The Bucket List

Before I turned 18, I sat down and wrote out a list of everything I wanted to do in life, my “bucket list.” I wanted to make sure that I’m always moving forward, that I don’t become complacent and static. To ensure this, I challenged myself to knock off at least 2 items from the list every year. So far I’ve kept to that challenge, but even as I cross items off, the list has grown exponentially. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to finish this list, but I sure as hell am going to try.

 

Travel within the USA

• Visit and Camp in all Fifty of the United States, Puerto Rico & the US Virgin Islands
• Visit all 63 National Parks
  • Acadia National Park
  • Arches National Park
  • Big Bend National Park
  • Biscayne National Park
  • Bryce Canyon National Park
  • Canyonlands National Park
  • Capital Reef National Park
  • Carlsbad Caverns National Park
  • Congaree National Park
  • Crater Lake National Park
  • Everglades National Park
  • Gateway Arch National Park
  • Glacier National Park
  • Grand Canyon National Park
  • Grand Teton National Park
  • Great Sand Dunes National Park
  • Great Smoky Mountains National Park
  • Guadalupe Mountains National Park
  • Hot Springs National Park
  • Katmai National Park
  • Kenai Fjords National Park
  • Mammoth Cave National Park
  • Mesa Verde National Park
  • Mount Rainier National Park
  • Olympic National Park
  • Redwoods National Park
  • Rocky Mountain National Park
  • Saguaro National Park
  • White Sands National Park
  • Wrangell-St. Elias National Park
  • Yellowstone National Park
  • Zion National Park
• Alaska
  • See Beluga Whales in Cook Inlet
  • Snowmobile on a frozen lake
  • Work with a sled dog team
  • Drive the Al-Can Highway
  • Explore Prince William Sound
  • Kayak on the Yukon River
  • Catch a salmon
  • Watch the brown bears fish at Brooks Falls
  • Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes
  • Witness the Northern Lights
• Arizona
  • See the Grand Canyon
  • Hike through Antelope Canyon
  • Anasazi Cliff Dwellings in Arizona
  • Walk amongst the Saguaros
  • Make fun of the energy vortexes in Sedona
  • Visit the town of Bisbee
• Florida
  • Bike the Pinellas Trail round-trip from Downtown St. Petersburg, FL to Tarpon Springs, FL (90 miles)
  • Bike the Withlacoochee Trail (46 miles)
  • Visit the Coral Castle
  • St. Augustine
  • Hike the Citrus Trail
  • Visit Lake Okeechobee
  • Florida Caverns
  • Pilot an Air Boat in the Everglades
  • Bok Tower
  • Stuart, Fl
  • Visit Anclote Key State Park
  • See the mermaids at Weeki Wachi Springs
  • Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, Key Largo
  • Watch the air show at Sun n’ Fun
  • See the air show at Macdill AFB
  • Swim in the Venetian Pool, Coral Gables
  • Amelia Island
  • Visit the Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks
  • Seacrest Wolf Preserve
  • Wekiva Island
  • Attend a sugar cane boil
  • Sunken Gardens, St. Pete
  • Tour TECO’s Big Bend Power Station
  • See the murals in Lake Placid
  • Visit Soloman’s Castle, Ona
  • Stargaze in Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park
  • Blowing Rocks Preserve
  • Fantasy of Flight Museum
  • Canoe/Camp in the 10,000 Islands
  • Disney World
  • Visit the Ringling Museum
  • Visit the Dali Museum
  • Key West
  • Fort Jefferson – Dry Tortugas
  • Visit the Spanish Monastery, Miami Beach
  • Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens
  • Visit Kennedy Space Center
• Georgia
  • Explore Savannah, Georgia
  • Get to Know Atlanta
  • Hiawassee, Georgia
  • Camp: Red Top Mountain / Lake Lanier / Stone Mountain
  • Hike to tallest point in Georgia: Brasstown Bald
  • Providence Canyon State Park
• California
  • Glass Beach, California
  • Drive the Pacific Coast Highway
  • Walk among the California Redwoods
  • Racetrack Playa in Death Valley, California
  • Drive across the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco
• Colorado
  • Wander around Boulder
  • Explore Denver on foot
  • Sleep in a tent in the middle of Denver
  • Garden of the Gods
  • Pike’s Peak
  • Black Canyon of the Gunnison
• Idaho
  • Hike in the Salmon-Challis National Forest
  • Coeur d’Alene
  • Hike to Goldbug Hot Springs
• Kentucky
  • Hike the Red River Gorge
  • Experience the Kentucky Derby
  • Drive the Bourbon Trail
    • Maker’s Mark Distillery
• Montana
  • Hike: Beaten Path – Beartooth / Absaroka Wilderness
  • Rodeos and Street Dances
  • Red Ants Pants Music Festival
  • Darby Logger Days
  • Lewis & Clark Caverns
  • Upper Missouri River Breaks
  • Sail on Canyon Ferry Reservoir
  • Gates of the Wilderness
• Nevada
  • Stay in a hotel on the Las Vegas strip
  • Gamble in Vegas
  • See the Hoover Dam
• New Mexico
  • Hike in the Gila Wilderness
  • Traverse the lava fields of El Malpais
• New York
  • Visit Ellis Island and climb to the crown of the Statue of Liberty
  • See Central Park covered in snow
  • Ice Skate at the Rockefeller Center
  • See a play on Broadway
  • Walk the High Line
  • Hike in the Adirondacks
• North Carolina
  • Wander around Asheville
  • Nag’s Head
• Oregon
  • See Astoria
  • Explore Portland
  • Drive the Columbia River
• South Dakota
  • See Mount Rushmore
  • Crazy Horse Memorial
• Tennessee
  • Tourist Hell in Gatlinburg
  • See how it’s made at the Jack Daniels Distillery
  • Explore Nashville
•  Texas
  • Palo Duro Canyon State Park
  • Explore San Antonio
  • Swim in the Rio Grande
•  Utah
  • Zion National Park, Utah
  • See the sunset at Dead Horse Point State Park
  • Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah
• Washington
  • Explore Seattle
  • Pick an apple from an orchard in Wenatchee
• Washington D.C.
  • Tour the White House
  • Visit the Smithsonian Museums
  • See the Cherry Blossoms
  • Tour the Capitol Building
• Wyoming
  • Visit Devil’s Tower
  • Explore Jackson Hole
  • Hike in the Wind River Range
  • Visit Quebec-01 Missile Alert Facility
• Canoe/Kayak the Boundary Waters
• Travel by Train in the United States
• Bio-luminescent Bay, Puerto Rico
• Drive on Route 66
• Visit Waikiki Beach, Oahu, Hawaii

