Aanika’s Bucket List: Travel, Culture, and Once-in-a-Lifetime Adventures

Welcome to my ever-evolving bucket list – a collection of dreams, adventures, and experiences I hope to achieve across the globe. From attending U2 concerts at the Las Vegas Sphere to swimming with manta rays in Hawaii, this list represents my aspirations for travel, cultural experiences, and personal growth. Learn more about me HERE.

Note: this is not a comprehensive list as I’m continuously adding more and have many more country-specific ones.

Las Vegas Sphere Venue

  1. 🎵Attend U2 or another concert 🎸at the Las Vegas Sphere venue
  2. 💄Host my future 🥳birthday party🎂 concert event there where the following happens 🙂
  • A stunning AI visual of me is shown as a mermaid goddess 🧜🏾‍♀️with Wakanda’s “Con La Brisa” playing in the background as I fly down from the ceiling on top of a giant disco ball dressed in a shimmery dress
  • Have my favorite band of all time NOAH perform my favorite songs
  • South Asian remix version of “Con La Brisa” is debuted publicly as a result of a collaboration between Foudeqush and Hrishi.

🧠 Skills I Want to Learn 

  1. to SWIM! Then go snorkeling with manta rays on the Big Island Hawaii at NIGHT 😀
  2. to fly a plane and then fly a plane at least once
  3. to drive a motorcycle and ride one
  4. to whistle
  5. use chopsticks

Activities / Experiences (General)

Outdoor/Adventure Activities

  1. Visit a glass beach
  2. Go horseback riding on the beach, preferably on a mini-horse (see if I can handle it first lol)
  3. Ride bikes on the beach and a segway
  4. Skinny dipping in warm water ocean
  5. Ride in a horse & carriage
  6. Take flight and archery lessons

Travel/Cultural Experiences

  1. Drive a Vespa in a foreign country preferably Italy or Bali
  2. Stay in an Underwater Hotel
  3. Visit a nude beach
  4. Attend a same sex wedding
  5. Attend a masquerade ball wearing a gorgeous outfit and mask
  6. Attend a 24-Hours of silence retreat at an ashram or monastery for the weekend

Unique Experiences

  1. Try Dining in the Dark at least once
  2. Get a caricature drawing done by a street artist

Activities / Experiences (Location Flexible)

    1. Ride the Trans-Siberian Railway
    2. Float in the Dead Sea
    3. Desert Dune Buggy in Vietnam, Peru, Dubai
    4. Take at least three different hot air balloon rides: 
      Southeast Asia (Bagan, Myanmar)
      Africa (Kenya, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania, and Sossusvlei, Namibia)
      Middle East (Petra, Jordan and Cappadocia, Turkey)
    5. Go snorkeling and/or diving in:
      Belize
      Raja Ampat Islands, Indonesia
      Great Barrier Reef, Australia
    6. Attend an Opera – China, Italy, Austria
    7. Take a helicopter ride in a major world city or island country and over a volcano

🌍 Global Destinations – Activities & Experiences

  1. Africa

    • Egypt: Wander around the Great Library of Alexandria, take a Nile cruise, visit the Pyramids, Valley of the Kings, and Abu Simbel
    • Kenya: Stay at Giraffe Manor, visit Maasai Mara National Reserve, Lamu Island, Lake Naivasha, and Mombasa
    • Madagascar: Visit the Alley of Baobabs and lemurs (home of my favorite guy: King Julien from the animated movie)
    • Namibia: Go sandboarding in Swakopmund, explore the Skeleton Coast and Deadvlei, take a hot air balloon ride over Sossusvlei
    • Rwanda: Kigali, Gisenyi, Kibuye, Lake Kivu/coffee plantation tour, Musanze, Volcanoes National Park, on a mountain gorilla trek and hike to Dian Fossey’s grave, consider staying at 1-2 of these places: Bisate Lodge, Singita Kwitonda Lodge, Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge (Governors’ Camp Collection), One&Only Gorilla’s Nest
    • Democratic Republic of the Congo: Virunga National Park 
    • South Africa: Drive through wine country in Franschhoek, go whale watching & paragliding in Cape Town, visit the 3 capital cities, experience the blooming of jacarandas in Johannesburg and Pretoria
    • Tanzania: Hike to the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro or take available transportation upward, go on a wildlife safari in a national park, Zanzibar Island
    • Tunisia: roman ruins like ancient city of Carthage
    • Zambia & Zimbabwe: Visit Victoria Falls (border of these two countries)

  2. Asia

    • Bhutan: Spend at least 2 weeks exploring the country
    • Cambodia: Visit Angkor Wat and learn more about the history of the Pol Pot regime and the Killing Fields
    • China: Attend the annual ice festival in Harbin, visit Shanghai and other major cities, explore Tibet and the Xinjiang region, hold a baby panda in my arms at Dujiangyan Panda Base in Chengdu, Terracotta Army in Xian
    • Indonesia: Jakarta, Bandung, snorkeling or diving in Raja Ampat Islands
    • Japan: Visit Hiroshima, Osaka, Kyoto, and Sapporo in Hokkaido
    • Laos: temple hopping in Luang Prabang
    • Myanmar: Take a sunrise hot air balloon ride over Bagan
    • North Korea: Take a guided tour of the country
    • Pakistan: Spend a month visiting major cities like Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, and explore the Swat Valley, Gilgit Valley, Fairy Meadows, Karimabad to Skardu, Hunza, and Minapin plus Rakaposhi base camp
    • Singapore: several blog posts on my itinerary coming soon as it’s the country I’ve wanted to visit for the longest!
    • South Korea: Daegu, Busan, Jeju, and Seoul
    • Sri Lanka: Take a minimum 3-week trip to explore the country
    • Taiwan: Taipei, Taichung, Kaohsiung, Hsinchu, Taoyuan City
    • Thailand: Bangkok, go on a bike riding trip, Chiang Mai & Chiang Rai
    • Vietnam: Hue, Ha Long Bay, Tây Ninh, Cao Dai temple complex Ho Chi Minh City, Hoi An, consider staying at Hotel de la Coupole in Sapa, Da Nang, Mekong Delta, Dalat, Hanoi

