When I was younger, I thought I’d travel the world A LOT and that I would continue to do so as I got older.

Those kinds of adventures would never slow down, right?

Well, life has a tendency to get in the way of your plans sometimes. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, but it’s just the way it goes.

But I still have some time to do some of the things that I want to do at least once, so I have that going for me.

What do you think every person on the planet should be able to experience at least once? Skydiving? Going to another country? The possibilities are endless.

Let’s see what AskReddit users had to say.

1. Sounds wonderful.

“Spending a day alone with no plans, completely at liberty, in a foreign city you’ve never been to before.”

2. Fight for your life.

“Fighting for one’s life in some form.

3 years ago I was in a river for the swim portion of a triathlon. Because of heavy rainfall the week prior, the current was moving incredibly quickly. The race organizers eventually cancelled the swim portion of the event but not until myself and about half the other competitors were already in the water.

About halfway through the swim, The current became too much and I was being carried downstream despite my strongest attempts to swim against it. It was at that moment that I was literally swimming for my life. It was terrifying at the moment, but an experience I’m really glad I had.”

3. Sounds interesting.

“I wish everyone got to experience Lucid dreaming at least once.

It’s such an amazingly interesting state to be in just for the fact that you’re inside of a dream.

You’re fully conscious that you’re now someone else and in a “body” that isn’t your physical body yet you can touch and feel the dream world as if it was the real world.”

4. You have to do it sometimes.

“Failure.

You’d be surprised how many people constantly have their life “fixed” for them and never have to fail at anything.

Failure allows us to learn coping skills, resilience, problem solving, determination … so many skills that many people today just don’t have.”

5. This is nice.

“Go into a nursing home and volunteer to sit with some of the loneliest residents.

Let them talk. Just listen.

You’ll learn so much and experience every emotion you know…and some you never felt before.”

6. Top of the world.

“Stand on top of a mountain.

One of my absolute life changing experiences is hiking a mountain in the fog.

Me and a friend hiked a few thousand feet, and when we hit the peak we had just come over the fog line. There was an old guy at the top with us, and he saw that we were in awe.

He pointed to the north east. “See that other mountain range poking out above the clouds? That’s Tahoe.”

Tahoe was 150 miles away, give or take.

Something about being exhausted after intense physical exertion, with your best friend, in a surreal landscape, and then having a seemingly impossible vision pointed out to you on top of that, was otherworldly.”

7. Do it by yourself.

“Travel alone, doesn’t need to be long.

But I think it requires a skill to be alone and feel comfortable about it. Not many people take the leap to go and/or don’t have the skill.

It is very valuable to feel comfortable being alone being in a crowd for example.”

8. Tough stuff.

“Being with a family member while they pass away. I know, I know….this sounds weird but I have experienced both and had so much more closure when I was able to be there when my grandmother passed away.

When my mom was in hospice and started declining and eventually passed away, the facility couldn’t even be bothered to call me UNTIL THE NEXT DAY.

I lived 10 minutes away, was the POC for all medical decisions and worked by entire life at the time around doing my best to be by her side when she passed.

I still feel so cheated and pissed off about it.”

9. Give it a shot!

“Eating healthy food for like two months straight. You never realize how shitty you feel if you’ve been feeling that way literally your entire life.

Also helps you realize how insanely addictive sugar/fast food is. Once you go back to it the cravings kick in immediately (at least in my experience).”

10. Isolation.

“Total isolation

I’m talking traveling out to a remote location far far away from civilisation and far away from anyone else

Just you and the world around you

All alone

And not another soul in sight

It’s such a bizarre yet powerful feeling. Here you are, completely free from the constraints of civilisation, free from your obligations, free from your routines. There’s nothing holding you back now except yourself. You’re experiencing life at its purest.

I went on one hell of a bush walk not too long ago that took me deep into a forest that very few people have been through. There was a moment where I was sitting on this fallen tree where it hit me just how truly far away and isolated I was. And with that, just how far away all my problems were too. Out here, it was just me and the trees.

It really seems to put life back into perspective when you inevitably have to head back and re-enter civilisation. The juxtaposition is something else.”

11. Look up in the sky.

“Go somewhere isolated enough at night that you can see the full skyscape, including the band of the Milky Way.

Don’t remember where exactly, but me and my dad found this volunteer-run observatory somewhere on a peak in Oregon. They had a giant scope operated by a few people, and some hobbyists and student who had their own gear they’d let you use, but the coolest shit was being able to look up with your own eyes and see part of the milky way.

I cannot describe to you the awe I felt. Everyone there was very passionate about astronomy and so helpful too, so the whole thing was an unforgettable experience.”

12. Make a difference.

“Being the person in a room that everyone else looks up to.

Whether it be as a teacher or anything else. Just knowing I could make a difference in some kid’s life was the best part of coaching tennis for me.”

13. No more debt.

“Being debt free.

I’ve paid off two credit cards this week and it feels so incredible. I cannot wait to pay off the other two.”

14. Under the sea.

“Scuba diving.

I promise you, it’s a completely different world down there and it’s not ours.

