Bucket List Ideas: 100 Things to Do in Your Lifetime (+ Printable)
100 bucket list ideas in ten areas, each with a first step, what research says about experiences, the reverse bucket list and a free bucket list template.
A bucket list is a list of experiences you want to have in your lifetime: places to see, things to learn, challenges to finish. Below are 100 bucket list ideas in ten areas, each with a first step you could take this month, and a free bucket list template to write your own.
Most bucket lists fail the same way. They grow long, and everything on them stays “someday.” The fix is small: keep the list as long as you like, but give your top three a year and a first step. The rest can wait their turn.
Five to start with: see the northern lights; walk the Camino de Santiago; see a total solar eclipse; write a book; go to a concert alone. Mark the ones that pull at you as you read.
What is a bucket list?
A bucket list is a list of things you want to do, see or experience in your lifetime.
The name comes from the idiom “kick the bucket,” and the phrase went mainstream with the 2007 film The Bucket List, written by Justin Zackham and starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. Merriam-Webster dates this sense of the word to 2006, and the Oxford English Dictionary’s earliest example is a 2006 news item about the upcoming film.
Bucket list items are experiences rather than achievements or things to own: “see the northern lights,” not “buy a boat.” That’s what sets the list apart from other lists you might keep.
| Bucket list | Life goals | To-do list | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What goes on it | Experiences | Where you want your life to go | Tasks |
| Example | See the northern lights | Make work optional by 60 | Price flights to Tromsø |
| Horizon | A lifetime, one item at a time | Decades | Days |
For goals measured in decades, see our life goals examples; for this year’s, personal goals examples.
Why experiences belong on a bucket list
Psychologists have spent more than twenty years comparing what experiences and possessions do for people, and the results back the idea of a bucket list.
Experiences tend to make people happier than things. In a 2000 U.S. phone survey of about 1,300 adults, Leaf Van Boven and Thomas Gilovich asked people to think of a material purchase and an experiential one they’d made to be happier. 57% said the experience had made them happier; 34% said the thing had. The exception was people on the lowest incomes, who were as likely to pick either. That’s one reason the last section below needs no flights and no big budget.
Experiences become part of who you are. Travis Carter and Gilovich found that people see their experiences as more a part of themselves than their possessions, and are more likely to mention them when telling their life story. That closeness to the self helps explain why experiences satisfy more.
Waiting for an experience is part of the pleasure. Amit Kumar, Matthew Killingsworth and Gilovich found that waiting for an experience feels better than waiting for a thing: more excitement, less impatience. In a smartphone study of 2,266 adults, thinking about an upcoming experience went with higher happiness, while thinking about an upcoming material purchase did not. The effects were modest, but they’re an argument for putting a year on an item: “someday” gives you nothing to look forward to.
And over a lifetime, people regret what they didn’t do more than what they did; in one survey by Gilovich and Victoria Husted Medvec, 84% said the things they hadn’t done haunted them more. A bucket list is a short list of what you don’t want to end up in that column.
Travel bucket list ideas
Travel ideas work best when you can name the month you’d go.
| Bucket list idea | A first step |
|---|---|
| See the northern lights | Pick a week between late September and March and a place far north |
| Walk the Camino de Santiago | Walk 20 km in one day to test your feet and shoes |
| Cross a country by sleeper train | Choose the route and the season |
| Visit all seven continents | List the ones you’ve seen and pick the next |
| Live abroad for a month | Ask your employer about a month of remote work |
| See the cherry blossoms in Japan | Look up the bloom forecast for late March and early April |
| Drive a famous road trip | Pick one, like Iceland’s Ring Road, and price a rental |
| Visit the town your family came from | Ask the oldest relative for the exact place |
| Watch the sunrise from a mountaintop | Find the nearest peak with a trail you can hike in the dark |
| Travel somewhere alone | Book one night in a city you’ve never seen |
Nature bucket list ideas
Nature ideas often depend on a season or a single date, so check that first.