Travel around the World

• Visit all 7 Continents
• Visit 100+ Countries
• Live in a foreign country for 6 months
• Travel Solo
• Explore another country with each of my family members
  • Aunt Dee – Thailand 11/2018
  • Dad – Canada 5/2023
• Sail to several countries in one trip
• Visit all of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World
  • Christ Redeemer: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
  • Great Wall of China
  • Machu Picchu: Peru
  • Petra: Jordan
  • Pyramid at Chichén Itzá: Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico
  • The Colosseum: Rome, Italy
  • Taj Mahal: Agra, India
• Climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania
• Ride on the Orient Express
• Afghanistan – Kubal
• Albania
  • Stay in the town of Vlore (for almost a month!)
  • Explore some of the bunkers littered across the countryside
  • See the white house of Berat
  • Get lost trying to figure out the minivan system to get around
•  Argentina
  • The Perito Moreno Glacier: Patagonia
  • Iguassu Falls (between Brazil and Argentina)
• Australia
  • The Sydney Opera House
  • Great Barrier Reef
• Austria
  • Visit Vienna
  • Explore Salzburg
• Azerbaijan – Negorno-Karaba
• Belize
  • Caracol Mayan Ruins
  • Great Blue Hole
  • Belize Barrier Reef
• Bosnia & Herzegovina – Stari Most in Mostar
• Cambodia
  • Floating Villages
  • Ankor Wat
• Canada
  • See the Columbia Icefield in Jasper National Park
  • Spotted Lake, Osoyoos, British Columbia
  • Wander around Calgary
  • Niagara Falls
  • Camp in the backcountry of Banff National Park
• Chile
  • The Statues of Easter Island
  • Marble Caves
  • Torres del Paine
•  China
  • The Terracotta Warriors
  • The Great Wall of China
• Colombia
  • Trek to la Ciudad Perdida (the Lost City)
  • Plaza Botero in Medellin 08/14/16
  • Visit the Salt Cathedral of Zipaquira 08/20/16
• Cuba
  • Explore Havana
  • Stay in a Casa Particular
• Egypt
  • The Pyramids of Giza, Egypt
  • The Egyptian Museum in Cairo
• France
  • The Eiffel Tower
  • Notre Dame Cathedral
  • The Louvre
  • Versailles
• Germany
  • Brandenburg Gate
  • Berlin Wall
  • Drink lots of beer in Munich
  • Visit the birthplace of the Reformation, Wittenberg
  • Neuschwanstein Castle
  • Miniatur Wunderland
• Greece
  • The Acropolis in Athens
  • Santorini
  • Olympus
• Travel to Greenland
• Iceland
  • See Hallgrímskirkja
  • Visit Reykjavik
  • Drive Route 1, the ‘Ring Road’
• Israel
  • Swim in the Dead Sea
  • Visit the Western Wall
  • Gethsemane
  • Tour Jerusalem
• Italy
  • The Leaning Tower of Pisa
  • Visit the Sistine Chapel
  • Tour Pompeii
  • St. Peter’s Basilica
  • Hike between the villages of Cinque Terra
  • Visit the Ferrari Factory
  • The Basilica di San Marco, Venice
  • Spend a day you weren’t supposed to in the town of Brindisi with nothing to do
• Japan
• The Maldives
• Mexico
  • Cozumel
  • Great Pyramid of Tenochtitlan
  • El Castillo, Chichen Itza
• Montenegro
  • Take a boat tour of the Bay of Kotor
  • Get bored in Podgorica
• Morocco
  • Stay in a riad in Marrakech
  • Visit the tannery in Fes
  • Sleep under the stars in the Sahara Desert
  • Visit the “Blue City”, Chefchaouen
• Nepal
  • Safari on foot in Chitwan National Park
  • Visit Everest Base Camp – Via the Three Passes Trek
  • Work/Volunteer in a small village (All Hands & Hearts)
  • Hike the Annapurna Circuit
• New Zealand
  • Take a “Great Walk” around the island of Rakiura
  • Visit “Middle Earth”
  • Experience Milford Sound by boat
    
