The short answer: these bucket list ideas cover 80 ideas in 8 groups, from free local adventures to big trips, with rough costs and a plan to save for the big ones.
- Free: sunrise hike, backyard campout, letters
- Under $100: 5K entry, pottery class, scenic train day
- $1,000 and up: fund it with a sinking fund over a year or more
- Make it: brainstorm, sort, add a cost and target year, pick three for this year
- Next step: Plan it with the Sinking Funds Tracker ($4.99).
Our picks for bucket list ideas
Spreadsheets
Sinking Funds Tracker
It does the math: how much to set aside each month to hit every goal on time.
Starter pickPrintables
100 Envelope Savings Challenge
Classic, half and 52-week challenges to print, plus a spreadsheet that tracks every envelope and tells you how much to save each week.
Spreadsheets
Annual Budget Spreadsheet
See exactly where your money goes every month - without complicated software.
Printables
Budget Planner Printable
Twelve undated pages you can print every month: budget, bills, spending, savings and debt.
A bucket list is a written list of experiences and goals you want to reach in your lifetime, from big trips to small adventures close to home. The best bucket list ideas mix big dreams with things you can do this month, and they come with a plan to pay for them. Below are 80 bucket list ideas in 8 groups, with rough costs, a 10-item starter list and a simple way to save for the big ones.
Big dreams usually need a savings plan. Our Sinking Funds Tracker splits each goal into a monthly amount, so you can pay for the trip in cash, not on a card.
The full list: 80 bucket list ideas in 8 groups
1. Travel
- Visit a national park
- See the northern lights
- Take a road trip with no fixed plan
- Visit all the states in your region
- Visit the place your family came from
- Ride a scenic train
- Stay in a cabin in the mountains
- Take a trip abroad
- Spend a night in a lighthouse or unusual stay
- Visit a city you've only seen in movies
2. Outdoor adventures
- Hike to a summit at sunrise
- Camp under the stars
- Kayak or canoe down a river
- Learn to ski or snowboard
- Swim in an ocean, a lake and a river
- Go whale watching
- Ride in a hot-air balloon
- See a total solar eclipse
- Go horseback riding
- Sleep in a tent in your own backyard
3. Skills to learn
- Learn a second language
- Learn to swim well
- Play a musical instrument
- Learn to cook a family recipe
- Learn to sew or knit
- Take a pottery class
- Learn basic car maintenance
- Learn to dance
- Learn CPR and first aid
- Learn to bake bread from scratch
4. Personal challenges
- Run a 5K, 10K or half marathon
- Read 50 books in a year
- Write a book or a family history
- Go a month without buying anything you don't need
- Do a 30-day fitness challenge
- Give a speech or toast
- Complete a 1,000-piece puzzle
- Keep a journal for a full year
- Try a new food every week for a year
- Spend a weekend without screens
5. Money goals
- Pay off all credit card debt
- Build a full emergency fund
- Pay cash for a car
- Save for a home down payment
- Max out a retirement account for a year
- Take a trip paid for completely in cash
- Finish a savings challenge
- Give a meaningful gift to a cause you love
- Buy something on your wish list in cash
- Be debt-free
6. People and giving
- Host a big dinner for everyone you love
- Write letters to the people who shaped you
- Plan a family reunion
- Volunteer regularly for a year
- Mentor someone
- Start a family tradition
- Record a grandparent's stories
- Pay for a stranger's meal
- Reconnect with an old friend
- Throw a surprise party
7. Close-to-home adventures
- Visit every park in your city
- Eat at every local restaurant on one street
- Go to a minor-league game
- See a show at a local theater
- Watch a sunrise and a sunset on the same day
- Pick your own fruit at a farm
- Attend a local festival
- Take a class at your library
- Visit every museum in your area
- Tour a local farm, brewery or factory
8. Big once-in-a-lifetime experiences
- See a major sports final in person
- Go to a big music festival
- Take a cruise
- Renew your vows
- Swim with dolphins or sea turtles in a responsible program
- Ride a famous roller coaster
- Visit one of the world's wonders
- Take a family trip with three generations
- Learn to scuba dive
- Spend a week somewhere with no plans at all
Bucket list ideas by rough cost
| Cost level | Example ideas | How to fund it |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Sunrise hike, backyard campout, journaling, letters | Just put it on the calendar |
| Under $100 | 5K entry, pottery class, minor-league game, scenic train day | Fun money for a month or two |
| $100 to $1,000 | Cabin weekend, national park trip, ski lesson | A sinking fund over a few months |
| $1,000 and up | Trips abroad, cruises, festivals, big family trips | A sinking fund over a year or more |
Costs depend heavily on where you live, when you go and how you travel. Price your own top items before you set a savings goal.
How to make a bucket list you'll actually finish
- Brainstorm without limits. Write down everything, big and small, for 15 minutes.
