Blog — May 13, 2026
A better alternative to the bucket list. Inspired by Die with Zero, here's how to organize the experiences that actually matter to you—by time, energy, and who you want to share them with.
There are trips we've all been meaning to take. Places we keep saying we'll get to. And most of the time, those experiences need a little more intention behind them to actually become something real.
We want to share something a little more structured that actually gets you moving. It's called a Life Experiences List, and we came across it through the book Die with Zero by Bill Perkins. The idea is that instead of just writing down what sounds cool, you're focusing on the experiences that actually matter to you and figuring out how to make them a real part of your life.
Here's how to build yours.
Start here. You can use this template as a starting point, or just write down a note on your phone, a notebook, anything. You just want to start listing out everything you want to experience.
Don't filter yourself based on cost, time, or how realistic it feels right now. Just get it all out. Every experience you are interested in having.
This doesn't have to be all massive international trips either. It can be anything. A road trip you've been putting off. A national park you keep meaning to get to. A language you want to learn. A hike you want to try. A cooking class you want to attend. A new city you want to see. A country you've always been curious about. A trip you want to take with someone before life gets harder to coordinate. Big things, small things, all of it.
We made our list together and ended up with 200+ experiences on it. So seriously, think of everything! The point of this step is just to get honest about what you actually want. No matter how realistic it feels right now.
A few questions that might help you think:
What's a place you've always wanted to go?
Is there a trip you keep saying you'll do someday but haven't made any moves on?
Who is someone you really want to travel with and where would you take them?
Are there things you want to do while you're feeling healthy and able to really do them?
Is there anything with a real deadline, like a loved one's health, a place that's changing, or a window in your own life that won't stay open forever?
Write it all down. You can sort it out later.
This is the thing most people skip on bucket lists but it actually matters a lot.
Some trips require more physical energy than others. If you want to do a multiday backcountry hike, a serious surf trip, or anything that's physically demanding, it's worth thinking about when in your life that fits best. Physical ability is personal and it changes over time, so be honest with yourself about what your body is up for right now versus what it might be up for later.
Other experiences honestly get better when you have more time and patience for them. Spending a month in Italy with nowhere to be, doing a river cruise, slow traveling through a region you love. Those are about being present, not peak physical condition, and a lot of people enjoy them more later in life for exactly that reason.
So as you look at your list, sort things by the level of energy it will require:
High Energy
Anything physically demanding. Backpacking, long hikes, surf trips, adventure travel. Think about where these fit for you personally right now.
Medium Energy
Road trips, city travel, cultural experiences. These are flexible and fit into most seasons of life.
Low Energy
Slow travel, food and wine trips, cruises, milestone celebrations. These may be worth saving, or doing sooner if that's what you want.
Here's where this is actually useful, and what really sets it apart from a bucket list. Instead of one giant list that just sits there, you're going to break your future into windows of time and place each experience into the window where it makes the most sense.
The template uses 5 year buckets. It doesn't matter where you're starting from, just find your current window and work forward from there:
| 20 to 25 | 40 to 45 | 60 to 65 |
| 25 to 30 | 45 to 50 | 65 to 70 |
| 30 to 35 | 50 to 55 | 70 to 75 |
| 35 to 40 | 55 to 60 | 75 to 80+ |
Go through your list and drop each experience into the window where it genuinely fits. The goal isn't to front load everything into the next five years. It's to be honest about when each experience makes the most sense for your health, your schedule, your budget, and who you want to share it with.
A few things worth thinking through as you place experiences:
Does this trip depend on someone else? A loved one's health, a friend's schedule, a window in your own life? Put it sooner.
Is there an actual deadline? A natural wonder that's disappearing, an event that won't happen again? Move it up.
Does this experience fit the version of you that exists right now? If yes, don't keep pushing it back.
Once you've got your list organized, go back through and add a little context to each one. Not a full plan, just enough to make it feel real instead of theoretical.
Who are you going with?
Solo, with your partner, with a friend you've been saying you'd travel with for years? Write it down.
Why does this one matter?
“See the Northern Lights” works. But “seeing the Northern Lights with my sister before she moves across the country” is something you're actually going to book.
Timing
Try to get a general sense of when in your life it fits. That alone turns it from a dream into something with a shape.
Any real deadlines?
If something has a deadline, note it. It'll help you prioritize.
If you're staring at a blank page, here are some ideas organized by category. Take what resonates and make it your own.
Hike the Enchantments in Washington
Multiday backpacking trip in Patagonia
Learn to surf in Costa Rica
Kayak a fjord in Norway
Pacific Coast Highway end to end
Route 66 road trip
Scottish Highlands driving loop
Campervan through Iceland
A month in a small Italian village
Cooking class in Chiang Mai
Living like a local in Buenos Aires for a few weeks
Volunteering somewhere remote
A big birthday trip somewhere meaningful
An anniversary trip that actually feels special
Taking your kids somewhere that mattered to you growing up
Great Barrier Reef while it's still healthy
Famous glaciers before they're gone
The goal here isn't to create a perfect document or stress yourself out creating a checklist. It's to really think about what you actually want to experience and to start treating those experiences like real plans instead of somedays.
Pick one thing off your list right now. Just one. Ideally the one that feels a little too big or a little too soon. And take one actual step toward it this week. Look up the flights. Text the person you'd bring. Figure out when the best time to go is.
The memories you build when you actually go? You keep those forever. And the sooner you start being intentional about it, the more of them you get to collect.
So start now!
We put together a free Life Experiences List template to help you organize all of this, with space for time buckets, categories, energy levels, and notes. Click here to make your own copy and start building your list.