New Year’s Somewhere Cool
- Visit Mekong Delta Vietnam
- Visit New Orleans For Mardi Gras
Hop on the next Plane To These Specific Travel Bucket List Places
- Attend A Full Moon Party In Thailand
- Camp At The Grand Canyon
- Cherry Blossom Viewing In Japan
- Climb Mt. Fuji
- Expedition To Antarctica
- Float In The Dead Sea
- Gibbong Experience In Laos
- Go Back To Disneyworld
- Hike To Mt. Everest Base Camp
- Kiss The Blarney Stone
- Party In Ibiza
- Puerto Princesa Underground River, Phillippines
- Put Gum On The Seattle Gum Wall
- Rainbow Ice Caves Mount Rainier
- Scala Dei Turchi (Aegian Islands)
- See The Underground Mauritius Waterfall
- Visit Alcatraz
- Visit Easter Island
- Visit North Korea
- Visit The Largest Salt Flat In Rainy Season
- Visit The Maldives Jellyfish Beach
- Visit The Pyramids
- Walk Across The Brooklyn Bridge
- Walk To The Tide Receding Island In Northern Germany
Why Not? Ideas to Satisfy Your Inner Child
- Be A Part Of A Flash Mob
- Be In A Food Fight
- Build A 5’1 Snowman
- Compliment A Stranger About Something Uncommon
- Drive A Car At 120+ Down A Highway
- Fold 1,000 Origami Cranes For Someone Sick
- Get A Bunch Of Balloons And A Plank Of Wood And Hover
- Give My Mom A Dozen Roses And My Love
- Go To A Proper Strip Club
- Go Wireless For 1 Week
- Jump Out Of A Window Into Snow
- Kiss Someone At Least Decently Famous
- Learn To Juggle W/ At Least 3 Things
- Leave A Little Something In A Library Book
- Lucid Dream
- Nicely Deliver Bad News
- Put A Decision Completely In Someone Else’s Hands
- Read A Really Random Book
- Send A Message In A Bottle
- Sing At A Bar
- Solve A Rubix Cube
- Spin A Basketball On My Finger For Like 5 Seconds
- Spin A Pencil
- Stay Awake For 50 Hours
- Work As A Pole Dancer/Gogo Dancer For A Week
- Work On A Fisherman Boat For A Week
Entertainment Ideas to Keep You Amused
- Be A Member Of A TV Audience
- Be An Extra In A Movie
- Make More Than 200$ From One Roulette Spin
- See A Psychic
- Attend A Big-Time Fashion Show
- Attend A Masquerade Ball
- Attend Comic Con
- Attend Nobel Prize Week
- Attend Poleexpo
- Dance In A Ball
- Go To A Murder Mystery
- Go To A Random Weird Convention (Creep.I.E Con)
- Go To A Rodeo
- Go To The Olympics
- Go To The Soccer World Cup
- Go To Tomorrowland
- Silent Disco
- Underground Rap Battle
- Use A Paddle To Bid At An Auction
Artistic Endeavors to Bring Out your Creative Side
- Ask Someone You’ve Just Met To Go On A Date
- Belly Dance
- Buy A 50mm Lens
- Create A Legit Song
- Create A Short Film
- Create A Web Site
- Draw A Nude Model
- Get Over 10,000 Hits On A Youtube Vid
- Get Published With Anything
- Graffiti On A Public Wall
- Have A Famous Photographer Compliment
- Have My Art In A Legit Gallery
- Have My Portrait Painted
- Knit A Wearable Sweater
- Know Art History
- Learn Photoshop
- Learn The Ukelele
- Learn To Pole Dance
- Learn To Swing Dance
- Make A Travel Blog
- Perform On The Street
- Photograph A Famous Model
- Photograph With A Famous Professional Photographer
- Play Piano Concerto 2 Rachmaninoff
- See A Design Of Mine On Apparel
- Sell A Piece Of My Artwork
- Sell Stuff On eBay Or Another Site
- Write A Book About Your Life/Adolescence
Sappy Bucket List Ideas for the Romantic in You
- Confess My Feelings For Someone
- Fall In Love, True Love
- Give 100$ To A Homeless Person
- Kiss A Partner Goodbye In An Airport
- Kiss At The Top Of A Lighthouse In The Sunset
- Kiss Under The Cherry Blossoms In Japan
- Tell Someone That I Love That I Love Them First
- Travel For 2+ Months With An Partner
Write it Down: Why Make a Physical List?
There’s something so psychologically satisfying to crossing off something on a list. A dopamine rush and a sense of accomplishment from looking at one tiny line. But instead of ticking off items on a routine to-do list, imagine striking off a lifetime of crazy life experiences and times you stepped out of your comfort zone.
Writing down your crazy bucket list ideas takes it a step further; it makes it more tangible, more real, and commits it to memory. I mean, why else do humans love making lists? To not forget stuff. And what could be more important than not forgetting your life goals?
Final Thoughts: Insane Bucket List Ideas
Hopefully, this list of more than 250 wild and crazy bucket list ideas has stirred some inspiration to start your own adventurous list. Your list doesn’t have to be travel-based or adrenaline-based. Start with what you love and go from there. You’ll find that once written it down, you are much more likely to live your life seeking out the experience when the opportunity comes knocking on your doorstep.
Before you leave…if you’re looking for some Travel Bucket List Ideas, check out these destination ideas.
- Bali Bucket List: 50 Adventurous Things to Do in Bali
- 25 Famous Landmarks In Southeast Asia to add to Your Bucket List
| TRAVEL RESOURCES |
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Catherine Xu is the founder and author of Nomadicated, an adventure travel blog that helps travelers cross off their bucket list. Since discovering traveling in 2015, she has lived and journeyed to 65 countries across 5 continents and vanlifed the west coast USA for 2+ years. These days, she splits her time in Southeast Asia and California while sharing her travel stories and resources based on first-hand experiences. Catherine's other works has been referenced in major publications like MSN, Self, and TripSavvy.