You’ve Earned It’s 100 bucket list ideas

 You’ve Earned It’s 100 bucket list ideas – Page 1

 

 

Trust us – this is the mother of all bucket lists, the bucket list to end all bucket lists!   But be warned, this bucket list is not just filled with ordinary day-to-day activities.  This is the kind of bucket list that will make your grandchildren step up and say “You’re so cool, Grandpa/Grandma”!  So grab that cup of coffee, or maybe a gin and tonic (read the bucket list item on alcohol consumption!), and settle down to have a read of YEI’s ultimate, extraordinary, inspiring, some tongue-in-cheek 100 things to do, or put in place, asap!

Please take a moment of our time to tell us in the comments section below what is on the top of your ultimate bucket list, and share with us how many of these you have done, or plan to do…

 

As Eleanor Roosevelt said “The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience”

 

And so, in no particular order…..

 

 

The ultimate safari – The Great Migration

Click here to read how a YEI reader and her husband bit the bullet and saved for a bucket list adventure to the Masai Mara that they never dreamed they could afford.   If this is on your wish list, then maybe Landscape Tours can assist

Go for a ride in a hot air balloon

Emma Carrol from the USA made it into the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest person to ever go for an hour-long flight in a hot air balloon in Iowa, USA.  Her age was 109 years 70 days.

Climb Mount Kilimanjaro

The oldest person to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Northeastern Tanzania on 2 October 2014 was Dr Robert J Wheeler, then aged 85 years and 201 days!  At 19,341 feet, Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa, so this is no mean feat!

Have a bush braai in the Kruger National Park

This is one of the ultimate night-time wildlife experiences.  How does a night drive plus a three course meal cooked by a chef in the middle of the bush in Kruger Park sound?

If you are single or widowed, give online dating a go

Barbara Rose Brooker has been single for 28 years plus.  At the age of 70, Brooker decided to try online dating.  The over-60s have been described as the “fastest growing demographic in online dating”.  Brooker, now aged 76, says that she is a member of the “boomer hottie” generation, and describes the oldest person that she met (an 88-year old man) was “charming, absolutely charming”

Adventurous?  Try zip-lining on your birthday

85-year old Granny and Great-Granny Dee Cornhill thirst for adventure has led her to set the record for being one of the oldest people in this country to zip-line.  Click here to read the story

Even more adventurous?  How about shark cage diving

The world’s oldest active diver is believed to be Norman who at the age of 91 swam with sharks and dolphins.  His comment afterwards:  “You don’t need obvious excitement”!!

Sleep under the stars

Easily achievable in South Africa.  In rugged, remote and captivating Kagga Kamma, guests have the option of sleeping under the starry African night sky in a Star suite or Outcrop Open Air room overlooking the Cederberg.   Click here to read about Kagga Kamma as an ultimate bucket list adventure, and here to find out more about Kagga Kamma

 

 

Walk the Boomslang

Inspired by a snake skeleton, and informally known as “The Boomslang”, the Centenary Tree Canopy Walkway is a relatively new curved steel and timber bridge that winds and dips its way through and over the trees of the Arboretum in Kirstenbosch Gardens, Cape Town

Have a drink in one of the oldest pubs in South Africa

De Akker lost its original records in a slave revolt and fire in the early 1800s.  So it is unclear when alcohol was first served, but it is a strong contender for The Oldest Pub in South Africa record.  Be that as it may, you’ll enjoy a drink served at De Akker in Stellenbosch.

Have a drink in the reputedly smallest pub in Africa

The Workshop in Hout Bay has laid claim to the title of “the smallest pub in Africa” – at least you can say you’ve been there!

Have a drink in the highest pub in Southern Africa!

The Highest Pub in Africa lives up to its name at 2873 meters above sea level. The Pub is situated at the top of the Sani Pass.

Get a Wild Card

Get a Wild Card and visit as many parks and reserves as you can in one year.

Visit a South African National Park

And take advantage of their senior citizen discount at certain times during the year

Butler in the Bush experience

Cybele Eco Tours’ “Butler in the Bush” experience encompasses the entire trip from start to finish, including collection, accommodation (upmarket accommodation) all driving, and the preparation of scrumptious gourmet meals.  Click here to see the “Silver Tours with Cybele Eco Tours” listing in the YEI Directory.

