Bucket List: 225 Things to Do Before You Die

44. Listen to War Stories

Veteran soldier observes silenceThey risked their lives to serve their beloved country. Don’t you think veterans deserve—at a bare minimum—a willing, open ear to entertain once in a while, even if it’s that of a perfect stranger? Buy a veteran a beer; ask him or her questions about the struggle he/she was involved in; even give him the ‘interview treatment’, and at least act genuinely interested in his personal stories of courage and survival.

45. Create Your Family Tree

Ancestry iPad appEveryone’s wants, or at least needs to, know where and from whom they descended from. Heritage is an important and irrevocable part of anyone’s personal identity. And with relatively new technologies—like the marvel of ancestry.com and the information powerhouse that’s the Internet itself—it’s easier to trace your roots, farther back in time, than in at any point in history. True story!

46. Watch a Space Shuttle Launch

NASA space shuttle launch Very few of man’s inventions, specifically that of transport and delivery, have ever proven so poignantly awe-inspiring as the lift-off of NASA’s Space Shuttle. Witnessing a launch in-person only proves that point with flying colors. And although NASA’s Space Shuttle took its last trip into space (Shuttle Atlantis in July 0f 2011) last year, many more space vehicles (known as “expendable space vehicles”) will take launch in the future. Check the future dates at NASA’s official launch schedule webpage and don’t miss out it!

47. Learn to Tango in Buenos Aires

Couple dancing tango in streetsCommon, if you’re going to learn to do the Tango, learn it from an authentic South American in an authentic South American city. But take note—not all Tango classes and shows are created equal in Argentina. There’s Salon de Baile, a highly formal style of tango, complete with formal dress, uniformed waiters, an older clientele, and a low tolerance for anything less than excellent Tango-ing. Then there’s ‘Baile Joven’, an informal style much more popular in more informal settings with live music and bands (Piazzolla, cumbia, and salsa are popular); Baile Joven typically attracts a more youthful clientele.

48. Ride a Hot Air Balloon in Cappadocia, Turkey

Hot air balloon over CappadociaCappadocia is a naturally grand, even bizarrely magnificent place in Anatolia, Turkey; it’s where weather has—for millions of years—eroded massive amounts of volcanic rock into thousands of oddly-proportioned pillars, cones and so-called ‘fairy chimneys’, the latter appearing very tall and in any shade from light pink to yellow and to brown. And what better (and probably only) way to experience this natural eye candy than by hot air balloon? Professionals there generally swoop you up from your hotel and up to the liftoff site early in the morning. You’ll float silently above the Cappadocian landscape—one abounding with small villages, quaint vineyards and orchards—for around an hour, and land gracefully (hopefully!) with a ton of beautiful pictures and lifelong memories.