Bucket List Travel

Why You Should Build a Bucket List

Building a bucket list is a great way to help make sure you achieve your life’s dreams. For some, it may mean climbing Kilimanjaro. Others may want to see the cherry blossoms in Japan. In today’s fast-paced world, it’s easy to let your life and the years slip away without getting the things you most want out of it.

Take a few hours to write up your bucket list ideas and dreams—whether it includes destinations like Nepal or Machu Picchu, or something as simple as learning how to bake bread.

Our guest on today’s Active Travel Adventures podcast is Chase Boehringer of The Bucketlist Lifestyle. Chase has a powerful story about how he went from being practically suicidal to living an incredibly exciting life—all by creating and then implementing his bucket list.

In today’s show, you’ll gain tips and insights into:

• Why it’s important to create a bucket list

• Practical ways to achieve your bucket list dreams

All photos courtesy of Chase and The Bucketlist Lifestyle.

How to Create Your Bucket List

1. Name your Bucket List
   Will you call it simply Bucket List, or Things to Do Before I Die?
2. Write it down
   Studies show that when you write things down, you have a greater chance of achieving them.
3. Share your list
   When you tell others you’re committed to doing something, you’re more likely to follow through.  Helpful tools includes BucketList.and the iWish app.
4. Organize your list
   Group items by life stage, category, or difficulty.  Remember that you have your entire life to fulfill your Bucket List.  Consider breaking your Bucket List down in smaller and more manageable chunks, such as Under 30, 30-40, 40-50, 50 – retirement, and lastly, Retirement.
5. Post your list
   Choose a few items that you want to work on now and post this list in a conspicuous place (your bathroom mirror is a great option) where you’ll see it daily. This keeps your dreams front and center so life doesn’t quietly pass you by.
6. Make an action plan
   For each near-term bucket list item, break it down into specific, achievable steps. Assign a deadline to each step.  Consider setting up a dedicated savings account for bucket list goals, with an automatic monthly transfer. When the money moves automatically, you don’t miss it—and you’ll be surprised how quickly it adds up.
7.  Create a vision and memory board
   Make a vision board that represents your bucket list goals using photos or images you can look at daily.
   You can also create a memory board with photos from bucket list items you’ve already completed. Both help reinforce motivation and keep your long-term vision alive when life gets busy.
8. LIVE IT!
   As Chase says, the final and most important step is to take action and live your bucket list.

(C) Active Travel Adventures LLC- All Rights Reserved

Scroll down to see full transcript below.            Listen to the interview HERE.

Transcript of my interview: Bucket List Travel with Chase Boehringer

Our interview today is with Chase from The Bucketlist Lifestyle. Chase has made it his mission to experience some of the coolest adventures in the world, and he shares practical insights on how you can achieve your own bucket list dreams.

He has an amazing story that I’m excited to share with you. Chase offers profound insights that will help you put your dreams on paper and think about how to realistically achieve them in your lifetime. We’re not just dreaming here—we’re figuring out how to turn bucket list dreams into reality.

Here’s my interview with Chase.

You could start by introducing yourself and telling us your age.

I’m Chase Boehringer. I’m 28 years old.

What’s your backstory? I know you’re obsessed with bucket lists. How did all this come about?

It’s an interesting story. I wrote my first bucket list during the darkest period of my life. I had been chasing a version of success my entire life. I grew up in a small town of 300 people in the Oregon woods. My idea of success was a three-bedroom, two-bath house, a wife, kids, dogs, and cars—and I achieved that very young.

By nineteen, I had it all. By twenty-two, it all came crashing down. My wife had an affair with one of my good friends. It devastated me and dropped me into a deep depression. Without question, it was the darkest period of my life.

I needed an escape from the reality I was living in. I needed a light at the end of the tunnel. That’s where the bucket list came in. I used it as a way to imagine what life could be like—someone else’s life, not the one I was living at the time.

Almost like a doppelganger.

Exactly. Someone else.

Do you remember what inspired you? Why a bucket list?

I was watching TV one day and stumbled across a show on MTV called The Buried Life. It was about a group of friends from Canada traveling together and crossing items off their bucket list.

It wasn’t something I watched regularly—it just happened to be on. I remember thinking, “That seems fun.” They were having fun, and I hadn’t had fun in a long time. I had been numb to life. Seeing how alive they were is what drew me in.

Is that one of the main reasons people should create a bucket list?

Absolutely. If your life feels dark right now, you should write a bucket list. It’s more than an escape. It helps you gain clarity on what you want and where you’re going.

Writing a bucket list isn’t just about dreaming. It’s about claiming those dreams by writing them down, making a plan, and eventually taking the leap.

You created your list in just a few days. Do you keep adding to it? How did you start executing it?

The way I wrote my list isn’t “the way,” but it worked for me. I decided to make it 100 items. That number felt tangible. I like checking things off lists.

I started by Googling other people’s bucket lists because I hadn’t thought outside the box before. I’d never met anyone who traveled internationally or owned a business. Seeing what others dreamed of helped expand my thinking.

I probably came up with about twenty items on my own before I got stuck. Having 100 items forced me to stretch. Over the years, I’ve crossed off 80 of them. It’s been a beautiful journey.

That can feel overwhelming. Did you categorize your list?

I did, but it’s not required. Sometimes I categorize them for fun—travel, family, expensive, long-term. What matters is recognizing what’s doable right now versus what’s possible later.

You don’t write your bucket list for who you are today. You write it for the future version of yourself.

