I can hear you think it. “Another travel bucket list? What is going on here?” Trust me, you won’t regret reading this. This one is different. As opposed to the last travel bucket list I posted, this one won’t list (a lot of) specific destinations. Instead, you’ll find a series of special adventurous activities. You might even get some inspiration or find some cool travel ideas here. So grab a drink, settle down and enjoy the show.
One of the things I try my very best to pursue while I’m on the road is chasing adventure and doing unique things. Basically, I try to take the path less traveled. On my quest to find this, I’ve come across a number of adventurous activities I have never experienced. I fully intend to one day get to doing them, and I will keep you updated when I do. Until then, let me tell you about them!
For starters, I’d like to share some thoughts on the concept of fear. Some things in life are terrifying. But being afraid of those things is a sign you’re doing the right thing. I’m absolutely frightened at the thought of doing some of these things.
What if the rope snaps? What if my parachute won’t open?
After some pondering about the answers to these questions, I started realizing that I shouldn’t even be worried about it. The sole fact that I’m scared beyond myself of doing things tells me that it’s going to be worth it.
I’m not afraid of knitting scarfs. Nor have I really gotten any real satisfaction out of knitting a scarf, no matter how beautiful it was (yes, I actually have done this before).
I was afraid of traveling alone. After going to Dublin without anyone else, I wasn’t anymore. Not everything went the way I had planned it, and that’s okay. Even better: I was proud of what I had done and I couldn’t wait to tell people about my experience.
Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s take a look at some exciting, terrifying adventure activities.
Credit: David Ramos (Getty Images)
La Tomatina is a yearly event in the city of Buñol (Spain). On the last Wednesday of August, people come from all corners of Earth to get together for one of the world’s biggest hour-long food fights and throw tomatoes at each other. The festivity in itself doesn’t have any purpose except entertainment.
Credit: Sandid (Pixabay)
It just seems incredible to be able to feel the way a bird would experience the world. No worries, no boundaries… Only freedom. Of course, this is not something to recommend to someone suffering from severe fear of heights.
Credit: WaltiGoehner (Pexels)
Again, not really an activity for those vertigo people. If you’re not one of those people, though, you might be like me. I want to try all kinds of cool things, like bungee jumping. I’m sure that once I’ve tried it, I’ll want to go more and more extreme. Oh well, we’ll see what the future brings.
I actually found out about this hiking trail after looking online for travel inspiration. I stumbled upon an article by Bored Panda about the Mt Huashan plank walk and I decided that I wanted to do this some day. It looks like you can’t feel more alive than when you’re hiking there. I can’t wait.
Credit: Skeeze (Pixabay)
When one of my best friends got a skydiving voucher as a birthday gift, he was hyping me up all day, every day. A couple of weeks later, he actually did get to it, and now he’s looking into getting his own permit to do it without someone else going with him. That must mean that it was fun. Probably even a bit more than just ‘fun’. Which is why I intend to do this as well. (If I wait a couple of years, he might be able to take me with him).
Does this picture really even need an explanation as to why I want to go here?
I mean, how could anyone not like this?
This one is a little bit different than the others, because I’ve already gone skiing. A couple of times. It feels amazing to glide down the ski slope along with people you don’t know. Hearing the snow crack beneath your feet is something you can’t explain, but you have to experience. That being said, I wouldn’t mind if this was something I could continue doing for a long time to come.
So, there we have it. These are the most adventurous, thrilling things I want to do and continue doing in the future. Do you have any adventurous activities to add to this? Any comments on my choices? Let me know!
Thanks for reading!
-S
As many of you may or may not know, I’m taking a semester abroad to study in Spain. I’ll be there between September and January, which means I’ll probably end up having some time to explore every corner of Iberia. That being said, let me walk you through the things I want to visit in Spain next year.
As I’m leaving for Spain in less than a month, I think it’s the perfect time to share this post with you guys. This semester abroad is going to be a huge thing and I’m looking forward to it so much. I just can’t wait to start living in Spain by myself!
Of course, not everything I want to see is in Spain itself. However, the majority of my Semester Abroad Bucket List is made up of Spanish locations. With that in mind, I’ll divide this list into two parts: Spain and Not Spain.
Let’s take a look!
Picture by Pedro Jarque
You weren’t expecting the first entry of my bucket list to be anything other than Madrid, Barcelona or Valencia, right? Well, here it is anyway. Admittedly, the chances of you having heard of Gaztelugatxe before are very slim. So, allow me to explain.
Gaztelugatxe is a tiny island along the northern coast of Spain (Basque Country). The only thing connecting it to mainland Spain is a man-made bridge (that looks amazing, by the way).
I saw a picture of this on a Windows login screen background, and the scenery around the island impressed me so much that I made it one of my top priorities to see Gaztelugatxe in real life one day.
I’m probably going to end up combining a visit to the island with a day or two in Bilbao.
Fun fact: HBO used Gaztelugatxe as a filming location for some scenes in season 7 of Game of Thrones.
Here comes another name you’ve never heard in your life, and you’ll probably never hear it again after reading about it here. What is Pozo de los Humos and why the hell do I want to see it?
Well, the primary reason why I want to go to Pozo de los Humos is because it’s relatively close to where I’m going to be studying. Moreover, I’m a sucker for nature reserves and waterfalls, so it seems illogical to live about half an hour away of this waterfall for a semester and not visit it.