• Peru
  • Fly over the Nazca lines
  • Hike the Cordillera Huayhash
• Portugal
  • Visit Lisbon
  • Taste port wine in the city of Porto
• Tour du Mont Blanc – France, Italy, and Switzerland
• Russia
  • Visit the Kremlin
  • Ride the Trans-Siberian Railway (Moscow to Mongolia)
• Senegal – Lake Retba
• Spain
  • Gaudi’s La Sagrada Familia, Barcelona
  • Trek the Camino de Santiago de Compostela
  • See the Alhambra
  • El Prado in Madrid
  • Ibiza
• Tasmania – Binalong Bay, Bay of Fires
• Thailand
  • Wander the streets of Bangkok
  • Travel by sleeper train to Chiang Mai
  • Visit an ethical elephant sanctuary
  • Scuba Dive off Koh Lanta
  • Walk across the real Bridge on the River Kwai
• Visit Tibet
• Turkey
  • Hear the Call to Prayer in Istanbul
  • Cappadocia
  • Pamukkale
  • City of Troy
  • Visit the Hagia Sophia
• Ukraine – Chernobyl
• United Arab Emirates
  • See the tallest building in the world- the Burj Khalifa
• United Kingdom
  • Stonehenge
  • White Cliffs of Dover
  • The British Museum in London
  • See graffiti by Banksy
• Venezuela
  • Angel Falls
• Vietnam
  • Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum
  • Cu Chi Tunnels
  • Turtle Tower
  • The Marble Mountains
• Victoria Falls (between Zambia and Zimbabwe)
• The Fjords of Norway
• The Amazon Rainforest
• Swim in the Indian Burial Caves, The Bahamas
• Seychelles Islands
• Auschwitz, Poland
• The Panama Canal
• Dubrovnik, Croatia
• Mecca
• Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, Holland

