If you could choose a bucket list experience, what would it be? From admiring the temporal beauty of Japan’s cherry blossoms to trawling the bottom of the ocean in an old-school bathysphere, SkyClub received more than 1,000 wonderful, wacky and (sometimes a little) weird replies when we asked our customers:
“What’s number one on your bucket list?”
This quirky question was part of a 15-minute survey SkyClub carried out to learn more about today’s luxury travel trends. Of the more than 1,000 replies that we received, 35% of respondents informed us that they want an unforgettable experience rather than simply visiting a dream destination. Whilst analysing the near 400 experience-based bucket lists we found that:
- 29% desire “new experiences”
- 25% crave culture and cuisine, such as “eating in every one of the world’s top 30 restaurants”
- 21% seek relaxation and “always being in rude health”
- 16% want to involve their family and friends, especially where there are lions involved (see below)
- 8% are driven by a sense of adventure or sporting activities
- 1% are far too rude to publish
From those 400 experiences, SkyClub identified 90 of the more exotic, adventurous and ambitious desires and grouped them into categories – conveniently they all begin with a SkyClub “S” so we dubbed them The SkyClub Seven S Experiences:
43% were the spectacular
Spectacular sights are on the bucket list
Whether they’ve been put together by Mother Nature or are a product of humankind’s ingenuity, many spectacular sights and events inhabit, or take place in, our big, wide, world. The famous Incan citadel, Machu Picchu, in the Andes Mountains in Peru has clearly charmed many SkyClub customers, and was the number one spectacular bucket list item. Similarly, a trip to the magnificent, wildlife-filled Galapagos Islands was also a favourite, with dreams of returning or going there for the first time.
A selection of other spectacular sights and events that captured SkyClub’s customers’ imaginations include:
- seeing the northern lights in Finland (whilst sleeping in a glass igloo, no less)
- travelling by first class to California to party at the Coachella festival
- visiting the terracotta army in China
- enjoying a rail tour around North America’s Rocky Mountains and,
- seeing every one of Grand Slam finals in the same year. Tennis, anyone?
22% seek a safari
The wild is calling these respondents who are keen to swap their laptops for a bit of leopard spotting. South Africa was the destination of choice, with desired experiences including:
- safari balloon rides
- a 7 star safari lodge experience and,
- wanting to share this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with all the family.
A safari is a bucket list experience
10% want to skydive
Clearly, some of our customers are not content with simply peering out at the sky from the window of a plane. In total, ten of you are adrenaline seekers who would like to jump out of an aircraft and skydive amongst the clouds. For example, one SkyClub customer wants to “Parachute out of an aircraft…. Without screaming like a twelve-year-old!” Interestingly, it is estimated that more than 10 million men and women in the US can say they’ve made at least one leap into the wild blue yonder https://www.quora.com/How-many-people-skydive-per-year-in-the-US, so they are not alone!
Skydiving is a bucket list experience
9% want some space
Space is the new frontier, and a selection of SkyClub customers are reaching for the stars as they’d all love to experience a trip to space. Replies included “looking at the earth from space” and “an orbital flight with private spaceflight company SpaceX.” We think $pace is the most expensive “bucket” on the list.
Going into space is a bucket list experience
7% are up for some scuba diving
SkyClub customers didn’t want to get the bends in economy seats, so jumping out of a boat and plunging into the murky depths of the ocean is the goal for this subaquatic group, whose replies include:
- scuba diving with a whale shark
- cage diving with a great white shark in Africa and,
- wildlife and environmental scuba diving.
Scuba diving is a bucket list experience
6% want to scale the summits
They say that the best view comes after the hardest climb – and what spectacular views await those customers whose bucket list is to reach their peak, so to speak. Replies in this category include climbing:
- Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania
- Mount Everest in the Himalayas
- Mount Kenya and,
- The Drakensburg mountains in South Africa
Climbing a mountain is a bucket list experience
6% for sea and sailing
A few of our seafaring customers would like to sail around the world, whilst others are happy to keep their nautical adventure to a specific area, such as a sail around the Aegean Islands. One customer, who has clearly never seen Jaws, fancies the two-mile swim between St. Kitts and Nevis. Another bucket list in this category includes bravely taking part in the endurance-testing Clipper Round the World Yacht Race. All hands on deck!
Sailing is a bucket list experience
We hope that some of these Seven S experiences have inspired you into planning your next adventure. If you decide to do so SkyClub will find you the best cheap business class flights to further enhance your experience of a lifetime, simply click here (and complete the form) or email us at feedback@skyclub.com
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