Bucket List: 225 Things to Do Before You Die

20. Bungee Jump from Royal Gorge Bridge

Royal Gorge Bridge So maybe skydiving is a little too extreme for you, but you still want to conquer your fear of heights. Welcome to the Royal Gorge Bridge in Canon, Colorado. Towering over the Arkansas River at 1,053 feet (321m), it’s one of the tallest suspension bridges and the highest [legal] bungee jump point on Earth.

Even if you don’t make the death-defying (it is a ‘Bucket List’, after all!) jump, the encompassing Royal Gorge Bridge and Park still has tons to do and see—like riding one of the longest aerial trams in the world and 21 other rides, and eating at one of the several eateries. However, bungee jumping events don’t occur here but a few times a year, so check ahead.

21. Become a Lifelong Collector of Something That Fascinates You

Coin collectionYour collection (or future one) represents a piece of who you are. It speaks volumes to your passion(s) in life. “What would I collect, though?” you might ask. The decision is yours alone, of course, but here’s a short list of very popular collectibles:

  • Ceramics
  • Baseball cards
  • Newspapers
  • Rare coins
  • Antiques
  • Beer cans/bottles
  • Autographs
  • Framed artwork
  • Match boxes
  • Pez dispensers

The world is truly your [collectible] oyster!

22. Cross a Country On a Bicycle

Cycling near mountainsUnless your inner-Lance Armstrong is calling, I’d suggest picking a smaller country, though. Choose a manageable (via bicycle) country with well-maintained roads (in other words, not Afghanistan), and plan to travel the ones with the least auto traffic (unless biking alongside crazy drivers is just your thing, of course!). Here are a few good countries to consider: Portugal, Greece, Belgium, Denmark, Slovenia, the Bahamas, Costa Rica, and Chile (you know, that extremely long, but very narrow South American country?).

23. Learn to Speak Another Language Fluently

Language study workbook Being bi- or even trilingual not only gives you special bragging rights among your more “linguistically-challenged” friends and family, it may also open doors to new careers (or earn you more $ at your existing job) and help immensely when traveling abroad. For instance, being fluent in German (depending on the popularity of the dialect(s) learned) enables communication with not only Germans, but with many cultures and/or regions of Switzerland, Austria, Poland, Lichtenstein and others.

24. Climb One of the World’s Seven Summits

Mountain climbing
If you haven’t noticed, ‘high altitude’ items have fairly broad influence on this here Bucket List. Depending on your level of fear (or not) of heights, this could be good or bad! And you may never be the next Richard Bass (first-ever documented person to reach the summit of the highest mountain on each of the seven continents), but there’s still the chance to get at least one in! Take your pick from:

  • Mount Kilimanjaro (Africa; highest peak at over 5,800m high, or over 19,000ft)
  • Mount Vinson Massif (Antarctica; 4,892m/16,050ft)
  • Mount Kosciuszko (Australia; 2,228m/7,310ft)
  • Carstensz Pyramid (Australia; 4,800m/16,000ft)
  • Mount Everest (Asia; 8,800m/29,000ft)
  • Mount Elbrus (Europe; 5,600m/18, 500ft)
  • Mount McKinley (Denali peak) (North America; 6,194m/20,320ft)
  • Mount Aconcagua (South America; 6,962m/22,841ft)