You’ll be amazed and maybe even get an understanding and a greater connection to our earth and all the living things on this chunk of rock floating through space.”

15. Become a master.

“The feeling of having mastered something. Piano, poetry, writing, some video game, coding, anything really.

There is a special self knowledge that comes from having mastered something that everyone really needs to know.”

16. Two good ones.

“Standing somewhere very high, and just absorbing the view. Its easy, especially in our urban cities and over-developed suburbs to lose the sense of how big the world really is.

People talk about “big sky” in places like Texas, but you haven’t experienced “big sky” until you’re standing a mile or three high and looking out over the planet. (And being in an airplane does not count).

Also, really experiencing the night sky, somewhere truly dark.

Big bonus if you’re doing both at the same time.”

17. Freedom.

“Living single and alone. It’s a very specific kind of freedom but a touch of fear.

I can do whatever I want…at the same time if something bad happened it might be a bit before anyone even noticed.”

18. As simple as that.

“Love.

Not lustful, hormonal and temporary rushes of emotion.

Deep, sacrificial, spiritual, hell-or-high-water, to the ends of the earth love.

To love someone like that and to be loved like that in return is the highest point of human existence.

I would kill and die for my wife without a second thought. She knows this, and I know she would do the same for me. I never really lived until I loved, and specifically, loved like this.”

19. You’ll grow from it.

“As shitty as it is, and I wouldn’t wish it upon many people… Heartbreak. I feel like a lot of personal growth can stem from it.

It also makes you way more sensitive and understanding of others who are hurting and suffering. Empathy is far more important and powerful than sympathy.”

20. The service industry.

“Working in food service.

Humbling, and teaches you to not be a piece of shit to people.

Still have to check some of my friends when we go out and they get impatient.

The restaurant’s full dude, we’ve been here 15 minutes. Chill.”

21. Road trip!

“A long road trip with friends. It’s a bonding experience being in a little metal box with a group of friends for hours at a time trying to get somewhere together.

You’ll drive each other crazy, you’ll make each other laugh, it’s truly a wonderful experience.”

22. A new experience.

“Living abroad for at least half a year.

This is especially true, if it other country has a completely different culture than your home country. If you are for example are an US American, try to live in China for a while.

They are always looking for English teachers and pay good money if you are certified and have experience.”

23. Intense.

“Handling the dead.

Military service provided me plenty of experiences. By no means was it pleasant or enjoyable, but it changed my perspective about the simple yet strict difference between alive and dead.

Those experiences placed my own mortality at the forefront of my mind.”

24. All three.

“Win a fight.

Lose a fight.

Walk away from a fight.

I’ve put someone in the hospital and I’ve been put in the hospital. Both experiences sucked. I thought I killed a guy in one and then had tons of medical bills when I got my ass kicked.

Now it takes a lot for me to get angry if someone is being mouthy because I’ve been on both sides; I know that I can really f**kin hurt someone or get badly hurt myself and words are not worth either of those outcomes.

Just brush it off!”

25. Humbling.

“Poverty.

You learn to appreciate the smallest things in life, and learn that at the end these are the only things that actually matter.

Food, shelter, and a sense of safety.”

26. Get back up again.

“This might sound count-intuitive to the question, but my answer is “losing a career job”. Now, hear me out.

Most people think they’re smart, good at life skills, and can generally get by, but when you lose your job all of this is put to the test.

It forces you to really pay attention to how you spend your money, it forces you to focus on bills and when they arrive/when they’re due, it forces you to polish up your resume (which is always a good thing to have on hand), it gives you an opportunity to change your life for the better, but most of all it pushes you to survive on your own, giving you the confidence that you can do it again.

Is it a fun period in life?

No, not at all. It’s scary as fuck. HOWEVER, once you find a new job, you continue forward with an appreciation for what you’ve got and for how fast it can all be taken away.”

27. Learning from others.

“Going to an AA or NA meeting, even if you’re not an addict.

Hearing people’s stories forces you to remember that we’re all human and very, very vulnerable.”

28. It is incredible.

“Seeing the ocean.

I was 19 when I first saw the ocean and it was such a beautiful an humbling experience. “

29. What a thrill!

“Skydiving.

I went with some buddies fresh out of High School before we all went off to college, and I can honestly say it changed my life. It’ll flip your whole perspective, and you’ll get a taste of how small and insignificant everything is in comparison to the bigger picture.

Plus, it’s fun.”

30. This is important.

“Volunteering.

Doesn’t matter if it’s for a food bank or an animal shelter or just for a charity event. Volunteering exposes you to a lot of people and responsibilities.

And you come out better for it.”

31. Create.

“Creation.

For most people this will probably mean having a family and raising children.

For others (and a large overlap with the child-having crowd) this would mean taking some idea, some concept, and turning it into reality. Maybe it’s making the video game idea you’ve had since you were a kid, maybe it’s writing a book, or producing a unique work of art. It could be designing your own home, or inventing something new.

We as human beings have an urge to create things, and doing so seems to grant some kind of supreme satisfaction and joy.”

What do you think?

What do you think everyone should try at least once in their life?

Tell us what you think in the comments!