Written by Josh Lew
Feature photo by acastellano Photo above by Matador Community
Whether single events or processes that take weeks, months, or years, these experiences remind us that the world remains a magical place.
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Editor’s Introduction – David Miller:
This July 4th we stood on a dock at Green Lake waiting for the fireworks to begin strobing the dark sky above Seattle. Except for the occasional pop of a bottle rocket, it was peaceful there, quiet. Our 9-month old daughter slept in her car-seat. My parents stood nearby holding hands. The water lapped against the dock pilings and nobody said anything.
As we kept looking skyward I had this strange thought that if everyone came out each night just to listen and watch the sky like this then the word would be different somehow. Better.
And then the fireworks started, far away, the muffled booms arriving several seconds after the flaring colors. Layla sensed the excitement and woke up and we lifted her to watch the display, her first. She smiled and reached her hands out as if trying to grab what she saw.
After it was over my mom said “Well, if she’s lucky she’ll have another 100 years of fireworks.”
It got me thinking about just what she might see in her lifetime, and what I’d still like to see in mine. There is so much out there, and on the other hand, so much less wilderness and wildlife. Sometimes it feels like we’re racing against time to experience something or somewhere before whatever it is that makes it special has been exhausted, used up, crowded out.
And yet the experiences we seek as “once in a lifetime,” the ones Josh Lew and other Matador community members have collected here, have a way of transcending time. Whether single events or processes that take weeks, months, or years, these experiences remind us that the world remains a magical place.
50 Things to do Before you Die
1. Set foot on each of the seven continents. Antarctica might be a tough one, but once you’ve reached all seven you can truly call yourself a world traveler.
2. Cross a country on a bicycle. A bicycle tour takes some planning, but it beats being separated from a country though a passenger-side window.
3. Ride something bigger than a horse. Trekking through the jungle on the back of a two story tall elephant will surely be something you remember forever.
Photo by Ben Ditto
4. Live like a local for a month. The experience of visiting native peoples will give you way more insight into another way of life than two years hopping from one backpacker ghetto to the next.
5. Visit a “real” blues bar in Chicago. What better way to leave music’s commercialism behind and find the soul of the blues?
6. Learn another language. This is definitely a weighty and time-consuming proposition, but there are plenty of resources out there to ease the process.
7. Go heli-skiing. The access to snow and terrain via heli is different (read: better) that anything else you’ll ever experience.
8. Travel India by train. With its extensive rail network, this mode of transport is the best way to see one of the world’s most colorful and perse countries.
9. Climb one of the world’s Seven Summits. Climbing mountains is not for the faint-hearted, but everyone has had a dream of standing atop one.
10. pe with a whale shark. Swimming with these gentle giants is among the most powerful wilderness experiences in the world.
11. Participate in a Carnival parade in Brazil. You haven’t had a good night out until you’ve been to the biggest party in a nation of big parties.
12. Dance Tango in Argentina.
13. Surf. It’s not about being a ripper but just catching waves.
14. SCUBA in the Great Barrier Reef. The largest coral reef in the world is a must for pe enthusiasts. It is the world’s most unique aquatic environment.
15. Publish an article about your travels. Part of traveling is sharing your experiences with others. Plus, getting published might be easier than you think.
Photo by Creative Corners
16. Volunteer abroad for a month.
17. Follow in the footsteps of your favorite travel book. What better guide than a book that inspired you to travel in the first place?
18. Take a bush plane ride into Africa’s interior. These lightly visited regions are filled with unique cultures and perse wildlife.
19. Cross a glacier on foot. Traversing these fast-disappearing natural wonders is an adventure that future generations might not be able to experience.
20. Visit the source of one of the world’s great rivers. Great rivers, like the Nile, have humble beginnings.
21. Climb an active volcano.
22. Buy a boat and learn to sail. Before the Brothers Wright, everyone traveled by wind power. It’s still the most sustainable way to travel there is.
23. Follow your food from field to table. Most people in the world still eat what they have picked with their own hands. Why not get back to these basics?
24. Bathe in the Ganges. What better way to experience the spiritual heart of India?
25. Travel around the world. Sure, you could do this without ever setting foot outside of planes and airports, but few people ever truly traverse the entire globe. Round the world tickets are great for budget-minded wanderers.
Photo by James Dorsey
26. Photograph an endangered species. Aside from an image you can keep for a lifetime, it will remind you, and others, how fragile life can be.
