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bucket list
When I started Location Rebel, the very first thing I published was my <anchor>bucket list</anchor>. I did this to hold myself accountable for all the things I wanted to do. I figured if I published it in a public forum, and people started following along, I’d have to stick to my goal of crossing something off every month.
Bucket List: 100+ Incredible Things to Do Before You Die
# The Ultimate Guide to Creating a Bucket List in 2024

My bucket list started in the same way it may be starting for you: sitting at my desk, in a job I wasn’t excited about dreaming all of the interesting things I could be doing.

This was 2009, but everything has changed since then.

Now we’ve got social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok feeding us exotic travel destinations, insane meals, and celebrity encounters with a simple swipe of the thumb.

There’s even more FOMO, and if you’ve been languishing over the past few years, seeing it can often feel even more hopeless.

This is what I felt when I was working as a financial analyst at the height of the recession over a decade ago.

But there’s one thing that saved me.

The very first step I took, completely changed the trajectory of my life, and I’ll forever be grateful for it.

What was it?

(I bet you can see where this is going.)

It was starting my bucket list.

I’d saved up all of my vacation time for the year to go to Rio de Janiero for Carnival. It was two weeks of the most epic adventures I’d ever had in my life.

Outfits for Carnival in Rio de Janeiro

Dancing at Carnival in Rio. Why I’m sharing this publicly, I have no idea….

We went hang gliding over Rio, went to Iguazu Falls, danced in the Carnival parade – we did it all.

And the whole time there was this nagging thought that I couldn’t shake:

“I should be able to do this stuff whenever I want.”

To cap it all off, the day I got back I got a 20% pay cut.

A few weeks later I had a chance encounter with Chris Guillebeau, and he encouraged me to do two things:

1. Create a bucket list
2. Start a blog to hold myself accountable for checking things off said, bucket list.

So that’s what I did.

Two months later Location Rebel was a reality, and I set to work checking things off my bucket list.

In less than a year, this led to me leaving my job, moving to Thailand, starting a business, and creating a lifetime’s worth of stories in a short period of time.

Chris and I used to meet at Starbucks every month or two during that first year. It was pretty cool to see him 11 months after that first meeting at a Starbucks in Bangkok:

Chris Guillebeau and Sean Ogle

Chris and I in Bangkok circa 2010.

Within a couple of years of publishing my bucket list in an effort to hold myself accountable for actually doing these things, I:

- Moved to a tropical island
- Climbed a mountain
- Went to Cuba and smoked a cigar before the embargo was lifted
- Played golf at Pebble Beach
- Stayed in an overwater bungalow in the Maldives
- Had a Singapore Sling at the Raffles

The list goes on (you can see it below).

A decade and a half later, I’m still working for myself and having adventures. And it’s all thanks to creating my bucket list of things I wanted to do before I died.

But that’s enough about me, if you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you’re thinking about creating a bucket list of your own or perhaps you’re just looking for ideas of what to include in your list.

I’ve spent 1/3 of my life crafting this, editing this, and checking things off.

It’s safe to say I’ve learned a lot about what makes a useful, fulfilling list.

(And guess what, it’s not just adding the obligatory “visit the Eiffel Tower” item.)

So today I’m going to show you how to create a bucket list in a way that’s meaningful and is likely a bit different than any other posts you’ve read on the topic.

We’re going to answer questions like:

- What is a bucket list?
- How do you create your own bucket list?
- What items should you put on a bucket list?
- Why should you create a reverse bucket list?
- And more.

I’ve also included the most up-to-date version of my bucket list that you can use for ideas and motivation.

Table of Contents

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## What is a Bucket List?

I can hear some of you right now, saying “what the heck is that?”

Quite simply:

A bucket list is a list of things to do before you die (or, morbidly before you “kick the bucket”).

The key here is that your list should be things that you want to do and would love to do.

That’s all there is to it.

It was made popular from the movie called “The Bucket List” where two terminally ill guys (Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson) meet in a hospital and then set out on an adventure to try and do everything on their lists.

the bucket list

I mean, who wouldn’t want to go and have some adventures with these guys, right?

## What Should You Put on Your Bucket List?

My thoughts on this have evolved a lot over the last 13 years.

My original list, had some unique items, but a lot them were your typical “see the Eiffel Tower” type items. (Which, check by the way.)

