If you're just coming off of high school, it's socially acceptable to delay starting University by a semester or two to go backpack around the world for a while. If you can scrape together a few grand to do so, definitely jump on the chance.
Fly one-way to Bangkok, get a room on Ko San road, then walk downstairs and grab a beer in the bar. Talk to people, ask where they've been and where they're going. Ten minutes of this will probably be enough to load you up with 6 months worth of amazing things to do in SE Asia.
It's cheap there. It's easy to get around. The locals are friendly and speak English. You'll rock it.
Fly out, say, tomorrow afternoon (or the day after you graduate, if you haven't yet done so). Stay as long as the money holds out. Use your last $600 to buy a one-way flight home from wherever you happen to have ended up.
You'll come back never having to ask strangers for a list of new thing to try again.
The things you've listed are all "skills." Learning new skills is great, and you should do it for the rest of your life.
Don't limit your 'trying things' to just new skills, however. Consider new experiences you'd like to have. Others have mentioned travel, skydiving, etc... Those experiences are what make the memories that last a lifetime, long after you're past the novelty of being able to plunk out tunes on the piano. Here are a few suggestions:
* Go eat at a Michelin 3-star restaurant, even if it the price seems crazy.
* Next time the Mormons or Jehova's Witnesses knock on the door, invite them in and listen to what they have to say.
* Go to a concert, especially one that's outside your "norm" (Been to a few rock concerts? Go to the symphony. Or vice-versa).
* Volunteer at a soup kitchen, homeless shelter, or some other place where you'll work hard for nothing more than feeling good about contributing to society.
That said, when you do tackle the skill stuff, I highly recommend Josh Kaufmann's book "The first 20 hours" (http://www.amazon.com/The-First-20-Hours-Anything/dp/1591845...). In which he teaches how to become "not a beginner" at something fairly quickly.
- learn a prototyping tool or a programming language and join a videogame jam (http://compohub.net/)!
Whatever challenge you take on, be sure to have a clear goal in mind, so that you won't just do random things. A goal will let you see how far you've progressed, have a feedback and be more motivated. At the same time, don't be a slave to your self-imposed goal. It's a tool to frame your actions and make them meaningful; don't beat up yourself if you don't achieve it, enjoy the ride!
- Get a dog, build a relationship with it. They're both family members (should be, from your POV) and pack members from their POV. You need to train your dog, get professional advice; violence is not part of legitimate training (see family member above).
Not all of these would classify as "new challenges", but overall they will expand your perspective and expose you to interesting new ideas.
- Taking long walks (5km +) in your neighbourhood can give you a new perspective on your surroundings
- Snow Skiing or Diving - expensive, but both worth it if you haven't tried them
- Volunteering at a local organisation
- A part-time job that's way out of your normal focus. I've worked part time as a real-estate agent, photographer, IT technician, and learnt a lot about life doing so.
- Do some online / self study in a literature, psychology, philosophy or politics.
I came across his story when I was a few years younger than you -- I'm 61 now -- and it has inspired and guided my entire life. Read his story; read his list. The two of them ought to provide you with enough ideas for a lifetime.
Travelling by kayak or bike for 800-1500km will give you a new perspective on things. I did about 750km when I was 17 and it changed my life. You can check out my article on my kayak trip this year in Poland to get an idea.
I don't think you can go all the way to Tierra del Fuego by road. If I recall correctly, somewhere in Central America, it's broken. Also, some places is quite dangerous.
That's absolutely true. It's the Darien Gap, and you basically take a boat around the gap, from Panama into Colombia I believe. But the point is, pick a destination at the end of the road, and get there by traveling over the land/ sea; no airplanes, and no interstates. It's not about the destination, it's about all the experiences that aiming for the destination brings you to.
If you're just coming off of high school, it's socially acceptable to delay starting University by a semester or two to go backpack around the world for a while. If you can scrape together a few grand to do so, definitely jump on the chance.
Fly one-way to Bangkok, get a room on Ko San road, then walk downstairs and grab a beer in the bar. Talk to people, ask where they've been and where they're going. Ten minutes of this will probably be enough to load you up with 6 months worth of amazing things to do in SE Asia.
It's cheap there. It's easy to get around. The locals are friendly and speak English. You'll rock it.
Fly out, say, tomorrow afternoon (or the day after you graduate, if you haven't yet done so). Stay as long as the money holds out. Use your last $600 to buy a one-way flight home from wherever you happen to have ended up.
You'll come back never having to ask strangers for a list of new thing to try again.
Good luck!