We all have dreams, many of which revolve around traveling the world. But for most of us, the demands of family, friends, work and a weekly routine leave little or no time for thinking about them, let alone their realization.
When his wife of five years left him three years after they emigrated to Australia, Ian Usher’s life was turned upside down. Finding his immediate world unbearably interconnected with his lost love, he decided to sell everything he owned on eBay.
The sale of all his worldly possessions (including house and car), introductions to his friends and a trial role at the rug shop where he was previously the assistant manager netted him a little over $300,000.
In the lead up to the auction his original plan to leave Australia with only a set of clothes, wallet and passport gradually evolved into an epic bucket list. He set himself the challenge of completing 100 hundred goals in 100 weeks.
Over the course of two years he’s managed to achieve 93 of those goals. Indeed, he achieved a lot more than he planned – falling in love with a woman he met on his journey, buying a tropical island and selling the cinematic rights for his story to Disney.
While Ian Usher’s story is extreme, from the trauma that released him from his everyday life, to his commitment to completing his personal goals, it should encourage us all not to let our dreams pass us by. See the travel and adventure elements from his list of 100 goals below – follow his lead and take inspiration for your next trip.
- Tomatina Festival – Bunol, Spain
- Festival of the Dead – Oaxaca, Mexico
- Carnival – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Elephant Round-up – Surin, Thailand
- San Francisco
- Los Angeles
- See the Grand Canyon – Arizona, USA
- Las Vegas
- Climb the Statue of Liberty – New York, USA
- Drive America’s Route 66 – USA
- Paraglide – Gourdon, Alpes Maritimes, France
- Gallop on horseback on a beach at sunset – Gold Beach, USA
- Learn to play the didgeridoo with circular breathing – Outback, Australia
- Nude skydive – York, Australia
- Night skydive – Canon City, Colorado, USA
- Skydive from a helicopter or balloon – California, USA
- Attend Cannes Film Festival – Cannes, France
- Snowboard in Whistler – Whistler, Canada
- Ride the long surf – Hawaii, USA
- Birdman competition – Bognor Regis, UK
- Cooper’s Hill Cheese Rolling Festival – Gloucestershire, UK
- Dive with whales – Naha, Okinawa, Japan
- Dive with manta rays – Hawaii, USA
- Shark Cage Dive – Gansbaai, South Africa
- Swim with a 10+ metre whale shark – Ningaloo Reef, Australia
- See Hammerhead shark reef – Yonaguni, Okinawa, Japan
- See an iceberg – Jokulsarlon, Iceland
- Ride an elephant – Surin, Thailand
- Take controls of a helicopter – Big Island, Hawaii
- Big bungee jump – Verdon Gorge, France
- Ride the Kingda Ka rollercoaster at Six Flags – New Jersey, USA
- Fly in a MIG fighter jet – Florida, USA
- Bobsleigh run – Salt Lake City, Utah
- Sleep in a Japanese capsule hotel – Tokyo, Japan
- Weightless flight – Florida, USA
- See Uluru (Ayers Rock) – Northern Territory, Australia
- See Pyramid at Chichén Itzá – Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico
- Snowboard on Dubai indoor ski slope – Dubai, UAE
- See Table Mountain – Cape Town, South Africa
- San Fermin Bull Run Festival – Pamplona, Spain
- See Machu Picchu – Cusco, Peru
- See Easter Island’s statues – Easter Island, Chile
- Walk on the Great Wall of China – China
- See Christ the Redeemer statue – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- See the Taj Mahal – Agra, India
- See Christ of the Deep – Portofino, Italy
- Attend Bonneville Speed Week – Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah, USA
- Climb the Eiffel Tower – Paris, France
- Enter a $1,000 poker competition – Las Vegas, USA
- Oktoberfest – Munich, Germany
- Learn to kite surf – Perth, Australia
- Visit Israelite Bay – Western Australia
- See Iguazu Falls – Argentina/Brazil border
- Niagara Falls – Canada/USA border
- Victoria Falls – Zambia/Zimbabwe border
- Ice sculptures of Yuki Matsuri – Sapporo, Japan
- See red crabs march – Christmas Island, Australia
- See the Northern Lights – Vik, Iceland
- See Everest – Sagarmatha National Park, Nepal
- See Mount Rushmore – Rapid City, South Dakota, USA
- Dog-sled ride in the wilderness – Whitehorse, Canada
- Do a wingwalk – London, UK
- Stay a night at an underwater hotel – Key Largo, Florida, USA
- White water rafting – Colorado, USA
- The “7 peaks in 7 days” challenge – Colorado, USA
- Ride an ostrich – Oudtshoorn, South Africa
- See an active volcano – Big Island, Hawaii, USA
- Spend a night in a haunted house, alone – Gold Beach, USA
Written by insider city guide series Hg2 | A Hedonist’s guide to …
(Image: timo_w2s)