Brownies and Downies

Good things happen over coffee!  A coffee shop and lunchroom which is open to the general public.  Take the opportunity to visit Brownies and Downies which is a training centre for people with intellectual disabilities.  Young adults with special needs are trained at B&D in order to be employable in the hospitality, service and retail sectors.

Make a difference in someone’s life

According to the niece of 114 year old Susannah Mushatt Jones, making a difference in someone’s life, as well as healthy eating, are the reasons for Susannah’s longevity.

Go up Table Mountain on your birthday

The Table Mountain Cableway has an ongoing birthday special which entitles one adult over the age of 18 with a valid South African ID to one free return ticket on the day of their birthday.

Learn another South African language

Lots to choose from – there are eleven official languages of South Africa: Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa and Zulu. Fewer than two percent of South Africans speak a first language other than an official one.

Enjoy a sunset picnic on Chapmans Peak

Sunset is one of the most popular events on Chapman’s Peak Drive.  So grab a blanket and a few picnic items from Pick ‘n Pay and head on up to one of the most spectacular spots in the world.

Enjoy a dip in a Victorian Bath House

The Caledon is home to the Western Cape’s well known warm mineral springs. In 1897, an elegant Victorian Bath House was erected.  This has become a haven for residents of the Western Cape.  Book a midweek stay at the Caledon and get to enjoy a dip in their Victorian Bath House.  And while you are looking at the Caledon business listing in the YEI Directory, take a look at their brand-new offer for seniors, hot off the press!

 

 

Explore South Africa on a Harley Davidson

Explore the scenic mountain passes of the panorama route in Mpumalanga, or the winding coastal roads of the Western Cape, and more.  Samba Tours can assist you in planning a route or will tailor-make a tour especially for you.

Send a message in a bottle

The Marine Biological Association in Plymouth the UK has been confirmed as the Guinness World Record holder for the oldest message in a bottle in the world!  Marine biologist George Parker Bidder released 1000 bottles into the North Sea in 1906.  Inside the bottle was a postcard with a message written in English, German and Dutch asking the finder to fill in the date and where the bottle was found and return it to the MBA.  The bottle was found in 2016 by Marianne Winkler on the German island of Amrum where she found the bottle that had washed up on the beach.

Embark on an exercise and healthy eating regime

Fitness guru Jack LaLanne died at the age of 96.  He believed that “exercise is king, nutrition is queen” – put them together and you have a kingdom!  Deborah Nicholls of Ageless Grace says “Exercise tools address the primary ageing factors of the body and stimulate the 5 functional areas of the brain for youthful fitness and functionality”.  See the Ageless Grace listing on the YEI website here.

Write your memoir

It’s your story, your life.  Write your memoir for the family to treasure for years to come

Swim with the penguins at Boulders Beach

Enjoy an outing to Boulders Beach where the world famous penguin colony resides.  Take your swimming costume and enjoy a dip in the lovely warm water of the Indian Ocean.  You might well have company!

Sit down in the best window seat in the world

At least once in your life, go to God’s Window in the Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve in Eastern Mpumalanga.  You will get to see one of the most beautiful vistas in the world, and on a clear day, an uninterrupted view all the way to Mozambique.

Enjoy a game drive in the Kruger Park

Feel the anticipation and excitement around every corner when on a game drive in the mother of all game reserves

A boerewors braai in the Kruger Park

Feel the stress physically melt away over a sunset boerewors braai in the Kruger Park.

Go on a night-time tour of Johannesburg Zoo

Visit the zoo at night and explore the zoo’s active nightlife.   Pensioners enjoy a reduced entrance fee.

Take a train trip to see the Namaqualand flowers

One of nature’s best – the Cape Wild Flowers are one of the natural wonders of the world.  How about taking a train trip with JB Train Tours and embark on a kaleidoscope flower adventure.  Click here to see the JB Train Tours business listing in the YEI Directory. 

Sign up for the Cape Camino

Cape Camino is a walking pilgrimage route set around the majestic Cape Peninsula. The walking route encourages wholesomeness and well-being of body, mind and soul.

Schedule a walk a day – for life

One of the oldest living people documented, 123 year old Carmelo  Flores Laura says he owes his longevity to regular exercise.  “I walk a lot, that’s all.  I go out with the animals”

 

 

 View the largest collection of cycads in Africa

The Lowveld National Botanical Gardens, Mpumalanga’s only national botanical garden, is a must-see for its many plant species as well as the largest collection of cycads in Africa.  Entrance is free on Tuesdays for the over-60s. 

