The Anti-Bucket List: 12 Things in the World We're Happy To Skip

The world is jam-packed with fascinating places and exciting things to do. We can snorkel in the Great Barrier Reef, watch bears in Katmai National Park, discover Ancient Rome, and much more. As such, most travelers have a bucket list of things they want to do. However, have you heard of an anti-bucket list?

We hadn’t either until a reader commented on one of our bucket list posts. He told us he has a list of things he doesn’t want to do before he dies. That got us thinking about the things we don’t mind missing. Therefore, here is our list of 12 things in the world we’re happy to skip.

Table of Contents

Losing Our Life Savings in Las Vegas, United States

Dream US Escape Set a Budget — © f11photo / Adobe Stock

The first thing we’re happy to skip is losing our life savings in Las Vegas. Also known as Sin City, there’s no denying that Las Vegas is a fascinating destination, but the thought of spending our entire vacation gambling doesn’t sound appealing to us unless you could guarantee we’d score big, of course.

The most populous city in Nevada, this vibrant city is famed for its world-class entertainment, casinos, and shotgun weddings. While we’d love to pass through the city to see what the fuss is about, we’re much more drawn to the Mojave Desert and its impressive scenery, where we’d end up living if we lost all our money in the casinos.

Attend the Oktoberfest, Germany

We enjoy a refreshing beer just as much as the next person, but the Oktoberfest hasn’t ever appealed to us. For those who don’t know, the Oktoberfest is a beer festival and carnival held annually in Munich, the German capital. It takes place from mid- or late-September to the first Sunday of October, and more than six million people attend.

During the festivities, people participate in parades, games, music, dancing, and beer drinking. Most people dress in traditional Bavarian costumes and drink beer from steins most of the day. While the Oktoberfest looks like a lot of fun, we could see our social battery running out quickly.

Exploring Cinque Terre, Italy

Villages in Italy_Vernazza, Cinque Terre_Parilov — © Parilov / Adobe Stock

Cinque Terre is a collection of centuries-old seaside villages along Italy’s picturesque Riviera coastline. Consisting of five towns, the area is famed for its vibrant architecture, scenic views, lush vineyards, and Italian charm. However, many people want to miss Cinque Terre because of the large crowds.

Just 20 years ago, Cinque Terre was much quieter, more relaxed, and more affordable. Unfortunately, the region’s dramatic rise in popularity has seen millions of people visit yearly, while only a few thousand people live in each town. As a result, it’s not uncommon for tourists to be met with large crowds, especially at the most famous viewpoints. Therefore, we’d prefer to visit lesser-traveled Italian coastal towns like Porto Ercole.

Visiting the Theme Parks in Orlando, United States

Orlando, Florida, is a beautiful city with a lively atmosphere, picturesque scenery, and many things to see and do. However, the City Beautiful is best known for its theme parks. In Orlando, you’ll find over 18 theme parks, including iconic places like Disney World and Universal. As a result, the city is a big hit with thrill seekers and families with small children.

While Orlando’s theme parks offer many exciting things to see and do, they don’t appeal to everyone, especially people with a fear of heights, me included. However, what puts me off most is the prices. To visit Orlando’s best theme parks, you’ll have to spend hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars, which is a budget killer for backpackers.

Swimming With Dolphins in the Jamaica, Caribbean

Getting to see the world’s most magical animal species is one of the things we love most about traveling. I’d much rather sit in a forest watching monkeys play and birds sing than attend a beer festival like Oktoberfest. However, you’ll never catch me swimming with dolphins in the Caribbean.

While the thought of swimming alongside dolphins sounds fun and memorable, it isn’t for the dolphins. The sad truth is that dolphins in captivity in places like Jamaica are unsafe. Tragically, the Dolphin Project reports that confinement in small spaces can lead dolphins to depression and self-harming behaviors. In the wild, dolphins swim for hundreds of miles, something they can’t do in captivity.

Bungee Jumping Off Zhangjiajie Bridge, China

If you’re not a big fan of heights, this next anti-bucket list attraction is the stuff of nightmares. In Zhangjiajie, Hunan, Central China, you’ll find the world’s tallest and most impressive glass bridge. Zhangjiajie Bridge stands proudly 853 feet (260 meters) above the Zhangjiajie Canyon, an area famed for its spectacular scenery and panoramic views.