Fun fact: Pozo de los Humos translates to the smoking waterfall in English.
Photo by Adrianna Calvo (Pexels)
As the semester abroad is obligatory for my classmates and myself, all of us are going on an adventure next year. Aside from a couple of friends, most of us are going to various locations in Spain. Within that group, the majority of students is going to study at/around the southern coast of Spain (Málaga, Granada, Huelva, Sevilla, …).
It would surprise me if I managed to go half a year without visiting my friends down in the south. And that’s why this entry is on my bucket list.
Photo by Geoffrey Morrison
Last year, we had a course about Spanish cultural history. The professor taught us about the history of Spain – which was interesting, but very irritating to study – and he got me hooked on the beauty of old Spanish buildings.
The one building I was most impressed with was the Alhambra. I would honestly travel halfway across the country to get a glimpse of this magnificent piece of ancient architecture (well, not really ancient, but you catch my drift).
I’ve been waiting to visit Gibraltar for years now, but I’ve never found it to be the right time. If I’m going to do this, I’m going to have to do it now. There’s never going to be a more perfect time to check out the tiny British territory at the end of Spain.
I imagine that Gibraltar would be a perfect place to spend a day and hang out some time.
Photo by Digitalwunder (Pixabay)
Morocco is another country I’ve wanted to visit since I was a little kid. For a typical kid from Belgium, it’s something of a childhood dream. I might get to make that dream come true next year.
I can’t wait to try Moroccan cuisine, ride a camel and stroll through beautiful cities. Another thing I can’t wait to do is try out my very first passport, as I’ve never been outside of Europe.
Picture by Peter Heeling (Skitterphoto)
Seeing as I’m going to be spending half a year living right next to the Spanish-Portuguese border, I might as well hop over into the other side. It would be a pity to let all of that Portuguese beauty go unseen, wouldn’t it?
I’ve been to Portugal before and absolutely loved it, so why wouldn’t I love it again next year?
Have you ever been to any of these destinations? What did you think of them? Let me know in the comments!
As always, thank you very much for reading!
-S
Hey guys!
In this post, I will be discussing my (solo) travel bucket list. I put solo between brackets because I don’t know yet if I want to travel solo as much, because I don’t have any experience being abroad on my own. For those of you who don’t know what a bucket list is:
a list of things that one has not done before but wants to do before dying
It apparently originated from the expression to kick the bucket (to die). So basically, a bucket list is a list of things you want to do before kicking the bucket. A travel bucket list specifically is a list of destinations you want to see or visit before dying, or in this case, in 2017.
Let’s kick it off! (pun intended)
I have a friend who recently moved from the UK to Australia and I would love to see her there. Moreover, Cairns is home to one of the most beautiful and largest coral reef systems: the Great Barrier Reef. I wouldn’t mind doing a bit of snorkeling and deep-sea diving here.
Aside from this obvious choice, there are a lot of places in the glorious US of A I want to visit. I’ve never been outside of Europe, but I intend to change that as soon as possible. I’ve heard a lot of crazy things about nature across the pond and I’d like to find out for myself. I feel like the Grand Canyon would be a great place to start. Not to mention, afterwards I could go chill out in California.
I NEED to see the Northern Lights in Finland, preferably sleeping in one of these glass domes. The thing is, these are rather expensive, so I’ll probably have to wait to do this with somebody else. Also, let’s be honest, this whole “sleeping in a glass igloo and falling asleep while looking at the stars” thing is way too romantic to do it by yourself.
I feel like this is something everyone needs to see at least once in life. Historic ruins like these should be on everyone’s travel bucket list. It seems like a beautiful historic place to spend a day and maybe explore the surrounding mountains. The Incas who inhabited this place centuries ago had a big impact on the world, so I think visiting this place could really help give us insights into why the world today is the way it is. This could fit in perfectly into a South America road trip or trekking route.
I included this place because it is just SO versatile. It literally has everything. Big city stuff in Bangkok, great food all over the country, breathtaking nature for backpacking or taking a scenic route, interesting culture in the temples and ruins and even cozy little shops and markets. I got urged to go here by a friend from high school, who has Thai roots. We were supposed to go there together with some other friends, but sadly that didn’t happen. That doesn’t mean it never will though.
I have to admit, I got the idea for Delphi from a YouTube video by Vsauce (He takes a selfie in Delphi here). Michael posts some amazing, mind-blowing stuff, so be sure to check him out. However, there’s just something about archaeological sites that fascinates me. When I was in Pompeii with my classmates in a last-year-of-high-school trip, I was baffled. I couldn’t believe I was walking on the same roads that people who died over two thousand years ago also walked on. That being said, I would love to feel that again, but in a different place. And that is why Delphi is on this list.
Disclaimer: I do realize there are tons of beautiful lakes in the world and by no means am I saying this one is the best of all.
I found this lake while I was browsing the online for travelling ideas (as I often do) and I was stunned. The sheer beauty of the surrounding mountains would make me want to buy a ticket to Canada and not even worry about the rest. Besides, after checking out the stunning nature in this park, I could go chill out in Calgary, Alberta and see some of that Canadian politeness all for myself.
Well, that was all of them. For now. If you guys have any thoughts on these, let me know. If you have any recommendations for me, let me know as well. I’ll be sure to check them out. Thanks for reading!
-S
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