As 50 is quickly approaching, I ponder about things that I should experience. Destinations, activities, experiences. So in the spirit of the thread on "what do you want to do but probably never will" what are things you have done in your life that you would highly recommend needs to be done?
PS- Limit your responses only to what the forum allows.
Have children.
(before having children) Let go of the handlebars while doing triple digits.
I am assuming this is PG-13, so I will limit my responses accordingly. :)
You should visit New Orleans. Eat some food, tour a swamp, walk Bourbon Street, catch a band, ride a cable car, see the river. It's a place unique unto itself and the culture is unlike anything else. Binge-watch Treme' before you go, hit Frenchman Street, wander off the beaten path. You may not love it, but you will never forget it.
Skydiving
Travel outside of the US, the farther the better. You gain a better perspective on things when you view the U.S. from afar, like looking at Earth from the Moon. Talk to people about their history, their culture and their opinion of America. You will be surprised what you hear, both positive and negative, and you will grow as a person.
Travel far and wide. Try new food. Take a long walk in a wilderness area. Savor a big view from a high place.
In reply to pinchvalve :
Times 100.
Live on a private island.
There's a lot of down sides to it, but it was definitely an experience worth having.
Play music/learn an instrument would be one for me. Its......really hard to explain to someone exactly what i feel when i play music, its sort of like when you play sports and everything locks in.
A peaceful yet exciting moment
Learn to fly. Not everyone can achieve a lifelong dream. I did it at 20. The obsession is with me every waking moment.
After that, you will envy no man on earth.
Race sidecar motocross. Definitely one of the craziest things I've ever done.
Travel through Europe.
If you're extremely open minded I have more.
I think my life is better when I go swimming on a regular basis. Multiple times a week swimming laps.
Live somewhere that you have never been, and where you know no one. I'm naturally introverted, so knowing that I was only going to be there for four months gave me the courage to branch out and meet people I normally would have never approached.
Go to every concert you can.
Travel. Wherever, just get out of your comfort zone. And if you go to a resort area, live it up there--I'd never go to Jamaica without going to a resort, but while I'm there, get off the compound.
Scare yourself. However that happens, scare yourself E36 M3less. Autoracing, boating in rough water, make yourself nervous.
Play a sport. Try to become better in a physical way.
Read. Get off the computer. Read a book, a real magazine, a newspaper.
pinchvalve said:Travel outside of the US, the farther the better.
To add to this, live outside the US, even just for a couple months. Being the foreigner for a while is an interesting perspective. I only lived in Canada, and even that was enough to change how I see some things.
Other than that, build something that you can be proud of. House, garage, boat, car, business, lots of options. Something that will outlive you.
Great responses so far. Only a couple that I haven't done. New Orleans is on my short list of travel destinations, and I'm going skydiving with my youngest when she turns 18 next spring.
I have to say that I have been very lucky to have had the opportunities to do a lot of things. From big city to the solitude of the wilderness. Far more memorable were the people I've met in those places. If I had the opportunity to just travel and meet and visit and get to really know the people would be amazing.
In reply to D2W : live where you dream about.
It may be better or worse than your dreams but it will be worth it.
For me it’s this lake while others may want mountains farms or a particular city, ( Paris?)
Drive a Miata.
(hey, someone had to say it)
pinchvalve said:I am assuming this is PG-13, so I will limit my responses accordingly. :)
You should visit New Orleans. Eat some food, tour a swamp, walk Bourbon Street, catch a band, ride a cable car, see the river. It's a place unique unto itself and the culture is unlike anything else. Binge-watch Treme' before you go, hit Frenchman Street, wander off the beaten path. You may not love it, but you will never forget it.
I grew up in New Orleans. Be careful about that "wander off the beaten path" thing. And definitely don't do the wandering at night. Definitely do the food. Wander in some of the shops in the French Quarters. Cool stuff on Royal St and that area. Do an upriver plantation tour and a swamp tour. Its a different country, not like the rest of the US. Don't wear Atlanta Falcons stuff. Treme nailed one or two of the cultures in New Orleans. But there is more to New Orleans than that. If you can do Mardi Gras it would be good. My cousin runs a krewe that sells positions to ride in a parade and attend a ball. https://www.kofp.com
+1million on visiting New Orleans. I couldn't live there, the climate would do me in but there is no city like it.
Yellowstone. The most astonishing place I've been.
There's a steakhouse in Orlando called Charley's that we thought was gonna be a tourist trap. Well, maybe it is. But that porterhouse was the best steak I've ever had.
Moorea is gorgeous. You couldn't go too wrong visiting almost anywhere in the south Pacific.
At the risk of shameless plugging, go on a hot air balloon ride. Preferably with me cuz I have gotten pretty good at flying those contraptions..
Live for others. Make peace with your past.
"What makes life worth living?"
"Truuuue.... Looooove"
"True Love! What's a more noble cause than that?"
Go to these events:
Indy 500
Monterey "Car Week"
Pike's Peak Hillclimb
Isle of Mann TT (ok, I've never been--- total bucket list item)
Volunteer for a worthy cause---- you'll get more than you give
Travel. Experience life, even if only for a moment. See things first hand. Most importantly, live. Enjoy every moment you can even when you're angry, or sad.... find something good.
I have an aunt who always gave my parents crap about our short trips. We'd make weekend trips to Florida, or 3 day trips to Denver, a day to St Louis or whatever. She would say "Well, I'm not going to do it unless I can go spend time to enjoy it." She hasn't either.... now she's pushing 70, and hasn't seen or done anything of note and regrets it.
I got to see and experience so many things, even if for only a moment. Things people will never get to experience again because they're just no longer there. I would rather go and see something, even if for only a few seconds than to never go at all. There's something about seeing the things you're read about all your life in person, with your own eyes. There's no describing that feeling.
The coolest thing that I have personally done is snorkeling the reef off of Key West.
The sea life and the colors are amazing. The only thing I can imagine that would have improved the experience is if I had been scuba diving instead of snorkeling so I could have stated underwater longer.
And I have been skydiving, gone triple digits with no hands and before adjusting the wheelie bar on the drag bike, gone triple digits on one wheel. IMO, while those were fun, not as cool as my experience on the reef.
Lot of good suggestions here. Might try a few myself!
We have two young kids. We had a company spray our yard for the summer at $350 for about an acre of lawn. We didn't have bug spray on at all. It made doing outside wonderful.
I know this doesn't fit in with 'travel europe' but it is more of a quality of life thing that I previously would have balked at the money aspect of it. Swinging on the swing set or eating tomatoes off the plant with the kids at 7 am or 8pm with not a care for bugs. You can get some special moments outside, rather than my daughter looking like the losing boxer after swelling up with bug bites.
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