Don’t live a life of regret, live a life of excitement. Whatever your age, there’s bound to be a long, old bucket list of things you want to tick off before the grim reaper comes knocking. These days it’s easier than ever to try your hand at something you thought you could never do, whether it’s the adrenalin rush of jumping from a plane, the thrill of getting behind the controls of a high speed machine or the excitement of doing something just downright dangerous, your dreams are within reach. Here’s some things to get you started:
Jump out of a plane
Safely, of course, with a parachute. Skydiving has plummeted (bad pun intended) in price in recent years meaning you don’t even have to hop on a charity fundraising bandwagon to afford it. You can raise money for a good cause at the same time of course, or you can just do it for the hell of it. After heading thousands of feet up in the air, the aeroplane doors open and you leap out, usually strapped to an instructor if it’s your first go, before freefalling at speeds of up to 120 mph in what is truly one of the most exhilarating experience days you can ever have.
Swim with sharks
Don’t try this on your own! But if you want to get up close and personal with these ferocious creatures of the sea then you can do it from the safety of a shark cage. We don’t just mean swimming about in an aquarium with harmless nurse sharks here (although that’s a great warm-up), we’re talking the real deal, going eyeball to eyeball with a Great White. Show Jaws a thing or two at ‘Shark Alley,’ the shark diving capital of the world just off the coast of Gansbaai in South Africa and easily accessible from Cape Town.
Drive a monster truck
You know what they say, the bigger the car, the smaller the…actually, ignore that bit. When it comes to mighty machines, they don’t come mightier than a big, shiny, American Monster Truck. They’re a marvel to watch and even more marvelous to drive. With the 7.5 litre engine and 66ins tyres you can power your way over impossible terrain, crush cars and anything else in your path, fly off ramps and more. The only problem is, the drive home in your regular old saloon will feel very boring.
Fly a plane
Forget the years of RAF training, pilot school, or wherever it is you’re supposed learn to fly a plane, you can now get behind the controls within half an hour for the equivalent cost of a couple of nights out down the pub (we don’t advise combining the two). Flying experiences are available from airstrips round the country in anything from a lightweight glider to a vintage 1930s Tiger Moth biplane. Top Gun-style aviator shades are a must, Tom Cruise-style personality disorder is not.
Jump off a cliff
Leaping from a plane with the safety of a parachute is one thing, but for a real thrill try a running jump off a rocky cliff edge in nothing but your Speedos and plummeting into the choppy waters below. Ok, maybe it doesn’t quite match up to skydiving in the exhilaration stakes, but for its sheer, tribal ‘grrrrr’ factor, cliff diving is a must for adrenalin junkies. Pick your spot wisely of course and make sure it’s a well known diving spot with plenty of deep water and no rocks below. The limestone cliffs on the west coast of Jamaica are a popular one, or the Pembrokeshire coastline in Wales is a veritable hotspot. Don’t get carried away and try somersaults and backflips just to impress your friends, but don’t whimper like a child before you jump either.