Adventure

• Participate in the Mongol Rally or Rickshaw Run
• Climb one of the Seven Summits
• Go Skydiving – 7/27/14
• Become a certified skydiver
• Go Wingsuiting
• Get my pilots license
• Learn to Sail
• Fly a hot air balloon
• Hike the John Muir Trail
• Get Tazered
• Learn to Snowboard
• Bike ride across a country or state
• Hike across a country– Spain, July 2017
• See the Northern Lights (the Aurora Borealis)
• Hike 100+ miles by myself
• Go Flyboarding
• Do a Police Ride Along
• Watch a meteor shower
• Travel somewhere by sea plane
• See a bear while hiking – 11/14/16
• Indoor Skydiving
• Play Tejo in Colombia
• Ride in a submarine
• Go Skiing
• Hitchhike
• Go urban exploring, take pictures
• Make a snowman
• Swim in a Mud Volcano – 08/13/16
• Night Kayaking with Bio-luminescent life
• Go horseback riding on a beach
• Salmon Run
• Try Surfing
• Go Para-sailing
• Go Tornado Chasing
• Sleep in an igloo
• Go paragliding 08/16/16
• Ride a Segway
• Do an ice swim
• Sail on a Junk Boat
• Ride in a helicopter
• Walk on hot coals
• Sleep in a teepee
• Become a certified Ham Radio Operator
• Whitewater rafting
• Drive a tank
• Be an extra in a movie/TV show
• Stay in an ice hotel
• Experience zero gravity
• Watch a rocket launch live
• Shear a sheep
• Poke lava with a stick
• Milk a cow
• Sleep in a yurt
• Go jetskiing
• Stay in a castle
• Fly in a private jet
• Climb an active volcano
• Go ice fishing
• Walk through a labyrinth (like The Labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral near Paris, France)
• Go spelunking
• Fly in a blimp
• Build a tree house
• Sleep in a tree house
• Stay in a houseboat
• Toboggan
• Drive a zamboni
• Couchsurf
• Ride in a rickshaw
• Take a spontaneous trip
• Fly somewhere for just a day
• Watch turtles hatch
• Herd cattle
• Stay in an underwater hotel
• Drive a race car
• Make a hole in one
• Go whale-watching
• Attend a rodeo
• Ride a bull
• Try Fencing – Learned that I have terrible balance
• Drive through a dust storm
• Go on a Safari in Africa
• Spend time in a sensory deprivation tank
• See a TED Talk live
• Act in a play
• See the Milky Way with no light pollution
• Mush a Dog Sled
• Ride a Camel in the Sahara Desert
• Track Gorillas in Uganda
• Swim with the manatees
• Learn to ride a unicycle
• View a Solar Eclipse
• See a Lunar Eclipse
• Sail offshore
• Stand at the South Pole

Education

• Finish the International Baccalaureate Program – May 2014
• Get CompTIA A+ Certification
• Earn my Bachelor’s Degree
• Teach a class at a University
• Get EMT Certified
• Learn a magic trick
• Get an article published in a major journal
• Write/co-author a book
• Learn how to Weld
• Become fluent in Spanish
• Learn sign language
• Take a Falconry class
• Learn how to blow glass
• Take dancing lessons

Scuba Diving

• Get scuba certified
• Obtain Advanced Open Water Certification
• Cage diving in South Africa
• Galaxy Dive at Ginnie Springs
• Scuba Dive in the Galapagos Islands
• Dive with sharks
• Dive the Florida Reef
• Diving near Koh Lanta, Thailand
• Visit the Great Barrier Reef in Australia
• Dive on a shipwreck
• Belize Barrier Reef
• Great Blue Hole, Belize
• Dive in the Finding Nemo tank at Epcot
• Spear-fishing
• Dive with sea turtles
• Volunteer at the aquarium as a diver
• Swim with whale sharks

Festivals/Events

• The National Cherry Blossom Festival, Washington, DC
• Loy Krathong, the Sky Lantern Festival in Thailand
• Gasparilla Pirate Invasion in Tampa, FL
• Holi Festival in India: February/March on the Last Full Moon Day
• Sandfest in Port Aransas, Texas
• Running with the Bulls: San Fermin Festiva in Pampalona, Spain
• Oktoberfest, Munich, Germany
• Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta: Early October
• Brazilian Carnival, Rio de Janerio
• Mardi Gras, New Orleans: February/March
• The Day of the Dead, Mexico: November 2nd
• Burning Man in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada: August/September
• Chinese New Year in China: January 21st- February 20th
• See a play/musical on Broadway
• Go to the Olympics
• The Kentucky Derby
• Attend an Opera
• See a Cirque du Soleil Show
• Attend the World Expo

Making a Difference

• Organize, fundraise, and finish a project for a community in a developing nation (a well or other)
• Learn CPR
• Deploy as a volunteer to a disaster inside the US
• Deploy as a volunteer to a disaster outside the US
• Start a Community Emergency Response Team
• Start or help start a NGO
• Serve a term of service with AmeriCorps
• Hold public office
• Donate 5+ gallons of blood

Miscellaneous Life

• Earn the Boy Scouts Eagle Rank
• Speak in front of 1000+ people
• Take voice lessons
• Invest in the stock market
• Make something that I’m proud of
• Set up an Roth IRA before I turn 30
• Design and build my dream home
• Have a personal library
• Solve a Rubik’s Cube
• Achieve my ideal weight
• Get married
• Make a time capsule

Food

• Taste Wine in the Napa Valley
• Stomp Grapes for Wine
• Try Frog Legs: Cambodia
• Eat Lemon Ants: Cambodia
• Attend a pig roast
• Eat Alligator
• Catch, cook, and eat a fish
• Eat Escargot (Snails)
• Try Guinea Pig: Peru
• Learn to use chopsticks
• Try Ostrich Eggs
• Eat Termites: Belize
• Try Caviar
• Eat a Gros Michel banana