The idiom, drop in the bucket, refers to the idea that most things in life are only a very small portion of the whole. Kick the bucket, references death by imagining yourself standing on a bucket with a noose tied around your neck. Once the bucket is ‘kicked’, well, you can imagine the outcome. But where does the term, bucket list, come from?
Some say it originates from the movie, “The Bucket List (2007),” starring Jack Nickolson and Morgan Freeman. Others say it is a hybrid of the previously mentioned idioms. What is important to take from this image is to imagine your life as a collection of small ‘drops’ of experiences gathered into a bucket. That bucket will either remain mostly empty throughout your life or fill itself to the brim, and when the time comes for it to spill, as it does for every man, what do you most hope to see?
In other words, if you died tomorrow and your top 10 highlights were flashed before your eyes, do you think you’d be satisfied with what you saw? We’ve teamed up with Julia Dimon, travel expert and host of several popular television shows, including World Travels, Destination Getaways (MSNBC), and Outside Today, to help us decide what world experiences are truly worthy of anyone’s list. From gentle solitude to the rush of adrenaline, these are the 10 drops of life any man would most like to remember when his own bucket is knocked from his feet.
What a Man’s Bucket List Should Look Like
1. Experience Heaven on Earth
Cost: Over $1,000/person for 5-days accommodations—not including airfare or dining.
One of Julia’s (and ours) favorite places to connect is with nature. In particular, we are talking about the Atacama Desert in northern Chile. “The landscape is really unique,” says Julia. “Almost like you’re on the moon.” We realize, however, that one person’s warm, inviting dessert, is another person’s rich, tropical getaway. If this is the case for you, Hvar Island in Croatia, is a haven of beaches (Adriatic Sea), luxury yachts, lavender fields, ancient olive trees, and vineyards. Close enough to civilization to be comfortable, yet far enough to avoid the bustle of industry and high prices.
2. Best Sunrise/Sunset
Cost: Guided tour Over $300, or take the hike yourself for free.
Mount Nemrut, found near the small town of Kahta in rural Turkey, is one of the most beautiful places to witness the beginning and end of any day. Your experience will begin around 2:30 AM, with a semi-difficult trek up to the summit. Once you reach the top, you’ll be greeted by an unspoken serenity among the enormous, 165-foot tomb (hill) presumed to hold the body of Antiochus Theos, the Roman-Persian king. As the sun rises between the aligned statues of Greek gods, heroes, and kings, a mystical orange glow is cast across the landscape.
3. Celebrate Life!
Cost: You ccan get by with $300 for this week-long event.
Get out with some people who really know how to party! The Burning Man is held annually at the Black Rock Desert, located 120 miles north of Reno, Nevada. It kicks off the week prior to Labor Day and climaxes on the Saturday before Labor Day when “the man” is burned (don’t worry, it’s not a real man). “I just went last year and it’s truly a once-in-a-lifetime must experience,” says Julia. “For one week, some 50,000 costume-clad visitors travel from all over the world to celebrate humanity, creativity, music, nudity, charity, and chemically induced happiness celebrated to the beat of throbbing techno.”
4. Do the Bizarre
Cost: $5 (or so)
If you’re looking for the perfect way to solidify your status as a bad-ass, look no further than Dawson City, Yukon, home of the sour-toe cocktail. “I’m a card-carrying member,” Julia says proudly. The way it works is after a speech and ceremony performed by an equally bad-ass, sour-toe member, Captain Dick, you’re given a drink (preferably whiskey or beer) with a severed toe swaying along the bottom. “You chug the thing back and the toe has to touch your lips,” describes Julia. Be careful, though, as several toes have been lost via unintentional swallowing.
5. Where the Wild Things ‘Really’ Are
Cost: $10,000 minimum for 10-day Mozambique or Antarctic experience—airfare not included.
Getting up close and personal with some of the world’s most majestic animals, will not only bring a better understanding of nature but will also bring your own life into greater perspective. Swimming with the whale sharks of Mozambique is both inspiring and exhilarating. You can then eat fresh mango all day while snorkeling with the manta rays. An alternative to the hot beach is enjoying the serene chill of the Antarctic glaciers while viewing penguins and sea elephants from the front row seat of your own kayak. “I’ll be crossing this one off my list,” says Julia.
6. Exhilaration of Adrenaline
Cost: $100 for the day (once you’re there).
One of Julia’s most exhilarating experiences to date is throwing herself off Zambezi Gorge in Zambia, and then swinging back and forth like a pendulum across the Zambezi river. “You’re looking down and it’s quite terrifying,” describes Julia. “It is one of the biggest adrenaline rushes!” If swinging from a gorge is beyond your fear factor, perhaps Zorbing down a hill in a giant inflatable hamster ball will be more to your liking. Located in either the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee (USA) or in Rotorua, New Zealand, this experience is a reminder of what fun is all about!
7. Road Warrior
Cost: $399 for the Dragster Experience, and $1,995 for the Rickshaw Run.
Professional racer, Doug Foley, has developed a ‘drive-a-dragster‘ program, offering the thrill of professional racing. The course includes instructions, safety equipment, two ‘smokey’ burnouts, and two hard launches down a professional track. A road-worthy alternative is a 5000 km journey across India’s treacherous roadways on a 150cc Rickshaw. The Rickshaw Run is a fast-paced (er, make that a slow-paced), highly eventful two-week road trip through the desert, jungle, and the Himalayan Mountains (that is, if you’ve got the guts and believe in the road-worthiness of your rickshaw).
8. Out of this World
Cost: $450,000 for the Virgin Galactic and $18,000 for an Incredible Adventure.
Book a space voyage on Virgin Galactic, which includes sub-orbit time, allowing passengers six minutes of weightless floating around the cabin of the plane. If $450,000 is a bit too steep, Incredible Adventures will take you to the edge of space at a fraction of the cost (starting at $18,000) aboard a MIG-29 Fulcrum jet. Passengers will soar 68,000 feet about the earth’s surface, while also being given the opportunity to take control of the mighty MIG. These ships set sail in New Mexico (Virgin), Russia, and Cape Town, Florida.
9. Fear Factor
Cost: $175/person
Some people say one of the most pivotal moments of life is a brush with death. Such an experience makes most other fears in life pale by comparison. “Crocosaurus Cove in Darwin, Australia looks badass,” exclaims Julia, fantasizing about setting foot inside the “Cage of Death”. “I’m really excited to do this one!” There are not many places you can come face to face with a one-ton saltwater croc and live to tell about it. Their secret is the plastic cage with which the human morsel (you) is placed, before being dunked in the crocodile pool.
10. Testing Your Limits
Cost: Bolivia Death Road is around $125/person, the 5-day Great Wall of China Marathon package starts at $1,650/person.
For some, testing their limits is eating at an all-you-can-eat buffet. For others, it’s letting gravity take hold as they sail down “The World’s Most Dangerous Road,” with nothing more than a pair of handlebars between their face and the dirt. This downhill trek begins in the chilly mountains of Bolivia, ending 11,800 feet down in the steamy jungles of the Amazon. A less dangerous challenge, although just as physically grueling, is the Great Wall Marathon. Experience the most historically, astonishing sights in China, while pumping your leg muscles over the 5,164 steps of the Great Wall.
Did we leave anything out? Julia and Urbasm seriously doubt it but leave us a note below if we did.
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About Dr. Eric J. Leech
Eric has written for over a decade. Then one day he created Urbasm.com, a site for every guy.
About Dr. Eric J. Leech