Eat fresh red cherries at the Cherry Festival in Ficksburg

Take a trip to the Cherry Festival in Ficksburg and enjoy the beauty of the Eastern Free State, sleep in a small town, eat red fresh cherries and have fun at the Festival.  JB Train Tours runs a fabulous tour to the Cherry Festival from 17 Nov 2017 – 19 Nov 2017.  Click here to see the JB Train Tours business listing in the YEI Directory. 

Incorporate a “new food” week once a month

“Variety is the spice of life”.  Every day for a week, eat something you have never eaten before.

Green eggs and ham

Read Dr Seuss “Green Eggs and Ham” to your grandchildren, and then eat some Green Eggs and Ham!

Explore your city with the topless bus

Be a visitor in your own city and take a trip on the topless bus – a great way to see Cape Town and Johannesburg!

Drink a cup of the world’s strongest coffee

Coffee lover?  Black Insomnia – try a cup of the world’s strongest coffee.  Best to make sure you want to stay awake though!

Visit the largest aquarium in the southern hemisphere

Take the grandchildren to uShaka Sea World, the largest aquarium in the southern hemisphere

Take a journey to the unexpected – Route 62

Route 62 is an area of magnificent landscapes and towering cliffs, crystal clear streams and an abundance of trees and indigenous flora.  Cape Route 62 is the tourist route in the Western Cape and Eastern Cape, South Africa that meanders between Cape Town and Oudtshoorn, the Langkloof and Port Elizabeth, offering the shorter, scenic alternative to the N2 highway.

Experience the total eclipse of the sun

The next total solar eclipse takes place on 21 August 2017 – this will be visible from a narrow path spanning all across the USA from the East Coast to the West Coast, weather permitting. 

Northern Lights

The unearthly beauty of the aurora borealis (Northern Lights) mesmerises all who stay or travel in Polar Regions. The bright dancing lights of the aurora are actually collisions between electrically charged particles from the sun that enter the earth’s atmosphere. The lights are seen above the magnetic poles of the northern and southern hemispheres. They are known as ‘Aurora borealis’ in the north and ‘Aurora australis’ in the south.  Get a ringside seat to nature’s own mesmerizing light show on a Hurtigruten cruise.

Cruise to Antarctica

Experience a trip to the great white continent and one of the last true wilderness areas on earth – largely unchanged since the early explorers.  It’s home to the world’s greatest concentration of wildlife, where penguins, seals and whales are the only permanent residents.  Imagine Cruising offers cruises to Antarctica

Watch the Springboks play overseas

The Springboks will play three matches on their 2017 year-end tour to Europe – the Springboks will conclude their season with Tests against Ireland (November 11), France (November 18) and Italy (November 25).  Contact Sports Tours in the YEI Directory to find out more…

Experience the Kruger National Park from top to bottom

A personal bucket list item from YEI’s Editor – “We would like to experience Kruger from top to bottom.  One day when we retire, we will take 30 days, staying at least two days in the majority of camps and bushcamps, and experience the various areas in their entirety”.

Parachute jump

In May 2017, a D-day veteran who jumped 15,000ft from a plane has become the oldest person in the world to skydive – at the age of 101 and 38 days. Bryson William Verdun Hayes, known as Verdun, broke the world record, completing a tandem skydive with three generations of his family at an airfield in Honiton, Devon.

 

 

Take a trip on the “Toy Train” through the Himalayas

The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, also known as the “Toy Train”, is a 2 ft (610 mm) narrow-gauge railway that runs between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling in the Indian state of West Bengal, India. Built between 1879 and 1881, the railway is about 78 km (48 mi) long.

A train trip to Victoria Falls with Rovos Rail

An iconic trip on Rovos Rail, as the train travels through some 1 600 kilometres of Southern African scenery from Pretoria to the town of Victoria Falls, home to one of the world’s natural wonders.

Be a spectator at the Tour de France

The Tour de France Tour is a national celebration in France.  Every year hundreds of thousands of spectators line the streets of every village, hamlet and roadside to be part of the colour, smell, noise and atmosphere.  Nothing quite beats the feeling of being in the French countryside or being at the top of a mountain watching the world’s largest annual spectator event.  Contact Sports Tours in the YEI Directory to find out more… 

 

Continue to Page 2 of You’ve Earned It’s 100 bucket list ideas – click here

 

Do any of the above bucket list ideas resonate with you?

 

Please take a moment of our time to tell us in the comments section below what is on the top of your ultimate bucket list