While the bridge is already scary enough, things are taken to a new level with the addition of the Zhangjiajie Bridge bungee jump. From the bridge’s center, daring travelers can bungee jump into the canyon below. It’s worth noting that this bungee jump is the world’s highest, so you need to be seriously brave to take it on. Unfortunately, we are not.

Climbing Mount Everest, Nepal

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Regarding great heights, high-altitude adventures don’t get much higher than scaling Mount Everest, the world’s highest mountain above sea level. Located on the border of Nepal and Tibet, Mount Everest stands at an imposing 29,035 feet (8,848 meters) and features a cone-shaped peak.

Due to its sheer height, difficulty, and treacherous conditions, climbing Mount Everest is reserved for experienced climbers. Even today, less than 7,000 people have reached the summit of Everest, and we’re okay with not being one of them. Not only is Mount Everest too big a challenge for us, but it’s also costly. Therefore, we’ll leave this one to the experts.

Read also: World’s Most Stunning Peaks

Sail to Antarctica

If there’s one place on this list we’d love to visit but are happy to skip, it’s Antarctica, the world’s southernmost continent and the site of the South Pole. Almost entirely uninhabited, Antarctica is a vast ice-covered landmass that shelters fascinating wildlife species, including penguins, orcas, and leopard seals.

Travelers can explore the region on an Antarctica cruise expedition. While these expeditions sound incredible, they are costly. Firstly, you’ll have to fly to South America or New Zealand to board a ferry. Then, you can expect to pay at least $7,000, likely more, for an expedition. To make matters worse, the journey to Antarctica is renowned for being treacherous.

Staying in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Ruling out an entire city might sound controversial, but everyone has a personal preference, and for us, Dubai is somewhere I won’t be disappointed not to visit. While Dubai looks like a fascinating place to explore, it’s not a destination that’s ever drawn me in. For starters, I much prefer exploring wilder destinations and natural landscapes.

Secondly, Dubai strikes me as a destination that doesn’t seem very authentic. Beyond the sparkling 5-star resorts, glamorous shopping centers, and bright lights, I’m sure an authentic Arabian experience is waiting to be discovered, but it’s not easy to find. Furthermore, the United Arab Emirates is known for its controversial laws and regulations that many people disagree with.

Taking Photographs at Santorini’s Famous Viewpoints, Greece

Instagrammable Places in Europe Santorini Greece — © Maridav / Adobe Stock

There’s no denying that Santorini, one of Greece’s Cyclades islands in the Aegean Sea, is a beautiful destination worth visiting. However, that doesn’t mean you have to engage in the Instagrammer’s chaos at the main viewpoints, especially the three blue domed roofs in Oia. Admittedly, the views in Oia are out-of-this-world, but they’re not worth queuing hours for.

At sunset, you’ll be joined by hundreds or thousands of tourists trying to capture the best photograph. This takes the shine off the area. Instead, you’d be much better off visiting one of the island’s less popular viewpoints. For example, you’ll find epic sunset viewpoints in Megalochori, a traditional Cycladic village with fewer crowds.

Flying to Space, Universe

Okay, so we might be getting ahead of ourselves with this one, but space tourism is edging ever closer to being a possibility for wealthy individuals with cash to burn. While we don’t have hundreds of thousands or even millions to spend on a trip to the outer orbit, we wouldn’t want to do it even if we did.

We don’t know about you, but traveling to space isn’t exciting, just dangerous. So far, only Space Adventures, SpaceX, and Virgin Galactic have led successful tourism trips to space. In 2022, Virgin Galactic announced that it would open ticket sales to the public at a starting price of $450,000. The first tourism flight took off in June 2023.

Eating Food in Chinese Markets, China

Worst Cuisines in the World_Chinese — © Subodh / Adobe Stock

This final anti-bucket list activity may seem strange because Chinese food is incredibly popular worldwide. However, you won’t find the tasty dishes we order from our favorite Chinese takeaway at most Chinese food markets. Instead, you’ll discover the weird side of cuisine.

If you visit China, don’t be surprised to see stalls selling scorpions, rats, chicken feet, fertilized bird eggs, and frogs. These foods aren’t for the faint-hearted, and any vegetarian who visits Chinese markets isn’t in for a good time. Personally, we’ll never eat in Chinese markets because we can’t stomach the sight of people eating things like insects and baby bird fetuses.