1. WRITE A BOOK. Okay, so you know the whole world wants to read your autobiography, right? But you’re still in your 20s! So much hasn’t happened yet! So instead, you’ll settle for just writing the Great American Novel. A handful of the greats did it: Hemingway published The Sun Also Rises when he was 27, and Stephen King’s Carrie was accepted by Doubleday when he was just 25. Though she only wrote one novel, Mary Shelley penned Frankenstein when she was just 21. But if writing’s not your thing, complete some other major work. Record an album, or make a short film. Somehow or another, get those creative juices flowing and create something you’ll be proud of.

2. START A BUDGET — AND STICK TO IT. At some point, nearly all of us have wondered where that paycheck went. Have you ever tallied the cappuccinos and mochas from your daily coffee shop fix? Or actually looked closely at the bar tab before you signed it? Or used the gym membership enough to justify that automatic checking withdrawal? And do you really need a TV that big? Maybe you’re already frugal, but it’s a good idea to sit down and make sure you know exactly where your money has been going, and then decide if that’s where it ought to be going. This nation arguably didn’t get into the current economic mess by living within our means.

3. VOLUNTEER IN A DEVELOPING COUNTRY. If you’re reading this, you’re probably on the flip side of this statistic — Over 1.1 billion people – a sixth of the world’s population – is without access to safe drinking water. So whether it’s your sense of adventure or even a hint of altruism, there is a  pull to give back in a completely foreign environment. Yet as life carries us forward into more steady jobs and more serious relationships, it can be difficult to take off six months for a jaunt to save the Third World. Take the opportunity now, before the career and family tied you down, to learn some humility in the service of others in a place where you can’t even identify your lunch. You can head abroad in the safety net of an organization that arranges volunteer trips for you, though these charge program fees. If you want a little more independence and a lot more adventure, spin a globe with your eyes closed, stop it at random with your finger, and book a ticket for the closest country. Then show up… and see what you can do to make that little corner of the world a better place.

4. ENJOY A REALLY EXPENSIVE BOTTLE OF WINE. And to better enjoy, take a wine appreciation class to learn your Pinots from your Cabs. Most colleges and universities offer wine appreciation classes in their continuing education programs, and wine bars offer flights of wine where you can try four different varieties and learn about them from the server. If you’re not a drinker, or if you’ve decided to out cut alcohol from your diet, treat yourself instead to a really expensive five-course meal: be sure to try an appetizer you’ve never had and ask for the restaurant’s specialty for your main dish.

5. LEARN TO PLAY THE GUITAR, THE PIANO – ANYTHING. Few musical instruments bring people together like a guitar. Whether it’s on stage, at a coffee shop, around a campfire, a street corner, or train station, the guitar is there, and typically welcome. Further, it’s one of the easier instruments to master. Do calluses turn you off? How about learning something more than Chopsticks on those ebony and ivory keys? Or, massage those vocal chords and audition the next time American Idol comes through town. Get up on stage and perform a musical act solo (karaoke doesn’t count). If you’re so musically challenged that you worry about offending those around you, then go for something more physical, like learning to juggle or attending clown school.

6. CLIMB MOUNT KILIMANJARO. This item could be any number of things: hike to Everest base camp, hike the Inca Trail to Maccu Picchu, walk the Appalachian Trail. The idea is to follow some incredible track that brings culture and history together in a beautiful natural setting, a trip where the experience itself lingers long after you reach the summit or ancient city. If you want to avoid the beaten path, create your own adventure, like this guy who walked across China. If long walks turn you off, then hop a plane to a new continent, a place that may have seemed exotic and far away when you were young.

7. LEARN TO SCUBA DIVE. Despite all the voices calling for conservation and green practices, the world underwater often gets overlooked because it’s harder to see what’s going on. In fact, the oceans are in far more dire straits than many realize. So now is the best time to see the beauty down below – both before it continues to erode and to appreciate how fragile marine ecosystems are. Floating weightlessly above staghorn coral and seeking out creatures lurking among the rocks can be a relaxing experience. But if the adrenaline bug has you, swim with wild dolphins: you see nothing but blue until a curious snout and two bright eyes suddenly pop up in front of you. Like seals, dolphins love to play with humans. Then, just to dare yourself, take a dive with a shark – the sea’s greatest predator but one increasingly vanishing due to human behavior. Note: Some medical conditions preclude some people from scuba diving because of increased pressure at depth. Get a physical with a doctor before beginning a course. If scuba diving isn’t right for you, or if you have a fear of depths, there are plenty of shallow coral reefs perfect for snorkeling. Both dolphin swimming and shark diving in a cage can be done without scuba certification.

8. GO ON A ROAD TRIP. We’re not talking about that never-ending family vacation or the multi-state trek to visit family or move to college. We’re talking about a trip where there is no point except the trip itself. Go coast to coast, or follow Route 66, take the eastern coastline from Florida to Maine – and up into Canada – or travel Highway 1 along the West Coast. Heck, go all the way to Alaska, or if you’ve already seen much of the U.S., take a long flight out to Australia or New Zealand, which are full of cheap campgrounds, beautiful sites and friendly people. You can often buy an inexpensive car in one city and sell it to travelers in another. You can also take a special journey unique to your interests: retrace the steps of Lewis and Clark, follow a band tour throughout the U.S., or do what this guy did: Take a “social-networking” roadtrip to see all your Facebook friends in real life.

9. EAT FEARLESSLY. Forget sushi. Have you tried raw insects? Aborigines in Australia find honey ants and wichetty grubs to be delicacies, and both can, in fact, be pretty tasty. If your protein absolutely must be cooked, many Asian countries offer a selection of grasshoppers, beetles and cockroaches for dining, and the markets of Hong Kong boast dozens of treats you probably can’t identify but might actually enjoy. Much of these can be found in Chinatowns in major cities as well. Then next time you watch Fear Factor, you can yawn and say, “Been there, done that.”

10. TEACH A CHILD SOMETHING NEW. Not every item on the list requires some exotic locale or monumental effort. Taking a kid fishing for the first time can be an adventure in itself – and perhaps the richest of them. Think back to the time you learned to ride a bike, bake a batch of cookies or bat a ball. Your teacher’s skills probably felt bigger than life, and there are few activities as fulfilling as being on the giving end this time.