- Sort into groups. Use the 8 groups above so you get a mix of travel, skills, people and money goals.
- Add a rough cost and a target year. A dream with a number and a date becomes a plan.
- Pick three for this year. Choose one free, one mid-cost and one bigger goal.
- Give big items a sinking fund. Divide the cost by the months until your target date and save that amount monthly.
- Review every January. Cross things off, add new ones and pick next year's three.
A 10-item starter bucket list
| # | Idea | Rough cost |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Watch a sunrise from somewhere high | Free |
| 2 | Camp under the stars | Low |
| 3 | Learn a family recipe | Low |
| 4 | Run a 5K | Low |
| 5 | Read 25 books in a year | Free with a library card |
| 6 | Visit a national park | Medium |
| 7 | Build a full emergency fund | Your savings |
| 8 | Host a big dinner for friends | Low to medium |
| 9 | Take a cabin weekend | Medium |
| 10 | Take a trip paid for in cash | Your choice |
How to pay for your bucket list
The difference between a dream and a plan is usually a monthly savings amount. For example, a $1,800 trip 12 months away means saving $150 a month. These tools make that easy:
- One fund per dream: the Sinking Funds Tracker ($4.99) works out monthly amounts and tracks each goal's progress. Our guide to sinking funds explains the method.
- Make saving a game: the 100 Envelope Savings Challenge ($3.99) is a fun way to fund a mid-size bucket list item. Our 52-week savings challenge is another option.
- Find room in your budget: the Budget Planner Printable ($5.99) helps you find the monthly amount, using our budget categories list.
- See the whole year: the Annual Budget Spreadsheet ($6.99) shows how your bucket list savings fit next to everything else, month by month.
Money goals belong on a bucket list too. Our guide on how to set financial goals shows how to turn "be debt-free" into steps. Want a seasonal version? Try our winter bucket list, or browse our list of hobbies and things to do with friends for close-to-home ideas.
Want a seasonal list? Our 75 fall activities make a great autumn bucket list.
Sinking Funds Tracker
It does the math: how much to set aside each month to hit every goal on time.
$4.99 · Instant download. Print at home or fill it in on screen. Or browse the full Budget & Money collection.
Frequently asked questions
What are good bucket list ideas? Good bucket list ideas mix big dreams with things you can do this year: see the northern lights, visit a national park, learn to swim or play an instrument, run a 5K, take a road trip with no plan, go to a live sports final, learn to cook a family recipe, pay off a debt, volunteer abroad or locally, and write a letter to your future self. A good list has some free items so you can start checking things off right away.
What is a bucket list? A bucket list is a written list of experiences, goals and adventures you want to have in your lifetime. It can include travel, skills, personal challenges, money goals and time with people you love. Writing items down, with a rough cost and a target year, turns vague someday wishes into plans you can actually work toward.
What are cheap bucket list ideas? Cheap bucket list ideas include watching a sunrise from a mountain or beach, camping under the stars, visiting every park in your city, learning a language with a free app, running a 5K, reading 50 books in a year, volunteering, planting a garden, swimming in a lake, taking a free class and hosting a big dinner for friends. Many cost little more than your time.
What are bucket list ideas for couples? Bucket list ideas for couples include taking a road trip, learning to dance, cooking a meal from every continent, renewing vows, visiting a place from your heritage, taking a hot-air balloon ride, staying in a cabin, seeing a show in a big city, building something together and paying off debt as a team. Our fun date ideas include many smaller versions.
What are bucket list ideas for families? Bucket list ideas for families include visiting a national park, a road trip to see grandparents, camping, a beach trip, building a treehouse or fort, a family volunteering day, learning to ski or swim together, planting a garden, going to a big-league game and starting a family tradition. Let each person add a few items so the list belongs to everyone.
How do you make a bucket list? Make a bucket list by brainstorming without limits, then sorting ideas into groups such as travel, skills, adventures and people. Add a rough cost and a target year to each one, pick three to do this year, and give the expensive items a savings plan. Review the list every January and cross things off as you go.
How do I pay for bucket list goals? Pay for bucket list goals by giving each big one its own sinking fund: divide the cost by the months until your target date, and save that amount every month. A $1,800 trip a year from now means $150 a month. Our Sinking Funds Tracker ($4.99) does the math and tracks your progress so you can pay in cash instead of on a credit card.
How many items should be on a bucket list? There's no set number, but many people keep 25 to 100 items, with a short list of three to five they're actively working toward this year. A long list keeps you dreaming; a short list keeps you moving. Some items will change as your life does, and that's fine.
What should be on a winter bucket list? A winter bucket list might include ice skating, building a snowman, a holiday lights drive, sledding, a cabin weekend, baking cookies for neighbors and a cozy movie marathon. See our full winter bucket list for more seasonal ideas.
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Sources
- National park nps.gov
- CPR and first aid redcross.org