WATCH THE SUN SET OVER AYERS ROCK

Rising 2,831 feet out of Australia’s Kata Tjuta National Park, Ayers Rock (now referred to as “Uluru”) is one of the most remarkable natural wonders in the world. Changing color depending on the time of day, the imposing monolith looks its most incredible at dusk, when the sun sets behind it and transforms the brown face into a fiery red surface. Heighten this life experience resolution by staying at Longitude 131°, a luxurious eco-sensitive hotel on stilts.

GO TO ANTARCTICA

As the coldest, driest continent on the planet, Antarctica may not be a destination for a lot of package tours, but that’s not to say such packages don’t exist. Well, you can’t say you’ve lived until you’ve traveled to the land of ice and snow, with winter temperatures as cold as -112F and no cities, towns or villages to offer Western-style hospitality. Book an excursion aboard a ship during the Antarctic summer, when you’ll be able to set foot where others haven’t dared tread and take in some of the local wildlife, including seals, penguins and reindeer.

RIDE THE VENICE SIMPLON-ORIENT EXPRESS

Made famous by Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express, this famous train travels from London to Venice across some of the most spectacular scenery in Europe. Enjoyed by everyone from royals to rock stars, the opulence onboard the Orient-Express is undeniable. From its luxury sleeping cars reminiscent of some of the world’s best hotel suites to its restaurant cars worthy of Michelin stars, the Orient-Express is about as far away from a subway ride as you can get. Beginning at London Victoria, guests board the British Pullman train to enjoy a three-course lunch with wine and Champagne as they travel through the lush Kentish countryside. The train then crosses the channel before moving through the Swiss Alps and crossing through Italy toward the prestigious Santa Lucia station in Venice. With this trip, romance and adventure await.

DRIVE ALONG ROUTE 66

While the newer Interstate 40 will get you from Chicago to Santa Monica a hell of a lot faster, there’s nothing quite like meandering down Route 66 from the comfort of a roof-down American classic. Hell, you could even rent a Harley and dust off your old leathers if you want to go all-out. Brimming with more style and soul than James Dean could ever muster, Route 66 covers a total of eight states, three time zones and 2,400 miles of road, and is arguably the most famous stretch of cracked asphalt in the world. Prove that you were born to be wild by stopping for gas at run-down trucker stops and staying overnight at dodgy motels with half-lit neon signs.

CLIMB A MOUNTAIN FOR CHARITY

Not everyone can do a Sylvester Stallone in Cliffhanger, which is why we’re more inclined to trek across a mountain than risk breaking our necks scaling it. The Kilimanjaro trek offered by Bmycharity is perfect for those who aren’t natural-born climbers, providing the challenge of a lifetime without actually killing you in the process. Scaling a 19,340-foot summit is no easy feat and those who embark on the adventure should be prepared to sweat for their charity of choice. The rewards for conquering Kilimanjaro are aplenty, though, with a breathtaking view from the top of East Africa, lush rain forests to meander through and animals including zebras, rhinos and leopards to gaze upon. Choose a charity close to your heart and prove that you too can be a selfless soul.

JUMP OUT OF A PLANE

If you’re going to fall from grace, you might as well do it in style, and we can’t think of any better way of falling than from thousands of feet up. While it’s a given that most of us are terrified of heights, it’s a fear that’s easily overcome by strapping a parachute to your back and taking a giant leap with a qualified instructor. Sure, things can go wrong, but how do you know you’re alive if you can’t stare death in the face? And if you’re going to do it, you may as well do it properly by going for the highest skydive in California, located in Monterey Bay in Santa Cruz. While you may not be able to fully appreciate the stunning views of the Pacific Ocean as you hurtle toward the ground at a mind-blowing speed, you will be able to put it in slow-mo when you watch the video after.

SEE THE NEW SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD

There are many things that are wondrous about the world, but none so much as the New Seven Wonders of the World, announced by New7Wonders in 2006. Although there’s a lot to see — including Christ the Redeemer in Brazil, the Great Wall of China, the Colosseum in Italy, and India’s Taj Mahal — every culture vulture worth their stack of guide books will have taken in all seven by the time they die. Voted for their contribution to global heritage and history, each site was selected from hundreds of nominees around the world.

GO DEEP-SEA DIVING

Like the majority of the world, you probably haven’t taken a dip in the sea since Jaws put the fear of God into you, but there’s a world waiting to be explored just beneath the surface of our oceans. Take the plunge in 2009 and go deep-sea diving to see what the seabed has to offer, with awe-inspiring sea life and stunning scenery awaiting exploration. Highly recommended is Coco Island off the coast of Costa Rica, said by world-famous diver Jacques Cousteau to offer the best diving in the world. You could, of course, opt to dive in more renowned places, such as the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, but Coco Island isn’t crowded and is still very much undiscovered.

TAKE A WORLD TOUR

Most of us take the occasional holiday here and there, but few of us are brave enough to throw in the towel at work, break into the savings account, book a one-way ticket, and head off around the world. Yet, this is exactly what you should do if you’re looking to shake things up, exploring every continent along the way with the carefree spirit of a true vagabond. While you could backpack around the world like a student, our preferred method of seeing the world is from the comfort of a luxury cruise liner, such as Cunard’s Queen Mary 2. Lasting four months, the ship — the tallest, largest and most expensive ship ever built — makes its way from either Southampton or New York and takes in destinations such as India, Japan, South Africa, and Australia. If waking up in a new city every morning doesn’t inject some excitement into your life, we don’t know what will.

BOOK A TRIP TO SPACE

You can’t call yourself a man unless you wanted to be an astronaut when you were young; after all, what red-blooded man doesn’t want to journey into space to explore planets and meet the bug-eyed aliens from The X-Files? Fortunately, entrepreneur Richard Branson and his multibillion-dollar company have come up with a way to turn the ultimate fantasy into a reality with Virgin Galactic. Offering ordinary civilians the chance to explore the galaxy via the comfort of a luxury Virgin spacecraft, Virgin Galactic will be the trip of a lifetime when its first craft blasts off in 2010. Flights certainly don’t come cheap, with the first 500 selling at $200,000 and $20,000 thereafter.