27. Participate in Burning Man . As they say: “Trying to explain Burning Man to someone who has never been is like trying to explain color to a blind person.”
28. Spend 24 hours alone in the jungle.
29. Learn how to make a national dish. What is the one and only thing that everyone has in common? Eating.
30. Teach English in a foreign country. Sure, it’s a way to fund your travels, but also the experience of a lifetime.
31. Attend a music festival in another country.
32. Cross a country using only public transportation. See a country the way most of its people do: from the window of a bus, train, or ferry.
33. Spend the night in a storied/historic hotel. You might not even have to leave town to experience a night of classic atmosphere.
34. Attend the Olympics. Whatever you say about the commercialism of the Olympic Games, they are one of the biggest events on the planet.
35. Meet your favorite (living) travel writer. They’ve inspired you; now thank them for it.
36. Travel to Germany to experience Love Parade. It’s one of the biggest festivals, attendance-wise, on the planet.
Photo by astropixie
37. Partake in a Japanese Tea Ceremony. This timeless tradition is at the heart of Japanese culture.
38. Join a caravan in the Sahara. See how people can thrive in one of the world’s harshest environments.
39. Go to Oktoberfest. The meeting of over 6 million beer afficionados and drinking song singers is one of the biggest parties in Europe.
40. Stand at the North or South Pole.
41. Be in the stands when two rival South American club teams play each other in soccer. Soccer (sorry, football) is a passion for most of the world’s population.
42. Visit the birthplace or gravesite of a cultural icon. Could be Che Guevara or Picasso or Levi Strauss or the guy who invented widgets; anyone you think is important.
43. Find your version of “The Beach.” One of the best travel books ever inspired a generation of backpackers. Why not find your own version of untouched paradise?
44. Enjoy a freshly rolled cigar in Cuba. Taste a hand rolled specialty close to its source.
45. Visit every capital city in Europe. The crowded continent is full of beautiful architecture and perse cultures.
46. Watch an orchestral performance in Vienna.
Photo by Nickmunstr
47. Skype. It is the ultimate thrill, unless you add a wingsuit, and actually fly.
48. Bike the Pacific Coast Highway.
49. Shake hands with someone who has truly changed a country.
50. Participate in the world’s biggest water fight during Thailand’s New Year’s festivities (Songkran).
“Cross a country on a bicycle” – one should mention that this does NOT count if the country in question is Liechtenstein, Luxemburg, Andorra or San Marino 😉
Great article. Everyone should try parachute, euphoria for a few weeks ir guraranteed. Going for a snowboarding now 🙂
I don’t know… most of these I could do without. I can die happy without ever having thrill-seeked. I guess everyone’s “must’s” are different. Good starting points, though. I’ve already got 4 and 6 down. 🙂
No. 51: Indulge self at the exclusion of all else.
(Whoops! Already had that.)
there’s more to life than traveling, sometimes the little things are worth more than the big. I would die happier having done less thrill seeking adventures and more things that matter and could help promote change
I wonder two things:
1. why visiting Machu Picchu is not in the list?
2. has the author done these 50 things he’s talking about?
Just curious, of course.
Must be nice to be rich ^.^
I’d rather do my own thing, thanks~
52. Link to Matador stuff 1 million times
The Full Moon Party in Thailand.
Egypt, the Pyramids.
Angel falls Venezuela.
These are spots with absolutely unique energies. Must-go places when it comes to world traveling.
Niche article, thanks you for write this article
52. Sleep with a model
53. have sex with a model
I’m confused about #10 – Did the writer perhaps leave out some letters? As it reads now, it says ” pe with a whale shark”. Who the hell wants to pee with a whale shark??????
My list:
1.Fall hopelessly&helplessly in love.
2.Swim in the ocean.
3.Leave the country.
4.Fly.
5.Take a road trip, just us 3.
6.Skinny dip.
7.Kiss in the rain.
8.Be an extra in a film.
9.Write my will.
10.Throw a party.
11.Go streaking.
12.Play Spin the Bottle.
13.Drive coast2coast across America.
14.Spend the night in a haunted house.
15.Overcome my fear of failure.
16.See a shooting star; & make a wish.
17.Kiss someone I’ve only just met.
18.Sleep under the stars.
19.Ride in a hot air balloon.