There’s nothing wrong with wanting to see the typical touristy hotspots. But I think your bucket list should be more personal than that.

What people do you want to have experiences with? The best part about traveling and frankly, life in general, is the people you share things with.

So the current iteration of my bucket list has a number of things I’d like to do with certain people that I think would be really meaningful.

A few other categories to think about are:

- Career/Business
- Family
- Friends
- Unique Experiences
- Food
- Hobbies
- Skills

We go into more depth on this one in our “How to Start a Bucket List” post. So if you’re looking for a walk-through for creating your own, check that out.

## The Bucket List Quest

A bucket list can be whatever you want it to be, but I personally love the idea of a quest. A quest is a type of bucket list, but you’re generally working towards a goal in a specific niche.

For instance, Chris wanted to visit every country in the world by the time he was 35.

While I don’t call them bucket lists, that’s effectively what they are.

It’s a list of things I would like to experience before I die – they just happen to be all related to a common concept.

So if you’re really passionate about something, consider creating a “quest” rather than just a typical bucket list.

## My Bucket List (And Bucket List Ideas for You)

Without further ado, let’s jump into my current bucket list.

This has evolved quite a bit from the original 100 things I published. Many items are still on there, and many have been removed. But I’ve crossed off the ones I’ve done, and added a little commentary about each section, to help give insights that might inspire you and your own list.

### Experiences with Specific People

I love being around people who are passionate about something. This holds especially true when I have a shared passion for that thing. So many of these are people I’d like to meet, but I don’t just want to shake hands and say hi. I want to do something more memorable than that.

- Drink Japanese Whisky with Kevin Rose
- Shoot a Vlog with Peter McKinnon
- Shoot a vlog with Jesse Driftwood
- Jam with Joe Bonamassa
- Chat watches with Ben Clymer at Hodinkee (November 2019)
- Share a Cocktail with Ryan Chetiwardanya
- Go for a Bike Ride with Noah Kagan
- Visit Lake Como with Nick Ramil
- Golf with Justin Timberlake
- Take an International Trip with My Mom
- Take an International Trip with My Dad
- Meet Phil Knight
- So many things with my wife and daughter, listing just one would be impossible.

### Places I’d Like to Ski

- Vail, Colorado (Many times now)
- Aspen Mountain, Colorado
- Deer Valley, Utah
- Snowbird/Alta, Utah
- Chamonix, France
- Lake Tahoe
- Zermatt, Switzerland
- Anywhere in the Southern Hemisphere
- Niseko, Japan (February 2018)

## Drinks

### Food and Restaurants

Eating can be one of the great joys and experiences in life. This is especially true when you travel. If you like to eat, food can be a fantastic starting point when creating your own bucket list.

- French Laundry (Napa Valley)
- Alinea (Chicago)
- Tickets (Barcelona)
- Eleven Madison Park (NYC)
- Ultraviolet (Shanghai)
- Gaggan (Bangkok)
- Osteria Francescana (Modena)
- Franklin’s BBQ (Austin)
- Blue Hill at Stones Barns (New York)
- Fireworks Feast on Prince Edward Island – (September 2018)
- Eat sushi in Japan (February 2018)
- Eat Chili Crab in Singapore (November 2015)
- Eat a beignet in New Orleans
- Have pad thai in Thailand (January 2010)
- Eat tacos in Mexico (January 2013)
- Literally, throw another shrimp on the Barbie in Australia (February 2023)
- Eat a steak and drink Malbec in Buenos Aires
- Make Gordon Ramsay’s Beef Wellington (December 2021)

The Fireworks Feast was the single greatest culinary experience I’ve ever had:

## Work and Business

Many of these bucket list goals were set when I originally published this list in 2009. It’s nice to see that I’ve made some progress!

- Start my own business (2005, 2007, 2012, 2019)
- Make My First Dollar Online (August 2007)
- Make an Average of $10/day Off My Online Business (Summer 2010)
- Make a Living off My Online Business (Summer 2010)
- Reach 10,000 Followers on Twitter (2014)
- Reach 100k YouTube Subscribers
- Shoot a Sequel to The Desk
- Work from a Resort Hotel (Many times now)
- Gross $100,000 in a month (May 2023)
- Gross $500,000 in a year (2022)
- Do a $50k Product Launch (January 2014)
- Donate $10k+ to a cause that’s important to me
- Launch a charitable arm to my business
- Speak in Front of a Large Crowd (TEDxCMU 2012)

## Golf:

As I mentioned above, golf is a passion of mine and something I’ve traveled extensively for. So naturally, a portion of my bucket list is going to have some golf-related items.

