Bucket List Ideas for Couples: 60 Things to Do Together

A couples bucket list is a list of things you both want to do together before life gets in the way. Writing it together is half the value: you find out what the other person has wanted for years and never said, and you end up with plans instead of "we should do that sometime".

Below are 60 bucket list ideas for couples in six categories, from cheap evenings at home to once-in-a-lifetime trips. Each has a first step, because a shared list stalls when each of you waits for the other to book. After the list: how to write yours together and how to actually tick items off.

Travel and trips

Adventures and experiences

Learning something new together

At home and on a budget

Big life goals

Giving back and connecting

For ideas you might do on your own too, see 100 bucket list ideas by category.

How to write a couples bucket list together

1. Write separately first, for ten minutes. If you write together straight away, the more talkative person's ideas fill the list. Separate lists bring out the quiet wishes.
2. Swap and mark. Each of you marks the other's ideas: yes, maybe, or not for me. Anything with two yeses goes on the shared list.
3. Talk about the "not for me" items. Don't argue them onto the list. Some become solo bucket list items, and some turn into a smaller version you would both do.
4. Sort by size. Split the list into this month, this year and someday. A list of only big dreams never starts; a few quick wins keep it moving.
5. Pick one and give it a first step and an owner. Shared items stall when each person waits for the other. One of you books, the other plans the next one.

The bucket list template has four categories, checkboxes and a "by when" column. Fill it in together, then print it or download it.

How to actually tick items off

• One item a month. Put the next item on the calendar before you finish the current one.
• Take turns choosing. It keeps the list fair and stops one person doing all the planning.
• Read the list together every few months. Cross out what no longer excites you both, and add what's new.
• Keep the done items ticked, not deleted. A list of things you've done together is a good thing to read on a hard week.

For a big item like a dream trip or moving abroad, treat it like any other goal: break it into steps with dates. How to break down a big goal into subgoals shows how.

Track your shared list in your browser

GoalTracker can hold your list. Add each bucket list item you're working on as a goal, add the steps as subgoals with dates, and tick them off as you go. It is free and needs no account. It keeps your goals in the browser you use, so keep it on the device you share, or export the list as a file and import it on the other.

Frequently asked questions

What should be on a couples bucket list?

A mix of sizes: quick wins you can do this month (a picnic, an escape room, a new recipe), experiences for this year (a festival, a road trip), and big dreams for someday (living abroad, a once-in-a-lifetime trip). Include things only possible as a pair, such as recreating your first date.

How many items should a couples bucket list have?

Twenty to fifty is plenty. Fewer than ten runs out fast; more than a hundred becomes a list nobody reads. Aim for at least a few you can do in the next month.

What are cheap bucket list ideas for couples?

Cook a three-course meal at home, stargaze, have a picnic in a new park, write letters to open in ten years, do a 30-day challenge together, or spend a weekend with phones switched off. Most cost little or nothing.

What if we want different things?

That is normal. Keep a shared list for things you both said yes to, and keep a personal bucket list each. Some of the "not for me" items can be done with friends instead, and some turn into a smaller version you'd both enjoy.