The more I think about it (and the older I get), the less inclined I am to have a “bucket list”. What is a bucket list, anyway? Things you want to do before you die? Or things you’re going to actually be really disappointed on your death bed that you didn’t do?

To me, there are few things that I’d be disappointed about never doing. A safari in Africa, visiting New Zealand and road tripping in a VW camper? Sure. But visiting Venice or eating out at a stupid restaurant? I want to do them, but let’s be honest with ourselves, I won’t lay there dying and think, “damn, I never did have a meal at Cabbages & Condoms.” (…okay, knowing me, I probably would.)

So this page is changing. It’s now a much bigger, but much less urgent, collection of awesome things I want to do – which means I can add really stupid and fun places I’ve heard about and not worry about whether they fit the “bucket list” category.

And after all, I am definitely about the stupid and fun.

P.S. I swear I am updating this list every couple of days.

Want to read about the places I have been to? Click here!

My Top 10 (i.e. the actual “bucket list”)

• Japan. My number one bucket list item, but one I want to do right
• An African safari. Joint #1 bucket list item, and what we plan to do for our honeymoon!
• Norwegian fjords
• Slovenia
• Road trip northern Italy and eat all the food
• Australia part 2: Uluru, Western Australia & Tasmania!
• New Zealand part 2: hire a camper and road trip the hell out of the south island
• Iceland part 2… road trip (are you starting to see a theme here?). All of the waterfalls
• Northern Thailand (…part 2)
• Vietnam to do EVERYTHING we missed!

WORLDWIDE

Hire a VW camper anywhere
Volunteer somewhere
Sky dive
Go parasailing
Go paragliding
Go ziplining
Stay in all of these hotels
Ride in a hot air balloon

EUROPE

Destinations:
Ireland
Rome, Italy
Norway (just… Norway)
Kotor, Montenegro
Santorini, Greece
Croatia
Venice, Italy
Reykjavik, Iceland
Moldova, because they’re nuts (and also, Transnistria)
Slovenia
Chernobyl
The Romantic Road, Germany
Hallstatt, Austria
Alsace, France
West coast of Scotland, including the Isle Of Skye (yup, let’s start at home!!)

Experiences:

UK
Live in Edinburgh
Celebrate Hogmanay in Edinburgh (okay, I’ve sorta done this, but would like to do the ultra-touristy street party one year)
Up Helly Aa, Shetland
Road trip up the west coast of Scotland
Climb Ben Nevis
Have a night in Ballieballerson, London
Visit God’s Own Junkyard, London
Bonfire night, Lewes

Elsewhere
Take a cruise through the Norwegian fjords
Road trip through northern Italy
Hot air balloon ride over Cappadocia, Turkey
Snorkel the Silfra, Iceland
Go to Elf School, Iceland
Visit Iceland in the summer
Take the sewers tour in Paris
Geldrop, Netherlands for the Lord Of the Rings inspired street names!
…and sorry, I’ve just found another one in ESSEX?!?
Stay in an igloo
Stay in the jumbo jet in Sweden
Visit Predjama Castle, Slovenia (it’s built into the side of a cliff! Seriously!)
Visit Admont Abbey library in Austria
Visit lots of castles in Germany. Obviously Neuschwanstein, but other perhaps less popular ones too

ASIA

Destinations:
Hong Kong
Halong Bay, Vietnam
Bangkok, Thailand
Singapore
Tokyo, Japan

Experiences:
Volunteer with elephants at the Elephant Nature Park in Thailand
Go to a ping pong show in Bangkok
Songkran
Full Moon Party at Koh Phangan
Cabbages & Condoms (restaurant in Bangkok!)
Get a bamboo tattoo
Hike the Khao Ngon Nak trail at Krabi, Thailand
Visit the Studio Ghibli museum
Visit Disneyland in Japan
Take the Hai Van pass in Vietnam
Ride the bamboo train in Battambang, Cambodia
Visit as many themed restaurants in Taiwan as possible
(And Japan)
Stay in Book & Beds hostel in Japan
Stay at the Jurassic Park themed hotel (okay, maybe not seeing as it’s a “love hotel”!!)
Ride an abandoned train through the mountains of Japan

AUSTRALASIA

Destinations:
Cairns, Australia
Sydney, Australia
Ayers Rock (Uluru), Australia
Coober Pedy, Australia
Great Ocean Road, Australia
Western Australia
Gwalia, Western Australia
Horse Head, Australia
Port Stephens, Australia
Queenstown, New Zealand

Experiences:
Spend NYE in Sydney
Go snorkelling in the Great Barrier Reef
Road trip in Australia
Hire a camper
Christmas on the beach
Hold a koala at the zoo
See a wild koala (x4!)
See a platypus (I was happy enough to see one at Lone Pine, but then I saw one IN THE WILD!)
Hobbiton
Canyon Swing in Queenstown, New Zealand
Hike Roy’s Peak, Wanaka, New Zealand
Take the Hooker Valley trail to Mount Cook, New Zealand
Road trip Western Australia
Drive the Great Ocean Road & visit the Grampians, Australia
Stay in a hotel / hostel in Coober Pedy, Australia

NORTH AMERICA

Destinations:
Honolulu, Hawaii
San Francisco, USA
Niagara Falls, Canada/USA
Grand Canyon, USA
Monument Valley, USA
New York City, USA
Orlando, Florida, USA
Yosemite National Park, USA
Yellowstone National Park, USA
Banff, Canada
Vancouver, Canada
Montreal, Canada

Experiences:
Road trip in the USA
Jump off the Stratosphere, Las Vegas
Hike Angel’s Landing in Zion National Park
Road trip around Banff and Jasper national parks, Canada
Visit some Lost locations in Hawaii
Stay in the Dog Bark Park Inn, Idaho
Stay in the Wig Wam Motel
Stay in the Madonna Inn

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OTHER

Destinations:
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Iguazu Falls, Brazil/Argentina
Machu Picchu, Peru
Galapagos Islands
Cape Town, South Africa
Namibia
Antarctica (South Orkney Island!)

Experiences:
Safari in Africa – preferably the Serengeti (***HONEYMOON ITEM***)
Take the ferry from Europe to Africa
Paraglide from the mountains behind Rio and land on the beach (THIS LOOKS ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE)

Are any of these on YOUR bucket list?