50 Things To Do Before You’re Twelve
Climb inside a pyramid.
Hold dinosaur bones.
Dive an undersea volcano.
Walk on the Great Wall of China.
Roll down a sand dune.
Surf on the back of a pickup truck.
Windsurf.
Surf, full stop.
Taste insects.
Pick fresh spices.
Embrace sushi.
Love oysters.
Eat steak in Paris.
Try champagne.
Make silver jewellery.
Use a potter’s wheel.
Cook dinner.
Shower in a waterfall.
Zorb into a lake.
Zipline across the jungle.
Float in the Dead Sea.
Ride a camel.
Hold a firefly.
Release baby turtles into the sea.
Pet a baby yak.
Feed a baby elephant.
See leopards and lions in the wild.
Climb the Eiffel Tower.
Drive a jeep.
Ride a snowmobile.
Leap into a river from the tallest tree.
Talk Buddhism with monks.
Meet hunter-gatherers.
Kill an animal and eat it.
Watch the sun rise over Uluru.
See the sun set over Angkor Wat.
Dive with sharks.
Hold a stingless jellyfish.
Sleep on a beach.
Forage in the jungle.
Learn a language.
Make firecrackers.
Buy a hunting knife.
Carve a sculpture.
Find a fossil.
Build a campfire.
Navigate the desert.
See the Parthenon.
Find your own way home.
Stay up all night.
My son turns twelve this year. He’s done all this and more.
And you ask me why we travel?!
I love this! I’m going to show it to my seven year old, and ask him what he’d like to do by the time he’s twelve 🙂
I missed hot air ballooning! Add that when you talk to him…
Wow! Awesome! Well, naturally I might tweek our own list a bit. Being veggie and all. 🙂 And I’m firmly committed to taking the elevator up the Eiffel Tower. If they want to walk – they’re on their own!
Yes, it’s not the most veggie-friendly list, is it? How about truffles in Italy in place of steak in Paris?
Great list, definitely something to shoot for.
Thanks, Rob…
Congrats Z…You are far more traveled at 12 than I am now at 31!…Love the new site by the way:)
Thank you! Still ironing out some difficulties, but I’m hoping it’s going to be a really great positive change in the medium-long term.
Great list. I’m sure that with that vision of travels, more kids would be ready to go (and less mum would agree maybe, or I’m the only one afraid of too many kinds of animals).
Which animals are you afraid of? I tell you, travel has been great for my neuroses about bugs.
XD oh my, Theodora, thanks for the afternoon laugh. Such a cute post <3
– Maria Alexandra
And thank you too, Maria…
Nice list — especially Stay up all night. Your redesigned/renamed site looks terrific, btw.
Thanks, Terry! So much stuff to iron out now it’s semi-live, but I’m optimistic…
The list continues. TRY BUNGEE JUMPING! What more can you add more?
I neglected to include hot air ballooning, which we’ve done. But, yeah, bungee jumping and skydiving should be on there (although i don’t know if there are age restrictions)…
Always love a good list! But this makes me feel lazy because there are so many things here I haven’t done!
And you’re over 12?! Slacker… 😉
I would add “sand surfing in Namibia to the list!” Really awesome experience (although might take a lot of convening of parents) 🙂
We actually passed on sand surfing in Egypt. We did do sand tobogganing in Vietnam. I think sand-surfing where someone takes you up to the top of the dune would be worth doing, or where they had a ski lift style system: do you have to walk the board up in Namibia, or is there a cheat way to get to the top?
I have no kids but these listed by you things I want to do before turning 30 :-). Most of them sound very challenging for a 12-year-old traveller 🙂
Oooh, they’re not that challenging, honest. Glad to inspire you, though, Agnes…