If you only write what’s currently realistic—based on money, time, or obligations—you’ll limit yourself. This is a list for your entire life.

Money is often the biggest barrier. How do you approach that?

You can’t just wish things into existence. You need a plan. But it’s also okay to push expensive items into the future while working on what’s accessible now.

Many of my bucket list items were free—getting to know my grandpa better, talking openly with my dad, sending my mom roses for no reason. Others seemed expensive but weren’t once I researched them. For example, I learned to fly a plane for $60 through Groupon.

It all comes down to planning.

Money and planning

A bucket list isn’t just about dreaming—it’s about taking the leap and doing it.

There are plenty of exciting things you can do that don’t cost much money. I’m not someone who says, “Just do it anyway—it’s only money,” because that’s not the world we live in. You need money to survive. I’m very practical about pushing some goals into the future while tackling the ones that are reasonable right now.

Some of my favorite bucket list items were free: getting to know my grandpa better, having honest conversations with my father, or sending my mom a dozen roses for no reason. Other things that seemed expensive weren’t, once I planned them out. For example, I found a flying lesson on Groupon for $60.

Saving for travel

Host: I’d like to share something that’s worked well for me. I treat travel like a bill. Every month, money automatically goes into a separate savings account. I don’t touch it unless I need it for a trip. It adds up quickly.

Chase: That’s a great strategy. I do something similar. Every January, I give myself a raise. I look at savings as what I’ve truly earned. If you don’t save it, you really have nothing to show for it.

I reframed savings from deprivation to reward. I actually get excited about it now.

Mindset and fear

One of the biggest obstacles is mindset. Creating a bucket list is about writing it for the future version of yourself—the person you’re becoming.

Making the leap can be scary. When I bought my first ticket to Spain to run with the bulls, it terrified me. I went alone. But I realized I had two options: stay on the safe path I was already on, or take the leap and see what happened.

If it failed, I’d be right back where I started—just smarter. You’re already living the worst-case scenario if you never try.

Knowing yourself

Some people are savers and planners. Others are decision-makers who leap first and figure it out later. Neither is wrong. The key is knowing yourself and making decisions that align with how you operate, rather than forcing yourself into someone else’s style.

Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling Festival

Host: I see from your blog that we’ve both been to Cooper’s Hill.

Chase: That’s the most dangerous bucket list item I’ve ever done—more dangerous than running with the bulls or bungee jumping.

It’s a festival in England where people chase a wheel of cheese down a nearly vertical hill. What people don’t realize is that at the bottom are rugby players whose job is to tackle runners. One nine-time champion told me he broke both legs when he won.

There were about 300 people and only 36 spots to run. When locals were given priority, I thought I was out—until the champion pulled me up and called me an honorary Brockworth boy.

I cartwheeled the entire way down, people broke arms and collarbones, and I somehow walked away with a photo and my life.

Everest Base Camp and Nepal

Host: You’ve also been to Nepal.

Chase: Nepal is magical. I’ve traveled all over Asia, and it’s one of the few places where Western culture hasn’t fully taken over. It’s spiritual, grounded, and raw.

I’ve trekked to Everest Base Camp many times and now take people there every year. The Himalayas are the most beautiful mountains on Earth, in my opinion. It’s both an internal and external challenge—beauty on the outside and transformation on the inside.

Altitude sickness and Shankar

On my first trek, I got altitude sickness so bad it felt like my skull was splitting apart. My Sherpa, Shankar, stayed with me all night. He barely spoke English, but he knew exactly what was happening.

Later, I learned he had adopted five orphaned children after the Nepal earthquake, in addition to his three biological children. He farms fourteen hours a day when he’s not guiding. He never complained—just smiled.

The Sherpas banded together after the earthquake, carrying water miles into Kathmandu for weeks. They are some of the strongest, kindest people I’ve ever known.

Africa and the Hadza Tribe

I stayed with the Hadza tribe in Africa, one of the oldest hunter-gatherer tribes on the planet. They have no possessions. They hunt for hours every day. The women gather roots and berries.

They were happier than most people I know in the West.

That experience taught me something powerful: you don’t need anything outside yourself to be happy.

Festivals: Japan, Rio, India

In Japan, we do cherry blossom season, sumo wrestling, street go-karting in costume, and the Kanamara Matsuri fertility festival.

In Rio, Carnival isn’t just parades—it’s block parties everywhere. People dress up, dance, and celebrate nonstop.

Holi in India is one of the most intense and beautiful festivals in the world. It’s wild, chaotic, colorful—and something I only recommend doing with local support and security, especially for women.

The Bucketlist Lifestyle

I don’t like calling what I do a tour company. We’re an adventure company. I personally talk with every participant to make sure the group dynamic is right.

I take small groups on the ten most powerful experiences of my life. Seeing people’s reactions—whether it’s the Taj Mahal or running with the bulls—is everything to me.

Final Takeaway

Life can go from where you are to somewhere you never imagined.

A bucket list isn’t written for who you are today. It’s written for who you could become. Keep your mind open to possibility. You have no idea what life has in store.

Closing

I loved this interview with Chase. Adventure travel pushes you outside your comfort zone, and that’s where growth happens.

Take time to think about what you want from life. Write it down. Commit to it. Figure out what’s holding you back and start chipping away.

Someday isn’t a day of the week.

Adventure on.

(C) Active Travel Adventures LLC – All Rights Reserved

(C) Active Travel Adventures LLC – All Rights Reserved