Bucket list check before I turn 30
Things I did in my 20’s
I am turning 30 tomorrow(27 Feb) and here is a bucket list check before I hit the first adult milestone of my life.
While I look forward to the next decade and can’t speak of what 30’s has to offer, I wanted to take a moment to pen down a few interesting things I did in my 20's.
1. Sky diving: This was one of the biggest items on my bucket list and I was able to turn this imagination into a reality. yay! I did my first ever tandem skydive at Skydive Pepperell, Massachusetts (USA) from a height of 10,500 ft. Yes, I experienced the free fall! [Year: 2018]
2. Scuba Diving: This was not so big on my list as I did not consider myself a good swimmer but at times it’s just about how you dare! Did my first successful scuba dive(did it twice, 30 minutes under water each time) into the Atlantic Ocean at Key Largo, Florida during my visit to Miami. Well, the reason to plan a visit to Miami was to see if I could get this one off my bucket list. In my experience, it was more scary than jumping off the plane. Yes, that was instructor guided too. [Year: 2019]
3. Meeting Cinderella at Magic Kingdom, Orlando: Most kids dream to visit the Disney World, see the Cinderella castle for real and meet all the characters they saw on TV. I did too and eventually went on to figure out my way to make it a reality! It was a LOT of fun to be there at the Disney Park, taking all the adventure rides and seeing Disney characters all around.. :) [Year: 2019]
4. Adventure rides around the world: I wanted to experience the thrill riding scary adventurous rides around the world. I was able to make it to one of those which tops the list: Insanity ride at Stratosphere, Las Vegas, USA[Year: 2016]. Click out the video to know how scary the ride is! (the video is not shot by me). And a few other crazy adventure rides or amusement parks that I have experienced: GX-5 Extreme Swing, G-Max reverse Bungy at Clark Quay (Singapore); Universal Studios(Singapore); Kings Island Amusement Park (Cincinnati, USA); Magic Kingdom (Orlando, USA); EsselWorld and Adlabs Imagica (Mumbai, India).
5. Learn a foreign language, picked ‘Japanese’: Opportunities are right around you but it’s just a matter of time when you notice them. On a regular day back in 2015, I remember seeing a sign board for Japanese language classes in a shopping complex near my place. Japanese is considered to be world’s second most difficult language to learn(Chinese being first), I still signed up as I never had a particular language in mind but I wanted to have an experience. Experience worth remembering: Writing each letter on a page multiple times just like we used to do back in Class I while learning English. I took regular classes for one and a half year, was finally able to clear my certification for N5 level after one failed attempt. It felt like a big achievement then though I remember nothing of it now except a few words. ;) [Year: 2015]
6. Learn a unique dance form, picked ‘Belly Dance’: I ‘d say, if you have the time and money, learn a new dance form and you will cherish that time forever as not at all stages in life you can find the time to go to a dance class. Back in 2016, I chose to learn “Belly Dance” as that was very uncommon and challenging. Most importantly, you won’t find instructors for Belly Dance at every dance studio but Pune(India) has it all! At first, it looked difficult/impossible to be able to move like that but then you can learn everything and anything if you practice enough. You can find one of the original videos from the class back in 2016, and one when I started practicing once again in 2020 below. [Year: 2016]
https://www.instagram.com/p/CB-62PtlrWJ/ (one of the combinations I attempted during the lock down, 2020)
7. See Natural wonders of the world: Nature has it’s own magic and I wanted to experience this magic for real. Not all yet, but I could make it to Grand Canyon, Arizona(USA) and Niagara Falls, New York. Other than those, the places where I experienced the magic of nature was: Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee(USA); Prashar Lake, Himachal Pradesh(India); a few other places in Himachal Pradesh and beaches down south India. [Year: 2016, 2018]
8. Started a YouTube channel(100+ subscribers) and Instagram travel page(4k+ followers): Well, for starters I would say I did a great job at learning how to use a Gimbal, shooting videos during my solo travel, compiling them into travel vlogs, starting a YouTube channel and finally publishing my vlogs on the YouTube channel. I also run a Instagram travel page where I share my travel stories. Until now, I have over 115+ subscribers on my YouTube channel and 4k+ subscribers on my Instagram travel page. Not too bad, I guess! ;) You can find the links below:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewoohoogirl/
I ‘d appreciate if you subscribe to my channel too, that would mean a lot! :)
9. Spent a night in an igloo: This was nowhere on my list until it worked out as an experience worth counting on! It was one of a kind experience to spend a night inside an Igloo and sleep inside a sleeping bag in those freezing temperatures. I had this wonderful experience at Manali Igloo Stay, Seethan, Himachal Pradesh(India). If you are looking for details, you can checkout my vlog (this was my first ever vlog that I compiled). [Year: 2020 (mid- February)]
10. Solo travel around the world: I read this quote “The man who goes alone can start today; but he who travels with another must wait till that other is ready” and took it seriously. Here is a tiny list of places I have visited so far(in chronological order): Prague, Singapore, Houston, Louisville, Cincinnati, Tennessee, New York City, Vienna, Budapest, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Arizona(for Grand Canyon), Boston, Niagara Falls(Buffalo, NY), Orlando, Miami, Prague(again), Berlin, Amsterdam, Paris. Summary: 8 countries and 11 states in USA.
Solo travel is fun but not that straight forward and easy, you need to figure out things mindfully. Checkout my vlogs on YouTube to know how I figured out things. You can also follow me on Instagram(@thewoohoogirl) to know more of my travel stories. [Year: 2015- 2020]
If you ask me, is there something that I recommend one must do before they turn 30? Well, one must start to read and learn about finances. These two things go a long way in life!
There are plenty of opportunities around you, you just need to be actively looking for the right moment to make your dreams a reality.
With that, I am excited to jump into a new decade and experience what life has to offer next. Cheers! :)
Always remember,
“Your dreams need no validations and permissions.” — Anisha Narang