20.Jump off the bridge at Willow.
21.Send a message in a bottle.
22.Visit a concentration camp.
23.Get to the top of the Statue of Liberty.
24.Bury a time capsule.
25.Go into a bed store in my pj’s.
26.Build a giant sand castle.
27.Leave someone a love note.
28.Get my fortune told.
29.Google myself.
30.Smile at 100 strangers.
31.Pretend to be invisible.
32.Skydive.
33.Spend a whole day in bed.
34.Skip class.
35.Dance in the street.
36.Write a book.
37.Sing in the rain.
38.Play hookie.
39.Break 10 laws in 1 day.
40.Party in Vegas.
41.Get kicked out of somewhere.
42.Ding dong ditch.
43.Witness a miracle.
44.Order room service.
45.Meet a movie star.
46.Scuba dive.
47.Go a week w/o showering.
48.Strip tease.
49.Make love.<3
50.Get one of my poems published?
wef
try to have sex with most beautiful woman in world
nice article if only i had much money to travel around the world then i would die doing those 50 things. ^_^ anyway im happy staying here in the philippines.
In addition to the ones that a few readers had already suggested…
Spend the night in jail/prison
Caribana Festival in Toronto
Breast feed a baby
Save a life
Tell that one person….”I’m Sorry”
Forgive that one person
Eat animal brains
Perform on stage
Find your one true soul mate (if you can)
Invent something
Face your deepest fear (#1)
Win first place
Build a house
Find the lost scrolls to the bible
Investigate if “God” really exists and if so what is his name?
Truly be at peace with yourself
play a pick up game of basketball at rucker park
few suggestions…
1.climb mt everest
2. take a drive with the music JAMING, and just keep goin until ur out of gas.
3. repell in a big cave
Hannah I like your list best!!!! It is things like that that make life truly memorable.
Hannah I Love your list !!! And this article was Bombinn too. !! (;
i’m 14 and hope i have the money to do the things i’m dreaming of noww. !
I have added the following :
1. Create my own website
2. Run a marathon
3. Sponsor & mentor an underpriviledged child
4. Travel on the Airbus 380
5. Bungee jump into a river in New Zealand
6. View the splendour of the Oekawango Delta National Park in Botswana in May/June
7. Swim in the Devil’s pool – which is at the edge of the Victoria Falls
8. Travel to Alaska
9. Drive through the Chandelier redwood tree in California (north of LA)
(India)
OMG! i love your list.
1.learn to fly
2.scuba-dive with a shark
3own a goat (LOL)
4plant a tree
5be a boss
6write a book
7ask for a raise
8slap a guy across the face
9get lost ad have a hot truck driver find you!
10shower in a waterfall
1.Overcome your biggest fear.
2.Fall in Love
3.Die Happy
(I want to travel europe in depth, every capital may be a little much though. I also know that i will probably not spend 24 hours alone in the jungle anytime soon! I hope I win the lotto soon, but all of this I really really want to do before I die!) Thanks for sharing.
Che Guevarra is not a cultural icon. I don’t know where you’re from or why people print shirts of him but he killed many people including some of my relatives who owned a farm in cuba. He just burned their house down.
It doesn’t matter if you don’t think you CAN do something.. just write it down! If you don’t think about TRYING to do something, you never will.
I have a bucket list too! So far it has 158 goals on it, I am working my way to 1000. My favorites are ‘Milk a Cow’, ‘Ride a Zipline’, ‘Dog Sled’ and ‘Make a Coloring Book’. You can see my list at http://www.mslistologist.com Good Luck to everyone!
I have a real problem with number 24. The Ganges is very very polluted, since India has no waste disposal or water infrastructure. Take it from someone who spent three months working with the govt. and local science institutions, number 24 is not recommended.
The vast majority of Bangkok’s residents speak Thai, and most of the signs are written in Thai script. If you do not speak the language, it truly is advisable to have a nearby guide with you although travelling or purchase or tourist’s phrasebook to help you as the variety of fluent English speakers within the metropolis is few and asking for directions can prove to be a little of a challenge. Travellers are advised to bring maps with them and a calling card showing the deal with of their hotel, which they can existing for the driver of their car.
These are not the top 50 things u should do before u die.
http://thingstodobeforeudie.blogspot.com/
awesome things to try, i think some of these things can not be accomplished in our life. what a pity..
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