### My Top Golf Courses I’d Like to Play

The Old Course Hotel at St. Andrews at Sunrise.

Sunrise on the most famous golf course in the world: St. Andrews.

## Real Estate

Sunriver is one of my favorite places on Earth:

## Hotels

I’ve always had a weird obsession with luxury hotels. Often it’s the hotel that I’m most excited for when I travel. This list could easily be dozens of items long, but these are some of the highlights for me:

## Cool Experiences

### Major Events

## Travel Experiences

- Have a pint of Guiness in Dublin (December 2017)
- Go to New York City (August 2010)
- Go to Burning Man
- See the Eiffel Tower in Person (April 2019)
- Visit the Ruins of Pompeii
- Rock Climb in Yosemite National Park
- Heli-Ski in Valdez, Alaska
- Ride Every Roller Coaster at Cedar Point
- Go to Cuba Before the Embargo is Lifted and Have a Cigar (January 2012)
- Take a roadtrip from LA to NYC (March 2012)
- Hang Glide Over Rio de Janeiro (February 2009)
- Visit Iguazu Falls (February 2009)
- Stay in the Amazon Jungle
- Trek to Machu Picchu
- Visit Every Continent (5/7)
- Travel for at least 3 months straight (April 2010)
- Live for a month on a tropical island (September 2011, Bali)
- Go to the airport with no pre-conceived idea of where I’ll be going (May 2010, BKK –> MNL)
- Fly in a fighter jet
- Visit Victoria Falls in Zambia
- See a giraffe in the wild
- See the Sydney Opera House in Person (February 2023)
- Go on a cruise

Sydney Opera House from Taronga Zoo

At the Taronga Zoo, with the Sydney Opera House in the background.

## Other Interesting Bucket List Items:

Petra by Night

Petra by Night in Jordan

- Climb a 5.11 climbing route (The current best is 5.10+)
- Win (another) tennis tournament with at least 12 entrants)
- Wake up before 6am everyday for 2 weeks (October 2014)
- Create a list of my top 100 albums of all time
- Have coffee with the CEO of a Fortune 500 Company
- Write a book
- Shake hands with a President
- Give a speech that makes people both laugh and cry. (June 2018, Best Man Speech)

## What is a Reverse Bucket List?

A reverse bucket list is simply creating a list of things you’ve already done, rather than a list of things you want to do in the future.

The idea is to help you realize that you’ve done more than you think. It’s a great way to be thankful for those experiences, rather than frustrated at the things we haven’t done.

Plus, we all like to take a minute and appreciate everything we’ve already accomplished, right?

We look at what it is in detail and talk about how to create one in this video:

## How to Get Anything You Want in Life

A lot of people start out with a bucket list because they’re thinking of all the things they truly want in life. Whether it’s material items, experiences, or relationships.

Well here’s the deal, getting anything you want in life is actually not as difficult as you think.

## How to Create a Bucket List of Your Own

Over the years I’ve written quite a bit of content about bucket lists, because creating one has had such a dramatic affect on my life.

Hopefully, these posts will help you come up with some cool bucket list ideas of your own and give you some things to think about as you begin creating your list.

- How to Create a Bucket List – Stuck on how to start? You’re in the right place. In this post, I share 10 real deal actionable steps on how to get started right now. Read this and you’ll be brimming with your own bucket list ideas by the end of the day.
- The Best Bucket List Books for Doing More in Life – I don’t know about you, but there are few things I find more inspiring than reading the stories of people who have done the impossible. In this list of books, you’re going to find people doing just that. Plus a few books chock full of ideas to help you create your own list.
- The Importance of Having a Bucket List in Business – Look, bucket lists don’t just apply to life, you can apply them to business too. In this post, I share how having a bucket list can help transform your business opportunities.
- Why Every Entrepreneur Should Have a Bucket List – Building your own business can be rough. It can be hard to focus on anything outside of work and sitting at the laptop 10 hours a day doesn’t help. This post shares my advice on how entrepreneurs can break out of a rut with a bucket list.

Enjoy, and here’s to doing more of the things that make us happy in life!

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