| Bucket list idea | A first step |
|---|---|
| See a total solar eclipse | The next one crosses southern Spain, North Africa and the Middle East on August 2, 2027 |
| Sleep under the stars in the desert | Find a dark-sky park within a day’s drive |
| Snorkel over a coral reef | Take a snorkeling lesson in a pool or a calm bay |
| See whales in the wild | Look up the season for the nearest coast |
| Walk on a glacier | Book a guided glacier walk, never go alone |
| Watch a meteor shower far from city lights | Put the Perseids in mid-August in your calendar |
| Kayak a river for several days | Rent a kayak for one full day first |
| Camp alone for a night | Camp one night at a campsite with others nearby |
| See a rainforest | Choose between Costa Rica, Borneo and the Amazon |
| Grow vegetables for a whole summer | Plant three things you like to eat this spring |
Adventure bucket list ideas
Adventure ideas are mostly about a first lesson. Book that, not the whole thing.
| Bucket list idea | A first step |
|---|---|
| Go skydiving | Book a tandem jump with a licensed school |
| Get certified to scuba dive | Take a try-dive in a pool |
| Ride in a hot air balloon | Find a launch site and the calmest season |
| Run a marathon | Run a 10K first |
| Go white-water rafting | Book a beginner trip on a grade II to III river |
| Learn to surf | Take two lessons in a row |
| Learn to sail and cross a sea | Take a beginner sailing course |
| Do a multi-day hut-to-hut hike | Hike two days in a row with a full pack |
| Go paragliding | Book a tandem flight |
| Climb a mountain over 4,000 m | Hike at altitude for a weekend to see how you feel |
Bucket list ideas for learning
Learning ideas need a level you can test, or they never feel done.
| Bucket list idea | A first step |
|---|---|
| Speak a language well enough to live in it | Twenty minutes a day and one conversation a week |
| Play a song you love on the piano | Learn the first eight bars |
| Swim a mile without stopping | Swim 200 m without stopping |
| Dance a tango or salsa at a real dance | Go to one beginner class |
| Fly a plane yourself, once | Book a trial flight lesson |
| Take a university course just for fun | Pick one open evening course |
| Learn first aid properly | Sign up for a one-day course |
| Name the constellations in the night sky | Learn three this month |
| Read 100 books from a list you choose | Write the list and start with the shortest |
| Learn to drive a manual car | Ask a friend with one for an hour in an empty lot |
Creative bucket list ideas
Creative ideas end with a finished thing. Name it.
| Bucket list idea | A first step |
|---|---|
| Write a book | Write 300 words a day for a month |
| Build a piece of furniture you’ll keep | Take a weekend woodworking class |
| Record a song of your own | Finish one verse and a chorus |
| Paint a portrait | Paint one small study a week |
| Make a short film | Shoot one minute on your phone this month |
| Make clothes you actually wear | Sew one simple top |
| Throw a pot on a wheel | Book a one-night pottery class |
| Make a family recipe book | Ask three relatives for one recipe each |
| Build a website for something you love | Write the first page in a doc |
| Keep a journal for a whole year | Write one line tonight |
Food bucket list ideas
Food ideas are the easiest to start this month.
| Bucket list idea | A first step |
|---|---|
| Eat at a restaurant you’ve saved up for | Pick it and start a small savings pot |
| Take a cooking class abroad | Choose the cuisine, then the country |
| Visit a coffee farm at harvest | Check the origin on your next bag of beans |
| Bake sourdough from your own starter | Start a starter this week |
| Eat your way through a night market | Shortlist Taipei, Bangkok or Mexico City |
| Host a dinner for twelve | Pick the date and invite the first three |
| Go foraging with a guide | Find a local foraging walk |
| Cook a meal entirely from your garden | Plant what the meal needs this spring |
| Make fresh pasta from scratch | Make one batch this weekend |
| Cook a dish from every country you visit | Cook one from the last place you went |
Fitness and health bucket list ideas
Fitness ideas are challenges with a finish line, so pick a date.
| Bucket list idea | A first step |
|---|---|
| Run a half marathon | Run three times a week for a month |
| Do ten pull-ups | Do negative pull-ups twice a week |
| Cycle 100 km in a day | Ride 40 km this month |
| Finish a triathlon | Swim, bike and run once each in the same week |
| Walk 1,000 km in a year | Walk 3 km a day for a month |
| Hold a handstand for ten seconds | Practice against a wall three times a week |
| Do a month without alcohol | Pick the month and tell one friend |
| Go on a silent retreat | Try a one-day retreat first |
| Swim across a lake | Swim 1 km in open water with a buddy |
| Be able to touch your toes at 70 | Stretch for ten minutes three times a week |
Bucket list ideas for couples
For couples and close friends: experiences to have side by side.
