1. Bungee jumping, Queenstown, New Zealand.
Bungee jumping, which originated eons ago as a coming-of-age ritual on the nearby Vanuatu islands, can make your knees weak thinking about it. Queenstown's high energy approach to fun will get you pumped - and so far, everyone has lived to tell about it, including an 84 year old grandpa.
2. Rafting the Zambezi River, Zambia.
It's no wonder rafting fanatics call it the "Slambezi." Barreling through the narrow basalt gorges at the foot of Victoria Falls, the mighty Zambezi, churns up some hair-raising drops and classic white-water rapids.
3. Dune-hopping in Natal, Brazil.
Natal features miles and miles of enormous white dunes. Rent a four-wheel-drive beach buggy-or, better yet, leave the driving to a local buguiero, who'll pilot your rig across the shifting sands and through vertiginous turns like an Indy-500 driver.
4. Shark Rodeo at Walker's Cay, Abacos Islands, Bahamas.
At this old-time rumrunner's refuge, you can swim among a hundred or more sharks, confident that these magnificent creatures gnawing at their frozen "chumsicle" of fish carcass will be too distracted by their snack to be even remotely interested in you.
5. The Kentucky Derby, Louisville, Kentucky.
At Churchill Downs, you can't help but give in to the excitement of the Kentucky Derby. Hearing the crowd roar as the Thoroughbreds thunder down the track, you can easily see why the race is billed as "the greatest two minutes in sports."
6. Skiing the Interconnect, Wasatch Range, Utah.
Leave the groomed trails and ski the backcountry in an excursion that connects five ski resorts- Park City, Brighton, Solitude, Alta, and Snowbird. Not for bunnies, it offers astounding views and miles of pristine powder.
7. Running with the bulls, Pamplona, Spain.
Sometimes it's hard to know the difference between an endorphin high and a testosterone overdose, particularly during the Festival de San Fermin, when a few hundred sangria-fueled lunatics who've read too much Hemingway rush through the streets, pursued by a stampede of snorting bulls.
8. Paragliding Angel Falls, Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela.
Angel Falls is 3,212 feet tall, one and a half times higher than the Empire State Building. Try to catch a thermal draft, and your breath, as you tandem-paraglide off the top of the falls-scared stiff maybe, but safe with the instructor strapped to your back.
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Travel to Europe
