You are keen traveller, I will bet you good money that you have a bucket list. It might not be written down but it will at least be half formulated in your mind. Usually a bucket list will include the likes of seeing the Grand Canyon, or doing a bungee jump. The options on offer don’t end there though. The world truly is your oyster and experiences are there for the taking! Take a look at this pick of 10 unusual ideas to add to your bucket list and be inspired to think outside the box on your next trip abroad!
1. Go cage diving with crocodiles – add to your bucket list !
I think I’d be right to assume that you have heard of cage diving with great white sharks? You can do this activity all over the world … pretty much anywhere that great white sharks can be found funnily enough! Why not take a different approach to this heart pumping activity and go cage diving with crocodiles instead? Australia is a prime location for this, along with South Africa. Coming face to face with the jaws of these terrifying and immensely powerful prehistoric creatures is certain to give you the heebie-jeebies. They do say you should do something that scares you every day… It’s not likely to be an experience you repeat in a hurry so it can be firmly stamped ‘unique’.
2. Enjoy a ‘Dinner in the Sky’
Take your dining experience to heady heights by booking up with ‘Dinner in the Sky’. You can do this at various locations around the world including the likes of Las Vegas, Paris, Brussels and many more famous cities. Once you’re sitting comfortably, a huge crane hoists the entire table to a height of 150ft above the ground, taking the phrase ‘Pie in the Sky’ to a whole new level! You’ll even be served by a suited and booted waiter –talk about service! Drink in the 360° sights while enjoying your meal; it’s certainly one restaurant experience you’ll be compelled to review.
3. Go panning for gold
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/giantsqurl
Not all of the experiences listed here are going to dramatically increase your pulse but that doesn’t make them any less fun. Panning for gold is a fantastic example! Gold mining played a hugely important role in many countries histories and there are plenty of places where you can still try your hand at it today. I hate to break it to you; you probably won’t find a nugget that will make you insanely rich, but, you could get your hand on enough to class yourself as a prospector! From the UK, to Australia and various places in the USA, choose your destination and get sifting. Creeks and rivers near to old mining towns and mining sites is usually a good bet or you can go with a company,
4. Stomp grapes and make your own wine
Photo: www.flickr.com/photos/mulsanne
Wine has always been a staple of our lives. People often talk about visiting vineyards and sampling the local wines but why not go one step further? Put your best foot forward and go grape stomping. You can then even make your own wine! What a fantastic souvenir would that make? Stellenrust Wine Estate in South Africa is just one example of where you can do just that, allowing you to pick your own grapes, stomp them yourself and then create your very own tipple.
5. Ride an animal that isn’t a horse
Photo: www.flickr.com/photos/rberteig
I might work for a holiday car hire company but that doesn’t mean I can’t utilise slightly less conventional transport methods. That leads me to suggestion number 5; riding an animal that isn’t a horse. After all, you can do that anywhere and have at the very least probably ridden a donkey on the beach when you were 5 years old. I’m thinking more along the lines of an elephant in Thailand or a camel in Egypt! Try to find a company that cares for their animals ethically, though.
6. Send a message in a bottle
Photo: www.flickr.com/photos/bigberto
You may have read this news story a few weeks ago whereby a woman who threw a message in a bottle into the North Sea was contacted by someone in the Netherlands, when they found it years later. I thought this was a cool idea and have vowed to send my very own message in a bottle one day. Think of it as your own time capsule of sorts! Next time you’re abroad why not write your very own message in a bottle on your travels and wait to be contacted from a foreign land in the future.
7. Eat something alive
Photo: www.flickr.com/photos/sackerman519
The most adventurous thing I have ever eaten was snails in Paris and it is not an experience I will repeat again. Whilst it wasn’t enjoyable, I have had many a laughs retelling the story since! If you are brave, why not go one step further than snails and eat something alive! At a restaurant called Noma in Copenhagen one of their most popular dishes is an ant salad, where ants quite literally crawl all over your dish and apparently taste like lemongrass. Elsewhere around the world, particularly in Asia, insects are a staple part of the diet, allowing you to top up on protein! In Japan and Korea, octopus and squid are served live too, squirming around on your plate. If all else fails, you could always give oysters a whirl; they are alive too after all and are considered a far more ‘normal’ dish!
8. Go deep sea fishing and learn to prepare and cook your catch
In this day and age, we are all extremely reliant on pre-packaged foods. I myself feel a bit queasy at the thought of preparing a freshly caught fish and I would imagine it’s the same for many people. So, if you fall into this category why not add this item to your own bucket list. I can’t envisage this being much fun in choppy seas so that’s why it’s a perfect addition for your travel bucket list; choose a tropical destination instead!
9. Go volcano boarding
You’ve probably heard of sand boarding but why not take it one step further and go volcano boarding! A cross between snowboarding and sand boarding, it involves plummeting down the side of an active volcano at around 50mph with just a board as your weapon of choice.There are limited destinations you can do this, namely the country of Nicaragua in Central America. The summit of Cerro Negro is your nemesis and you will have to embark on a 45 minute hike before a short training session and then a 500m descent. Up close and personal with an active volcano this is an activity you’ll remember for a life time!
10. Do an Everest skydive
Many people put a skydive on their bucket lists. Many others put climbing Mount Everest on their bucket lists. Kill two birds with one stone and do a skydive over Mount Everest! That’s right. Exiting a helicopter at 29,000ft, you’ll be flying high above the awe-inspiring Himalayas. Just as a warning though, this experience does not come cheap; you’ll need to fork out $35,000 for a tandem jump. Still, it doesn’t hurt to aim high, quite literally, for what will be truly a one-time experience!
So, what do you think of these unusual ideas? Sure, not all of them are adrenaline inducing, but we reckon you haven’t considered trying these activities before!
Bio: Kerri Ware is a keen traveler who writes on behalf of Economy Car Hire. Based in the UK, they offer car hire all over the world, meaning you can get off the beaten track and explore properly wherever you’re headed. Enjoy a free additional driver and built-in excess insurance at every destination.
Written by Loukas for Gloholiday.