  3. Europe

    • Finland: Visit Santa Claus Village in Lapland Rovaniemi to see Santa, his reindeers, and elves
    • France: Stomp grapes at a winery
    • Iceland: Hike to Svartifoss Waterfall in the Skaftafell nature reserve in Southern Iceland
    • Italy: Drive a Vespa in the country
    • Switzerland: Eat fondue
    • Turkey: Take a hot air balloon ride over Cappadocia
    • Romania: Bran Castle, The Merry Cemetery, Bucharest

  4. North America & Central America

    • Belize: Go snorkeling or diving
    • Canada: Visit Newfoundland, Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa, Alberta, Winnipeg, Victoria, Polar Bears and Beluga whales in Churchill, Manitoba
    • Guatemala: Go volcano boarding
    • Hawaii, USA: Take a helicopter ride over Molokai and Maui islands, go on a Manta Ray Night Snorkel Tour on the Big Island, visit Kalaupapa National Historical Park on Molokai Island
    • Mexico: Visit Oaxaca during Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), explore states like Nayarit, Yucatán, Mexicali, Puebla, Mexico City, and Cholula
    • Nicaragua: Go volcano boarding on Cerro Negro Volcano in Leon
    • USA: Experience the fall foliage in Maine, New Hampshire, or somewhere on the East Coast, visit Miami, Boston, Charleston, Oregon, Philadelphia, Rhode Island, Washington D.C.

  5. Oceania

    • Australia: Take a tour at the Kangaroo Sanctuary in Alice Springs, catch a show at the Sydney Opera House, visit Darwin to learn about indigenous Australian communities, go snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef, explore the Blue Mountains and Daintree Rainforest in Queensland, visit Brisbane and Melbourne
    • French Polynesia: humpback whale tour and diving in Moorea or Tahiti, circle around the island of Bora Bora in an outrigger canoe, have breakfast on a private yacht overlooking Mount Otemanu, visit a Tahitian pearl farm, stay in an overwater bungalow, go snorkeling and bike riding around the island of Huahine, Rangiroa, Maupiti, Raiatea, Tahaa
    • New Zealand: Visit Auckland, Wellington, Milford Sound, Christchurch, and try tandem skydiving on the South Island, explore the North Island, learn about Maori culture, catch a game by the All Blacks and witness the haka being performed live.
    • Fiji, New Caledonia, Tuvalu, Palau, & Micronesia

  6. South America

    • Argentina: Explore the Patagonia region, visit Córdoba, Buenos Aires, Iguazu Falls, and Bariloche
    • Bolivia: See the salt flats and attend the Carnival of Oruro
    • Brazil: Visit Bahia, the Amazon area, Iguazu Falls, and hang gliding in Rio
    • Chile: Visit Easter Island, Valparaiso, and Torres del Paine National Park
    • Colombia: Go bird watching, visit Cartagena, Medellin, and Cali
    • Suriname, Guyana, & French Guiana: Explore these totally off-the-beaten-path and only non-Spanish and Portuguese-speaking countries on the continent

  7. Antarctica

    take a tour for at least 10 days to 2 weeks, even though I hate the cold, to see penguins and experience the unique continent

Return Again Places

India

  1. Dussehra in Mysuru / Mysore, Karnataka
  2. Durga Puja in Kolkatta / Calcutta, West Bengal (pandal hopping)
  3. Onam in Kerala
  4. Rajasthan: Jodhpur, Udaipur, and attend a traditional puppet show
  5. Celebrate Diwali and Holi somewhere in North India

Galapagos Islands

  1. Go snorkeling with a loved one and visit the other islands I haven’t visited

Peru

  1. Cusco, Ollantaytambo, Macchu Picchu, Arequipa, Lake Puno region, Taquile Island, Uros Islands, Huacachina and Ica, Paracas, Ballestas Islands, Nazca Lines, Colca Canyon

🏨 Hotels I Dream of Staying 
Stay at each of these hotel brands for at least 2 nights:

  1. Aman Resorts
  2. Four Seasons
  3. Ritz-Carlton
  4. Waldorf Astoria
  5. The Langham
  6. Mandarin Oriental
  7. The Peninsula

🎭 Cultural & Artistic Experiences

Performing Arts / Theatre

Ballet

  1. Attend performance of Dracula Ballet
  2. Nutcracker
  3. Sleeping Beauty
  4. Watch Swan Lake & other ballet in St. Petersburg, Russia 

Musicals

  1. The Mongol Khan
  2. Soft Power – Hillary Clinton played by an Asian actress
  3. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child 
  4. Mamma Mia
  5. Life of Pi
  6. Dear Evan Hansen
  7. Aladdin

Food

  1. Cook a whole meal for close friends from a different culture/region/country for each of the following:
    appetizers, main course, side dishes, dessert, drinks
  2. Eat at in a 3 star Michelin-starred restaurant

Photoshoots

  1. Do a photo shoot similar to ICE magazine’s tribute to actress Suchitra Sen 
  2. Dress up in traditional attire – country/region doesn’t matter