| Bucket list idea | A first step |
|---|---|
| Spend a week with no phones | Try one full weekend first |
| Go back to where you met | Book it for your next anniversary |
| Take a road trip with no plan | Pick a direction and a long weekend |
| Learn to dance together | Book a beginner class for two |
| Write letters to open in ten years | Write yours this month |
| Cook through one cookbook together | Pick the book and a weekly night |
| See a sunrise and a sunset on the same day | Pick a long summer day |
| Visit a country neither of you has seen | Each name three, then find the overlap |
| Plant a tree together | Choose the spot and the season |
| Take a class together | Pick something neither of you is good at |
Bucket list ideas for giving back
Giving ideas are often the ones people are proudest of later.
| Bucket list idea | A first step |
|---|---|
| Volunteer every month for a year | Go once to one place |
| Join the bone marrow donor registry | Order the cheek swab kit |
| Mentor someone starting out | Offer an hour to one person |
| Teach a skill you love | Run one free session |
| Give a gift that changes someone’s year | Set aside a small amount each month |
| Help build a house for someone | Find a local build day |
| Foster an animal | Contact a shelter about short-term fostering |
| Start something your town still has in 20 years | Go to one local meeting |
| Plant 100 trees | Join one community planting day |
| Record an older relative’s stories | Record one hour this month |
Cheap bucket list ideas close to home
For this year: no flights, no big budget, no excuses.
| Bucket list idea | A first step |
|---|---|
| Visit every museum in your city | Go to the nearest one this weekend |
| Be a tourist in your own town for a day | Book the tour you’ve always skipped |
| Swim outdoors in every season | Find a safe lake or sea nearby |
| Go to a concert alone | Buy one ticket this month |
| Cook twelve new recipes in twelve months | Pick this month’s recipe |
| Sleep somewhere unusual nearby | Look up treehouses or cabins within two hours |
| Spend a weekend without screens | Pick the weekend and warn your friends |
| Write a letter to your future self | Write it tonight and pick an opening date |
| Learn the names of your neighbors | Introduce yourself to two this week |
| Watch the sunrise once a season | Set an alarm for the next clear morning |
How to make a bucket list you’ll actually do
- Write fast. Give it twenty minutes and don’t edit. Use the ideas above as prompts and mark the ones that make you sit up a little.
- Cross out what you’d only do for the photo. Ask of each item: would I still want this if I couldn’t post it or tell anyone? Keep the ones you’d regret never trying.
- Keep it to about twenty. A list of a hundred reads like a catalogue. Twenty is a list you can read in a minute.
- Give the top three a year and a first step. “See the northern lights” becomes “Tromsø, February 2027,” and the first step is “Price flights by December 1.” A plan also takes an item off your mind: E. J. Masicampo and Roy Baumeister found that making a specific plan for an unfinished goal was enough to quiet the thoughts that kept intruding about it, even before the goal was done.
- Look at it once a year. On your birthday or in the last week of December, tick off what you did, move the next items up and cross out what no longer pulls. People change more than they expect, so the list should too.
Some items are bigger than a single trip and work better as life goals. If a line on your list needs years of steps, like “sail across an ocean,” give it the treatment in how to set goals.
Free bucket list template (printable)
The printable has three pages. The first two list all 100 ideas from this post with a ring to mark each one, and end with a box for your top three. The third is the bucket list template: twenty lines for the experience, the year, a first step and the date it’s done.
What is a reverse bucket list?
The name is used for two different things.
Arthur C. Brooks described his version in The Atlantic in 2022. Each birthday he writes down his worldly wants, such as money, power, pleasure and admiration. Then he imagines himself happy five years on and lists what would cause it, which turns out to be faith, family, friendships and meaningful work. He works on letting go of the first list. It isn’t a list of things to do at all, but it’s a good test for one: an item that only feeds the first list probably doesn’t belong on your bucket list.
Others use “reverse bucket list” for a list of things you’ve already done, written as a gratitude exercise. It’s worth a page next to your bucket list too, because it shows how much of the list you’ve already lived.
2027 bucket list ideas
If you’re writing a list for next year, pick three items from different areas, such as one trip, one skill and one close to home, and give each a month. For example:
| Month | Bucket list idea | A first step |
|---|---|---|
| February | See the northern lights in Tromsø | Price flights by December 1 |
| June | Swim a mile without stopping | Swim 200 m without stopping |
| August | See the total solar eclipse in southern Spain | Book a room on the path of totality early |
One item on the list has a fixed date. A total solar eclipse crosses southern Spain, North Africa and the Middle East on August 2, 2027, with more than six minutes of totality near Luxor in Egypt. If it’s on your list, 2027 is the year. For smaller things to do next year, our New Year’s resolution ideas come with a free 2027 bingo card.
Your bucket list in Plannedo
In Plannedo, a bucket list is a list. Make one called Bucket list and add every experience as a task with no date. The list shows how far along it is (3 of 15 done), and finished items stay on it, struck through, so over the years it becomes a record of what you’ve done as well as what’s left.
Your top three become goals. Each goal gets a board with photos of the place and a few words about it, and a deadline that can be just a year: 2027. The first step goes on Today as a task linked to the goal, so “Price flights to Tromsø for February” shows up with the goal’s name under it. In the evening, Log the day asks whether today moved each goal: Moved, Thought or Not today.
More in the help centre: lists, goal boards and linking tasks to goals. If you think in pictures, 2027 vision board ideas has more boards to start from.
FAQ
What is a bucket list?
A bucket list is a list of experiences you want to have in your lifetime, such as places to see, skills to learn and challenges to finish. The name comes from the idiom “kick the bucket,” and it went mainstream with the 2007 film The Bucket List.
What are good bucket list ideas?
See the northern lights, walk the Camino de Santiago, see a total solar eclipse, learn to dance tango, write a book, swim across a lake, record an older relative’s stories and go to a concert alone. Good bucket list ideas are experiences you’d still want if nobody ever knew you’d done them.
How do you make a bucket list?
Write every experience you can think of in twenty minutes, cross out what you’d only do for the photo, and keep about twenty. Then give your top three a year and a first step you can take this month, and look at the list again once a year.
How many things should be on a bucket list?
About twenty is enough to choose from and short enough to keep in your head. Only three need a year and a first step at any time; the rest wait their turn.
Where does the term bucket list come from?
From the idiom “kick the bucket.” Dictionaries record this sense from 2006, and it became widely known through the 2007 film The Bucket List, written by Justin Zackham and starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman.
What is a reverse bucket list?
It has two meanings. Arthur C. Brooks uses it for a list of worldly wants, like money and admiration, that he works on letting go of each birthday. Others use it for a list of things you’ve already done, written as a gratitude exercise.
What are some unique bucket list ideas?
Cross a country by sleeper train, visit the town your family came from, name the constellations in the night sky, swim outdoors in every season, write letters to open in ten years, and join the bone marrow donor registry. Unique ideas usually come from your own life, so add the ones only you would think of.
Is there an app for a bucket list?
Yes. In Plannedo a bucket list is a list of tasks without dates that shows how many are done, and your top items can become goals with photo boards, a year as the deadline and first steps that show up on Today. It runs on iPhone, Mac and the web, and the free plan includes three lists and one goal.
Studies mentioned
- Carter, T. J., & Gilovich, T. (2012). I am what I do, not what I have: The differential centrality of experiential and material purchases to the self. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 102(6), 1304-1317.
- Gilovich, T., & Medvec, V. H. (1994). The temporal pattern to the experience of regret. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 67(3), 357-365.
- Kumar, A., Killingsworth, M. A., & Gilovich, T. (2014). Waiting for merlot: Anticipatory consumption of experiential and material purchases. Psychological Science, 25(10), 1924-1931.
- Masicampo, E. J., & Baumeister, R. F. (2011). Consider it done! Plan making can eliminate the cognitive effects of unfulfilled goals. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 101(4), 667-683.
- Van Boven, L., & Gilovich, T. (2003). To do or to have? That is the question. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85(6), 1193-1202.
Photo credits
The cover photo is by Taan Huyn on Unsplash. Photos on the goal boards are by Jonatan Pie, Keith Häsler, Burkard Meyendriesch and Max Kukurudziak on Unsplash.
